Duffry and Oylegate must meet again after low-scoring draw

DUFFRY ROVERS 0-4 OYLEGATE-GLENBRIEN 0-4

DUFFRY ROVERS and Oylegate-Glenbrien must meet again to decide the destination of the Under-14 camogie Roinn 1B championship trophy after they played out a tense but low-scoring draw in the county final at Killurin.

One should not be fooled by the sparse look on the scoreboard however, as it was an enjoyable spectacle otherwise, with both sides creating and fluffing enough goal chances each to win the game outright.

The Duffry were looking to add this particular piece of silverware to the national Féile na nGael Division 4 shield they won so comprehensively in June.

And they just about edged a tight first-half, when points from their dangerous duo Lauren Roban (two) and Katie Bates cancelled out efforts from Orla Redmond and Kellyanne Dempsey at the other end as Duffry Rovers led by 0-3 to 0-2 at half-time.

Oylegate-Glenbrien looked to have struck a significant blow in the early exchanges after the break, only for Ciara Hennessy to have her goal chalked off after catching the sliothar three times in the build-up.

Her colleague, Orla Redmond, gambled on goal from a close-in free but it was easily thwarted, although the same player fared better from play on 48 minutes to restore parity.

Meanwhile, Lauren Roban fizzed a goal attempt wide of the post, but Bates punished an over-carrying offence to point the Duffry 0-4 to 0-3 in front from a free eight minutes from time.

However, they couldn’t quite put their opponents away, and Oylegate-Glenbrien earned a deserved second bite of the cherry when Redmond held her nerve from a free on 56 minutes.

Their second meeting has been fixed for Boolabawn next Saturday, August 26, with the throw-in at 5.30 p.m.

Duffry Rovers: Lauren Smyth; Heather Boyce, Emilia Fortune, Lucy McCarthy; Isobel Kavanagh, Katie Breen-Sherlock, Michelle Kearns; Abigail Cullen, Anna Roban; Laura Conroy, Katie Bates (0-2, 1 free, 1 ‘45), Lauren Roban (0-2); Rebecca Codd, Róisín Dobbs, Aoife O’Leary. Subs. - Ciara Tobin, Jessica O’Donovan, Katie Bowe, Libby Cullen, Anna Kinsella, Maeve McCarthy, Jennifer McCarthy-Kerins, Brianne Kavanagh.

Oylegate-Glenbrien: Chloe Murphy; Sarah Cosgrave, Maria Downes, Caitlin Curran; Mary Moran, Polly Frost, Ciara Lawlor; Kellyanne Dempsey (0-1 ‘45), Blathnaid O’Leary; Hannah Byrne, Hannagh Mernagh, Orla Redmond (0-3, 1 free); Rachel Hayden, Ciara Hennessy, Ellen O’Gorman. Subs. - Annelies Doyle for Hennessy, inj., Ciara Hennessy for Lawlor, Kate Freeman for Demspey, inj., also Karen Hayden, Aisling Murphy, Laura O’Brien, Ava Whelan.

Referee: John Diskin (Bannow-Ballymitty).