Sal nets on double
Seconds advance to tie with Laois
WEXFORD WILL face Laois for the Leinster Intermediate camogie championship title after defeating Kilkenny in Freshford on Saturday.
The Slaneysiders got another eight points from Nora Higgins, plus a critical brace of majors from Sarah ‘Sal’ Doyle, including their first score of the second-half in the 52nd minute, to see them into the Glenisk O’Connor Park, Tullamore decider on Saturday (2 p.m.).
Alan Brennan’s charges defeated Kilkenny in the National League, so facing the powerhouse outfit held no fear for these women.
While this was a significantly different Kilkenny side, the end result was pretty much the same.
It was always likely to be a battle and that’s how it turned out.
The game against Kildare probably stood to Wexford, coming quickly out of the blocks as they did, but when the chips were down late on they finished on the front foot too.
While there was an attempt to change things up a little, with personnel and positional switches, Wexford showed both the same qualities and failings they had against Kildare seven days earlier.
They were gutsy, tenacious and by and large defended well.
When they were having issues defensively, changes were quickly made, the key alteration being a swap of Amy Cahill and Marie Claire Morrissey.
It appeared likely that Caroline Kennedy would be Wexford’s biggest problem in the opening quarter, but putting Cahill on the Slieverue player shut that outlet down and allowed Morrissey an opportunity to excel further forward in the defence.
Clodagh Fitzhenry and Muireann Fitzpatrick are forming a serious partnership in midfield and the Wexford engine room put in a big shift again, with the bonus of both getting on the scoresheet in the first-half.
Much like against Kildare, the lack of scoring attackers is clearly a concern. Sarah Doyle moved to full-forward, scored both goals and was the pick of the trio.
Orla Redmond did well to win the penalty that Doyle scored, a move which involved Emma Codd, but Wexford are probably another forward capable of getting two or three points per game away from being legitimate All-Ireland contenders.
The other aspect of note, for this reporter, was the performance of referee Max Molloy.
Overall, the Wicklow official had probably the strongest game I’ve seen this season from an official.
The two sides set up to attack here, with both playing the traditional three inside forwards, and it made for an entertaining opening half.
Wexford had the aid of the breeze and appeared to be building a lead when Muireann Fitzpatrick and Higgins put them 0-2 to 0-1 to the good.
However, Kennedy hauled in a long ball, broke away and rattled the net past Lizzie Dempsey in the eighth minute.
Back came Wexford, and a throw-ball offence saw Higgins tap over her second point before Redmond was poleaxed when racing towards goal.
Sarah Doyle might not have as much power in her strike as Una Leacy had over the last two decades, but she’s not too far away. Her penalty was near unstoppable, a bullet that flew past Cliona Murphy to give Wexford a 1-3 to 1-1 lead.
A nice Higgins point increased that lead to three but back came Kilkenny as the second quarter began, with scores from Kennedy, Lauren Ronan and Rachel Dowling leaving the hosts just one behind.
However, Wexford produced a real burst of scoring to end the period.
Higgins pointed a ‘45 after Murphy pucked-out from the wrong place, and the Rathnure player added two frees before Fitzhenry finished off the scoring for the half to make it 1-9 to 1-4.
Things would get a bit hairy in the third quarter as Kilkenny dug deep in sweltering conditions to fight back. However, they weren’t getting easy scores and were only able to add points from Dowling (three) and Emma Mulhall in the third quarter.
That closed the gap to one, but nine minutes passed before the game’s next score, and when it did arrive it proved to be decisive.
It was a long ball by Fitzhenry that fell to Doyle close to goal, and the Craanford-Monaseed performer made no mistake with the whipped finish (2-9 to 1-8).
Dead-balls in the 57th and 59th minutes for Dowling made it a twopoint game again, but Wexford got a settling score three minutes later when Higgins grabbed her eighth of the afternoon.
Kilkenny kept pushing but they were unable to find the goal they needed as the Slaneysiders moved into the decider.
Wexford: Lizzie Dempsey (Cloughbawn); Clodagh Jackman (Glynn-Barntown), Marie Claire Morrissey (St. Martin’s), Kellyanne Dempsey (Oylegate-Glenbrien); Lorna Fortune (Kilrush), Amy Cahill (Rathnure), Grace Roche (Glynn-Barntown); Clodagh Fitzhenry (Duffry Rovers, 0-1), Muireann Fitzpatrick (Castletown-Liam Mellows, 0-1); Lisa Firman (St. Martin’s), Nora Higgins (Rathnure, capt., 0-8, 5 frees, 1 ’45), Caoimhe Byrne (Rathnure); Emma Codd (St. Martin’s), Sarah Doyle (Craanford-Monaseed, 2-0, 1 pen.), Orla Redmond (Oylegate-Glenbrien). Subs. - Ciara Butler (Glynn-Barntown) for Redmond (46), Leah Furlong (Cloughbawn) for Roche (46), Sadhbh Buttle (Kilrush) for Codd (54), Aoife McCrea (Rapparees) for Firman (56).
Kilkenny: Cliona Murphy; Niamh Leahy, Rachel Brennan, Jane Cass; Mairéad Kennedy, Mairéad Corcoran, Hannah Scott; Aoife Cantwell, Kate McCluskey; Lauren Ronan (0-2), Carlise Comerford, Eimear Leahy; Rachel Dowling (0-6, 3 frees, 1 ’45), Caroline Kennedy (1-1), Emma Mulhall (0-1). Subs. - Rose Kelly for Leahy (31), Shauna Treacy for Corcoran (31), Laura Phelan for Cantwell (46), Ellen Gunner for Comerford (46), Cria Langton (capt.) for Mulhall (58).
Referee: Max Molloy (Wicklow).