Ruthless Piltown hold all the aces against Young Irelands in senior camogie semi-final

Piltown returned to a senior camogie final after seeing off Young Irelands (Gowran) in a game they didn’t look like losing.

The scoreboard might make it look like it was an easy victory, but Piltown had to work hard to get scores. Heather Phelan got them underway in the sixth minute as the heavens opened at Canon Kearns Park in Castlecomer, making things tricky for the players. Phelan didn’t mind the conditions though as she added a point in the 12th minute as she put one over the bar from the right wing.

Ellen O’Keeffe wasn’t kept out though as she broke through the Gowran half back line and got Piltown’s third point in the 13th minute.

Aoife Landers, who was immense throughout the game, won a dirty ball and turned towards Hannah Brennan’s goal. She passed the sliotar to Katie Power, who worked play on to Sophie Holden. Head down, she went for goal and made no mistake, hitting the net from the angle on the right.

It took Gowran 21 minutes to move the scoreboard as Julie Lennon scored a point from a free after Emily McCarthy was adjudged to have fouled Sarah O’Donnell.

Gowran missed shots and their defence were giving away frees. Kellyann Doyle made no mistake with her free, even though it was out on the sideline of the right wing in the 29th minute to break the lull in scoring approaching half-time.

Right after that score, Doyle was involved again, after great work from Katie Power won the ball. Power passed to Doyle, who worked play to wing forward Sophie Holden, who put the sliotar over the bar.

Once again winning puckouts proved valuable as the ball was won by Lorna O’Shea. She found Heather Phelan, who created space to put a shot over the bar to end the half.

The teams came out to blue skies and sunshine for the second half , with Gowran now attacking the clubhouse end, but scoring wise the ball was still going in the opposite direction.

Sophie Holden got her second point in the second minute of the half before Piltown struck the killer blow. Aoife Landers landed a sideline cut into the hand of Katie Power. She offloaded it to the flying Kellyann Doyle, who made no mistake as she beat Hannah Brennan in the Gowran goal.

It was a goal that Doyle’s performance deserved. She was a driving force throughout.

Gowran were still attacking and they did raise a white flag in the 38th minute as Steffi Fitzgerald pointed a free from near the 45 yard line. Fitzgerald registered another point from another free in the 42nd minute from out on the wing. That gave Young Irelands a little more belief, but the game was put to bed between the 47th and 50th minutes as Heather Phelan made no mistake from three frees all around the 45 yard line.

A few substitutes were introduced and two of Piltown’s scored, Aine Doyle and Leah Cooney getting points from play. Kellyann Doyle finished the Piltown scoring in the 59th minute and then the Gowran forward Julie Lennon added to her team’s opening point, with the match ending goal as she got inside the Piltown back line and gave Aoife Norris no chance as she blasted to the net in injury time.

Piltown - Aoife Norris; Lorraine Long, Emily McCarthy, Alice Talbot; Lorna O’Shea, Laura Norris, Aoife Landers; Ellen O’Keeffe, Niamh Culleton; Leah Cooney, Kellyann Doyle, Sophie Holden; Aine Doyle, Heather Phelan, Katie Power.

Young Irelands - Hannah Brennan; Amy Lennon, Eimear Naddy, Aisling Rudkins; Marie O’Keeffe, Tiffanie Fitzgerald, Mia Murphy; Nicole Carter, Ciara O’Keeffe; Miriam Brennan, Steffi Fitzgerald, Leah Brennan; Ciara Bryan, Sarah O’Donnell, Julie Lennon.