Camogie Club Championship coverage proudly sponsored by Clare Credit Unions
*Caoimhe Lally of Newmarket-on-Fergus tackles Clarecastle/Ballyea’s Molly Potter. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
REIGNING champions Inagh/Kilnamona began their Clare Credit Unions Senior Camogie championship with a victory, as did Truagh/Clonlara, Scariff/Ogonnelloe and Newmarket-on-Fergus.
Inagh/Kilnamoan comfortably accounted for newly promoted Clooney/Quin while two of their closest contenders, Truagh/Clonlara and Scariff/Ogonneloe also produced impressive opening day displays overcoming Feakle/Killanena and Tulla respectively.
Newmarket-on-Fergus withstood a cagey opening quarter with Clarecastle/Ballyea before going on to record a nine point win.
Inagh/Kilnamona make early statement of intent against Clooney/Quin
Inagh/Kilnamona 1-26
Clooney/Quin 1-02
Venue: Kilmaley
Just like they began their championship winning run last season, Inagh/Kilnamona started with a comprehensive victory to get their campaign up and running.
Clooney/Quin struck for the first green flag of the game inside the opening quarter through Emma Deegan, before Andrea O’Keeffe responded with a major of her own ten minutes later. As the sides headed for the dressing room the reigning county champions held a 1-13 to 1-2 lead.
Clooney/Quin, who earned promotion back to the top tier last year, played with the aid of the breeze in the opening half but failed to score against it after the interval with Inagh/Kilnamona showcasing a clinic of long-range shooting notching a further thirteen second-half points.
Centre-forward Andrea O’Keeffe was the star of the show for the winners, finishing with a personal tally of 1-6, all of that from play. The margin would have been greater, had former Clare captain Deirdre Murphy not pulled off some saves over the hour.
Scorers Inagh/Kilnamona: A O’Keeffe (1-6) A Ryan (0-7, 4f), A Keane (0-4), C Hehir (0-3, 1f), S Power (0-3), L Rynne (0-2), K Dowling (0-1)
Scorers Clooney/Quin: E Deegan (1-0), C Grogan (0-2, 2f)
Inagh/Kilnamona: Cara McInerney; Cathy Cullinan, Shauna Queally, Clíodhna Queally; Jane Fitzgerald, Laoise Ryan, Clare Hehir; Sinéad Power, Hannah Shannon; Laura Rynne, Andrea O’Keeffe, Aoife Keane; Kate Dowling, Aoibhín Ryan, Ellisha Rynne.
Subs: Mary McInerney for C Queally
Clooney/Quin: Deirdre Murphy; Moya Dunne, Bebhinn Gallagher, Claire Murphy; Sinead McGee, Ciara Grogan, Clodagh Quinn; Emily Costello, Emer Moynihan; Sarah Costello, Aoibheann Duggan, Emma Quinn; Sheena Beirne, Ciara Halpin, Emma Deegan
Subs: Nicole O’Riordan for B Gallagher, Caoimhe McDonnell for S Costello
Referee: Pat Healy (Kilmaley)
Newmarket-on-Fergus account for Clarecastle/Ballyea
Newmarket-on-Fergus 1-14
Clarecastle/Ballyea 0-8
Venue: Fr McNamara Park, Doora
An Aoibhe O’Leary goal on nineteen minutes was a big moment as Newmarket-on-Fergus as they kicked off their senior championship campaign with a merited nine point victory over Clarecastle/Ballyea.
Magpies may have spoken in the lead-up to the tie about the Blue and Gold of Newmarket-on-Fergus always sending a shiver down Clarecastle’s spine but if truth be told, the historic rivalry that has existed on the hurling field has rarely extended to the camogie sphere, simply because Newmarket-on-Fergus have tended to be operating at a higher level to their neighbours.
Matters were evenly matched in the first quarter and the sides were tied on three occasions before O’Leary’s goal put a bit of daylight between them.
Evie Scanlan with a brace of frees had Clarecastle/Ballyea two points clear by the third minute before Emma Crowe opened Newmarket-on-Fergus’ account. Scanlan replied with another free but it was matched by an Ellen Casey effort and Crowe’s second to level matters for the first time.
Points from O’Leary and Annmarie Hayes nudged Newmarket in front for the first time on seventeen minutes, a brief lead with Scanlan replying from another placed ball.
Then O’Leary stepped up with the major and the Blues kicked on with three Ellen Casey frees in a row to hold a 1-8 0-6 lead by the sounding of the half time whistle.
On the restart, Newmarket-on-Fergus remained in control, Clarecastle/Ballyea’s confidence took a dip when Scanlan missed their first free of the half.
Geraldine O’Grady’s side kept the scoreboard ticking and outscored Clarecastle/Ballyea 0-6 0-2 in the second half to help to alleviate relegation worries but also give their hopes of progressing to the semi-finals a lift.
Newmarket-on-Fergus had good displays from goalkeeper Emma Jones, Laura-Mae Hannon and Caoimhe Lally in defence, Emma Crowe and Ellen Casey were lively around midfield with Laura McMahon, Aoibhe O’Leary and Kaci Toomey to the fore up front.
Solid performances were delivered for Clarecastle/Ballyea from Lucy McMahon, Aoife Murphy, Molly Potter, Emma O’Donoghue, Evie Scalan and Emma O’Loughlin.
Scorers Newmarket-on-Fergus: E Casey (0-6 6f), A O’Leary (1-1), E Crowe (0-3), K Toomey (0-2), A Hayes (0-1), L McMahon (0-1),
Scorers Clarecastle/Ballyea: E Scanlan (0-7 7f), A Corbett (0-1).
Newmarket-on-Fergus: Emma Jones; Mary Enright, Jessie Hogan, Laure-Mae Hannon; Carol O’Leary, Caoimhe Lally, Kate Kennedy; Emma Crowe, Caoimhe Hegarty; Aoibhe O’Leary, Laura McMahon, Kate Clancy; Annmarie Hayes, Ellen Casey, Kaci Toomey.
Subs: Aoife Griffin for Enright (HT), Sophie McNamara for Kennedy (HT)
Clarecastle/Ballyea: Doireann Murphy; Fiona Breen, Lily McMahon, Farah Ammara; Aoife Murphy, Leah Kelly, Roisin Coughlan; Molly Potter, Ivanna Costelloe; Evie Scanlan, Ria Flanagan, Zoe Ellingstad; Emma O’Loughlin, Emma O’Donoghue, Aoibhinn Corbett.
Gallery of photographs by Gerard O’Neill.
Scariff/Ogonelloe see off Tulla
Scariff/Ogonelloe 0-22
Tulla 1-04
Venue: Clareabbey
Scariff/Ogonnelloe got their campaign off to winning ways with a fifteen-point win.
A win for the three-time champions was always expected but Tulla were depleted for their first East Clare derby of this year’s run. Due to both injuries and players being away on holiday, they handed four players under the age of eighteen their starting championship debuts.
The winners were in the ascendency from the offset playing with the aid of the breeze in the opening thirty minutes and holding a 0-14 to 0-1 lead at the break after a dominant first-half display.
Tulla tried to nurture a fight-back after the interval, with their midfielder Sinéad Conlon hitting the net shortly after the teams had reemerged, however the girls in sky-blue were able to keep the scoreboard ticking to secure the two points, mainly through Aoife Power.
Scorers Scariff/Ogonneloe:
Scorers Tulla: S Conlon (1-1), B Dinan (0-3, 3f)
Scariff/Ogonelloe: Rachael Daly; Robyn McKenna, Holly McGee, Bonnie Wiley Murphy; Áine Rodgers, Susan Daly, Abby Walsh; Lynda Daly, Danielle Beston; Jennifer Daly, Aoife Power, Lorraine Daly; Mairéad Scanlon, Alva Rodgers, Caoimhe McNulty.
Subs: Eimear Murnane for M Scanlon, Laoise O’Donnell for D Beston, Rachel Minogue for Áine Rodgers, Joanna Grady for C McNulty
Tulla: Amy McNamara; Eabha McNamara, Gillian Ryan, Amy Byrne; Naomi Hogan, Jennifer Nicholas, Sorcha Corry; Lisa Nicholas, Sinéad Conlon; Orna Mulconry, Brídín Dinan, Orla O’Brien; Leah McGrath, Niamh O’Brien, Bríd Óg Hayes
Subs: Hannah Tuohy for B Óg Hayes
Referee: Fintan McNamara (Killanena)
Truagh/Clonlara fire four goals past Feakle/Killanena
Truagh/Clonlara 4-07
Feakle/Killanena 1-11
Venue: Hamilton Park, Kilkishen
It was a goal fest in Kilkishen with the first green flag coming after just four minutes from Feakle/Killanena after a superb team move which included Róisín McMahon and Zi Yan Spillane before Eileen Daly duly dispatched to the net.
Eimear Kelly responded with Truagh/Clonlara’s first of four goals in the fifteenth minute along with grabbing a point on either side of her major. Zi Yan Spillane slotted over a brace of placed balls before Shauna Canny pointed on the brink of half-time which gave Feakle/Killanena a 1-6 to 1-3 lead at the break.
Niamh Ryan levelled proceedings twelve minutes into the second half after grabbing the 2024 All-Ireland finalists second goal which was followed by a pair of Áine O’Loughlin scores to put Truagh/Clonlara in the lead for the first time.
With six minutes to go, Hannah Horgan all but sealed the deal for the victors after her effort on goal flew past a sea of bodies to find the net and provide them with a five-point advantage.
Zi Yan Spillane and Shauna Canny again responded for Feakle/Killanena reducing the gap back to two points before Áine O’Loughlin grabbed a fourth and final Truagh-Clonlara goal to put the game out of sight.
Defender Claire McNamara produced a fine display for Feakle/Killanena where she limited Roisin Begley to just a point from play.
Scorers Truagh-Clonlara: Á O’Loughlin (1-2), E Kelly (1-2), H Horgan (1-0), N Ryan (1-0), R Begley (0-2, 1f), J Egan (0-1)
Scorers Feakle-Killanena: Z Yan Spillane (0-7, 6f), E Daly (1-0), S Canny (0-2), B Brady (0-1), R Conway (0-1)
Truagh-Clonlara: Sophie Cullen; Taylor Morris, Michelle Powell, Sinéad Hogg; Niamh Powell, Michelle Caulfield, Ellen Horgan; Laura Foley, Aoibhin Marren; Hannah Horgan, Áine O’Loughlin, Joanne Egan; Eimear Kelly, Róisín Begley, Niamh Ryan
Subs: Leah Hawes for A Marren, Eimear Begley for N Ryan
Feakle-Killanena: Róisín Quilligan; Áine Daly, Meave Brady, Rachel McNamara; Aoibheann Daly, Claire McNamara, Ella McNamara; Róisín McMahon, Sinéad Canny; Bronagh Brady, Robyn Conway, Shauna Canny; Zi Yan Spillane, Eileen Daly, Sophie Conway
Referee: Brendan Hannon (O’Calllaghan’s Mills)
