Powerful victory for Clare minors

Clare  0-13   Cork  1-9

Clare camogie received a huge boost at O’Garney Park in Sixmilebridge on Sunday evening when the county minor side captured the provincial championship title with a one-point win over Cork.
A powerful second-half performance saw the home side take the honours, reversing last year’s final result.

Originally scheduled for Scariff at 2pm, the match was switched to Sixmilebridge with a 5.30pm start because of the funeral of Clare camogie president Fr Liam Murray. Before the game, a minute’s silence was observed as a mark of respect for the late Fr Murray.
Clare opened the scoring through full-forward Sinéad Tuohy but a goal from a 50m free by Joanne Casey rocked the home side in the fifth minute and gave Cork a lead they would hold for the remainder of the half.
The visitors played with the aid of the wind in the opening period and deserved their half-time advantage of five points, 1-6 to 0-4. Clare’s full-back line was under a lot of pressure in the opening period as Joanne Casey and Áine O’Donovan caused them a lot of problems.
For the second half, Clare made a number of changes and these helped them get a grip on proceedings. They dominated the third quarter, during which they scored four points without reply to get to within a point of the visitors.
Naomi Carroll was proving to be a major problem for the Cork defence but Clare were experiencing problems in getting the ball into the corner-forward. The half was 20 minutes old before Cork added to their half-time tally with a Mariah Reidy point but a Chloe Morey effort from a free followed by an excellent Naomi Carroll effort had the teams level with five minutes to go.
Cork again went back in front before Morey had the point of the game when she scored from her own 65 to level matters for the second time. As the game moved into injury time Naomi Carroll gave Clare the lead for the first time before Sinéad Tuohy, who had the opening score of the game in the fourth minute, sealed victory with a fine score.
Team captain Chloe Morey led by example from centre-back and she contributed 0-5, four from frees, to her side’s total.
Naomi Carroll had a similar tally, all from play, and she played a crucial part in the victory. Others to make important contributions were Jessica O’Neill, Christina Glynn, Orlaith Duggan and Sinéad Tuohy.
Niamh O’Brien, Pamela Mackey, Fiona Cotter, Áine O’Donovan and Joanne Casey were prominent for Cork.

Clare: Vera Loughnane (Feakle); Lorna Higgins (Kilmaley), Jessica O’Neill (Clooney), Helen Hehir (Inagh); Joanne Walsh (Newmarket), Chloe Morey (Sixmilebridge), capt, Christina Glynn (Kilnamona); Regina O’Brien (Ogonnelloe), Niamh O’Dea (Corofin); Orlaith Duggan (Clooney), Louise Woods (St Joseph’s), Niamh Corry (Sixmilebridge); Naomi Carroll (Sixmilebridge), Sinéad Tuohy (Sixmilebridge), Katie Cahill (Kilmaley).
Subs: Aisling Darcy (Kilmaley) for O’Brien (half-time).
Scorers: Chloe Morey, Naomi Carroll, (0-5) each; Sinéad Tuohy (0-2); Louise Woods (0-1).
Cork: Jessica Kavanagh; Rosie O’Mahoney, Niamh O’Brien, Lorraine Browne; Emma Kingston, Pamela Mackey, Sarah Harrington; Claire Meaney, Fiona Cotter; Aileen O’Donovan, Fiona Neville, Sinéad O’Flynn; Aoife Kiely, Joanne Casey, Áine O’Donovan.
Subs: Katrina Mackey for Áine O’Donovan (inj); Ena Coughlan for O’Flynn.
Scorers: Joanne Casey (1-3); Áine O’Donovan (0-3); Fiona Neville (0-2); Mariah Reidy (0-1).
Referee: Eamonn Browne, Tipperary.