Kilrush do county proud at Feile finals
Fantastic feat at national Féile finals
A LITTLE rural club in the northern half of the county, that’s how Kilrush camogie club see themselves.
However, they are the toast of Wexford and beyond now after claiming a share of the John West Féile na nGael Division 1 title at the weekend.
It is a truly remarkable achievement for a club of their size, the first camogie winner from the county in the top division since Oulart-The Ballagh won their fifth in a row back in 2002, a time at which none of these Kilrush players were born.
The final will go down as the stuff of legend. Facing off against a Sarsfields side which had taken two previous titles back to Cork, Kilrush went after them from the first whistle in the Connacht G.A.A. Centre.
Maybe their morning trip to Knock, a short distance from the pitches in Mayo, had given them the inspiration to play with confidence seldom seen as underdogs, but they went after everything, stuck together as a team and got in at the break level (0-3 to 1-0), partly thanks to a fantastic Kate Butler save.
In the second-half they edged ahead when Abbie Walsh rattled home a penalty, but the Leesiders aren’t champions for nothing, and they came roaring back to force extra-time at 1-3 each.
Led by inspirational captains Karen Tomkins at centre-back and Aoibhe MacSweeney in midfield, there was to be no denying Kilrush,
The game went into extra-time and both sides added one point each in both periods, meaning they were tied at 1-5 apiece, and under competition rules that meant the trophy was to be shared, with Kilrush getting to take the cup home first.
It’s a win that has been years in the making, as this Kilrush side has won everything up through the age groups and are reigning Under-14 Premier county champions. They went up to Féile knowing they had quality and they went about setting the tone from the first game.
Carnmore (Galway) would go on to meet Sarsfields in the semi-final, but they were no match for Kilrush as the Wexford girls got off to a 1-7 to 2-1 winning start. Newcastlewest (Limerick) were dispatched on Friday evening too on a scoreline of 3-7 to 0-2.
Still, Kilrush needed a result against hosts Abbeyknockmoy to ensure safe passage to the cup quarters.
It was an epic battle of a game, with the stellar play of midfielder Nicola Corrigan to the fore, and the Wexford side advanced with a 1-2 to 0-2 victory. Their hosts would go on to claim the Division 1 shield.
There was an opportunity to fold and limp away when Kilrush came up against Dicksboro in the last eight. The Kilkenny side went 1-2 to nil up after five minutes but Kilrush held them scoreless for the remainder of the game.
A handpassed Sadhbh Buttle goal got her side going and they turned the screw after the break, with Amy Tobin-Cosgrave added a second major as Kilrush advanced by 2-3 to 1-2. It was all to play for a half-time against Cashel in the semi-final too.
Kilrush trailed by a point at the interval but again their teamwork and togetherness came to the fore and they battled back to win by five points going away (2-3 to 0-4).
That send them into the final opposite Sarsfields and there was to be no denying this fantastic squad of players, every one of whom has made this success possible.
The Kilrush squad was: Kate Butler, Aoife Kinsella, Niamh O’Rourke, Aoibheann Hayden, Zoe Tobin-Cosgrave, Karen Tomkins (joint capt.), Sorcha O’Rourke, Aoibhe MacSweeney (joint capt.), Nicola Corrigan, Abbie Walsh, Amy Tobin-Cosgrave, Eimear Byrne, Sadhbh Buttle, Amy Kehoe, Rebecca Kavanagh, Kayla McGannon, Chloe Tobin, Ciara Scully, Tara Kenny, Shauna MacSweeney, Anna Tomkins, Kilda Murphy, Róisín Dillon, Isabelle Whitty, Kelia Smyth, Aine Devereux, Maire Byrne, Sinéad Breen. Manager: Noel MacSweeney. Selectors: Viviennne Byrne, James Tomkins, John Kavanagh.
Meanwhile, there was disappointment for Ballinastragh Gaels after they went all the way to the Division 7 final before coming up against a strong Longford Slashers side.
While it was tough to lose the decider, coming up 2-3 to 0-3 short in a tight game after a great run was something to be proud of.
Things got off to a super start for the Kilanerin and Tara Rocks girls. They thumped Sarsfields by 6-8 to nil in their opening game in Sylane on Friday evening and booked their knockout spot by easing past Tralee Parnells by 6-6 to nil a short time later.
However, they found their hosts Sylane a tough nut to crack on Saturday morning. The Galway girls won a tight encounter by 1-4 to 0-2 but both sides advanced to the quarter-finals of the Cup.
In the last eight Ballinastragh came up against Limerick side St. Ailbhe’s. It was a huge battle but they moved on with a 2-6 to 1-4 victory.
St. Eunan’s from Donegal proved no match for the Wexford girls in the semi-final (2-7 to 0-2), but the dream of a Féile Division 7 title ended against Slashers in Páirc Chiaráin, Athlone.
It was also a memorable weekend for Oylegate-Glenbrien camogie club. They started their Division 3 campaign in Castlegar against the local side and managed to emerge from that encounter with a hard-earned 1-4 to 1-1 win.
Much like Ballinastragh, they booked their cup quarter-final place with victory over Rockbán from Cork (3-3 to 0-3). On Saturday morning they played their hosts, Kinvara from Galway, and the sides produced a cracker, with the visitors falling by one point (1-11 to 3-4).
Hopes were high moving onto the last eight on Saturday afternoon with a game against Conahy Shamrocks between them and a semi-final spot. Unfortunately for the Wexford girls, the Kilkenny side proved too strong, winning by 3-7 to 0-2.