Clonoulty thwart brave Moneygall effort

CAMOGIE: FBD Insurance Tipperary Senior Championship Group 1 Round 2

Moneygall 4-4

Clonoulty/Rossmore 3-15

Report: Joe Scully at St Flannan’s Park, Moneygall

Photos: Marty Ryan/SportsFocus

Clonoulty/Rossmore came out victorious in the battle of the camogie champions as the senior holders overcame intermediate winners Moneygall in an entertaining and hard-fought battle on Friday evening.

For Moneygall it is now two defeats out of two after losing to Drom & Inch in round 1, but they can certainly take much encouragement from performance where they put it up to last year’s senior champions for large parts, and were only a point down with a quarter of the game to go, before the West Tipp outfit put the boot to the floor and hit the last seven points to run out eight point winners.

While there will be plenty of encouragement for Moneygall, one worrying aspect for them will be the lack of points scored with just nine from their opening two fixtures, an aspect of their game they will have to improve if they are to make progress in this year’s championship.

Meanwhile for Clonoulty/Rossmore, they will be happy with the win in what was their first outing of this year’s championship, while also knowing there is plenty of room for improvement.

Their forward power was the key to this victory, and a three-minute hat-trick in the first half from corner forward Eimear Bourke was effectively the difference in the end.

Moneygall got off to a flyer and were awarded a penalty in the first minute when Offaly All-Ireland winner Mairead Teehan was fouled going through on goal, and she stood up to blast the penalty low into the bottom corner.

However, they wouldn’t score again till the 25th minute by which time Clonoulty would hit 3-5. It took them until eighth minute to open their account, when former Tipp star Cait Devane pointed from a free, before Eimear Bourke added another shortly after. Devane added another in the 11th minute, before Casey Hennessy found herself in loads of space to point.

In the 18th minute, Eimear Bourke caught the ball turned her marker and blasted to the net, and a minute later she punished a mistake by a Moneygall defender, and she completed her three-minute hat-trick in the 20th minute, after a fine run by Cait Devane, who handpassed to Bourke who did the rest.

Kate Ferncombe added another point to Clonoulty’s tally to leave them 3-5 to 1-0 up after 23 minutes. Two minutes later, Moneygall were given a lifeline when a long-range Mary Teehan delivery from halfway found its way to the back of the Clonoulty net, although Teresa Burke in the goal will be very disappointed to let it in.

This goal sparked the North outfit into life, and they finished the half the stronger and a Mairead Teehan free in added time, before Ciara Maher pointed in the 33rd minute after fine play from Julie Kelly who was superb for throughout, as the sides went in at the break 3-5 to 2-2 in favour of the visitors.

The home side started the second-half as they ended the first, and had two points on the board in the first two minutes through Mairead Teehan and Caithlyn Treacy.

Cait Devane replied with a fine finish for Rossmore before Casey Hennessy added another to leave the gap back out to six.

Moneygall had the deficit back to just three in the 43rd minute when a Caithlyn Treacy free from her own half bounced in front of goal and found itself in the back of the net, but straight from the puckout Clonoulty responded through an Eimear Bourke point.

The gap was back to just a single point a minute later when Mairead Teehan goaled again with a good finish from close range into the top corner.

That, however, would be their final score of the game, as Clonoulty/Rossmore found an extra gear, and would hit seven unanswered points to see out the game. Sinead Ryan hit the first, before a Devane free, was followed by a fine score from Sarah Fryday. Casey Hennessy then hit two-in-a-row, before Kate Ferncombe and Sarah Fryday finished the scoring.

Player of the Match: Eimear Bourke (Clonoulty/Rossmore).

Moneygall: Eimear Ryan (6); Julie Kelly (8), Stephanie Kenny (6), Alice Maher (6); Mary Teehan (1-0, 7), Caithlyn Treacy (1-1, 1-0f, 7), Katie Hayes (6); Edwina King (7), Mary Ryan (6); Mairead Teehan (2-2, 1-1f, 8), Ciara Maher (0-1, 6), Emily Whyte (6), Orlaith Treacy (6), Orlaith Cleary (6), Emma Costello (6).

Subs: Amy Ryan (7) for Whyte (40), Maria Maher (6) for Kenny (42 inj).

Clonoulty/Rossmore: Teresa Burke (6); Lorna Ryan (7), Avril Quirke (6), Moira Kinane (7); Eimear Loughman (7), Courtney Ryan (6), Aoife Bourke (7); Sinead Ryan (0-1, 7), Casey Hennessy (0-4, 8), Cora Hennessy (6), Cait Devane (0-4, 2f, 8), Kellie Quirke (6), Kae Ferncombe (0-2, 7), Sarah Fryday (0-2, 7), Eimear Bourke (3-2, 9).

Subs: Kate Ryan (6) for A Quirke (46); Orla Ryan (NR) for Cora Hennessy (59).

Referee: Phil Shanahan (Nenagh Eire Og).