Clonoulty stay perfect after edging out Eire Og

CAMOGIE: FBD Insurance Tipperary Senior Championship Group 2 Round 4

Clonoulty/Rossmore 3-11

Eire Og Annacarty/Donohill 1-13

Clonoulty/Rossmore secured a hard-earned four-point victory over Éire Óg Annacarty/Donohill in an entertaining Tipperary Senior Camogie Championship clash at the Dillon Quirke Grounds on Saturday evening.

The opening thirty minutes produced four goals and plenty of points in a lively exchange, while the second half became a far more attritional battle as both defences tightened up.

Off the back of their win over Drom & Inch, Annacarty could hardly have wished for a better start. After just ten seconds, Danielle Ryan's strike was not dealt with by the Clonoulty goalkeeper and Leah Heffernan was quickest to react, batting the loose ball to the net.

Clonoulty responded immediately with Aoife Burke finishing off a superb run from Casey Hennessy with a point. Kellie Quirke then added another before the lively Jean Kelly hit two in succession for Annacarty.

Cait Devane opened her account from a free before Danielle Ryan raised a white flag on the eighth minute in a remarkable opening spell.

There was barely time to draw breath before Clonoulty were level. Sarah Fryday produced a superb catch, drove forward and finished emphatically to the back of the net to make it 1-3 apiece.

Annacarty goalkeeper Danielle Butler then produced an excellent save to deny Clonoulty a second goal, although Cait Devane converted the resulting 45. Annacarty could not keep Sarah Fryday quiet for long, however, as she went on another powerful run and found the net for her second goal.

Eva O’Dwyer responded with a point and was involved in an excellent individual battle with Eimear Loughman throughout the contest. Danielle Ryan added another point for Annacarty before Cait Devane replied to leave a goal between the sides.

The exchanges remained frantic as both teams traded scores. Leah Heffernan got on the scoreboard, while a superb Cait Devane effort from the sideline was cancelled out by an Eva O’Dwyer free.

The crucial score of the half arrived just before the interval when Cait Devane’s sideline-cut sailed all the way to the back of the net. It was a soft goal from Annacarty's perspective and one they would surely have been disappointed to concede.

Devane and Fryday added further points with Ciara Slattery also getting on the scoresheet for Annacarty, as the home side went into the break leading 3-8 to 1-8.

The second half was a somewhat different proposition. The free-scoring nature of the opening period disappeared as both sides committed more players to defence. Hooking, blocking and tackling became the order of the day, with forwards on both sides finding themselves under intense pressure.

Jennifer Heffernan opened the second half scoring for Annacarty before Cait Devane and Eva Dwyer exchanged frees. Annacarty continued to battle in an effort to eat into Clonoulty's advantage, but the home defence was outstanding.

Kate Ryan was particularly prominent, clearing a huge amount of ball as Clonoulty repeatedly put pressure on the Annacarty attack.

Clodagh Quirke and Jean Kelly also enjoyed a fascinating battle around the edge of the square, while both teams were forced to rely heavily on frees and scores from scraps of possession.

In the 49th minute, Danielle Ryan showed her quality once again, embarking on a superb run from midfield before sending over a fine point to keep Annacarty's hopes alive.

Clonoulty continued to defend resolutely and Sarah Fryday popped up with an excellent point in the 53rd minute.

Annacarty almost found a route back into the game when Eva O’Dwyer made a great catch and created a goal chance, but her effort was saved.

With Annacarty continuing to press, Clonoulty held firm and Cait Devane completed the scoring with a late free to seal a hard earned four-point victory. It was ultimately Clonoulty/Rossmore's ability to withstand Eire Og Annacarty's second half pressure that proved decisive. Having produced an explosive opening half, they showed a great side to their game after the interval, defending with great determination to protect their lead and claim another important championship victory.

Player of the Match: Sarah Fryday (Clonoulty/Rossmore).

Clonoulty/Rossmore: Eva Ryan (6); Moira Kinane (7), Clodagh Quirke (7), Sarah O’Dwyer (6); Kate Ryan (7), Eimear Loughman (7), Julie Murphy (7); Casey Hennessy (7), Bernadette Ryan (6), Aoife Bourke (0-1, 6), Cait Devane (1-7, 1-0 s-cut, 0-4f, 0-1 ’45, 8), Kellie Quirke (0-1, 6); Sarah Fryday (2-2, 8), Roisin Ferncombe (6), Sinead Ryan (6).

Sub used: Sophie Maher (6).

Eire Og Annacarty/Donohill: Danielle Butler (8); Nia Donovan (7), Caoimhe Brady (7), Shauna Heffernan (6); Jennifer Heffernan (0-1, 7), Ciannait Walsh (7), Gemma Fox (7); Rachel O’Dwyer (6), Danielle Ryan (0-3, 8), Sarah Bourke (6), Eva O’Dwyer (0-5, 4f, 7), Ciara Slattery (0-1, 7); Leah Heffernan (1-1, 7), Jean Kelly (0-2, 7), Lucy Heffernan (6).

Subs used: Orla O’Brien (6), Elaine Kelly (6), Rachel Heffernan (6)

Referee: Tommy Ryan (Kiladangan).