Minor girls earn lifeline
WEXFORD KEPT alive their slim hopes of a place in the All-Ireland Minor camogie championship semi-final with a victory over Limerick in Croagh on Sunday.
The Slaneysiders lost their first two games, home outings with Galway and Kilkenny, but still stood a chance of reaching the last four with wins in their final two outings. Job one, beating Limerick, is done, but Clare will likely prove substantially more difficult opponents.
Nonetheless, a victory in this tie was imperative but it was the hosts who opened the scoring through Dearbhla Egan. Orla Molloy, fresh off her lively cameo for the Intermediates seven days earlier, levelled the scores and her side never again trailed.
Lettie Whelan has been a consistent source of scores for Wexford. She traded frees with Egan, picked off a nice point from play, and then collected an excellent through ball from Emma Codd before finding the back of the Treaty net.
After Whelan (two) and Jessie Harding raised further white flags, Wexford led by 1-6 to 0-3. Limerick pulled a pair of points back before the break, with Egan registering all five of her side’s scores in the half, to leave just four between them.
Anna Rose Kennedy made the score 1-6 to 0-6 shortly after the resumption. Wexford made a change, moving the excellent Emma Furlong to full-back, and it helped in shoring up the defence.
A score from Mary Barrett was added to by Orla Molloy after a great through ball by the sweeping Ciara O’Connor. Down by five, the hosts sensed that goals were going to be needed to get back into the game.
They had a couple of chances but the excellent Emma Kiely made two great saves in quick succession.
Limerick did add a point through Aine Reynolds but they still trailed by 1-8 to 0-7 heading into the last few minutes.
Wexford were able to rubber-stamp victory with points from O’Connor and Lettie Whelan. Kiely made another late, great stop to deny the hosts but the travellers took the points back to the southeast with them.
After the Camogie Association’s change of championship tie-break policy last year, Wexford can qualify for the semi-finals with an unlikely 14-point win over Clare, coupled with a Kilkenny victory in their game against Galway.
Wexford: Emma Kiely; Larah Campbell, Anna Hennessy, Emma Furlong; Clodagh Jackman, Róisín Cooney, Katie Roche; Derbhla Doyle, Ciara O’Connor (0-1); Orla Molloy (02), Lettie Whelan (1-5, 0-2 frees), Mary Barrett (0-1); Jessie Harding (0-1), Aisling Byrne, Emma Codd. Subs. - Aisling Halligan for Hennessy, Aisling O’Leary for Roche, Aoife Guiney for Byrne, Anna Mai Stafford for Harding, also Orla Fortune, Zoe O’Leary, Andrea Creane, Lara Conran, Kaitlyn Whelan-Kinsella, Laura Kelly, Holly Hynes, Rebecca Doran, Aoife Dunne.
Limerick: Leah O’Connell; Orla Ryan, Aine Tangney, Nóirín Lenihan; Edel Cunningham, Sophie O’Callaghan, Caoimhe O’Brien; Ciara O’Brien, Aine Reynolds (0-1); Róisín Ambrose, Andrea O’Sullivan, Dearbhla Egan (0-5, 4 frees); Lisa Leonard, Laura Stack, Lucy Breen. Subs. - Aislinn Condon, Keeva O’Brien, Anna Rose Kennedy (0-1), Aoife Curtin, Ciara Barry, Aoife McMahon, Aine Doyle, Stacey Flynn, Katie Hayes, Katie Heelan.
Referee: Cathal Egan (Cork).