Loreto Kilkenny equalled St Raphael’s Loughrea’s record of eight All-Ireland senior camogie titles when they lifted Corn Sceilge after a comfortable win over Ulster champions St Patrick’s Maghera in windy St Peregrine’s Blanchardstown on Saturday afternoon, writes Seamus McAleenan.
The wind was a factor in the game with Loreto getting to use it first to build up a halftime lead of 0-13 to a free from Carla Collins.
Maghera were well in the tie at 0-3 to 0-1 after 12 minutes, but it all ran away from them a couple of minutes later when Blathnaid McLaughlin poked a cross from Caoimhe Chambers wide when it seemed easier to find the net.
Kilkenny quickly worked the sliotar down for Julie Lennon to score and Amy Clifford and Emma Mulhall scored three points each over the next ten minutes to leave their team in control.
Eight minutes into the second half Caoimhe Keher-Murtagh ran through the centre of the Maghera defence and the sliotar was worked across for Clifford to hit the net.
Although Collins blasted to the net in the 44th minute, it failed to raise the Derry side and Hannah Doheny and subs Rachel Dowling and Niamh Houlihan kept them on the back foot with a point each in the last quarter.
Elsewhere another Kilkenny side, Coláiste Abhann Rí from Callan, edged out Laurel Hill College from Limerick 2-9 to 2-8 in the Senior C semi-final replay. Callan will now play Gort Community School in next week’s final
Loreto: A Clifford (1-4, 4 frees), E Mulhall (0-3, 0-1 free), R Kelly (0-2), L East (0-1), C Keher-Murtagh (0-1), J Lennon (0-1), C Dunne (0-1), H Doheny (0-1), R Dowling (0-1), N Houlihan (0-1)
St Patrick’s: C Collins (1-2, 0-2 frees)