Clare well beaten by champions

Wexford 2-14  Clare 0-4

Clare suffered a comprehensive defeat at the hands of the All-Ireland champions Wexford last Saturday in Piercestown, Wexford, in Round 3 of the National Camogie League.
Taking on the current champions in both league and championship was always going to be a daunting task for Clare, whose problems were added to by the absence of key players Sinéad Donovan, Siobhán Lafferty and Laura Linnane through injury.
Wexford had the added incentive of this being their first opportunity of playing in front of a home crowd since their All-Ireland win last September, their two other games in the group having been away from home.
They did not let their supporters down, treating them to a display befitting that of champions.
The home side took control from the outset and by the midpoint of the opening half they had a five-point lead before Katrina Parrock goaled in the 22nd minute.
Chloe Morey got Clare on the scoreboard with a pointed free in the 26th minute, before Parrock pointed again, leaving the half-time score at 1-6 to 0-1.
Early in the second half Claire McMahon and Morey added a point each to Clare’s tally from frees but there was no stopping Wexford.
Katrina Parrock had her second goal for the winners despite protests from Clare that she committed a foul by catching the ball three times.
Clare will need to show a lot of improvement before they commence their challenge for Munster championship honours in a few weeks’ time.

Wexford: Mags Darcy; Claire O’Connor, Catherine O’Loughlin, Ciara Storey; Lisa Bolger, Mary Leacy, Karen Atkinson; Michelle O’Leary, Deirdre Codd; Josie O’Dwyer (0-2), Una Leacy (0-2, 1 45), Bríd Gordon (0-1); Lenny Holohan (0-1), Evelyn Quigley (0-1), Katrina Parrock (2-2).
Subs: Ursula Jacob (0-2) for Una Leacy(inj), Kate Kelly (0-3) for Holohan,
Yellow cards: Evelyn Quigley, Josie O’Dwyer

Clare: Susan Vaughan; Helen McMahon, Kate Lynch, Marion O’Brien; Chloe Morey (0-2), Róisín McMahon, Sinéad O’Loughlin; Ruth Kaiser, Lisa Loughnane; Deirdre Murphy, Sharon McMahon, Claire McMahon (0-2); Norah Murphy, Fiona Lafferty, Mairéad Scanlon.
Subs: Aimee McInerney for Sinéad O’Loughlin (half-time); Anne Marie Fitzgerald for Mairéad Scanlon (47 minutes); Sinéad O’Loughlin for Deirdre Murphy (inj 56 minutes).
Yellow cards: Helen McMahon, Claire McMahon.

Referee: Karl O’Brien, Dublin.