*Eimear Kelly made an impact off the bench. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
CLARE’S senior camogie side have began their championship on a winning note emerging from Down with a victory under their belts.
Clare 1-19
Down 2-11
Venue: Páirc Fontenoy, Down
John Carmody’s lside eft it late but came away with the spoils producing a rousing finish to score 1-05 without reply to snatch victory from Down in the opening round of the Glen Duplex All-Ireland senior camogie championship.
Trailing by 2-11 0-14 with fifty eight minutes on the clock, it looked as if Clare were going to slump to defeat and with that face a battle to once again regaining their status in the top tier.
Led by the outstanding Niamh O’Dea, Clare made sure this was not the case and provided they can cause an upset against either Cork and Galway have given themselves a shot of making the knockout stages.
Eimear Kelly was another to play a pivotal role, the Truagh/Clonlara attacker scored a vital 0-02 in her twenty minutes on the field. In the last puck of the contest, her clubmate Áine O’Loughlin struck for Clare’s goal, the towering forward had threatened a green flag for the duration of the game and it duly arrived on the sixth minute of injury time.
Leading 0-10 0-07 at half-time, Clare appeared to be in prime position but the script certainly didn’t go according to the plan on the restart.
Down struck for their first goal when a monster puckout from Catherine McCourty was won by Niamh Mallon in the air and she unopposed managed to strike the sliotar past Doireann Murphy.
On a hot day, the bouncing ball on the hard ground fell Down’s way when Saoirse Sands shot from distance bounced and deceived Murphy who managed to get her hurley to the sliotar but was unable to prevent the umpires from reaching for the green flag again.
They could have had a third goal but Mallon’s penalty went over the crossbar much to the relief of Clare’s players and management.
To produce such a rousing comeback with 1-05 in succession will stand to Clare but they will have to work on the manner of their second half start which left them under pressure to deliver such a finish. Character shone through though and that was typified by Niamh O’Dea who as well as carrying the fight, struck the equalising point to set them on their way.
Scorers Clare: Lorna McNamara 0-11 (7f, 2 45s), Aine O’Loughlin 1-2, Orlaith Duggan, Eimear Kelly 0-2 each, Niamh O’Dea, Clare Hehir (f) 0-1 each
Scorers Down: Niamh Mallon 1-9 (4f, 1 pen), Saoirse Sands 1-0, Sarah Louise Grattan 0-2
Clare:
1: Doireann Murphy (Clarecastle)
2: Ciara Grogan (Clooney-Quin)
3: Susan Daly (Scariff-Ogonolloe)
4: Caoimhe Kelly (Kilkishen)
5: Chloe Morey (Sixmilebridge)
6: Clare Hehir (Inagh-Kilnamona)
7: Abby Walsh (Scariff-Ogonolloe)
8: Caoimhe Carmody (Kilmaley)
9: Lynda Daly (Scariff-Ogonolloe)
10: Zi Yan Spillane (Feakle-Killanena)
11: Niamh O’Dea (Kilmaley)
12: Orlaith Duggan (Clooney-Quin)
13: Muireann Scanlon (Sixmilebridge)
14: Aine O’Loughlin (Truagh-Clonlara)
15: Lorna McNamara (Feakle-Killanena)
Subs:
Eimear Kelly (Truagh-Clonlara) for Spillane (49),
Alannah Ryan (Kilkishen) for Morey (49),
Amy Keating (Inagh-Kilnamona) for Scanlon (56)
Down:
1: Catherine McCourty (Ballycran)
2: Alannah Savage (Ballygalget)
3: Dearbhla Magee (Liatroim Fontenoys)
4: Rhea Smyth (Ballycran)
5: Blanaid Savage (Ballygalet)
6: Beth Fitzpatrick (Clonduff)
7: Aimee Mallon (Portaferry)
8: Isabella O’Hare (Clonduff)
9: Claire McGilligan (Clonduff)
10: Lauren Clarke (An Riacht)
11: Deirbhile Savage (Ballygalget)
12: Saoirse Sands (Portaferry)
13: Dearbhla Coleman (Portaferry)
14: Sarah Louise Graffin (Clonduff)
15: Niamh Mallon (Portaferry)
Subs:
Ciara Fitzsimmons (Ballygalget) for C McGilligan (41),
Aimee McAleenan (Liatroim Fontenoys) for B Savage (57)
Referee: Gavin Donegan (Dublin)
