Inspired Borris pile more final woe on Shannon Rovers

CAMOGIE: FBD Insurance County Intermediate Championship Final

Borris-Ileigh 3-7

Shannon Rovers 2-6

Report: Thomas Conway at the Camogie Grounds

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Aedin Hogan (Borris-Ileigh)

SCORERS – Borris-Ileigh: Aedin Hogan 1-5 (1-3 frees), Aoife Ryan 1-2; Noirin Stapleton 1-0.

Shannon Rovers: Aoife McLoughney 1-5 (1-3 frees), Sabrina Cahalan 1-0; Laura Leenane 0-1.

There is a fine line between ecstasy and heartbreak!

Nowhere was that more evident than in The Ragg last Saturday. In weather conditions which oscillated between tempestuous winds and picturesque rainbows, Borris-Ileigh bounced back from an underwhelming start to eventually overcome Shannon Rovers and land the county intermediate camogie title, signalling their return to the senior ranks. It was a joyous occasion for the modestly sized rural club, a victory achieved through sheer grit and impressive attacking endeavour.

For Shannon Rovers, this defeat will sting deeper than any of their previous final experiences in recent years. To lose a third successive county final is a crushing blow. What is more, they stormed into this game and appeared ready to banish the demons of the past two seasons. They practically embraced the torrential deluge of rain which smashed down upon The Ragg in the early stages of the first-half, racking up 1-4 without response during the opening seventeen minutes. It felt as if the title was theirs.

But Borris-Ileigh came fighting back. Inspired by their captain, the industrious Aedin Hogan, Borris steadily eroded that early lead and worked their way into the game with a series of well-crafted scores. They finished the job with a brace of late goals and a salvo of points, sinking Rovers’ spirits and ascending to the top tier of Tipperary camogie.

While Borris captain Aedin Hogan delivered a masterclass from centre-forward, her Shannon Rovers counterpart, Aoife McLoughney, was almost as influential. She slotted her first free in the second minute and followed it up some six minutes later with the game’s first goal - her long-range free should have been dealt with by Kellie Healy, but the drifting trajectory of the ball deceived the Borris net-minder.

In between those two McLoughney efforts, Laura Leenane had thumped over a screaming point from the wing, and by the time McLoughney had slotted two further frees, it seemed as if Shannon Rovers were destined for victory. This was their third attempt at the title in as many seasons. Surely, they weren’t going to throw it away.

They didn’t. Borris just produced an exhilarating display for the remainder of the game. The revival started in the 22nd minute when corner-forward Noirin Stapleton pulled off a sublime overhead flick to guide Aedin Hogan’s floating 45 into the net. Hogan would register her first score just moments later, and not long after that, Borris should really have rattled the net a second time, only for Aoife Ryan to blaze her effort just over the crossbar.

Separated by the minimum at the interval, 1-4 to 1-3, both sides had shown spark and creativity, but with surface conditions gradually deteriorating, this game was always going to turn into a physical battle. Sure enough, the second-half was a dogged affair. Borris brought the game to their opponents, with Avril Ryan and Hogan conducting the show in the middle third.

And yet, two McLoughney frees would soon push the Ballinderry club further ahead. Again, Borris came back fighting. Hogan responded with a placed-ball, and then, in the 53rd minute, her side found what they had been searching for. Aoife Fitzgerald swept in a venomous strike from the wing. Rovers’ keeper Áine Slattery summoned quick reflexes to bat the ball away, but the sliotar fell straight into the path of Aoife Ryan, who sent it sailing right back past her. The finish was truly awesome. The crafty wing-forward connected sweetly with the ball first time, off the ground, rifling it into the net and edging Borris 2-5 to 1-6 in front.

Shannon Rovers were only two points down, but they seemed to lose belief at that stage. Hogan landed another, before Aoife Ryan pinged over their seventh from the wing. And then, Áine Slattery failed to deal with a long-range Hogan free. The ball dropped into the net and Rovers’ hopes definitively faded.

To their credit, they produced a quick response - Sabrina Cahalan firing home the rebound from a McLoughney free - but it was never going to be enough. This was Borris-Ileigh’s day. They delivered forty minutes of blistering, helter-skelter camogie, and tasted the ecstasy that Shannon Rovers have been chasing for the past three years.

TEAMS - Borris-Ileigh: Kellie Healy (6), Emma Galvin (6), Julieanne Bourke (7), Niamh McGrath (7), Emma Kelly (7), Avril Ryan (8), Jane Delaney (7), Teresa Ryan (8), Katie Fitzgerald (7), Aoife Fitzgerald (8), Aedin Hogan (9), Aoife Ryan (8), Emma Maher (7), Danielle Ryan (7), Noirin Stapleton (7).

Sub: Ava Bevans (NR) for Ryan (59).

Shannon Rovers: Áine Slattery (6); Stephanie O’Sullivan (6), Sarah Leenane (7), Áine Leenane (6), Emer Fogarty (7), Niamh Franks (8), Francis Bugler (6), Jenny O’Meara (7), Gillian McKenna (8), Áine Cleary (7), Sabrina Cahalan (7), Emma Darcy (6), Celine Guinan (7), Laura Leenane (7), Aoife McLoughney (8).

Subs: Anna Harding (6) for Darcy (52); Rachel Hannigan (6) for Bulger (56).

Referee: Mike Ryan (Nenagh Éire Óg).