Allianz Cumann na mBunscol Roinn ‘A’ Camogie Final
Third time lucky for Piercestown girls
Piercestown 5-5 Craanford 2-1
Craanford almost completed a three-in-a-row in Bellefield on Tuesday last only to be denied by the goal-scoring force of the girls from Piercestown. On the back of a Roinn ‘C’ title in 2010 and a Roinn ‘B’ title in 2011, Craanford had strong claims towards this years Roinn ‘A’ title and up until half time they looked to be on their way.
Piercestown started very well, threatening the Craanford goal early and calling Craanford goalkeeper Rebecca Doran into making a good save from Siobhán Alouf. Piercestown got the first score of the match in the fifth minute when Lettie Whelan saw her effort go in off the point for a well-taken point. Clodagh Walsh then hand-passed to Lettie Whelan who clipped over for her second. Craanford got their own account up and running when Katie Smyth collected a long Rebecca Doran puck-out and converted it into a well struck point from out the field.
It took some time for more scores to follow as both teams battled it out and defences rose to the fore. It was Piercestown who eventually made the breakthrough when Ciara O’Connor hit a dangerous ball across the goal for Clodagh Walsh to finish into the back of the net. Lettie Whelan was unlucky not to grab a second Piercestown goal immediately after when she rattled the side netting. Moments later she got a consolation score when she slotted over a 45 to bring the scores to 1-3 to 0-1.
It was Craanford who finished the half the stronger from here on in and got their offensive game going largely due to the efforts of Emer Kavanagh who hit some great ball up the field and Katie Smyth who was doing some great work in midfield. They got their just rewards when Emma Poole took on the entire Piercestown defence and somehow got her shot off to blast the sliotar into the top corner of the net. Craanford tried in vain to build on this momentum as the half drew to a close but were denied time and time again by a valiant Piercestown defence.
Piercestown came out in the second half and stunned Craanford with an early goal, Lettie Whelan passing to Siobhán Alouf who handpassed to the net while under pressure. Piercestown continually used the slight breeze and the excellent puck-outs of Megan Carty to keep the pressure on Craanford early in the half. Craanford began to respond through Katie Smyth who repeated made some great solo runs up the field and were unfortunate not to get a second goal when Amy Kelly was foiled by a smart Megan Carty save. It was Piercestown who were creating all the scoring chances at this stage and as the half progressed the scores began to flow. Ciara O Connor scored a well taken point and then Ella O’Connor made a tremendous overhead catch from a Craanford clearance and scored a goal with a dangerous high ball that went all the way. Ciara O’Connor caught another high ball to score her second point of the half and then Amy O’Leary nearly got a goal of her own only to be denied by an excellent Rebecca Doran save.
In the 17th minute of the half, Katie Smyth carried yet another ball the length of the field and passed to Emma Poole for her second goal and momentarily it looked like Craanford could get back into it. It wasn’t to be their day however as Piercestown had that little bit extra up front and they put the icing on the cake with a fifth goal when Ella O’Connor scored a fantastic goal from an acute angle and Elaine O Sullivan Connell tapped over a free with the last stroke of the game.
The final whistle was greeted with wild celebrations from the Piercestown girls who understandably were delighted at finally landing the title. Rackard League Co. Chairman Jim Dempsey presented the cup to winning captain Emma Codd and praised the great and growing traditions of both schools in the competition. For Craanford, this final represented the beginning of a great camogie dynasty for the future. For Piercestown it was the end of heartbreak after coming close in the two previous finals.
Allianz Cumann na mBunscol Roinn ‘C’ Camogie Final
St. Aidan’s girls top of the class
St. Aidan’s Enniscorthy 4-7 Horeswood 0-0
Every now and then, a team comes along and produces a perfect performance in a final where everything seems to go right from start to finish. This is exactly what happened in this Allianz Cumann na mBunscol Roinn ‘C’ Camogie Final in Taghmon last Monday when St. Aidan’s simply had too much strength and depth for Horeswood.
St. Aidan’s piled on the pressure from the throw in, scoring a quick first minute point through Aideen Byrne. She then got another point on the board, following a smart save from Horeswood goalkeeper Faye Prendergast. St. Aidan’s relentlessly attacked the Horeswood goal throughout this opening period and all the Horeswood girls could do was battle bravely to keep the damage to a minimum, which they did quite well through hard working defenders Kate Chapman and Megan Rossiter. Trying to pin St. Aidan’s back into their own half was proving impossible though, largely due to talented Chloe Davis and Leanne Cullen who seemed to be everywhere anytime Horeswood made a defensive clearance. As the first half drew to a close, this tireless work ethic began to yield some dividends.
In the 17th minute Aideen Byrne blasted over her third point and then four minutes later Horewood goalkeeper Faye Prendergast denied her a goal with an excellent save only for St. Aidan’s midfielder Becky Walsh to sweep in the rebound with a smooth ground stroke. This growing lead was extended almost immediately by a Leanne Coffey point bringing the half time score to 1-4 to 0-0.
Horeswood came out in the second half with renewed vigour and were desperately unlucky not to score a quick goal when Hayley Crosbie saw her effort go just wide of the post. Horeswood kept up this pressure for the ensuing minutes and for a while it looked like they were working themselves back into the game. Unfortunately, St. Aidan’s were in no mood to lower their intensity and as the half continued, they gradually began to pick off scores again with a Becky Walsh point and a Aideen Byrne free.
In the 17th minute of the half, they really began to cut loose. Sinead Morrissey rattled the net with a great goal after some very skilful build up play and this trick was repeated four minutes later when she scored another fantastic goal to cap off a fine string of passes from up the field. Horeswood rallied briefly and Gráínne Ryan was unlucky not to register a score from two fine attempts but it summed up the contrasting fortunes of the two teams when Becky Walsh delivered another ball into the Horeswood square for Sinéad Morrissey to score her third goal from as many attempts. Aideen Byrne then capped a fine performance of her own when she pointed a 45 in the dying seconds of the game to bring her tally to 0-4.
The final whistle resulted in jubilant celebrations by the Enniscorthy girls who fully deserved this fine victory. The cup was presented on behalf of the Rackard League by Áine Kennedy to winning captain and star performer of the day Chloe Davis and she made special effort on behalf of the St. Aidan’s girls to emphasise the ‘privilege’ it was to have current Wexford camogie star Evelyn Quigley as their mentor.
Allianz Cumann na mBunscol Roinn ‘B’ Hurling Final
Rathangan 4-9
Oylegate 1-6
Based on the Roinn ‘A’ and Roinn ‘B’ finals of this years Allianz Cumann na mBunscol competitions, Wexford hurling has some serious talent coming up through the primary schools. Earlier in the month, St. Senans and Gorey CBS slugged it out in an thrilling Roinn ‘A’ final and this match was no less entertaining,with end to end action throughout. The skill levels, particularly the high fielding of both teams in this game, was a joy to watch but ultimately it was Rathangan who were the better at creating scoring chances when it mattered most.
Rathangan threatened the Oylegate goal from the off and would have gotten an early goal through Adam Moore, were it not for Oylegate full back Ryhan Fitzpatrick who made a brave block. Rathangan were not to be denied long though as they immediately gathered themselves and attacked again, this time centre forward Brian Kavanagh buring the ball into the back of the net after a long solo. Adam Moore put over a point to give Rathangan a four point lead and then Dylan O’Brien and Philip Rawson got in on the act to extend this lead further.
In the 9th minute, Oylegate got off the mark when centre back Mike Kelly hit a fantastic free from his own 45, that comfortably went all the way over the Rathangan bar. Rathangan however remained very dangerous on the break as the half continued and got another score through Brian Kavanagh. Oylegate nearly got their first goal through Niall Parker at the other end ,only to be denied by a good Dylan Kavanagh save. Mike Kelly converted the resultant 45 to bring the scores to 1-4 to 0-2. Oylegate grew stronger and stronger coming up to half time and got another score when Ryan Burke blasted over a point. Jack Reck then scored an excellent goal after a long Mike Kelly free into the danger zone. It was now Oylegate who were taking their chances and when Mike Kelly hit over close range free and a 45 just before half time the game was tied at 1-5 each.
Rathangan must have used half time wisely to compose themselves because when they came out for the second half, they were in devastating form. Andy Kennedy was quick to get the first score of the half when he lobbed over a point and Philip Rawson hit over a free to open up a two point lead.
The killer blows came in quick succession when Rathangan stunned Oylegate with three excellent goals in six minutes. The first came in the 6th minute of the half when Brian Kavanagh hit a long delivery into Adam Moore who collected the sliotar for a close range finish. Two minutes later, Adam Moore was again on the score sheet when he gathered another ball into the edge of the square and turned his man to burst the net with a clinical finish. The damage was then fully done when Barry Roche got the third and probably the best goal. He chased a lost cause and brilliantly hassled and blocked the Oylegate keeper Peter Casey, then swept the loose ball into the net.
From this moment on, all Oylegate could do was chase the game and to be fair they did this valiantly. Unfortunately this resulted in little change on the scoreboard, as they were rebuffed constantly by a strong Rathangan defence, lead well by Andrew Walsh and the impressive Kyle Kennedy. Mike Kelly scored a point to bring his tally for the day to 0-5 and Gary Conroy was very unlucky not to get an Oylegate goal when he saw his shot saved by Dylan Kavanagh. But it was Rathangan’s Philip Rawson who had the final say when he slotted over two frees to bring the match to a close.
Colm O’Tiarnaigh presented the cup on behalf of the Rackard League to winning captain Adam Moore. He expressed confidence in the future of Wexford hurling based on the talent on display and as principal of St. Aidan’s N.S. Ferns, he praised Oylegate for their never-say-die attitude that say them claw back several results to make the final. For Rathangan this victory had an extra significance after losing the same final in Wexford Park last year.
~ Seán Óg Whelan
Rathangan: Dylan Kavanagh, Mark Sinnott, Andrew Walsh, Darragh Furlong, Seán Staples, Kyle Kennedy, Barry Stone, Dylan O’Brien, Philip Rawson, Andy Kennedy, Brian Kavanagh, Barry Roche, Michael Carroll, Adam Moore, Conor J Ryan, Peter Cleary, Darragh Kent, Shane Kirwan, Conor M Ryan, Jamie Somers
Oylegate: Peter Casey, Tomas Cosgrave, Ryhan Fitzpatrick, Kevin Cosgrave, Mikey Nolan, Mike Kelly, Danny Ryan, Jack Reck, Conor Nolan, James Moulton, Ryan Burke, Joe Dunne, Gary Conroy, Niall Parker, Peter Rowley, Joe Collins, David Mulligan, Joseph Whelan, Joe Atkinson, Mikey Kelly, John Nolan, Cian McCormack
St. Aidan’s: Taylor Kinnard, Megan Dobbs, Chloe Davis, Sarah Doyle, Leah Furlong, Anais Curran, Becky Walsh, Leanne Cullen, Aideen Byrne, Lauryn Whiteley, Sinead Morrissey, Leanne Coffey, Makayla O’Connor, Chloe Wilson, Clodagh Ryan, Holly Whitney, Roisin Kinsella, Laura Kelly, Melissa Connolly, Casey Grant, Caoimhe Kehoe, Cliona Dixon, Lily Mahaon, Chloe Hall Molloy
Horeswood: Faye Prendergast, Jennifer Cummins, Kate Chapman, Mairead Kehoe, Megan Rossiter, Kate Doyle, Chloe Power, Grainne Ryan, Chloe Banville, Marian Cairns, Alaoise O’Keefe, Hayley Crosbie, Sarah Whitty, Chloe Kavanagh, Cliodhna Rowe, Sarah Ronan, Aoife Foley
Allianz Cumann na mBunscol Roinn ‘C’ Hurling Final
Horeswood have too much firepower for Bree
Horeswood 3-8 Bree 2-2
Horeswood walked away with one of the two prizes on offer to them in Taghmon on Monday last, when they defeated Bree in the Allianz Cumann na mBunscol Roinn ‘C’ Hurling Final.
The game began at a good pace with plenty of skill and movement on display. However, it did take quite some time for either side to find the target as they both adjusted to the blustery conditions and fast nature of the game. In the 13th minute skilful Horeswood forward Adam Knight clipped over the first score of the day and from there on in neither team looked back. Playing with the hill in the first half, the movement of the Horeswood forwards coupled with their direct style of play began to cause Bree a lot of problems. The tireless work ethic in their forwards was rewarded superbly when Adam Knight and Cyril Prendergast combined to hassle Bree goalkeeper into conceding a free that was converted by Eamonn O’Sullivan. Horeswood attacker Sean Nolan then got in on the act and slotted over a fine point from an acute angle to extend the lead. Horeswood continued to push on in the closing minutes of the half when Adam Knight scored his second point and then Sean Nolan also scored his second with a composed long range effort that floated straight over the black spot. Just before the halftime whistle, Horeswood dented Bree hopes further when Adam Knight kicked in a well taken goal to bring the lead to 1-5 to 0-0. This scoreline was not a fair reflection of the game as Bree had wasted several good chances throughout the first half.
Horeswood began the second half as they finished the first, scoring another point through an Eamonn O’Sullivan free. Bree began to click into gear and were finally rewarded for their efforts when they got the goal they deserved through Nick Doyle. Shane Fenlon nearly grabbed another when he rattled the Horeswood crossbar with a bullet of a free four minutes later.
This was all the incentive that Horeswood needed to up their game and in the 13th minute of the half, Sean Nolan rattled the net with fine effort to put Horeswood back on track. Anthony Butler replied with a point for Bree to keep them in the game but Horeswood were rampant all over the field by this stage. Bree goalkeeper Martin Levingstone made a great save only to see Adam Knight beat him to the rebound then moments later Sean Nolan clipped over a point to extend the lead further.
Peter Kelly gave Bree a glimmer of hope when he goaled following a fine Mat Browne cross but the Horewood defence stood tall to keep the gate closed until the final minutes. Dean Doyle got a point of his own and fittingly, Sean Nolan got the final score of the game when he casually tapped over an excellent effort from out the field to cap a fine day at the office for him.
Rackard League Co. Chairman Jim Dempsey presented the cup to joint captains Dylan Whitty and Danny Byrne and congratulated Horeswood on their first title since 1998 and on also sealing a historic double after winning the Rackard League football competition earlier in the season.
~ Seán Óg Whelan
Horeswood: Patrick Cummins, Martin Kinsella, Sean Hunt, Dylan Whitty, Eamonn O’Sullivan, Daragh Kent, Andrew Breen, Danny Byrne, Jack Kehoe, Sean Nolan, Evan Lyng, Adam Knight, Cyril Prendergast, Emmet Kehoe, Dean Roberts, Colm Dawkins, Joe O’Sullivan, Erick Dickenson, Ben Somers, Kevin Roche, Danny Nolan, David Murphy (inj.)
Bree: Martin Levingstone, Colm Parnell, Cian Wickham, Darragh Walsh, Shane Fenlon, Killian Power, Mark Morris, Dean Doyle, Anthony Butler, Nick Doyle, Enda Minogue, Cian Rochford, Peter Kelly, Mat Browne, Ian Donohoe, John Kehoe, Paul Sinnott, Shane Roche, Jason Roche, Adam Ryan, Lee Whelan, David Kelly, Edward Byrne, Keelan Hogan
Piercestown: Megan Carty, Niamh Dunne, Emma Codd, Rebecca Hamilton, Allanah Davis, Mary Barrett, Ciara O’Connor, Ella O’Connor, Lettie Whelan, Clodagh Walsh, Siobhán Alouf, Amy O’Leary, Elaine O’Sullivan Connell, Aisling Alouf, Anna Hennessy, Anna Mai Stafford, Rachel Reil, Philippa Breslin, Ciera Whelan
Craanford: Rebecca Doran, Leanne Fuller, Sinéad Mulpeter, Emma Dunbar, Katherine Conroy, Emer Kavanagh, Emma Poole, Katie Smyth, Clodagh Kenny, Orla Montague, Amy Kelly, Grace O’Sullivan, Aoife Ronan, Rita Doyle, Amy Hyland, Sarah Cullinan, Mary McCarthy, Heliena Taafe, Naoise Hughes, Siofra Doyle, Alice Conroy
