Kelly leaves it late
Girls stay unbeaten in thrilling finish
Ciara Boland, put Mia Kelly into space 25 metres out.
She showed great pace to touch down under the posts to level the game.
Mia then stepped up to kick her second conversion to give her team a two-point win.
Whelan touched down early to put her team 7-0 up, but the home team responded superbly and they led 12-7 midway through the half.
A good carry by winger Jessica Blythe set up position in the ‘22, and good carries from Elaine Oladerin, one of many she made, and great battling by outstanding open side Aoife Wafer opened the door for Jessica Wickham to power over in the corner.
Wickham, playing her first-ever full game, had an afternoon to remember, tackling, rucking and carrying like a veteran.
Whelan got her second five-pointer late in the half with another great break from 50 metres.
Her pace and strength is a huge asset and she continued her average of at least two tries per game.
Her charges led by 17-12 at half-time.
Tullamore came charging out in the second-half and scored two more tries to lead 24-17 as the game clock ticked down.
Enniscorthy’s repeated attacks, with Kaci O’Connor, Ciara O’Leary and Erin Cahill probing all the time, were halted by great defence from the home team.
Tullamore relied on an effective kick/chase gameplan while Enniscorthy were content to keep the ball in hand.
It made for a fantastic game that was thrill-a-minute and great entertainment for the large and very vocal group of travelling supporters from Enniscorthy.
And they certainly got their money’s worth, with the result going right to the wire. Match-winner Mia Kelly had her best game yet, involved in everything good her team did.
She was well supported by all her team-mates who dug deep and never gave up, playing to the final whistle and getting the result that their never-say-die attitude deserved.
Well done to both teams for producing a classic that was played in the right spirit throughout.
Enniscorthy: Amelia Morycka, Bríd Kavanagh, Mikayla O’Leary (Laura Doyle, 50), Jessica Wickham, Ciara O’Leary, Taragh Cooper, Aoife Wafer, Elaine Oladerin, Katie Whelan (capt.), Aoife Codd, Kaci O’Connor, Ciara Boland (Chloe McGrath, 20-40), Mia Kelly, Jessica Blythe (Chelsea Ajayi 50), Erin Cahill. THE WEXFORD Wanderers second XV travelled to a chilly Cill Dara on The Curragh on Sunday as the first part of a double-header between the sides.
Wanderers got on the scoreboard early, with Tom Barry breaking through the Cill Dara midfield to score in the corner after ten minutes.
Fifteen minutes later, after some excellent phase play, Barry Ryan broke two tackles to score under the posts, with Joyce adding the simple conversion.
Tom Barry thought he was in for his second but the referee deemed the ball was not grounded, something he would do a number of times during the game, for both sides.
Tom Barry finally got his second just before the interval when he rounded the Cill Dara backs and sauntered along the try zone to score under the posts.
Joyce again added the conversion to give Wanderers a commanding 19-0 lead.
In the second period Cill Dara rallied and were rewarded ten minutes in with a converted try, very much against the run of play.
Wanderers kept pushing for the vital score to kill off the game as Cill Dara’s self-discipline dipped.
The score came on 65 minutes from man of the match Barry Ryan, who was spot on with his line-out throws all day and who excelled in the loose.
The contest was finalised with full-back John Gannon getting in beside the posts to allow Joyce a simple conversion to bring the final score to 31-7.
The result cements Wanderers as league runners-up behind the undefeated Clondalkin who lead them by seven points with two games left to play, as against Wanderers’ last remaining league outing in Newbridge in early March.
From a performance point of view the Wanderers management will be pleased with the likes of props Kelly and O’Callaghan who lasted the full 80 minutes, and the ever-growing presence of young Ciarán Byrne who again was a powerhouse in the second row, while the matador-like Paul Gannon’s marshalling and kicking was pitch perfect throughout.
Next up for Wanderers is the opening round of the Seconds Towns Cup next Sunday, where they welcome Dundalk to Park Lane.
Interestingly, the last time Wanderers and Dundalk faced off at Senior level was in the final of the J4 Dunne Cup four years ago, with Wexford taking the honours on that occasion.
And adding spice to the fixture is the fact that the Wexford Wanderers firsts will have to reverse the journey the following weekend in the second round of the Provincial Towns Cup.
As ever, home support drives a side on and, with a later kickoff of 3 p.m. next Sunday, your backing will hopefully go a long way towards guiding this young side into the next round of the cup.
Wexford: Ross O’Callaghan, Barry Ryan, Gavin Kelly, Zygimantas Sniezka, Ciarán Byrne, Vincent Carroll, Cormac Burke, Cillian McConville (capt.), Kevin Brendan Roche, Paul Gannon, Owen Cardiff, Ciarán Joyce, Tom Barry, Mark Power, John Gannon. Subs. - Alan Kinsella, Noel Richards, Pat Toomey.