Miltown qualify for intermediate final

Miltown Malbay     2-6
Fergus Rovers         1-6

Fergus Rovers and Miltown Malbay met in Kilmihil on Monday to contest the intermediate semi-final for a place against Doonbeg in the final. Miltown were Senior B champions last year but were regraded to intermediate, like Fergus Rovers.
Miltown’s captain Michelle McCaw stole the show as she notched seven of their eight scores but Fergus Rovers were unlucky not to draw in a frantic last five minutes.
Ciara O’Malley opened with a point for the Rovers early on but for ten minutes in the middle of the first half, Miltown dominated in a spell that looked ominous for their opponents. A strong performance from Jean Talty, Sandra Malone and Tara Rynne pushed the Miltown attack and some good support play from Laura Rynne, who appears with Rover’s Fionnuala Nagle in the U16 All-Ireland final against Leitrim this weekend, Caoimhe McMahon and Aisling McCaw set up Michelle McCaw to take 1-3 (2f) including a powerful individual goal.
In defence, Rita Donnelly, Edel Malone and Christina Hill and in the middle of the field Lorraine Kelly, all worked very hard and before long pressure on the Miltown defence yielded a free which Louise Griffin converted.
With the full force of the Rover’s attack, which included the impressive Eimear O’Shea and Myra Daly, Fionnuala Nagle, Orla Griffin and Ciara O’Malley, Miltown yielded another 1-2 before the half-time whistle.
Laura Hanrahan’s well-taken goal inspired Orla Griffin to point from the kickout. A lack lustre start by the Blues was turned around as they went in level with Miltown at 1-3 a piece.
Referee, Michael Talty restarted and it was seven minutes later that player of the game Michelle McCaw pointed twice in quick succession for Miltown. Fergus Rovers weren’t standing for that and some good interplay between Lorraine Kelly, Louise Griffin and Eimear O’Shea set up Myra Daly for an outstanding second half performance as she took two points in the seventeenth minute to level for the second time.
Within three minutes, Siobhán Talty was on the end of a lateral pass and rocketed into the net for Miltown. Sharpshooter Aoife Clohessy was released from the bench in her first game since last year but it was Daly who went over for her third of the game to reduce the deficit to two points that the determined McCaw negated with style.
What followed was a torrid five minutes when Fergus Rovers attacked incessantly and did everything but score. Orla Griffin was pulled for two hops with just the Miltown goalie to beat, a rushed Rover’s free landed into goalie Orlagh Kennelly’s hands and timely interceptions from Miltown Malbay’s Katie Curtin and Clare Curtin took the, fizzle out of the Fergus Rovers attack on separate occasions.

Miltown Malbay: Orlagh Kennelly; Karen Egan, Shauna Crowley, Ciara Burke; Clare Curtin, Katie Curtin, Jean Talty; Marian Curtin, Sandra Malone; Tara Rynne, Michelle McCaw (capt), Caoimhe McMahon; Laura Rynne, Aisling McCaw, Siobhán Talty.
Fergus Rovers: Kelly Talty; Aoibheann Killeen, Edel Carmody, Rita Donnelly; Róisín Killeen, Theresa Meaney, Christina Hill; Clodagh McNeilis (capt), Lorraine Kelly; Louise Griffin, Eimear O’Shea, Fionnuala Nagle; Orla Griffin, Ciara O’Malley, Myra Daly.
Subs: Laura Hanrahan for Fionnuala Nagle; Aoife Clohessy for Ciara O’Malley.