Reigning champions get title defence off to the perfect start

MUNSTER JUNIOR CAMOGIE CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI-FINAL Kerry 3-13 Limerick 2-4

DEFENDING Munster Junior Camogie Champions Kerry travelled to Newcastle West on Saturday evening to take on the home side in the semi-final of the competition.

Player of the Year Nominee Niamh Leen was unable to start due to injury and she was replaced by Eilish Harrington. On a perfect evening for camogie, Patrice Diggin opened the scoring in the third minute from a free.

However, within a minute Limerick’s number 15 Katie Heelan had blasted the ball to the Kerry net. A Patrice Diggin free and a point from play by Alannah Whelan drew the sides level.

In the 10th minute a neat pass from Rachel McCarthy gave Patrice Diggin the opportunity to restore Kerry’s lead. Limerick then scored three unanswered points from Róisín Ambrose, Chloe

O’Brien and Katie Heelan.

However, by the 29th minute, Patrice Diggin had replied with two points from frees and two from play. While both teams had goal chances earlier in the first half, Kerry having been denied by the crossbar and then being forced to clear a goal-bound shot off the line, it was Caoimhe Shanahan who found the Limerick net in the first minute of injury time. The half-time score was Kerry 1-8 Limerick 1-3.

At the beginning of the second half, Limerick did their utmost to break down a resolute Kerry defence. However, Alanna Maunsell and her defence

denied the Limerick forwards when the home side did their best to get back in the game.

By the 44th minute Patrice Diggin had extended Kerry’s lead from a free and from play and two minutes later the same player took a pass from Aoife Behan and she fired the sliotar to the Limerick net to leave the score at 2-10 to 1-3.

Patrice added to her tally with a free and a point from play and in the 48th minute, Captain Jackie Horgan raised another green flag for the visitors. Aoife Behan made it 3-13 before Shauna D’Arcy capitalised on a rebound to find

the Kerry net.

A Limerick free in the firstst minute of injury time left the fulltime score at Kerry 3-13 Limerick 2-4.

Kerry progress to a final against Cork on Sunday, May 20.

KERRY: Alanna Maunsell, Liz Houlihan, Eilish Harrington, Michelle Costello, Elaine Ryall, Sara Murphy, Aine O’Connor, Orla Young, Laura Collins, Caoimhe Shanahan (1-0), Patrice Diggin (1-11, 0-6f), Aoife Behan (0-1), Rachel McCarthy, Jackie Horgan (1-0) , Alannah Whelan (0-1) Subs: Jessica Fitzell for Rachel McCarthy, Norette Casey for Alannah Whelan, Bríd Horan for Caoimhe Shanahan, Julianne O’Keeffe for Sara Murphy, Kate Buckley for Laura Collins