Under-16 players defeated by Dubs

WEXFORD PUT in a solid performance against a talented, physical Dublin side but it wasn’t enough to take the win in the Leinster Under-16 ‘A’ camogie championship at O’Toole Park on Sunday.

The Slaneysiders came into the game in confident fashion, after comfortably seeing off Offaly in their opening fixture. They took that belief onto the field in an exciting opening 30 minutes in Crumlin.

Fresh off her heroics in the opening game, Anais Curran didn’t take long to get off the mark. Shortly after registering the first point, the Oulart-The Ballagh clubwoman made the most of great work by Ciara O’Connor and rattled the hosts’ net.

O’Connor herself got a brace of points in the period while Curran continued to raise white flags. However, Wexford were left to rue several missed goal opportunities, with Aisling Alouf among those going close to finding the net.

It wasn’t exactly quiet at the other end either, as Aoife Mahon was forced to make a handful of superb saves.

Dublin did get through once and that was enough to leave the sides deadlocked at the break (1-7 each).

The hosts started to get themselves in front after the break and eased their way into a 3-15 to 1-10 lead. Katie Smyth did find the net with a pulled shot off the deck and would have had another had it not been for Ally Ramsden in the Dublin goal.

Anais Curran also picked off a couple of nice points in the second-half but it wasn’t enough to stop Dublin claiming their second win on the bounce.

Next up for Wexford is a game against win-less Kilkenny on Sunday, April 16, with a place in the Leinster final up for grabs.

Wexford: Aoife Mahon; Doireann Cullen, Eimear O’Connor, Amy Cahill; Amy Mitten, Lauren Murphy, Laura Doran; Ciara Walsh, Megan Cullen; Amy O’Leary, Katie Smyth (1-1), Kate Kirwan; Ciara O’Connor (0-2), Anais Curran (1-8), Ashling Alouf. Subs. - Shauna O’Leary for Doran, Róisín Parker for Mitten, also Kate Foley, Molly Somers, Leanne Rowe, Amy Cousins.

Dublin: Ally Ramsden; Aoife Byrne, Siún Keating, Hannah Leddy; Jody Couch, Molly Brown, Celine Antancio; Aoife Mahon, Niamh Gannon; Laura Quinn, Holly Kavanagh, Gaby Couch; Olivia Meagher, Kim Hickey, Anna Geraghty. Subs. - Georgina Plowman, Siofra Byrne, Katie McDonald, Caitlin Coffey, Rachel Seery.

Referee: Pat Murphy (Carlow).