Good start in Kerry
Camogie campaign up and running
WEXFORD KERRY 3-11 1-6
AFTER THREE straight postponements, Wexford finally got their Littlewoods National Camogie League Division 2 campaign off to a winning start over Kerry in Connolly Park, Tralee, the home of the Austin Stacks club, on Sunday.
Kevin Tattan’s side have had games against Down and Galway called in the last month, but they didn’t let the lack of action be a hindrance as they eased their way past Kerry, despite playing almost 40 minutes with 14 players.
While it was a new season with new ideas, a lot of this Wexford crew has plenty of experience at inter-county level, so a trip to Kerry shouldn’t have given them any sleepless nights.
One of the big issues in recent times has been the inability to gel as a team on the field, with individual talent not enough to overcome the lack of cohesion, but Wexford seem to have taken a step in the right direction already.
Their inter-link play was much improved on last season, with ample evidence of teamwork smattered throughout the 60 minutes.
The biggest disappointment would have been the straight red card picked up by Chloe
Foxe in the opening half, but Wexford dealt well with the blow.
In some ways the dismissal probably made Wexford a lot more focused for a second-half that might have otherwise been a cakewalk. They were still able to win with plenty to spare, but it ensured that they kept working hard as a unit.
Foxe actually opened the scoring for Wexford with a goal in the opening moments. Kate Kirwan quickly added a point, and when Mags Byrne went haring away on the left and thumped home a second major, the visitors led by 2-1 to nil.
Either side of a Foxe point, Patrice Diggin registered minors, but Shelley Kehoe soon hit her stride, knocking over a pair of her own.
Kerry pulled a goal back in the second quarter, but further minors from Foxe and Kehoe were added to by Linda Bolger as Wexford took a 2-7 to 1-3 interval advantage.
With the breeze but a player light, Wexford took a few minutes to settle after the change of ends, with Diggin getting the first two points.
However, they started to knuckle down, and scores from Linda Bolger and Sarah O’Connor helped.
After Diggin pointed again, a cracking finish by one of the younger squad members, Kate Kirwan, put the game to bed (3-9 to 1-6).
Wexford coasted to the finish, with late white flags raised by Leah Walsh and Bolger completing an eleven-point success.
Wexford will be busy in the coming weeks, with outstanding games stacked up back-toback. This Sunday’s game against Derry was originally scheduled to be the final game in the group stages but will be just the Slaneysiders’ second outing of the round-robin stages.
The first of the re-arranged games will follow six days later when Wexford host currently unbeaten Down, while the game away to Galway, which was twice postponed, has yet to be re-fixed.
Wexford: Laura Brennan; Eimear O’Connor, Ciara Storey, Katie O’Connor; Emma Walsh, Sarah O’Connor (0-1), Ciara O’Connor; Amy Cardiff, Anais Curran; Kate Kirwan (1-1), Linda Bolger (0-3), Chloe Foxe (1-2); Mags Byrne (1-0), Shelley Kehoe (0-3), Joanne Dillon. Subs. - Anna Hennessy, Leah Walsh (0-1), Laura Dempsey, Nora Higgins, Shauna Sinnott.
Kerry: Aoife Fitzgerald; Michelle Costelloe, Sara Murphy, Áine O’Connor; Elaine Ryall, Niamh Leen, Áine Kelliher; Rachel McCarthy, Kate Lynch; Julianne O’Keeffe, Laura Collins, Jessica Fitzell; Jackie Horgan, Patrice Diggin, Caoimhe Spillane. Subs. - Liz Houlihan, Alannah Whelan, Sarah Lawlor, Emma Lawlor, Anne Marie Leen, Aoife Godley.
Referee: Kevin O’Brien (Limerick).