O’Moore girls end U-16 honours bid
THE SEASON ended for Wexford with a hard-to-take loss against Laois in the Leinster ladies’ football Under-16 ‘B’ championship semi-final in Annanough recently.
The Slaneysiders came into the game after a tough but battling round-robin stage against the powerhouses from Meath, Dublin and Kildare, and might have expected the level to drop against the Group B side.
However, in the first semi-final Offaly, who lost to Laois earlier in the campaign, really put it up to Meath and it gave a stark indication of what was to come. Realistically this game could have gone either way, with Wexford leading into the final quarter.
Yet when the game moved into the closing stages, Laois nabbed two soft goals and Wexford missed a string of good chances to bow out at the semi-final stage.
Laois started with the aid of the elements and, despite a Sophie Boxwell point, moved 1-3 to 0-1 in front after a Gráinne Lalor major.
M.J. Berry’s side slowly found their feet and dragged themselves back into the contest. Maeve Sinnott, Orlagh Kehoe and Aoife Cullen all contributed to the scoring, while substitute Michelle Kinsella made an immediate impact as Wexford went in just four down (2-6 to 0-8).
In the latter stages of the half the visitors really started to find their feet and they didn’t let the break halt their momentum.
Wexford led for the first time when Cullen and Boxwell points were mixed in with a major by the former after an assist by Orlagh Kehoe.
Leading by 1-11 to 2-7, Wexford hopes were dented when Lalor netted. However, Kehoe brought her tally to 1-2 with a goal in the 41st minute to give her side their lead back.
With the home crowd behind them, Laois responded with a pair of singles to move a point clear.
It was at this stage that Wexford had six good chances to add to their tally, with a string of strong point opportunities kicked wide. At the other end Della Doherty netted twice in the final quarter to send the Slaneysiders packing.
Wexford: Aoife Dunne; Kelly Ann Dempsey, Shauna Nolan, Aoife Bridges; Loren Doyle, Lorna Fortune, Nicole Harding-Kenny; Juliet Rochford, Susan Boyle; Rachel Power, Joey Gahan, Maeve Sinnott (0-1); Sophie Boxwell (0-2), Aoife Cullen (1-4), Orlagh Kehoe (1-2). Subs. - Michelle Kinsella (0-2) for Power, Liadh Dwyer for Dempsey.
Laois: Nadine Dempsey; Georgina Donaghue, Rebecca Reddin, Sinéad Farrelly; Leah Kelly, Sarah Larkin, Julia Cahill; Aishling Fitzpatrick, Della Doherty (2-1); Emily Lacey (0-1), Jenny Murphy, Orla Hennessy (0-3); Lisa Keane (0-2), Gráinne Lalor (2-2), Kelly O’Neill. Subs. - Ciara Byrne for Kelly, Aoibhe O’Brien for Fitzpatrick, Leah Tarpey (0-1) for O’Neill.
Referee: John Bermingham (Wicklow).