Back to Back County Ladies Football titles for Borrisokane Gaels

LADIES FOOTBALL: Camida Tipperary Junior 'C' Championship Final

Borrisokane Gaels 3-3

Templemore 1-5

Report: Joe Scully at Sean Treacy Park, Kilcommon

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Laura Leenane (Borrisokane Gaels)

SCORERS – Borrisokane Gaels: Laura Leenane 2-2 (1-2 frees); Gillian McKenna 1-0; Anna Harding 0-1.

Templemore: Aoife Ryan 1-2 frees; Ellen Delaney, Aoife Bergin, April Bourke 0-1 each.

Borrisokane Gaels followed up their Junior ‘D’ success last year by winning the Tipperary Junior ‘C’ Ladies Football Championship after a remarkable final against Templemore on Saturday.

In a game where the wind played a big part, Borrisokane Gaels made up of players from Borrisokane, Shannon Rovers, Lorrha, Kilruane MacDonaghs and St Cillian’s built up a strong eight-point lead by the break, but Templemore would claw the deficit back in the second period to get it down to just a single point before super sub-Gillian McKenna goaled in added time to clinch victory.

While the game wasn’t a high-scoring affair, some of the play by both sides at times was of a very high standard, but the finishing was what let them down. Templemore only scored one point in the first half having played some quality football but missed a lot of chances they would come to regret.

There were some fine individual performances on both sides, for Borrisokane Rosemarie Brennan, Celine Guinan, Anna Harding, Laura Leenane, and Ciara Brennan who is now in a unique position of possibly winning two county championships this year in two different counties and two different clubs with St Cillian’s in the Offaly Senior camogie final this Sunday.

For Templemore Katie Daly in goal, Katie Bergin, Orlaith Maher and half-time sub April Bourke shone.

Templemore were quickest out of the traps and opened the scoring after fifty seconds through a great finish from distance from Aoife Bergin for what would be their only score of the half.

It would take Borrisokane until the seventh minute to get up and running through Anna Harding, when she volleyed a shot over the bar.

Tipp camogie star Laura Leenane had the North outfit ahead in the tenth minute from a free and a minute later she had the ball in the net following a turnover off the resultant kickout from Anna Harding who found Amy Quinlisk who in turn picked out Leenane who finished to the net.

It would be another eleven minutes before a flag was raised again and it was another green one as a Leenane free dropped short and was misjudged by Katie Daly in the Templemore goal.

Leenane also kicked the final score of the half in added time through another free as the Gaels went in at the break ahead 2-3 to 0-1.

It would take nine minutes after the restart before we would get another score when Aoife Ryan pointed from a free for Templemore.

Two minutes later, Ellen Delaney added another with a fine effort on the run from distance, and in the 45th minute the gap was reduced even further when an Aoife Ryan free from distance found the back of the net to leave just three points in it and it was very much game on.

In the 54th minute, the impressive April Bourke had the gap back to two with a fine effort from play and when Aoife Ryan added a free in the 62nd minute to leave just a single score in it, the tenson was palpable.

However, Borrisokane would hold their nerve and in the fifth minute of added time, Clodagh Davis would pick out Gillian McKenna with a pass and she took a few steps before finishing to the back of the net to send the Borrisokane fans delirious with was the final act of the game.

TEAMS – Borrisokane Gaels: Katie Kennedy (6); Nikki Lillis (6), Julie Brennan (7), Lisa Duggan (6); Megan King (6), Rosemarie Brennan (8), Celine Guinan (7); Ciara Brennan (7), Eimear Fogarty (6); Nicola Kelly (6), Amy Quinlisk (6), Emma Darcy (6); Anna Harding (7), Laura Leenane (8), Clodagh Davis (6).

Subs: Frances Bugler (6) for King (HT); Gillian McKenna (6) for Kelly (48); Clodagh Cahalan (6) for Darcy (51); Stephanie O’Sullivan (NR) for Lillis (58).

Templemore: Katie Daly (7); Ella Maher (6), Grace Corcoran (7), Denise Ryan (6); Moya Grey (6), Ellen Delaney (7), Rebekah Collins (6), Katie Bergin (6), Brid Delaney (6), Orfhlaith Bergin (6), Aoife Ryan (7), Orlaith Maher (6), Grace O’Connell (6), Aoife Bergin (7), Sarah Deegan (6).

Subs: April Bourke (7) for O’Connell (HT); Eimear Hoctor (6) for D Ryan (HT); Rose Loughnane (6) for Deegan (HT).

Referee: Tom McGlinchey (Rockvale Rovers).