Clare U-16s hold Munster shield proudly high

Clare 2-7   Limerick 0-7

A STORMING second-half performance helped the Clare U-16 team to victory in the Munster Camogie Shield final on Friday evening against Limerick.

 

Both sides started slowly and it wasn’t until the 10th minute that the first score was registered, when Limerick’s Caoimhe Lyons pointed from play, with Kate Mulqueen adding a free for Limerick just a minute later.
Clare’s Emma O’Connell got her side on the scoreboard in the 14th minute. Regan Conway provided the pass for O’Connell to score Clare’s first goal two minutes later to put Clare ahead, 1-1 to 0-2.

Limerick responded with two more frees from Mulqueen and a point from play by Ellana Mulcahy. Louise Brown levelled matters for the home side in the 29th minute but it was Mulcahy who had the last score of the half with another point from play to leave daylight between the sides as the half-time whistle blew.

Clare were on the attack from the restart and Conway levelled matters from a free, three minutes into the half. Limerick were denied by Lauren Solan in the Clare goals just four minutes later. Mulqueen, having got past the Clare backs, had just Solan to beat but her point-blank shot was blocked and put out for a 45’ by Solan. Mulqueen duly converted the 45’, which was Limerick’s only score of the second half.

With Limerick fighting hard to gain supremacy, the Clare management made an inspired change with the move of Ria Flanagan from midfield to the half-back line, where Flanagan and Aoife Keane dominated for the remainder of the game.

Niamh Whyte, now at midfield, with substitute Aoibheann Duggan, fed ball forward. Aoibheann Malone raised Clare’s second green flag in the 48th minute, having collected a pass from midfield before crashing her shot past Laura O’Neill. Points from Whyte and Malone put Clare ahead 2-5 to 0-7, with 52 minutes played. Limerick tried hard to counter-attack but Keane, Flanagan and Aoife Touhy held firm on the half-back line.

Limerick finally broke through but again Solan saved well and cleared her line. Conway pointed a free in the 56th minute to stretch Clare’s lead to five points. Limerick had time for one last attack but again Solan was on hand and with the ball travelling to the other end of the field, it was Clare who had the final score to run out winners, 2-7 to 0-7.

Clare were well served by Solan, Keane, Flanagan, Conway and O’Connell. Manager Carmel McGrath was delighted with the team’s second-half performance, saying the work done in training has paid off and the Clare girls’ fitness, which shone through in the final quarter, helped quell the Limerick attack.

Clare: Lauren Solan (Whitegate); Aisling McMahon (St Joseph’s, Doora Barefield), Megan O’Brien (St Joseph’s, Doora Barefield), Laura Brown (Éire Óg); Aoife Tuohy (Feakle), Aoife Keane (Inagh-Kilnamona, captain), Niamh Whyte (Sixmilebridge, 0-1); Sarah Redmond (Eire Óg), Ria Flanagan (Ballyea); Regan Conway (Feakle, 0-2), Aoibheann Malone (Corofin, 1-2), Louise Brown (Corofin, 0-1); Anne Marie Hayes (Newmarket-on-Fergus), Emma O’Connell (Ballyea, 1-1), Eva O’Dea (Corofin).
Subs: Carol Browne (Ballyea) for Hayes (40 mins) and Aoibheann Duggan for Redmond (50 mins).
Limerick: Laura O’Neill; Sarah Shanahan, Leanne Browne (captain), Aoife Coughlan; Niamh Curtin, Sinéad McNamara, Marion Quaid; Tara Fitzgibbon, Leah O’Riordan; Aisling Scully, Caoimhe Lyons (0-1), Ellana Mulcahy (0-2); Aisling Scanlon, Kate Mulqueen (0-4f), Aoife Quinn.
Referee: Tadhg Whelan, Tipperary.