Those who ventured to Clara on Sunday morning for the Kilkenny Ladies Gaelic Football Under-14 replays in Roinn A and C were not disappointed. Up first was Clara and Muckalee in the Roinn C Final. These two teams were almost impossible to separate (6-4 to 5-7). Although this replay did not produce the end to end action of the drawn match, it was still a tight affair.
At full time the teams were still level at Clara 2-0, Muckalee 1-3. Additional time beckoned.
It took a Reece Carter goal and a point from Nya Lee in the dying moments of extra time to seal the title for Clara with a slender one point win, 3-1 to 2-3. It was heartbreak for a brave Muckalee team who contributed immensely on both days and great credit goes to both teams and their mentors.
The quality of football from both teams in the Roinn A replay was outstanding and huge credit to both sets of coaches from Thomastown and Kilkenny City. Again, it was a game were the defences learned most from the drawn game (4-3 to 2-9). It was a close first half, but it was Thomastown who broke the City’s stranglehold on this age group as they pointed their way to victory in the second period winning by 1-7 to 1-3. The Thomastown goal was courtesy of an Eva Hynes penalty.
Hynes and joint Captain Ruth Ryan were outstanding at midfield with Hynes scoring one superb point to really send the tie the southerners way. There were also huge performances from Dearbhala Reilly and Laoise Fennelly-Hunt.
For the City Rebecca Roche was outstanding, but it was a day when all four teams should be credited for their outstanding contributions to Kilkenny Ladies Gaelic Football.
THOMASTOWN: Cliodhna Donnelly, Roisín Dempsey, Dearbhala O’Reilly, Eabha Galway, Orla O’Keeffe, Ciara Prendergast, Sinead O’Keeffe, Ruth Ryan (JC), Eva Hynes (JC), Sarah Barcoe, Laoise Fennelly Hunt, Nicole Dunne, Sarah O’Neill, Therese Donnelly, Keri Whelan, Darragh Donohue, Sadhbh Croke O’Neill, Keely Maher, Amy Walsh, Kaelah Begley, Caoimhe Kelly Brennan, Hannah Monks, Sinead Galway, Roisín Moran, Anna Cass, Roisín O’Keeffe
CLARA: Lucy Cody, Orla Farrell, Laura Langton, Keelin Connolly, Abby O’Connell, Caitlin Simpson (Capt), Zoe Fenlon, Emily Hughes, Anne Marie Darcy, Saoirse Smith, Lenika Artini, Sinead Healy, Miriam Brennan, Rachel Heeran, Aoife Corr, Nya Lee, Ellen Hughes, Reece Carter, Maria Nolan, Orlaith Byrne, Lisa Prendergast, Eva O’Donnell, Emer Tobin, Anna Patterson, Kelly Brennan, Eimear Tobin.
KILKENNY CITY: Laoise Holland, Sinead Bass , Niamh Ward, Aoife Bergin, Niamh Moore. Kate Dempsey, Ailbhe Galwey, Sarah Martin, Rebecca Roche, Lucy Keane, Ella Dillon, Anna McCabe, Alisha Shannon, Ciara Mullan, Aislinn Treacy, Aisling Ward, Neassa Ruane, Aoibheann Power, Hannah Clifford, Jenna Cass, Ciara Adams, Brid Walsh, Lizzie McGee, Elizabeth O’Shea, Eimear Stynes, Aoife Maguire, Grainne Butler, Emily Kavanagh, Eva Collins, Anna Doheny, Jane Cass
MUCKALEE: Sinead Healy, Eadaoin Coady , Caoimhe McGuinness, Sophie Kealy, Orla Nolan, Alannagh Keegan, (Capt), Ellen Lawlor, Clodagh Hanlon, Hazel Moore, Lucy Coogan, Aoife Murphy, Kate Cullen, Aimee Healy, Laura McDowell, Kate Purcell, Saoirse McGuinness, Ava Coogan, Angela Fahey, Sarah Manning, Hannah McCarthy, Chloe Patterson, Amelie Bolger, Nicole Healy, Niamh McDowell, Roisín Hanlon, Sarah Brennan
This Weekend’s Ladies Football Fixtures
The attention now moves to Under-13 and Under-16 this week. The Under-13 finals take place in Clara on Saturday
Roinn D – Barrow Gaels v Dunnamaggin 11:00
Roinn C – Clara Green v Clara Pink 11:30
Roinn B – Erins Own v Piltown – 12:30
Roinn A – Thomastown v Kilkenny City – 12:30
On Sunday the Under-16 reduced sides semi final between Piltown and Clara will take place in Piltown at 12 noon. The winners face Dunnamaggin in the final. With the schools back, there will be plenty of schools action in the coming weeks also.
Thanks to Seamus Norris for getting in touch. Get your club side’s action in front of KCLR’s audience by emailing [email protected].
