All-Ireland hopes wither in Wexford Park heat

Wexford  1-16
Clare   1-8

Clare’s dream of a place in the knock-out stages of the All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship died in the heat at Wexford Park on Saturday when they lost out to the reigning champions.

 

This was a winner-take-all fixture with both sides needing victory to prolong their championship season. In the end, the experience of the home side proved decisive as they took control to seal their place in the quarter-finals.

The crucial period in this game came at the beginning of the final quarter and the key player was Kate Kelly, who finished with a tally of 1-7 and won the player of the game award. There was never more than two points between the teams until half-way through the second half.

The first half was a very tight affair, with scores at a premium. Ursula Jacob got the first score with a point from play in the fourth minute and she added another from a free two minutes later.
Clare McMahon opened Clare’s account with a free when Lisa Loughnane was brought down as she ran at the Wexford defence. McMahon added another three minutes later to level matters for the first time.

In the 13th minute Clare net minder Denise Lynch pulled off a good save when Wexford looked to be in for a goal. From her clearance, Clare went down the field and Susan Vaughan sent over a point. Josie Dwyer again put the home team in front only for Vaughan to level matters once more, when she collected a lovely pass from Niamh O’Dea and sent it between the sticks. Bríd Gordon and Stacey Kehoe added points before the break to leave Wexford ahead by two at the interval, 0-6 to 0-4.

Clare brought on Sinead Tuohy for Cushla Hehir at the break and the second half continued in the same vein with the sides exchanging points but neither was quite able to make a telling break. In this period Clare got the margin down to one point on three occasions but each time Wexford managed to hit back. They went three clear by the 46th minute.

The Clare girls didn’t panic and continued to apply pressure on the Wexford defence. They nearly got their reward when for a split second a goal chance was on but credit has to be given to the Wexford rearguard for the way they smothered the attack and cleared the sliothar downfield. Kate Kelly sent it over the bar to put four between the teams for the first time.

Credit to Clare they never gave up but Wexford seemed to find an extra gear in the final ten minutes and when the ball slipped into the top corner of the Clare net in the 42nd minute from a long free by Kate Kelly, the game was effectively over.
Clare kept trying and were rewarded when Chloe Morey planted the ball in the Wexford net in the second minute of injury time.

Kate Kelly deservedly got player of the game. She was a thorn in Clare’s side all afternoon and ended up with 1-7 to her credit.

Clare management and players will be very disappointed not to have progressed further in the championship but they should take consolation from some great performances over the series.

Clare: Denise Lynch (Kilmaley); Laura McMahon (Newmarket-on-Fergus), Marion O’Brien (Scariff/Ogonelloe), Carol O’Leary (Newmarket-on-Fergus); Maire McGrath (Sixmilebridge), Chloe Morey (Sixmilebridge, 1-0), Niamh O’Dea (Kilmaley; Eimear Considine (Kilmaley), Naoimi Carroll (Sixmilebridge, 0-1); Deirdre Murphy (Clooney/Quin), Susan Vaughan (Scariff-Ogonelloe, 0-2), Lisa Loughnane (Kilkishen, 0-1); Cushla Hehir (Kilkishen), Róisín McMahon (Newmarket-on-Fergus), Claire McMahon (Kilmaley, 0-4).
Subs: Sinead Tuohy (Sixmilebridge) for Cushla Hehir; Vera Loughnane (Feakle), for Claire McMahon (inj); Sinead O’Loughlin (Inagh-Kilnamona) for Laura McMahon, Jenny Kelly (Newmarket-on-Fergus) for Deirdre Murphy; Kate O’Gorman (Kilkishen) for Susan Vaughan.

Wexford: Mags Darcy; Ciara Donohoe, Noeleen Lambert, Karen Atkinson; Shauna Sinnott, Mary Leacy, Bridget Curran; Kate Kelly (1-7), Shelly Kehoe (0-2); Josie Dwyer (0-1), Bríd Gordon (0-1), Stacey Kehoe (0-1); Eimear O’Connor (0-1), Fiona Kavanagh, Ursula Jacobs (0-3, 2f).
Sub: Susie McGovern, for Stacey Kehoe.

Referee: Cathal Egan, Cork.