Alley out at first hurdle
BUFFERS ALLEY tumbled out of the Leinster Intermediate camogie championship at the hands of Laois outfit O’Moore’s in Monamolin on Sunday.
This competition has not been a happy hunting ground for Wexford clubs in the last few years, generally coming up against Senior champions from other counties. While the Alley put in a spirited showing, there was to be no upset here either.
It was one of those games where the hosts needed to snatch some sort of a lead and have something to hold on to. Yet the visitors were strong across the two defensive lines and gave the Wexford club nothing without a serious fight.
Their defensive strength was of huge importance but they won this game by getting a great showing in midfield and across their half-forward line. The energy expended in there, by both teams, was through the roof but the Laois side just had that little bit of extra class.
Mary Keating was the most influential in there in the first-half. Her early free was cancelled by Louise Hammel as the sides played out a low-scoring opening quarter (0-1 each).
The accuracy of Keating’s next shot was strongly contested by the home side and it got O’Moore’s on a bit of a roll.
Keating registered the next three in a row from play but missed a 28th-minute free that would have made it 0-6 to 0-1.
However, from the resulting puck-out, Joyce Dunne collected and took off on a mazy run that saw her round Catherine O’Loughlin and fire low past Sarah Donnellan.
It felt like a critical few minutes for Buffers Alley, with the game threatening to get away from them.
They hit back like champions, as Louise Hammel saw her shot saved but fumbled by Rebecca Williams and Emer O’Leary followed up to tap home the rebound.
Fittingly, Keating registered the final score of the half (1-6 to 1-1) to give her side a solid advantage heading in at the interval.
Tara Doyle cut the gap in the 33rd minute but O’Moore’s responded through Alison McEvoy and Casey Conroy to go six up, despite a missed penalty from the former.
It stayed 1-8 to 1-2 into the final quarter but the Alley still had hope when Hammel pointed a ‘45.
There seemed to be even more life in the hosts’ charge when Aoife Hyland was dismissed for a second yellow card in the 53rd minute.
However, things got out of hand on the sideline in the immediate aftermath, with a member of the Alley backroom team involved in a physical altercation with the non-neutral O’Moore’s linesman.
This unnecessary nonsense again reflects poorly on the club, coming a few months after the embarrassing situation at a boys’ Under-13 match against Oulart-The Ballagh.
It also does a huge disservice to the Alley women who were playing and competing fairly with every ounce of energy they had against a talented Senior champion.
However, it should also be noted that it is absolutely ridiculous that Leinster camogie doesn’t provide neutral linespersons for their competitions, especially as Leinster ladies’ football did for Ballygarrett’s Junior tie a day earlier.
It caused a row in the Wexford and Kilkenny Senior camogie semi-final back in the summer, and was key to this situation as well.
The delay drained all the life out of the Buffers Alley charge.
It fired up the visitors and they pointed through McEvoy before Amy Loughman sauntered away to net in the first minute of added-time.
Joyce Dunne made it 2-10 to 1-3 but Anne Cousins did grab a consolation goal in the seventh extra minute.
Casey Conroy put the seal on the O’Moore’s victory at the death to set up a provincial semi-final with the Kilkenny Intermediate champions.
Buffers Alley: Sarah Donnellan; Shauna Lawless, Catherine O’Loughlin, Sarah Jo Kenny; Eleanor Hammel, Frances Doran, Sorcha Foley; Sinéad Furlong, Katie Doyle; Louise Hammel (capt., 0-2, 1 free, 1 ‘45), Saoirse O’Connor, Tara Doyle (0-1); Annie Dempsey, Emer O’Leary (1-0), Anne Cousins (1-0). Subs. - Laura Murphy-Bolger for Lawless (31), Victoria Burke for Furlong, inj. (36).
O’Moore’s: Rebecca Williams; Catríona Downey, Emma McEvoy (capt.), Lynn O’Callaghan; Aoife Hyland, Alison McEvoy (0-2 frees), Jenny McEvoy; Casey Conroy (0-2), Joyce Dunne (1-1); Amy Loughman (1-0), Rosemarie Bermingham, Laura Peake; Erin Murray, Amy O’Callaghan, Mary Keating (0-6, 2 frees). Subs. - Niamh Gleeson for Murray (52), Niamh O’Riordan for O’Callaghan, inj. (60+5).
Referee: Liz Dempsey (Kilkenny).