Ballinastragh and Duffry deadlocked
BALLINASTRAGH GLS 3-3 DUFFRY ROVERS 2-6
THE DUFFRY and Ballinastragh Gaels served up an Under-16 Roinn 1B camogie final which offered plenty of commitment and excitement to supporters at Farmleigh on Sunday, without delivering a winner.
A late point for Rovers from Katie Bates raised a huge cheer and ensured that two very evenly-matched sides must meet again to decide who takes the spoils.
The Enniscorthy area girls also claimed the first score as Lauren Roban pounced eagerly on the rebound when Rebecca Codd’s initial shot pinged back into play off a post.
They came within inches of adding a second goal when crowd-pleasing forward Laura Conroy clipped the bar above ‘keeper Amy O’Sullivan’s head.
The Ballinastragh forwards took some time to find their range, with Róisín Hughes drawing a good save from netminder Róisín Dobbs.
They eventually broke their duck when Orla Bolger somehow managed to lob Dobbs for an equalising goal.
Midfielder Katie Breen-Sherlock soloed up the field to propel the Duffry briefly back into the lead, which was extended when Rebecca Codd scooped the ball over the bar on 20 minutes.
However, their rivals then seized the initiative in the run-up to the break as a point from Tara O’Connor and 1-1 from Hughes had the Gaels three up.
The goal was reward for an always threatening display from the nippy front runner as she made scoring look easy after collecting a long pass from Aisling Fitzpatrick.
Unfortunately for Fitzpatrick and company, the scores dried up for long stretches of the second-half, though the wind blew in their favour.
As the number of wides chalked up against them mounted, their opponents set about overhauling them, with substitute Abigail Cul- len at the cutting edge.
Katie Breen-Sherlock and Laura Conroy paved the way for Cullen’s first point and the same pair were involved in the build-up to a goal from the same player.
On 42 minutes, in one frantic sequence of play at the clubhouse end of the pitch, Hughes forced a save from Rovers goalie Dobbs before Shauna Owley was blocked and then Tara O’Connor hit the bar.
Though Ballinastragh were somehow denied on that occasion, the levelling point came not long afterwards when centre-half Katlyn O’Connor found the target with a free from a distance of 40 metres.
This only stimulated the Duffry – who entered the match with an unbeaten record – to reply through Katie Bates’ free and Claire Doyle’s close-range point.
The see-saw battle – and it truly was a battle, with nothing conceded easily by either side – then swung back in favour of Ballinastragh as they forced their third goal.
This time it was Aisling Fitzpatrick’s turn, kicking the sliothar over the line after arriving in the square to greet a long ball from player-ofthe-match Katlyn O’Connor.
However, there was still time for Bates to conjure up the equalising score before referee Aiden O’Brien blew the final whistle of a contest which was always keen but never free-flowing.
Duffry Rovers: Róisín Dobbs; Lucy McCarthy, Emilia Fortune, Michelle Kearns; Isobel Kavanagh, Aoife Dunne, Nicola Dobbs; Katie Breen-Sherlock (0-1), Shauna Nolan; Katelyn Cowman, Laura Conroy, Katie Bates (0-2, 1 free); Rebecca Codd (01), Claire Doyle (0-1), Lauren Roban (1-0). Subs. - Heather Boyce for McCarthy (11), Abigail Cullen (1-1) for Cowman (18), Aoife O’Leary for Doyle (57).
Ballinastragh Gaels: Amy O’Sullivan; Cliona McCarthy, Olive Curtis, Elsa Hughes; Róisín Noctor, Katyln O’Connor (0-1 free), Dervla Noctor; Tara O’Connor (0-1), Laura Ivers; Orla Bolger (1-0), Robyn Cousins, Aoife McGonigle; Róisín Hughes (1-1), Shauna Owley, Aisling Fitzpatrick (10). Sub. - Hannah Noctor for Ivers (55).
Referee: Aiden O’Brien (Cloughbawn).