Truagh make champions battle for victory

Kilmaley         2-9         Truagh         1-9
Truagh kept last year’s county champions on their toes until the final whistle in Clonlara on Saturday but Kilmaley managed to scrape through by a goal on a scoreline of 2-9 to 1-9. This was a tough, physical encounter and every score was hard-earned.
Katie Cahill, Aida Griffey and  Shónagh Enright worked tirelessly throughout for Kilmaley. Truagh’s Aileen O’Sullivan contributed three points in the first-half and can take credit for Truagh’s only goal after finishing Caroline Lynch’s shot to the net. Eimear Kelly scored a fine point from play to leave Truagh trailing Kilmaley by a point at the break.

Kilmaley: Siobhán Maher; Denise Lynch, Marie Hehir, Lorna Higgins; Niamh Cahill, Katie Cahill, Emer Considine (0-1); Aida Griffey, Sinéad O’Keeffe; Emma O’Driscoll (0-1), Shónagh Enright, Ashling O’Halloran; Clare McMahon (0-7), Leanne McMahon, Ailish Considine (2-0).
Sub: Mary T McMahon for Marie Hehir (injured 15mins).
Truagh: Liza Moloney; Siobhán Fahy, Teresa Nihill, Patricia Nihill; Kathleen Horgan, Helen Guinane, Yvonne Woods; Aideen Hogg, Eimear Kelly (0-1); Maire Guinane, Sarah Sherlock, Ellen Horgan; Aileen O’Sullivan (1-8), Caroline Lynch, Michelle Caulfield.
Referee: Flan O’Reilly.

Newmarket-on-Fergus    5-15       Sixmilebridge     2-1
This final-round tie saw Sixmilebridge take on Newmarket-on-Fergus in an official 12-a-side match with the winners taking pole position and securing a place in the semi-finals.

The game was a physically demanding contest testing the fitness levels of both teams. In the end, Newmarket’s ability to convert a greater amount of scoring chances became the difference between these neighbouring teams.

Newmarket: Niki Kaiser, Jane O’Leary, Laura McMahon, Joanne Walsh, Claire Arthur, Aimee McInerney, Róisín McMahon, Ruth Kaiser, Áine O’Brien, Carol Kaiser, Jenny Kelly, Aoife Griffen.
Sixmilebridge: Áine McNamara; Deanna Considine; Ellen Roche; Katie Connor; Maire McGrath; Chloe Morey; Fiona Murphy; Bee O’Halloran; Sinéad Touhy; Rachael O’Halloran; Ann Sweeney; Rachel Whelan.

Division 2
Killanena-Tulla         5-11          Whitegate         4-1
Both teams deserve great credit for serving up a very entertaining game at wet and windy Dr Daly Park on Saturday evening. Whitegate won the toss and elected to play with the very strong wind and in the first five minutes it looked like they would run away with the game.

They owned the sliotar and Susan Fahy had the opening score within a minute. Having collected the sliotar from beyond halfway, she broke through to give Anne McNamara no chance. She added a point two minutes later.

The Killanena/Tulla amalgamation took a while to settle but they responded with two fine points from play from Áine Dinan and Evelyn Glynn.

There were some great passages of play from then to the break, with Susan Fahy again hitting the net for Whitegate following a good puck-out from Carol Minogue to Aisling Treacy.

A good movement between Fahy and Triona Kelly resulted in a Fahy goal for Whitegate in between like scores for Killanena-Tulla from McNamara and Glynn, which left the half-time score at 2-4 to 2-1.

Killanena-Tulla, aided by the very strong wind, added three more goals in the second half, two in the first five minutes from Evelyn Glynn and Sinéad Reilly and the third in the 10th minute from Amy McNamara.

The amalgamation were now into their stride and, try as they did, Whitegate just couldn’t match them against the strong wind. To their credit, Whitegate never gave up and Susan Fahy kept them in touch with another brace of goals to add to her first-half tally. Killanena/Tulla fired over some fine points from play, with Evelyn Glynn adding two more from 45s.

Killanena/Tulla: Anne McNamara; Lorna Power, Aoife Conlon, Claire Taffe; Gráinne McNamara, Róisín McNamara, Áine Dinan; Sinéad McNamara, Evelyn Glynn; Sorcha Costelloe, Amy McNamara, Grainne McNamara; Siobhán Torpey, Sinéad Reilly.
Whitegate: Carol Minogue; Anita Forde, Orla Burke, Laura Durack; Rebecca Peacock, Aisling Treacy, Lisa Donoghue; Laura Mulvihill, Karen Bugler; Rachel Donoghue, Susan Fahy, Shauna Donnellan; Noreen Bugler, Triona Kelly.
Referee: John Dolan.

Division 3
Feakle-Broadford     4-3       Ruan     3-4
Ruan played the opening half with a very strong wind in their favour and they had the opening score through Alice Casey, followed by another point shortly after by Casey.

Feakle-Broadford responded with a point to get on the scoreboard and shortly after, they bagged their first goal. Ruan’s Lauren O’Donoghue saw her delivery from midfield find the net before Casey added a free to leave the half time score at Ruan 1-3 to Feakle 1-1.

As the second half got underway, weather conditions were deteriorating with torrential rain and gusts of strong winds making playing conditions very challenging for both sides. Feakle-Broadford, aided by the wind, went on the attack and scored a point and three consecutive goals.

Ruan fought back and goals from Natasha Hynes and Alice Casey followed but the East Clare side held on for a narrow win.

Feakle/Broadford: Caroline Fortune Moloney; Siobhán Tuohy, Ciara Minogue; Clodagh Gray, Karen Ryan, Cliona O’Brien; Mary-Kate Moloney, Áine Duggan; Aoife Dillon, Emer O’Shea, Vera Loughnane; Jodie Guilfoyle, Róisín O’Connell.
Ruan: Niamh Lyons; Emily Mulqueen, Nicola O’Donoghue; Edel O’Regan, Claire McDonnell, Brenda O’Donoghue; Rebecca Crowe, Eadoin Fitzgerald; Lauren O’Donoghue, Eimear Neilan, Niamh Ni Mhuiri; Lorna Crowe, Alice Casey.
Subs: Natasha Hynes for Lorna Crowe, Lisa O’Connor for Niamh Ní Mhuirí, Niamh O’Loughlin for Claire McDonnell
Referee: Ann-Marie McGann, St Joseph’s.

Bodyke     3-5          Corofin     1-7
A blustery day in Bodyke saw the locals take on Corofin in their third match in the league. While the strong cross wind benefited Corofin in the first half, it was Bodyke that opened the score with a point from Ann Marie Fitzgerald in the fourth minute. This was followed by a goal from Ann Marie Fitzgerald (Bodyke).

Corofin responded by scoring two points. Bodyke added three more points from Rachel Grogan (1) and Ann Marie Fizgerald (2) before the end of the first quarter.

Corofin scored four more points before half-time, when Bodyke led by a point. Bodyke opened the scoring again with a goal by Ann Marie Fitzgerald in the 42nd minute, which she followed by a point in the 47th minute. Louise Hayes (Bodyke) secured another goal for her side in the 56th minute.

Corofin managed to score another point in the 57th minute. They fought hard and scored a goal in the dying minutes of the match. However, it was too late and Bodyke secured the victory.

Bodyke: Catherine McNamara; Noreen Murray, Edel O’Grady; Aisling Fitzgerald, Kate Minogue, Clara Malone; Molly Dowling, Louise Hayes; Rachael Grogan, Aoife Doyle, Ann Marie Fitzgerald; Fiona McNamara, Sally Minogue.
Corofin: Carmel Tierney; Rebecca Collins, Ashling O’Brien, Amy O’Brien; Aoife Forde, Emer Kierce; Sinéad Collins, Erin McCarthy; Aoibheann Malone, Noelle Collins, Caroline Fitzgerald; Eva O’Dea, Shona Longe.
Subs: Amy Cassidy for Noelle Collins and Chloe Keane for Caroline Fitzgerald.

Division 4
Truagh     5-8         Sixmilebridge     0-2
Truagh won this contest well, using the wind in the second half to their advantage. Siobhán Powell had the opening score of the game for Truagh with a point from a free after three minutes. She added a second point after another 10 minutes. Sixmilebridge scored a point from a free in the first half, their only score of the half.

Truagh’s Emma Hastings scored a goal after a great pass from Sinéad Hogg with minutes left in the first half. Hogg took a score herself on the stroke of half time to leave the score at the break at Truagh 1-3, Sixmilebridge 0-1.

Fiona Caulfield, at corner-forward, got Truagh off to a great start to the second half with a point from play. Hastings added to her first-half goal with a point from play. Hogg, Truagh’s goalkeeper in rounds one and two, who was working hard in the other corner, scored a goal, bringing her tally to 1-1.

Truagh were now 2-5 to 0-1 ahead with Sixmilebridge tiring, playing into a strong breeze in Clonlara. Powell added to her two first-half frees with a point from play midway through the second half.

Hastings doubled her goal tally with a well-taken strike as Truagh lost two players to injuries. Sixmilebridge added to their first-half score, by adding another free. Claire Ryan added a goal and a point from play in the last five minutes of the game and substitute Lynch added another goal for Truagh. Powell, now playing at wing-back in place of the injured Power, had the final score of the day after winning the Sixmilebridge puck-out when she soloed up through midfield and put the ball over the bar.

Truagh: Liza Moloney; Róisín Rynne, Eileen Gleeson, Caroline Moloney; Eimear Burke, Sarah Hastings, Molly Power; Aoife McKeon, Emma Kavanagh; Emma Hastings, Sarah Koyce; Michelle Powell; Fiona Caulfield, Claire Ryan, Sinéad Hogg.
Subs: Siobhán Fahy for C Moloney (half time), C Moloney for Power (inj) (40 mins), Caroline Lynch (1-0) for Koyce (inj) (45 mins).
Sixmilebridge: Dianne Murray; Cora Maxwell, Flora Crowe, Jess Finnan; Maria Frawley, Orla Chaplin, Laura Murray; Aisling Hassett, Bernadette Crowe; Niamh Murray, Jean Chaplin, Karen Corbett; Elaine Carroll, Majella Slattery, Katie Freeman.
Subs: Rachel Whelan for E Carroll.
Referee: Jim Hickey.