Donard tops in thriller
Gallant Kiltegan girls narrowly beaten in real goal-fest
at Hollywood DONARD-THE GLEN KILTEGAN 7-3 5-7
FOR the first time in sixteen long years, the U-16 A Camogie Champioship Cup returns to Donard.
Hollywood was the place to be last Sunday afternoon, to witness “stars” from both sides serve up one of the games of the year, in a highly sporting encounter.
Both neighbours and rivals, Donard and Kiltegan served up a feast of excellent camogie in an immense encounter, that either side dared lose.
Donard qualified through from a play-off situation over the last number of weeks while Kiltegan were nearly four weeks without a game waiting on their opponents.
This game ebbed and flowed up and down the field. In the end, just about, it came down to the old saying “goals wins matches” and by God, there were no shortage of these here today. Who knows another minute or so we could have had a different result. However the Donard ladies dug deep at the end, to get over the line in a thriling feisty finale that went right down to the wire.
Katie Tyrell got the Donard girls off to a flyer, with a goal in the third minute after great work by Sive Byrne.
Robin Twyford Troy got Kiltegan off the mark with a pointed free, after Ciara Boland was fouled.
Lively corner-forward, Sophie Bermingham gave Kiltegan the lead, with a well executed goal in the next attack.
A quick puck-out by Niamh Darker found Katie Tyrell in the middle of the park, Tyrell dropped the sliotar into the dangerzone, where Brinda Ide collected and duly buried it home,for an instant reply in this see-saw encounter.
Poppie Rose Cullen Dunne was relentess in her defending along with Linda McDonald breaking down plenty of Kiltegan work.
A dangerous free in by Faye Corrigan was cleared off the line by Abbey Cleary, Donard broke up the field and Katie Tyrell rifled over a beast of a point from 60 metres out.
A fine save by Rebecca Donegan the Kiltegan netminder, stopped Katie Tyrell raising her second green flag.
Faye Corrigan played a smashing crossfield ball to Robin Twyford Troy who was fouled, Sophie Bermingham fired over the resultant free to restore the lead for Kiltegan, at the end of the first quarter.
Another fine puck out by Niamh Darker found Isabel Keeneghan who handpassed of to Katie Tyrell, to cruise over another equalising point as these two sides could not be seperated.
Emma Byrne and Moya Cremin were battling hard, clearing plenty of Donard ball.
A crucial score with a goal from the hurl of Daisie Summer Cullen Dunne, who clinically finished, after good work by Orlagh Waters, followed for Donard in the closing stages of the first half.
Faye Corrigan split the posts from a long range free after Lauren Kavanagh was fouled going through.
Sophie Barrett cleared the sliotar up to Poppie Rose who found the on running Katie Tyrell, who fired over the final point of the half as the whistle sounded with the score reading 3-03 to 2-02 in favour of Donard.
A quick free by Sophie Bermingham, to Faye Corrigan yielded the opening point of the restart for Kiltegan.
Bermingham then reduced the deficit to the minimum as she swung over her left shoulder, a sweet point as Kiltegan hit the ground running.
Katie Tyrell burst through and unleashed a powerful shot, that was brilliantly blocked by Miriam O’Keefe.
A small bit of fortune went Donard’s way when a shot by the dynamic Sive Byrne, from 40 metres out landed in the Kiltegan net in the 38th minute.
Donard somehow kept going for goals, trying to land killer blows, when tagging on points looked an easier option.
Rebecca Donegan went down low to save superbly from a Daisie Summer shot, Maria Rafferty cleared up the field to Amber House who put Faye Corrigan in who landed a monster of a point from 50 metres out.
Casey Kelly intercepted a loose pass from a Kiltegan forward and drove a powerful ball up to Alicia Kearney who put Daisie Summer in, to fire her second major to the roof of the Kiltegan net with the score now reading 5-03 to 2-06 with 40 minutes on the clock in this gigantic battle.
The tackles and hits were flying in from both sides. Kiltegan were applying a lot of pressure and were hugely rewarded when a Sophie Bermingham free that dropped short, was cruely volleyed into her own net by Sophie Barrett, in her effort to clear the ball.
Donard were under immense pressure from Kiltegan at this stage. Isabel Keenaghan launched a mighty pass into Emma Hayden, who turned on a sixpence and drillied the sliotar low to the bottom right hand corner of the Kiltegan net, to the roars of approval from the Donard faithful.
Kristin Mallin and Sarah Byrne were having a big impact at this stage, however Kiltegan were guilty of landing three wides at this crucial stage and were unfortunate when Sophie Bermingham crashed a shot back out off the upright, as Donard’s backs were to the wall.
Poppie Rose and Orna Byrne were in overdrive coping with the Kiltegan pressure.
A bone crunching tackle by Jenny Tyrell on Sophie Bermingham resulted in the play being stopped momentarily, Bermingham got up and dusted herself off, and fired over the resultant free going into a tense final few minutes.
Sive Byrne won possession of the puck out and soloed up the field and laid off to Emma Hayden who landed Donard’s magnificent seventh goal.
Then Donard had a goal struck out for Daisie Summer, after she was deemed to have taken the ball to the hand three times, before finishing to the net.
The writing looked on the wall for Kiltegan at this late stage, however these girls from Kiltegan, didn’t come here just to make up the numbers.
Faye Corrigan landed a beast of a goal, going into the third minute of the additional time of five minutes with the score now reading 7-03 to 4-07 as the Kiltegan faithful roared on their girls.
Two more chances were cleared by the Donard defence as Kiltegan literally threw the kitcken sink at Donard.
More drama and nailbitting was to follow, when Faye Corrigan landed her second major to leave it in the melting pot, with the lead whittled down to a dangerous two point lead for Donard, who looked out on their feet, as they bayed for the full time whistle from the Carlow official. “Times up ref”, “One more play ref” were the shouts from the sidelines, in this titanic struggle.
And one more play we had, Kiltegan launched one final attempt for the winning goal into the dangerzone, full back Jenny Tyrell rose six foot high into the air and pulled the sliotar into her grasp, and drove out like her life depended on it.
The full time whistle sounded, Donard supporters invaded the pitch to celebrate, there was tears of joy from the Donard girls, as they shook hands with a gallant Kiltegan side, who brought eveything and more, to one of the best finals served up in years.
A beaming Anne LeGrue from the Camogie Board, complimented both teams on a fine sporting game, thanked the referee and Hollywood for hosting, before presenting the cup to Donard captain, Casey Kelly, to spark of wild celebrations.
Donard-The Glen: Daisie Summer Cullen Dunne 2 -00, Emma Hayden 2-00, Katie Tyrell 1-03 (1f), Sive Byrne 1-00, Brinda Ibe 1-00.
Kiltegan : Sophie Bermingham 3-03, Faye Corrigan 2-02, Sarah
Scorers -
Byrne 0-01, Robin Twyford Troy 0-01.
DONARD-THE GLEN:
Niamh Darker; Sophie Barrett, Jenny Tyrrell, Abbie Cleary; Linda McDonald, Casey Kelly, Poppie Rose Cullen Dunne; Sive Byrne, Orlagh Waters; Katie Tyrrell, Emma Hayden, Isabelle Keeneghan; Daisie Summer Cullen Dunne, Brinda Ibe, Alicia Kearney. SUBS: Orna Byrne, Roisin Mulvey, Aoife Furlong, Emily Tyrrell.
Rebecca Donegan; Emma Byrne, Maria Rafferty, Moya Cremin; Miriam O Keefe, Hope Tallon, Leah Donegan; Amber House, Sarah Byrne; Lauren Kavanagh, Faye Corrigan, Kristan Mallin; Robin Twyford Troy, Ciara Boland, Sophie Bermingham. SUBS: Leah Furlong, Sarah Mai Fitzgerald, Roisin Timmins, Katie Boland.
KILTEGAN: REFEREE:
Pat Keogh (Rathvilly).