Kilkenny Minor Bs claim big win over Wicklow

The Kilkenny Minor B team had an emphatic win over Wicklow in the Leinster camogie quarter-final in Thomastown on Sunday.

Laura Doherty gave Kilkenny the perfect start within 50 seconds when she blasted the sliotar past the Wicklow goalkeeper into the back of the net.

Ciara Connolly then got Wicklow’s only score of the half after six minutes with a pointed free.

Kilkenny went on a scoring blitz after that. Captain Aoife O’Shea got a point from play before Laura Doherty scored two more goals, giving the Wicklow goalkeeper no chance.

Emily Smyth got in on the scoring with a fine point.

Aoife Shealy hit a rasper of a shot towards the Wicklow goalposts but Holly Byrne deflected it out for a 45.

Laura Doherty converted the resulting 45 to keep the Cats in control. From the puck-out, Kilkenny won a sideline. The sliotar was played to Laura Doherty and she split the posts with a fine point.

Doherty converted a 45 metre free two minutes later before Emily Smyth added to her tally with a well-worked goal after several shots had been blocked by the Wicklow defence.

Heading towards the half-time interval, Aoife Shealy got a goal and captain Aoife O’Shea added a point to leave the score 5-6 to 0-1 at the break.

After the resumption of play both defences stood firm until the 37th minute when Kilkenny substitute Tara Roche ran towards the Wicklow goal and split the posts.

Kilkenny continued where they left off in the first half as Leah Cooney scored a point from play for the Kittens before Aoife Shealy added her second goal.

Cooney hit another goal for Kilkenny and Emily Smyth converted a point from play after Laura Doherty found her in space.

Tara Roche scored Kilkenny’s last point before Ciara Connolly scored Wicklow’s only point of the second half with a point from play to leave the full-time score Kilkenny 7-11, Wicklow 0-2.

Kilkenny will now play Meath in the Leinster semi-final on Sunday.

Teams and Scorers

Kilkenny – Laura Doherty (3-3, 0-2 45s); Aoife Shealy (2-0); Emily Smyth, Leah Cooney (1-2 each); Aoife O’Shea, Tara Roche (0-2 each).

Wicklow – Ciara Connolly (0-2, 0-1 free).

Kilkenny – Rachel Moloney; Aisling Fitzpatrick, Una Duggan, Brionadh Barragry; Molly Burke, Louise Hearne, Sophie Meagher; Aoife Shealy, Muireann Gannon; Aoife O’Shea (captain), Ciara Bryan, Leah Cooney (vice-captain); Laura Doherty, Eva Sumner, Emily Smyth.

Subs: Tara Roche for Aoife O’Shea, Rachel Phelan for Ciara Bryan, Cady Boyle for Sophie Meagher, Eimear Phelan for Eva Sumner, Cara Clune for Brionadh Barragry, Sonya Stanley, Holly Begley, Louise Hickey, Aoife Kavanagh.

Wicklow – Holly Byrne; Grace Drumgoole, Emily Tyrrell, Cara Mahony; Emma Kinnear, Aoife Campbell, Katie Wafer; Isabelle Doyle, Ciara Kennedy; Ciara Lancaster, Aoife Byrne, Ciara Connolly; Chloe Massey, Poppie Rose Cullen Dunne, Willow Jordan.

Subs – Chloe Lowry for Cara Mahony, Laura Hannon, Kayla Sheane, Amber Lehane.