Promising blitz displays from Under-14 camogie teams
AFTER FORGETTABLE performances by many Wexford teams of late, there was some refreshingly good news in the last few weeks coming out of the Under-14 camogie camp.
Recently, the Wexford ‘B’ team went up the N80 to participate in the Carlow blitz. The girls were graded for the ‘A’ competition that day and their first opponents were the Carlow ‘A’ team, a game they won by 2-3 to 0-6.
Up next came the Kildare ‘A’ team and they triumphed by 1-5 to 1-2. Lastly, they beat the Meath ‘A’ team by 1-2 to 0-1 to top the group and and secure a place in the cup final against the hosts, Carlow ‘A’.
The final was a tough encounter despite Eimear Byrne scoring 1-1 from play. Carlow took the lead and were a point up when Wexford were awarded a free from 70 metres out.
The referee indicated that 20 seconds of playing time remained.
The free was taken by Abbie Walsh who, rather than trying a Hail Mary shot from outside her range, hit a ball to the hand of joint captain Sadhbh Buttle. Tara O’Connor made a great run from wing-back to receive the ball and strike the equaliser.
Extra-time was played and free-taker Abbie Walsh pointed what was to be the winning score in the first period. In the second-half of overtime the Wexford girls battled hard to hold on to their narrow lead and, despite six minutes of injury time being played, they held on to deny the home team and went on to win the Carlow ‘A’ Cup.
The team was captained by Aoife Cullen and Sadhbh Buttle and the rest of the panel was: Melissa Doran, Katie Kehoe, Grace Harding-Kenny, Jane Sinnott, Tara O’Connor, Abbie Walsh, Imogen Deas, Eimear Byrne, Jacqui Kehoe, Ellen Gill, Sarah Walsh, Nicola Corrigan, Sophie Kirwan, Kate Roche, Chloe Murphy, Dara O’Leary, Kate Butler, Aoife Kinsella, Caoimhe Curtis, Gráinne O’Neill.
One week later it was the Wexford Under-14 ‘A’ team’s time to shine.
This side had been beaten at the semi-final stages in their last two competitions by one point and were determined to start their winning streak on home ground.
They were in a tough group for their home blitz, facing ‘A’ teams from Dublin, Kilkenny and Cork.
Showing skill, heart and determination, they beat Dublin by 2-4 to 2-3, Kilkenny by 0-4 to 0-3, and Cork by 0-4 to 0-3.
They ended up facing Cork again in the ‘A’ Cup final. Both teams went at it hell for leather in very hot conditions.
The Wexford girls were in a dangerous two-point lead (0-4 to 0-2) thanks to the deadly accuracy of their free-taker, Aoibheann Mernagh, who was lethal all day on placed balls.
Against the run of play, Cork scored a goal to put them a point in front but Wexford super-sub Sarah Doyle replied to force the match into extra-time.
Both sets of defences were on top and, with centre-back Cora McGrath leading the purple and gold girls and Róisín Hughes dogged and tough, Cork were unable to break them down.
In the last minute of extra-time, Wexford’s captain, Aoibhe MacSweeney, led her team from the front, won possession around the middle of the field, and broke a tackle to get into space.
Her long-range shot was placed in the top right-hand corner to rattle the Cork net and put Wexford one goal up at 1-5 to 1-2.
Although an additional two minutes of extra-time was played, this super bunch of girls were never going to let Cork back into the game and smothered out the play time and time again in the half-back line to deny Cork any chance of equalising.
This is the first Under-14 Wexford camogie team to win an ‘A’ Cup competition in six years.
The last one to do it went on to win the All-Ireland final ‘A’ in 2012, let’s hope this is a sign of what’s to come.
Wexford ‘A’ panel: Melissa Doran, Zoe Tobin-Cosgrave, Niamh O’Rourke, Claire McCarthy, Rebecca Ogilvie, Cora McGrath, Róisín Hughes, Aoibhe MacSweeney (capt.), Robyn O’Connor, Ciara Butler, Aoibheann Mernagh, Sarah Doyle, Amy Tobin-Cosgrave, Nicole Gillen, Caoilfhionn Ní Núaláinn, Nicola Corrigan, Ellie Kehoe, Sadhbh Buttle, Karen Tomkins, Elizabeth Dempsey.