Alley goal threat earns title
Three green flags enough to account for Cloughbawn
BUFFERS ALLEY CLOUGHBAWN
BUFFERS ALLEY used their superior goal threat to ensure they came out victors at the expense of Cloughbawn in the Intermediate camogie championship final in Oylegate on Sunday.
They trailed at half-time by a point, but three second-half goals gave them a deserved victory and a valuable place in next year’s Senior ranks.
Cloughbawn led the way after a tense opening half. It took twelve minutes for Niamh Kehoe to break the deadlock before May Wickham and Annie Dempsey shared points in quick succession as Cloughbawn held on to a narrow lead midway through the half.
The first real threat to Cloughbawn’s goal came shortly afterwards when Dempsey found Róisín Murphy, only for the corner-forward to pull wide of the post.
Tara Doyle sent one into the side-netting before the break but the half ended with Kehoe impressively matching Louise Hammel’s hat-trick of points from play with her own third free, as she ensured Cloughbawn took the advantage into the interval.
With Cloughbawn legs tiring in the second-half, goal chances came more consistently for the Alley.
It took just four minutes after the re-start for them to raise their first green flag. Murphy ran towards goal before off-loading to Doyle who drilled the ball into the lefthand side of the net.
Hannah Keating and Dempsey traded points before the Alley’s second goal in the 44th minute. Murphy’s high free towards the goal dropped short and Emer O’Leary connected with the ball in the air.
O’Leary’s strike looped up and over Gina Foley on the Cloughbawn line, pushing the Alley into their first two-score lead.
In the opening three-quarters of the game, Kehoe’s frees had kept Cloughbawn in contention, but with five points now between the sides, a goal seemed all the more necessary. In truth, it was difficult to see where it might come from.
Kehoe pointed two more frees to briefly make it a one-goal game again as the clock ticked into its final ten minutes.
Cloughbawn then rolled the dice with the introduction of Sarah Jane Flood and Aisling Higgins to the attack. It would bear some fruit for the Clonroche women but not enough to swing the tie in their favour.
O’Leary was on target again for Buffers Alley. This time it was Doyle’s ball which caused confusion in the Cloughbawn defence and the full-forward pulled into the right side of the net past Foley to put six between the sides (3-5 to 0-8).
Cloughbawn gave the Alley some nervy final moments after Flood’s long effort on goal bounced awkwardly and found a way past Sarah Donnellan, but the victors held out for the final three minutes to win and set up a Leinster quarter-final meeting with O’Moore’s from Laois on Sunday.
Buffers Alley: Sarah Donnellan; Sarah Jo Kenny, Catherine O’Loughlin, Laura Bolger; Aoife Whelan, Frances Doran, Eleanor Hammel; Sinéad Furlong, Saoirse O’Connor; Louise Hammel (capt., 0-3), Tara Doyle (10), Katie Doyle; Annie Dempsey (0-2 frees), Emer O’Leary (2-0), Róisín Murphy. Subs. - Anne Cousins for Dempsey (44), Sorcha Foley for Bolger (50), also Noelle Doran, Victoria Burke, Méabh Hughes, Anna Doyle, Niamh O’Connor, Danielle O’Brien, Megan O’Brien, Jackie Cousins, Muireann Ní Corcoráin, Marina Mordaunt, Sarah Mordaunt, Becky Kavanagh, Sinéad Kenny, Nicole Hammel, Mary Alice Murphy.
Cloughbawn: Gina Foley; Marie Clare Byrne, Margaret Furlong, Oonagh Barden; Elaine Quigley, Nessa Wickham (capt.), Tara Doyle; Caoimhe Doyle, Niamh Kehoe (0-6 frees); Róisín Stephenson, Kate Cullen, Hannah Keating (0-1); Patrice Lawlor, Tina Cullen, May Wickham (0-1). Subs. - Niamh Ogilive for Stephenson (44), Sarah Jane Flood (1-0) for M. Wickham (51), Aisling Higgins for Keating (51), also Rachel Greene, Danielle Kehoe, Niamh Higgins, Claire Stephenson, Ciara Murphy, Caoimhe Kehoe, Aoife Murphy, Sarah Flynn, Cathy O’Brien.
Referee: Gearóid McGrath (St. James’).