Doonbeg ladies take title in fine style

Doonbeg 3-11   St Joseph’s Miltown 1-3

DOONBEG coasted to victory in the intermediate championship final played on a miserable evening in Quilty last Saturday. However, with 60 minutes played, the champions led by just four points, 0-10 to 1-3, and while they were the better team overall, they found it difficult to pull away. They did it in style in the end thanks to the Kilmihil sisters, Ailish and Eimear Considine, who between them hammered home 3-1 in additional time.
Miltown goalkeeper, Orla Kennelly, had kept her side in the match with a number of saves.

 

While the opening two scores came from the winners, points from team captain Linda Russell Kelleher and Ailish Considine were well cancelled out when Miltown captain Michelle McCaw goaled for her side in the seventh as her long-range effort sailed in to the top of the net. Denise Sexton stretched their lead to two with a nice point and in truth, the Miltown ladies were playing the better football. They were tight in defence so the normally dominant Doonbeg forwards were not getting much room. 

A Laura Egan pass set up Mairéad Madigan for a Doonbeg point before Orla Kenneally saved well from Madigan when a goal was on. Ailish Considine, from a free, levelled with just over a quarter played and soon after Eimear Considine put Doonbeg back in front with a fine point. Laura Rynne pointed Miltown ahead in the 21st before Miltown’s Eimear Considine entered the fray in place of Siobhán Talty. 

With defences doing well, particularly Doonbeg’s Nicole Golden and Sarah Cahill and Miltown’s Ciara Burke, Marie Killeen and Clare Curtin, scores were hard to come by in the final 10 minutes of the opening half. Doonbeg’s number 10, Siobhán Behan did manage a point and when Michael Bohannon blew the half-time whistle, last year’s junior champions, Doonbeg, led by the minimum 0-6 to 1-2.

Soon after the resumption, Ailish Considine pointed from a free for Doonbeg, while at the other end, Eimear Considine shot wide for Miltown when a goal was on. It was a missed opportunity.  Miltown’s defence were guilty of a number of fouls and Ailish Considine, while missing a few, hit over a total of four from frees in the second half. 

Miltown’s one and only score of the second half was a point from a Michelle McCaw free in the 46tth minute and still the winners only led by three points. With scores hard to come by, the Magpies kept their noses in front and with normal time up, they were just four ahead.

Then Eimear Considine finished well to the Miltown net for Doonbeg’s first goal and for the remaining few minutes of additional time, the ball stayed in that half. Player of the match, Ailish Considine, kicked a super point and then to really put the icing on the cake, Doonbeg couldn’t have finished any better with further goals from Ailish and Eimear Considine to crown a fine win played before a sizeable attendance.

After the game, the player-of-the-match award was presented to Doonbeg half-forward, Ailish Considine, by Frank Minogue, general manager of the Armada Hotel, while the cup was presented by county board chairman Alan Copley to Linda Russell and Sarah Cahill.

On September 15, Doonbeg will represent Clare in the Munster Club Championship when they play St Ailbe’s from Limerick in the quarter-final.

Doonbeg: Edel Conway, Michelle McInerney, Yvonne Downes, Nicole Golden, Nollaig Blake, Sarah Cahill, Rosie Currane, Edel Madigan, Laura Egan, Siobhán Behan (0-1), Linda Russell Kelleher (0-1) (captain), Ailish Considine (1-7, 0-5f), Eimear Considine (2-1), Mairéad Madigan (0-1), Brid Lillis.
St Joseph’s Miltown: Orla Kennelly, Karen Egan Hogan, Ciara Burke, Clare Curtin, Marie Killeen,  Katie Curtin, Jean Talty, Sandra Malone, Marian Curtin, Denise Sexton, Michelle McCaw (captain) 1-2, 0-1f), Tara Rynne, Laura Rynne (0-1), Aisling McCaw, Siobhán Talty.
Subs: Eimear Considine for S Talty, Marie Lenihan for T Rynne, Caoimhe McMahon for A McCaw, Siobhán Talty for Densie Sexton.
Referee: Michael Bohannon (Shannon Gaels).