Spratt O’Shea strike gives Kilkenny first win of season

The Kilkenny ladies first team bagged their maiden win of the season in dramatic fashion on Saturday afternoon when they played host to Dublin side Avoca.

Despite having home advantage on their side it was the Cats who conceded first on the stroke of the opening quarter. A well-struck shot from Avoca found its way to the back of the net to give the Dublin side an early lead.

Spurred on by a rallying quarter-time speech from coach Evan Matthews, the Cats looked to draw first blood in the second quarter and they did exactly that. Newcomers to the squad Roisin Burns and Aoife Cotter combined well with Anna May Whelan to deliver a threatening ball across the face of the goal, before Cotter’s magic touch finished it to the corner of the net.

With the game back in the balance, Kilkenny went in search of a second goal. Sinead Connery, Sara Browne and Ally Carter linked up on the right of the field and earned themselves a penalty corner just before the half-time break. Katie Leslie stepped up to the mark for the home side with a blistering strike to put the Cats in front at the midway mark.

Kilkenny’s lead was short-lived however, when a quick move from the Avoca forwards saw them sneak an equalising goal moments after half-time.

With nothing to separate the sides, Kilkenny went in search of a winner. Much to the delight of the home crowd, the Cats were awarded a series of penalty corners in the dying minutes of the game. After a scramble in the Avoca circle, the ball eventually fell to the stick of Niamh Spratt O’Shea on the back post. Spratt O’Shea made no mistake in finishing the ball to the back of the net, and securing Kilkenny’s first win of the season.

Kilkenny Firsts: Jess Cary, Niamh Spratt O’Shea, Ciara Clarke, Ally Williams, Sarah Richardson, Sue Shirley, Gemma O’Dwyer, Sinead Connery, Anna May Whelan, Katie Leslie, Sara Browne (C), Aoife Cotter, Ally Carter, Roisin Burns.

Coach/Manager: Evan Matthews, Jenny Wallace.

Interpros

Kilkenny Hockey Club will host two interpro games at Loreto Secondary School on Sunday. The games are the final round of games and both under-16 and under-18 teams are competing for third/fourth places.

There a quite a few local representatives on the Leinster South teams with coaches and players from Kilkenny Hockey Club, Kilkenny College and the Loreto Secondary School selected.

The Leinster South under-16 team play Munster at 12 noon while the under-18s face the same opposition at 2pm.