A DIFFERENT CLASS
Wexford power to championship victory over Wicklow
WEXFORD 7-16 WICKLOW 3-03
THE gap between Division 3 and 4 runners-up was shown to be fairly significant when Wicklow suffered a thumping defeat to neighbours Wexford in the Leinster Ladies Intermediate Football Championship at Bellefield on Saturday afternoon last.
Quite simply, Wicklow couldn’t live with their opponents speed of thought, movement and their precision passing. The Garden girls were unfortunate to come up against a Wexford side who found their best thirty minutes of an already impressive season in the first half.
The Slaneysiders were exceptional, they look primed to go all the way to the end of this season as All Ireland contenders under former Wexford inter-county goalkeeper Anthony Masterson.
For Wicklow it’s tough. They need to get out of Division 4 and quickly. The level of performance to beat most sides in the league is too far removed from what they need in the championship to compete. Until they get better games they won’t have a hope at this level.
In fairness to Mick O’Rourke’s side, they could have felt sorry for themselves and thrown in the towel when 5-11 to 0-3 behind at the break. It bodes well for the future that they continued to battle on and ran Wexford close in the second half at least.
Rachel Bennett started the ball rolling with a nerve-settling point less than thirty seconds in. Bernie Breen flashed over a short time later, a score that was followed by Fiona Rochford’s opening salvo.
Persistence and hard-work from Bennett saw her win back possession from the next Wicklow kick-out, she played in Rochford and the Wexford captain calmly slotted low past Kim Connors between the visitors sticks.
Further scores from Catriona Murray and Kellie Kearney eased Wexford 1-5 to nil up. Wicklow did get their opening point in the 12th minute when Laura Hogan registered from distance but it didn’t stall the Slaneysiders momentum for too long.
A few minutes after Clara Donnelly narrowly missed out on a second major when she flashed across the face of goal, Wexford did find the net for the second time. On this occasion it was Aisling Murphy registering, although Connors will be disappointed to let the Wexford attackers dipping shot squirm past her.
More great work by Murphy helped set Murray away for clinically taken major in the 20th minute. With the green flags going up thick and fast, Murphy and Bennett again set a goal-scoring move in motion, it ended with Niamh Butler thumping across goal to the opposite corner of the rigging.
Both corner forwards got on the scoresheet for Wicklow in the final seven minutes of the period. However, the respite was short lived, Bernie Breen flashed a stunning effort to the top corner of the net and both Murray and Donnelly took easy points when more was on.
As the 23-point interval lead indicated, this game was over as a contest. However, Rachel Bennett made a bright start to the second stanza with a quick brace of minors. The foot clearly came off the gas for the hosts and they didn’t score again for eighteen minutes.
Wicklow enjoyed more of the ball in that time and went close to scoring when Naoise Baker hit the outside of the post, via the fingers of Mary Rose Kelly, from out on the right of goal.
They visitors did get their first major of the afternoon in the 46th minute when Baker’s flick from Laurie Ahern’s long ball ended up crossing the goalline, despite desperate Wexford attempts to keep it out.
After not getting the pass from Emer Cahill, when the Clongeen clubwoman crashed off the crossbar in the 47th minute, Rachel Bennett got her goal a little later, beating Connors at the second attempt after superb work by the consistently excellent Clara Donnelly.
Clodagh Fox scythed through the Wexford defence for a second Wicklow goal to make it 6-13 to 2-3 with eight minutes remaining. At the other end, a long Donnelly ball was won by Aisling Murphy, she powered clear and finished her second major of the afternoon in style.
Laura Hogan weaved her way through with a little too much ease in the last minute of normal time, netting her side’s third goal to end a disappointing afternoon on a high. Wicklow will hope to show some improvement on Sunday against last season’s relegated Senior side Meath.
Wexford: Mary Rose Kelly; Marguerite Doyle, Marica Cullen, Sarah Harding Kenny; Clara Donnelly (0-2), Roisin Murphy, Niamh Mernagh; Bernie Breen (1-1), Kellie Kearney (0-1); Niamh Butler (1-0), Caitriona Murray (1-3), Siobhan Cloake (0-1); Rachel Bennett (1-4), Fiona Rochford (1-3, capt.), Aisling Murphy (2-1). Subs. - Ann Byrne for Butler (31), Emer Cahill for Rochford (37), Bridin Doyle for R. Murphy (37), Sarah Merrigan for Kelly (46), Ciara Walsh for Kearney (46), also, Eleanor Neville, Elaine McCabe, Georgina Hearne, Maeve Quill, Fiona Rowe, Maria Byrne, Ciara Corrigan, Ellen O’Brien, Fiona Bennett, Chantelle Martin.
Wicklow: Kim Connors; Sarah Jane Winder, Sarah Hogan (capt.), Emily Mulhall; Jessie Nolan Byrne, Shauna Byrne, Laurie Ahern; Niamh McGettigan, Aoife Gorman; Molly Cullen, Jackie Kinch, Helena Dowling; Ciara Byrne (0-1), Laura Hogan (1-1), Amy Murphy (0-1). Subs. - Naoise Baker (1-0) for McGettigan (26), Clodagh Fox (1-0) for Dowling (30), Rachael Byrne for Mulhall (39), Katie Miley for Cullen (50), Aoife Gillen for S. Byrne (53), also, Geraldine Norton, Sarah Fennelly, Aoife Grace, Samantha McCoy, Tara Costello, Clare Grace, Shona O’Connor, Shauna Bermingham, Aisling McDonald.
Referee: Jonathan Murphy (Carlow)