Nenagh Hockey Club

Under 16 Girls: Nenagh 0-0 Clonakilty (Nenagh won 2-1 on penalties)

There was high drama in Clonakilty on Saturday when Nenagh and Clonakilty met in the semi-final of the Munster Under 16 Cup.

The two teams have played each other twice already this season in the Munster League, one ending in a draw and Nenagh scraping a win in the other so the stage was set for a tight match to determine which one of these evenly matched teams would progress to the final.

Nenagh played well from the first whistle, passing cleanly and getting up the pitch. Strong defence and good tackling by Clonakilty denied them any real shots on goal. Despite having the majority of the possession, the first quarter ended goalless.

Clonakilty began to grow into the game a little more in the second quarter. Short corners were awarded to both teams but both failed to capitalise.

It was anyone's game after half time but Clonakilty began to press forward more and put the Nenagh defence under pressure. Inevitably short corners were conceded but Nenagh dealt with the pressure with goalkeeper Isabelle Smith staying calm, composed and ensuring good clearances were made.

It was all to play for in the final quarter with both teams looking to break the deadlock. It was Clonakilty however who had the lions share of possession and they put serious pressure on the Nenagh defence, winning multiple short corners which were well defended by Nenagh who absorbed strike after strike with Smith forced to make several saves to keep the Tipperary side in the game.

There was a mixture of relief and dread when the final whistle blew as each team knew that the game would now be decided in a penalty shoot-out. In the shoot-out scenario each team gets five opportunities to score but they must do so within eight seconds. The keeper is allowed to come off their mark and close down the angles, kick the ball away and deny the shooter the opportunity to strike.

Clonakilty were first up and Isabelle Smith shutdown the striker with relative ease and cleared the ball. Nenagh's corresponding penalty was saved by the Clonakilty keeper and when the Cork side scored score their second penalty and Nenagh missed their next three it came down to the last two penalties. A masterful penalty by Jennifer Kennedy coupled with a superb save by Smith brought the contest to sudden death.

There was great support from the sidelines by the Nenagh contingent who were now silent as Jennifer Kennedy stood up to take her penalty which went agonisingly left of the post. Clonakilty's shot was saved by Isabelle Smith who gave a masterclass in penalty goalkeeping. Hollie O'Brien then stepped up for Nenagh. Having had her first penalty saved, she was undoubtably nervous but looked a picture of calm as she used her considerable skill to get around the keeper and score.

Needing to score to keep the shoot-out going, all the pressure was now on the Cork side. The Nenagh sidelines erupted when Smith made yet another super save. There were rapturous scenes as the team rushed to congratulate the penalty takers and Smith who was undoubtably the star.

“What can I say, we are over the moon with that result. The girls have a never say die attitude that makes all the difference. We are so proud of the whole team, everybody contributed again and that has gotten us into the Final”, said a delighted Coach Nanno Vuyk.

The Cup final will take place the weekend of April 26th with the day and venue to be decided.

Under 18 Girls: Nenagh 4-0 Cork CofI

There was more Cup action for Nenagh in Cork on Sunday when last year's Under 18 Cup champions took on Cork CofI at their home ground in the semi-final.

Having beaten CofI twice in the Munster League this season, Nenagh were quietly confident as they hit the pitch in balmy conditions in Garryduff. As with any sport, knock-out games can throw up plenty of surprises and CofI were at a definite advantage playing at home. A good contingent of supporters from Nenagh added to the atmosphere.

From the first whistle, both teams looked up for the game and there was end-to-end hockey as both looked to get an early score to settle the nerves. The Cork side were fit and athletic and moved up the pitch at pace. The Nenagh defence dealt with any threat relatively easily with Captain Aoibhinn Murphy making huge clearances to immediately launch counter attacks. The Tipp girls worked their way into the CofI ‘D’ and were awarded a short corner for an infringement and Murphy struck the ball beautifully to open the scoring.

It settled Nenagh a little and they began to pass with more composure, working their way up the pitch with crisp and accurate passing. The CofI defence was strong and they tackled well to deny Nenagh access to their ‘D’ on several occasions. The Cork side used their speed to make their way quickly up to the Nenagh side, but good defence kept out any real threat. Nenagh immediately countered and worked their way up the pitch. A goal-mouth scramble saw Ruby Benn tap it over the line to put Nenagh two goals ahead heading into the dugouts.

The temperature rose in the second quarter and the high tempo made both sides look to make substitutions. Nenagh has a strong squad and fresh legs allowed for an injection of pace. Some great skill in midfield and good strong running on the wings allowed space to open up for Katya Shorten who was loitering with intent on the top of the ‘D’. She struck the ball beautifully to score a wonderful goal that was applauded by both sets of supporters for its sheer class.

At 3-0 up, Nenagh looked comfortable now but aware of the skill and ability of the Cork side, they knew they could not afford to sit back and needed to remain focused. Another goal by Aoibhinn Murphy just before half time sent the Nenagh girls into the dugouts content with their half time performance.

The Cork side had some quality players and the third quarter saw CofI spread the ball wide and stretch the Nenagh defence. Nenagh conceded a few short corners which they defended well. They also made several changes to adapt to the heat and pace of the game. CofI found gaps in the defence and worked their way into the ‘D’; several shots on goal were saved easily by the Nenagh keeper. The threat from the Cork side was ever present in the third quarter yet they failed to score.

CofI knew they had a huge task ahead of them in the fourth quarter and to their immense credit they put lots of pressure on Nenagh to gain field position. The Nenagh side dealt with most of the challenges easily, tackling well and making good clearances to ease any threat. Nenagh themselves had a few chances but solid defending denied them any real chance to push further ahead.

The game ended with both teams tired from the relentless pace and Nenagh happy with the result. The Nenagh team will be looking forward to defending the title at the end of April when they take on Kinsale in the final with date and venue yet to be decided.

Under 9 & 10: Elsewhere, the U9 boys played a blitz in Thurles against Cashel-New Inn, Tribes HC and Castletroy while the U10 girls were also in action when they played against Cashel-New Inn, Limerick, Crescent and Tipperary HCs in a blitz in Thurles.