Seniors suffer third loss

THE Clare ladies’ senior footballers lost their third league game in four matches in Eadestown, Kildare, last Sunday. Kildare made an excellent start and led 1-3 to 0-0 after just 12 minutes. Tracy Noone’s goal was a lucky one but it greatly aided the home county.
Clare soon settled into the game and Kilmihil youngster Ailish Considine found the Kildare net after Áine Kelly had pointed. Coolmeen’s Eimear O’Connor then pointed to reduce the deficit to a single point before Noone and Niamh Keane exchanged scores.
Eimear O’Connor’s second point tied the teams before Kildare responded with three successive points. Just before half-time, Eimear Considine scored Clare’s final first-half score, leaving them 1-7 to 1-5 behind at the interval. 
Dual player Fiona Lafferty was introduced in the full-forward line after half-time, while Sineád Moloney moved to right-half forward, with Eimear Considine going to midfield and Marie Considine to wing-back.
A Tracey Noone free put the home side three points ahead but Eimear Considine soon equalised, after linking up with Áine Kelly. The sides were now deadlocked at Clare 2-5 Kildare 1-8.
The sides then traded the next four points. Sixteen minutes from full time, Ailish Considine pointed Clare a score up but Kildare soon took over and outscored Clare 2-3 to 0-2 in the closing quarter.
Áine Gately scored 1-1 while the home side also buried a third late goal.  
Lorraine Kelly played well at full-back for Clare, while Sineád Eustace was steady at number 6. Eimear O’Connor played well at midfield, as did Niamh Keane, Marie Considine and the Considine sisters from Kilmihil, in the Clare attack.  
Laurie Ryan and Sinéad Moloney, who are new to the panel, played full games while Sinéad Kelly, Emma O’Driscoll and Bernie Kelly were unavailable for selection. Colette Corry has recovered from a knee injury and Michelle Delaney is also back in training.
It was the second inter-county match in as many days for dual players Deirdre Murphy, Eimear Considine and Fiona Lafferty, all of whom lined out for Clare in their one-point defeat to Dublin in the National Camogie League on Saturday, while next weekend they again have a double fixture.
Clare: Grace Lynch (Coolmeen); Deirdre Murphy (Clooney-Quin); Lorraine Kelly (Fergus Rovers); Laurie Ryan (Banner Ladies); Niamh Greene (Coolmeen); Sinéad Eustace (Coolmeen); Clare Hester (Fergus Rovers); Marie Considine (Liscannor); Eimear O’Connor (Coolmeen 0-3); Niamh Keane (Banner Ladies 0-1, capt); Louise Henchy (Banner Ladies 0-1); Eimear Considine (Kilmihil 1-1); Áine Kelly (Fergus Rovers 0-1); Sinéad Moloney (Coolmeen); Ailish Considine (Kilmihil 1-3 (0-2f).
Subs: Fiona Lafferty (St Joseph’s Miltown) half-time for Clare Hester; Ciara Cleary for Áine Kelly (55min).
Kildare: Therese Martin (Confey); Donna Barry (Grange); Aishling Savage, (Leixlip); Aisling Lambe (Athgarvan); Aoife Herbert (Eadestown); Maria Moolick (Leixlip); Angela Lyons (Eadestown); Aisling Holton (Balyna); Joanna Timmons (Leixlip); Brianne Leahy (Grange); Tracy Noone (Ballinteer St John’s); Deirdre Gately (Confey); Lisa Higgins (Naas); Áine Gately (Confey); Miriam Murphy (Balyna).
Subs: Siobhán Hurley (Balyna) for J Timmons; Cliona Dowling (Eadestown) for L Higgins; Kiri Lowry (Clane) for A Lyons; Niamh Quinn (Confey) for S Hurley.
Referee: Paul Swift (Monaghan).

Other Division 2 round 4 results
Armagh 0-7 Meath 1-8
Donegal 6-19 Sligo 1-8
Down 0-7 Tipperary 3-6