Oylegate best in epic battle
Horeswood gave their all
OYLEGATE-G’BRIEN 4-11 HORESWOOD 2-8
OYLEGATE-GLENBRIEN came out on top of an epic battle with Horeswood in the final of the Under-16 camogie Roinn 1B championship in Piercestown recently.
The game saw two teams, fairly evenly matched, going head-tohead and battling all the way to the finish line. It was a game full of commitment, of impeccable attitudes and huge desire to get the cup.
It was the type of game that made it nearly impossible to pick out the outstanding performers as everyone stepped up, but Orla Redmond was peerless for Oylegate-Glenbrien. She scored an incredible 3-5 but her all-round play was just as impressive.
Amy Whelan also shone in attack, as every star needs a scoring foil and the full-forward was able to perform that role really well. It was a fascinating area of the field, with arguably the battle of the game featuring Emer Hunt back there.
The Horeswood spine was solid but full-back Hunt had a lot of work to get through. She put in a fantastic show of committed and robust defending to repel the vast majority of what the talented Oylegate-Glenbrien side threw her way.
With Kathryn Dempsey and Katie Kehoe impressing, Horeswood got off to the quicker start and built an early lead.
Ciara Walsh found the net in the opening quarter and, at that stage the New Ross District club had an early advantage (1-3 to 0-1).
Redmond had her side’s first four points of the half before Rachel Hayden netted, but Horeswood still led when Amy Ennis found the net early in the second quarter.
Yet, as the half moved on, Oylegate-Glenbrien got on top. Whelan nabbed three points and Redmond netted just before the break to make it 2-8 to 2-4 at the interval.
Sandwiching two Loren Doyle points after the re-start, Oylegate-Glenbrien made a break for it as another brace of majors from Redmond swelled their lead further.
However, it was pretty much one-way traffic in the final quarter as Horeswood bombarded Anna Nolan’s goal.
The eventual runners-up did add points from Ennis, Kate and Sarah Foley and Michelle Kinsella and had several chances to find the goals they badly needed.
However, they came up against a defence that refused to budge and a goalkeeper in Nolan who simply wasn’t going to be beaten as Oylegate-Glenbrien held on to take the cup.
Oylegate-Glenbrien: Anna Nolan; Mary Moran, Hannah Mernagh, Ríoghna Hourihane; Ciara Lawler, Maria Downes, Blathnaid O’Leary; Polly Frost, Loren Doyle (0-2); Kelly Anne Dempsey, Leah Scallan, Ciara Hennessy; Orla Redmond (3-5), Amy Whelan (0-4), Rachel Hayden (1-0). Subs. - Hannah Byrne for O’Leary, inj., also Ellen O’Gorman, Sarah Cosgrave, Emily Fortune, Anna Doyle, Saoirse Foran, Caitlin Curran, Elisha Dempsey, Annelise Doyle, Kate Freeman.
Horeswood: Moira Somers; Mai Dempsey, Emer Hunt, Yvonne Murphy-Walsh; Sinéad Clancy, Katie Kehoe, Annie Rose Lyng; Kathryn Dempsey (0-1), Kate Foley (0-1); Jasmine Howlin, Michelle Kinsella (0-2), Sarah Foley (0-2); Lauren Bolger-Howlin, Amy Ennis (1-2), Ciara Walsh (1-0). Subs. - Niamh Lyng for Bolger-Howlin, Hannah Chapman for Walsh, also Shauna Foley.
Referee: Damien Donovan (Volunteers).