Strong finish sees Tullaroan capture Kilkenny Under 22 A Camogie title

A strong closing quarter, during which they scored 1-4 without reply, proved to be the difference as Tullaroan edged a pulsating under-22 Roinn A county camogie final against St Brigid’s (Ballycallan).

The first half of this contest ebbed and flowed from the off. Tullaroan were fast out of the blocks with a Katie Dunphy point inside the opening minute, while an Emma Bibby goal gave them an early four point lead.

St Brigid’s were struggling for a few moments to get a foothold in the match but, led by Moya O’Brien at full-back and Claire Doheny at midfield, they soon tore into the contest. With renewed efforts they had tied up the scores at 1-2 to 0-5 by the 15th minute with fine scores from Tara Cody (0-3, two frees), Molly Conroy and Reece Delaney.

Tullaroan soon responded with four unanswered points of their own from Ella Walton (free), Anna Doheny (free) and two fine scores from play by Katie Dunphy and Ciara Dunne. This gave Tullaroan a four-point lead by the 23rd minute (1-6 to 0-5), but St Brigid’s countered with three fine points from play through Molly Conroy, Leah Brett and Siobhan Kenny. They could well have had a few goals in the closing minutes of the first half, but those close misses would prove costly later (half-time: Tullaroan 1-6, St Brigid’s 0-8).

The opening 15 minutes of the second half saw the game continue in a similar vein to the first half. This time St Brigid’s started with the quick goal inside the opening minute of the half thanks to a smart finish to the net by Siobhan Kenny. However, the following 10 minutes saw Brigid’s miss a number of chances to increase the lead still further.

Tullaroan did settle with a huge pointed free from the sideline by Ella Walton and when Emma Bibby finished a fine move to the net a minute later, they were back in front (2-7 to 1-8). The Saints bounced back again with two pointed frees from Tara Cody to level the match by the 45th minute but remarkably they failed to add any further scores for the remainder of the contest as Tullaroan’s defence and midfield led by Grace Brennan and the Doheny twins, Eleanor and Shannon, got on top of their opponents.

Tullaroan started to push for home with points from Ella Walton, Ciara Dunne and an Ella Walton free to open up a three point advantage entering the closing five minutes. Both sides had chances for scores at this time but when Tullaroan’s Ciara Dunne finished another fine move to the net in the 57th minute, they had a six point advantage which St Brigid’s were unable to reduce. A further point from Rachel Brennan then sealed the win for Tullaroan who held on for a fine victory which was a great source of pride to their supporters when referee Eamon Mansfield sounded the full-time whistle.

Overall, this was an excellent advertisement for this camogie grade. Well done to both sides for giving their all in this fine contest with many fine performances on both teams.

For Tullaroan, the win capped a second successive under-22 title having captured the under-22B spoils last year. The future is certainly bright for them as they boast an excellent set of players, many of whom have represented the county at various levels. St Brigid’s will also feel that they have a strong set of players to build their adult team on for future years.

Tullaroan - Rachel Walsh; Jessica Cuddy, Grace Brennan, Leanne Simpson; Grace Keoghan, Anna Doheny, Orla O’Grady; Shannon Doheny, Eleanor Doheny; Emma Bibby, Rachel Brennan, Katie Dunphy; Eimear Davis, Ella Walton, Emma Walsh.

Subs: Elly Holland, Ciara Dunne.

St Brigid’s - Katie Ronan; Róisín Foley, Moya O’Brien, Georgina Casey; Lauren East, Ava Brett, Chloe Teehan; Tara Cody, Claire Doheny; Ruth Purcell, Reece Delaney, Molly Conroy; Leah Brett, Lauren Ronan, Siobhan Kenny.

Subs: Maggie Maher, Robin Delaney, Kate Purcell, Nicola Kenny, Ella Cody, Katie Maher, Kate McCluskey.

Referee - Eamon Mansfield (Cloneen).