Martin’s march on
Three first-half goals down Dicksboro
ST. MARTIN’S DICKSBORO (KK) 3-12 1-12
THREE FIRST-HALF goals propelled St. Martin’s back into the AIB Leinster Club Senior camogie championship final for the third year running as they made home advantage count when defeating Kilkenny champions Dicksboro by 3-12 to 1-12 in Piercestown on Sunday.
The hosts got off to an ideal start when Lisa Bolger caught Ciara O’Connor’s delivery at the edge of the square and scruffily finished to the net.
Dicksboro scorer-in-chief Orla Hanrick knocked over the first of her seven frees to get the visitors up and running, but the excellent Chloe Foxe caught Mags D’Arcy’s re-start to split the posts.
Lisa Firman soon turned her marker before feeding Bolger to clip over on four minutes, with Asha McHardy responding at the other end, and that kick-started what was Dicksboro’s most profitable period of the entire match when they registered a further 1-2 without reply.
First up, Hanrick passed across for her sister, Lisa, to bat home baseball style from close-range, and the former added two ‘45s as the Kilkenny representatives edged 1-4 to 1-2 in front after eleven minutes.
But they only scored twice more from play before the end as St. Martin’s refused to surrender their Leinster title with a dominant display thereafter.
Foxe found the range from a pocket of space on twleve minutes and also supplied the leveller from a free after a nudge on Linda Bolger.
Dicksboro went ahead for the last time through Hanrick (free), but when Foxe launched a placedball towards the danger zone, Lisa Bolger appeared to get the final touch as it nestled in the net to open up a 2-4 to 1-5 lead on 21 minutes.
And things got even better for the leaders a minute later when a penetrative run from the constantly dangerous Amy Cardiff set up Sarah O’Connor to swing mid-air to the net as the gap expanded to five points.
Firman added a point after doing well to keep the ball in play, while Linda Bolger did likewise from Emma Codd’s assist as the sides broke with St. Martin’s in the driving seat at 3-6 to 1-7.
Orla Hanrick’s point some 30 seconds into the new half proved to be Dicksboro’s last white flag from play, while four points on the trot from St. Martin’s kept them comfortably ahead.
Foxe seized upon a loose clearance to pop over, Cardiff also got her name on the scoresheet, while two more Foxe frees made it 3-10 to 1-8 with 18 minutes remaining.
Hanrick – who has strong family links to Bunclody – converted four frees in the final quarter to bring her personal total to a game-leading 0-10, while Foxe continued her good form up front with two neat points from play to confirm her side’s passage to the provincial final against St. Vincent’s of Dublin which will be played in Ashbourne, Co. Meath, on November 17.
Aside from the expert shooting of the county dual player, Cardiff did a lot of good work around the middle for the winners, while Anna Hennessy made a host of relieving clearances from right wing-back.
St. Martin’s: Mags D’Arcy; Aisling O’Connor, Marie Claire Morrissey (capt.), Mary Barrett; Anna Hennessy, Ciara O’Connor, Katie O’Connor; Ella O’Connor, Amy Cardiff (0-1); Sarah O’Connor (1-0), Chloe Foxe (0-8, 3 frees), Linda Bolger (0-1); Emma Codd, Lisa Bolger (2-1), Lisa Firman (0-1). Subs. - Aisling Cronin for Lisa Bolger (38), Aoife O’Connor for E. O’Connor (38), Lettie Whelan for Codd (45).
Dicksboro: Kirsty Maher; Jane Cass, Ciara O’Shea, Ciara Mullan; Niamh O’Donoghue, Aoife Prendergast, Tara Clifford; Aobha O’Gorman, Ciara Phelan (0-1); Lisa Hanrick (10), Lucinda Gahan (capt.), Caoimhe Dunne-Dowling; Asha McHardy (0-1), Orla Hanrick (0-10, 7 frees, 2 ‘45s), Jenny Clifford. Subs. - Sonia Buggy for O’Donoghue (HT), Aisling Morrissey for Dunne-Dowling (46), Hannah Clifford for L. Hanrick (54), Orlaith Moore for T. Clifford (54).
Referee: Ray Kelly (Kildare).