Powerful Kilkenny too strong for U-16s

Kilkenny 5-17

Clare     0-10

THE final scoreline is flattering to Kilkenny but there is no doubting the merit of their win over Clare in the All-Ireland U-16 championship semi-final at Kilmallock on Saturday.
The physically stronger Leinster side showed lots of skill and picked off scores in impressive fashion throughout this tie.
The winners had three points on the board before Nikki Kaiser converted a free for Clare’s first score, which came in the ninth minute.
Kilkenny added a 2-2 to their tally to Clare’s two points in the next 10 minutes. Clare were unlucky not to raise a green flag when after a pass from Kaiser midfielder Kate O’Gorman’s effort came off the upright and was cleared out for a 45’, which Kaiser duly converted. Kilkenny added another two points before the break leaving the half-time score at 2-7 to 0-4. While Clare did take the game more to Kilkenny in the second half, the strength of Kilkenny was too much for the Banner side. Kaiser worked tirelessly in midfield for Clare, as indeed did Jane Flanagan and Clodagh Lawlor in the backline. Despite some positional changes, there was no stopping Kilkenny and three more goals in the last quarter put paid to the Banner girls’ chances of staging a comeback similar to what they pulled off against Dublin a couple of weeks previously.
Manager Francis Browne commented afterwards. “It’s disappointing. The result doesn’t show the work put in by this group of girls. We know they are better than this. We must now push forward and prepare for the Munster championship,” she said.
Cork and Tipperary played out a draw in the other semi-final, both scoring 3-9 and will have to do it all again on this Saturday.

Clare: Pauline McNamara, Shauna Fleming, Ellen Roche, Jane Flanagan, Rae Wall, Clodagh Lawlor, Eimear Casey, Aisling Corbett (0-1), Nikki Kaiser (captain, 0-8); Ali Quinlan, Fiona Murphy, Orla Devitt (0-1), Lauren Guilfoyle, Kate O’Gorman, Gráinne Nolan.
Subs: Áine Ryan for Fiona Murphy (inj) (half-time), Niamh Whyte for Rae Wall (38 minutes), Rebecca Devine for Ali Quinlan (46 minutes), Orlaith Lynch for Eimear Casey (49 minutes), Lisa Greene for Gráinne Nolan (56 minutes).
Kilkenny: Lauren Barcoe, Deirdre Walsh, Catherine Foley, Katie Doheny, Meighan Farrell, Mary O’Connell, Rachel Lynch (captain), Miriam Walsh (1-3), Niamh Leahy, Lydia Fitzpatrick (1-7, 0-7 frees), Michela Kenneally, Julie Ann Malone (1-4), Áine Gannon, Niamh Dermody (0-1), Mary Corcoran (1-0).
Subs: Niamh Donnelly (0-2) for Niamh Leahy (35 minutes), Sarah Whelan (1-0) for Niamh Dermody (44 minutes), Amy Bryan for Mary Corcoran (51 minutes).
Referee: Karl O’Brien, Dublin.