*Louise Cleary of Fergus Rovers. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
FERGUS ROVERS took down the might of the Banner to set up a novel county showdown with Kilmurry Ibrickane.
Fergus Rovers 0-13
Banner Ladies 1-8
Venue: Captain Tubridy Park, Kilrush
Louise Cleary produced a player of the match display to send Fergus Rovers back to a first Clare LGFA senior decider in twenty six years.
For the second game in a row, Fergus Rovers went in as underdogs and claimed a major scalp. After dethroning Kilmihil in the quarter-finals, they defied the odds once more to send Banner Ladies packing.
It’s now three years since Banner Ladies lifted the senior title following their 2023 success, their fourteenth championship in sixteen seasons. Over the intervening three years, they have exited twice in the semi-finals while losing last year’s decider to Kilmihil.
With the wind at their backs, Fergus Rovers led 0-6 0-4 by the half time whistle, considering the conditions they would have preferred to have been further in front while Banner Ladies felt this was a deficit they could more than manage.
Caoimhe Cahill returned for her first appearance of the year for Banner but they were without Clare camogie joint captain Clare Hehir who was forced off injured for Inagh/Kilnamona in their semi-final loss to Truagh/Clonlara.
Cahill opened the scoring before Louise Cleary’s first score of the afternoon, a point on five minutes allowed Fergus Rovers to find their rhythm. They capitalised on poor tackling from the Banner with Cleary punishing at every opportunity when given a placed ball.
Fergus Rovers went five points in front but Banner hit three points without reply before half time to narrow the gap back to two.
On the resumption, another Cleary free made it a three point game but it became a one score tie when Grainne Nolan landed two frees in succession. By the turn of the third quarter, Cleary pushed it out to a three point game once again.
Within three minutes, Banner bounced in for 1-2 in succession, Niamh O’Dea firing to the net off her left boot with Louise Woods and Nolan chipping over points to give the Ennis based club the lead for the first time.
There was another punch in Fergus Rovers who responded with two Cleary frees to level matters and with two minutes to go Aisling Costelloe regained the lead for Barry Keating’s side.
A chance for an equaliser fell to Niamh O’Dea after she was fouled, an attempted two pointer free dropped short to the devastation of the Banner and the delight of Fergus Rovers.
Scorers Fergus Rovers: Scorers: Louise Cleary 0-11 (9f), Aisling Costelloe 0-2
Scorers Banner Ladies: Grainne Nolan 0-5 (3f), Niamh O’Dea 1-1, Louise Woods (0-1), Caoimhe Cahill (0-1)
Fergus Rovers: Aoife Griffin, Eimear Burke, Ciara O’Malley, Zoey Warren, Neasa Meaney, Hazel Keating, Sophie Culleton, Shauna Melican, Aine Slattery, Maeve Clancy, Hannah Mai Neylon, Ellen Griffin, Aoibhin Keane, Aisling Costelloe, Louise Cleary
Subs: Abbi Doyle for H Mai Neylon (34), Ali Talty for E Griffin (48), Chloe Donnelly for A Talty (57), Ria Meaney for A Costelloe (60)
Banner: Kate Dowling, Tara Moroney, Sinéad O’Keeffe, Eva O’Dea, Laoise Ryan, Caoimhe Cahill, Holly Wynne, Louise Henchy, Aoife Keane, Emer Burke, Niamh O’Dea, Gráinne Nolan, Laurie Ryan, Niamh Keane, Aoibhín Ryan
Subs: Georgia Whyte for K Dowling (HT), Louise Woods for T Moroney (34), Naomi Carroll for E O’Dea (34)
Referee: Paul Howard (Ruan)
