Patrice Diggins’ perfect ten seals important win for camogie team

KERRY recorded a brilliant and deserved one-point win over Dublin in the Premier Junior Camogie Championship, which handed the Kingdom their first win in the competition.

Indeed, both sides had lost their opening fixture and were looking to get their first win of the Premier Junior Camogie Championship.

The conditions didn’t favour either side but Kerry were less fazed by the conditions early on and Patrice Diggins, who would end the game with 10 points, put Kerry ahead with a great point from play early on. Diggins added another three converted frees as Dublin struggled early on.

Dublin finally registered a score from a Faye McCarthy free but the home side looked a shambles in the first half and almost paid the price as Laura Collins twice had her shot on goal blocked by the Dublin defence.

Diggins converted her fifth point from a free as Dublin kept giving away sloppy frees, but then Dublin found some form and composure and scored three points, two frees by Faye McCarthy and a free from Michelle Kelly.

The half was highly entertaining with both sides exchanging possession. Dublin had chances to score goals in the half but great goalkeeping by Michelle O’Carroll kept them out, but the half was dictated by who could handle the pressure of taking frees.

Another Faye McCarthy free made it Kerry 0-6 Dublin 0-4, before Orla Young, for Kerry, and Dublin’s Elaine Gallery traded scores to leave the half-time score Kerry 0-7 Dublin 0-5.

Dublin were a completely different side in the second half. Straight from the restart Dublin almost had a goal as Faye McCarthy got in past the Kerry defence but she couldn’t get her shot on target as the ball flew wide of Michelle O’Carroll’s net.

Dublin were ruthless in the second half, notching three unanswered points from play with McCarthy and two points from Elaine Gallery putting Dublin ahead by one point.

As she did in the first half, Diggins converted a free to level the game for the third time.

Dublin really upped their performance in the second half and two points from Kirsten Farrell and a free by Faye McCarthy stretched their lead to three points.

Kerry needed a leader to spur them on and Patrice Diggins stepped up to the mark. Some cynical fouling by Dublin handed Kerry a lot of frees and three unerring efforts levelled the game for the fourth time with only minutes to go.

With a draw looking likely Diggins delivered the final blow to Dublin as she put over a great point from play, bringing her tally to a remarkable ten points, but more importantly edging Kerry into a one-point lead

Dublin had one final chance to draw the game level but Faye McCarthy hit her shot wide as the game went deep into injury-time.