Gaels girls set up Munster final date

West Clare Gaels  4-13   Athea (Limerick)  2-8
An emphatic first-half display helped Clare senior champions West Clare Gaels into the Munster intermediate final the weekend after next, where they will meet Cork champions, Roscarbery.

Playing with the aid of a strong first half breeze in Kilrush last Saturday, West Clare Gaels won the game in that period and led 4-6 to 0-3 at the interval.
Majella Griffin, Katie Geoghegan and Maria Kelly kicked the Clare side’s five opening points between them, while Niamh Lardener struck for a clinically finished goal. That score helped the winners into a 1-5 to 0-1 lead. Shauna McAuliffe and Clodagh Reidy contributed a point each for the Limerick ten-in-a-row county champions but another Griffin point, followed by an excellent Maria Kelly goal, left West Clare Gaels 2-6 to 0-3 up. A late first half goal from Bríd Troy, set up by a Majella Griffin hand pass and a second from Niamh Lardener, helped the Gaels to make the likelihood of an Athea comeback nearly impossible.
However, had West Clare Gaels goalkeeper Megan McGrath not made two superb saves, very late in the first half, from Joanne O’Gorman and Louise Higgins, Athea would have carried some semblance of hope into the half-time dressing room.
Athea goalkeeper Anne Cunningham saved impressively from Maria Kelly on the restart, while Bríd Troy and Shauna McAuliffe traded points.
Nine minutes into the second half Shauna McAuliffe goaled for Athea, while Louise Higgins and Joanne O’Gorman pointed them a bit closer; 4-8 to 1-6. A brace of Majella Griffin points from play steadied the West Clare team but had Shauna McAuliffe netted from the penalty spot, the closing 16 minutes could have been much tighter. However, the penalty hit the post and was cleared. Nine minutes from full-time, Athea’s Louise Higgins did goal shortly after she pointed, while Clodagh Reidy added a like score.
Closing points from Majella Griffin and Lisa Harte sealed a clear-cut win for the Clare senior champions, who are managed by Darragh Kelly (Kilkee) and Patrick Foley (Cross).
Three years ago, West Clare Gaels won the Munster junior title and are now just one game away from adding the intermediate crown to their cabinet.
Megan Haugh played exceptionally well in goals last Saturday, while Shauna Harvey and Deirdre Troy defended impressively. Maria Kelly was a notable attacking threat from midfield, while Majella Griffin, Katie Geoghegan and Niamh Lardener played well up front.
Shauna McAuliffe was Athea’s best player, while Clodagh Reidy also played well.

West Clare Gaels: Megan McGrath; Sineád Kelly, Rita Boland, Kathleen Foley; Fiona Troy, Deirdre Troy, Shauna Harvey; Michelle Downes (captain), Maria Kelly; Leanne Lynch, Denise Geaney, Majella Griffin; Niamh Lardener, Bríd Troy, Katie Geoghegan.
Subs: Lauren McMahon for Leanne Lynch, Ciara Harvey for Rita Boland, Lisa Harte for Denise Geaney, Suzie O’Gorman for Shauna Harvey, Andrea Kenny for Niamh Lardener.
Scorers: Majella Griffin (0-9, 0-5f); Niamh Lardener (2-0), Maria Kelly, Bríd Troy (1-1) each, Katie Geoghegan, Lisa Harte (0-1 each).
Athea: Anne Cunningham, Helena Collins, Lorraine Higgins, Deirdre Fitzpatrick, Lisa O Connor, Leanne Higgins, Carla Sheehy, Sandra Larkin, Katie Collins, Áine O’Sullivan, Joanne O’Gorman, Mary Ita Casey, Clodagh Reidy, Shauna McAuliffe, Carol Collins.
Subs: Erica Fealey for Lisa O’Connor, Louise Higgins for Áine O’Sullivan, Patrice Cleary for Mary Ita Casey, Lillian Quirke for Helena Collins.
Referee: Keith Delahunty (Tipperary).

Newmarket down to last two
Newmarket-on-Fergus  8-11   Fr Casey’s  5-3
The Newmarket-on-Fergus ladies footballers scored a tremendous win over their Limerick opponents in Kilrush last Saturday. Following an away quarter-final win over Éire Óg from Cork in their opening Munster game, Newmarket have now qualified for the Munster junior ladies football final on the weekend of October 16 and 17. Newmarket will play Moyle Rovers in the Munster final.
With many of the same players due to line out for their club this weekend in the county senior camogie final, the early autumn months are proving exceptionally difficult for the Newmarket girls.
Fr Casey’s started the better in the opening minutes and soon made their dominance pay by finding the back of the Newmarket net to put them up by a score of 1-2 to 0-0.
The goal seemed to wake Newmarket up and from here on they dictated the tempo of the game. Goals from Nikki Kaiser and Ruth Kaiser put them into the lead and points quickly followed from Carol O’Leary and Jenny Kelly. With 10 minutes to go in the half, Newmarket further increased their grip on the game with goals from Carol O’Leary and another from Nikki Kaiser but Fr Casey’s responded just before the half with a goal of their own, leaving the half-time score 4-5 to 2-2.
Newmarket started the second half as they finished the first with another two goals from the boot of Nikki Kaiser and it seemed the game was put to bed, as they led by a score of 6-7 to 2-2.
However, mid-way through the second half, Fr Casey’s mounted a comeback as they hit three goals without reply in a five-minute spell but the game was put to bed soon after when Kaiser struck for her fifth goal of the afternoon.
Newmarket added points to this and ran out winners on a 8-11 to 5-3 score. Newmarket had some fantastic performers throughout the field, however none more so than Nikki Kaiser, who finished with a score of 5-2 to her name.

Newmarket: Áine Lawlor; Jane O’Leary, Iris Kaiser, Stephanie Halpin; Sarah McInerney, Roisín McMahon, Aimee McInerney; Jenny Kelly, Chloe Morey; Carol Kaiser, Carol O’Leary, Áine O’Brien, Claire Arthur, Ruth Kaiser, Niki Kaiser.
Subs: Clodagh Lawlor for Stephanie Halpin, Gráinne Ryan for Sarah McInerney, Caroline Feehily for Ruth Kaiser, Shauna Halpin for Niki Kaiser.
Scorers: Niki Kaiser (5-2), Carol O’Leary (2-2), Ruth Kaiser (1-1), Jenny Kelly (0-4), Carol Kaiser, Chloe Morey (0-1).
Fr Casey’s: Maura Lyons; Jackie Quirke, Joanne McCarthy, Edel Murphy; Hannah Flynn, Leanne Garvey, Norma Browne; Treasa Murphy, Carol Honan; Emma Scanell, Jeanette Garvey, Lisa Hartnett; Kadie Colbert, Shauna Cahill, Nicole Murphy.
Subs: Muireann Cahill, Kelly Gallagher, Sineád O’Meara, Julie McCoy.