Experience the key for Miltown

Miltown  1-10   Crusheen  0-7

Experience proved a key factor as Miltown, despite being down to 14 players for 20 minutes, held on to defeat Crusheen in this senior championship game last week at Kilnamona.
Crusheen played against the wind and took an early lead with a Nora Murphy point before referee Michael Talty awarded a penalty at the other end and Sinead Sexton blasted it past Noelle McGuane to put Miltown up by two points.
A great spell of pressure from Crusheen saw them add two points from frees by Michelle O’Donnell and Emma Kearney before Tina Meaney scored a well-taken point from play to level the game.
Karen Galvin set up Sexton  who put Miltown back in front before Crusheen’s Elaine O’Mahony levelled. Miltown’s Niamh Coyne edged them ahead again after 20 minutes in a period of play that saw Miltown Malbay lose two to the sin-bin, Sinead Griffin for 10 minutes before the break and Helen Burke until eight minutes after the break.
Crusheen, however, failed to respond while Miltown, led by the impressive Fiona Lafferty, and with great defensive cover by Kate Curtin, Tara Rynne, Bernie McGuire and Shauna Crowley, saw Sinead Sexton fire over four points.
Emma Kearney pointed a free for Crusheen to keep them in it, 0-6 to 1-7 but Sexton was back for her fifth successive point. Fiona Lafferty added two points to Miltown’s tally before Crusheen’s Elaine O’Mahony’s saw her goal bound effort nudged over the bar by keeper Siobhain Talty and when three scorable frees in the closing 10 minutes failed to find their target, Crusheen’s chance of victory was gone.

Miltown Malbay: Siobhain Talty, Helen Burke, Sinead Griffin, Jennifer Barker, Shauna Crowley, Bernie McGuire, Tara Rynne, Kate Curtin, Fiona Lafferty, Edel Hynes, Niamh Coyne, Aisling McCaw, Karen Galvin, Niamh Pender, Sinead Sexton.
Crusheen: Noelle McGuane, Claire O’Grady, Marie O’Grady, Niamh McCoy, Ann Fitzgibbon, Mary Rosengrave, Edel McGuane, Emma Kearney, Regina Fennessy, Michelle O’Donnell, Tina Meaney, Nora Murphy, Nora Murphy, Elaine O’Mahony, Jacinta O’Grady.

Newmarket  4-14   Fergus Rovers  0-3

Newmarket scored a runaway win over Fergus Rovers in this tie last week. Last year’s intermediate champions were in control from the start and were well on their way to collecting the points when they led 3-7 to 0-2 at half time.
On the day the Kaiser sisters, Niki and Ruth score two goals each while they also had impressive displays from Róisín McMahon, Chloe Morey and Carol O’Leary.
Newmarket will play Miltown next week.

Newmarket: Aine Lawlor; Jane O’Leary Stephanie Halpin, Maria Kennelly; Aoife Griffin, Róisín McMahon, Aimee McInerney; Chloe Morey, Áine O’Brien; Gemma McInerney, Carol O’Leary, Laura McMahon; Ali Quinlan, Ruth Kaiser, Niki Kaiser.
Fergus Rovers: Kelly Talty; Rita Donnelly, Aoife Clohessy, Carmel McGuane; Laura Meaney, Lorraine Kelly, Clare Hestor; Clodagh McNeilis Laura Hanrahan; Triona Melican, Grainne Griffin, Aine Kelly; Grainne McCarthy, Ciara O’Malley, Jackie Coughlan.
Sub: Zara Hill.