St. Rynagh’s 1-12
Barrow Rangers 3-04
Barrow Rangers fell just short in their quest to advance to the Leinster intermediate camogie final on Saturday afternoon as they were eventually defeated by St. Rynagh’s in an enthralling semi-final.
Two Collette Dormer goals were not enough for the Kilkenny intermediate champions as a Kate Kenny inspired Rynagh’s team took control of a tight game in a crucial third quarter to claim a place in next month’s final.
The opening quarter was low on scoring with the scoreboard reading 0-02 to 0-02 thanks to frees from Kate Kenny and Roisin Breen and well-taken points from play from Helen Dolan and Katie O’Byrne.
It was Kilkenny star Dormer who would take the game by the scruff of the neck for the remainder of the first half as she bagged the first of her two first half goals immediately after the water break.
That moment sparked the game into life as both teams began to threaten far more than they had in the preceding quarter.
Kenny and Dolan responded for the Offaly side before Barrow Rangers sharpshooter Breen got her second point of the game prior to Dormer’s incredible finish for her second goal as they seemed to be rising to the occasion.
A Kate Kenny free on the stroke of half-time meant there was only one score between the sides at the interval, Barrow Rangers 2-03 to 0-06 St. Rynagh’s.
St. Rynagh’s could not be contained by their opponents early in the second half as Siobhan Flannery equalised with their first goal before they took the lead for the first time since the opening exchanges as Linda Sullivan gave them a one-point advantage, St. Rynagh’s 1-07 to 2-03 Barrow Rangers.
Louise Mannion got her name on the scoresheet with a long-range point soon after and another Kenny free kept St. Rynagh’s in the ascendancy as the Kilkenny side’s defence had no answers to the questions posed by Rynagh’s vibrant forwards.
A sixth point for full-forward Kenny made it a two-score game with five minutes remaining as Barrow Rangers struggled to get into scoring positions which showed on the scoreboard as they had yet to score after half-time with the game drawing to a close.
They were given a lifeline when Roisin Breen struck a close-range free low and hard past the seemingly countless amount of players on the line to make it 1-10 to 3-03.
Kenny and Breen exchanged late frees to but one final score from player of the match Kenny sealed a deserved two-point victory against a spirited Barrow Rangers side to set up a provincial decider with Myshall.
