Tesco All-Ireland Schools’ camogie Senior C semi-final
Coláiste Phobal Ros Cré (Tipperary) 1-7 St Killian’s Garron Tower (Antrim) 0-9
Pics by Brian McKee
ON another day this Tesco All-Ireland senior semi-final in Moneygall might have produced a different result. The conditions were very challenging and the strength of the breeze meant it was going to be a game of two halves.
The home side Colaiste Phobal had first use of the elements and led by 1-6 to a point at half time. That still looked like a lead that St Killian’s cold chip into and overhaul.
However the Ulster champions only scored twice in the first 19 minutes of the half and that was probably where the game was won and lost. Had they not been wide with a couple of good chances or had won a couple of dubious calls from the referee they might have built up a head of steam to overturn the lead. In the end they came up short by the minimum margin.
Credit to Roscrea however and especially centre-half back Nicola Cleary who was magnificent under the pressure and also Offaly minor Orlagh Phelan who dropped back to the role of sweeper.
St Killian’s also used a sweeper in the opening half and Clodagh McPeake relieved a lot of pressure. But significantly Roscrea hit two scoring bursts in that half to open a gap of 1-6 to 0-1 at the break.
The first burst secured four points in the opening five minutes, two to lively corner forward Andrea Scully and the other two long-range frees from Offaly minor Orlagh Phelan.
The Tower settled then and there were no further scores for almost 15 minutes until Scully pointed a free and then popped up inside the full-back line to score the only goal of the game.
The Tower had a good spell before half time and eventually Lara Haughey pointed a free in reply to a point from Scully.
There were just two Haughey frees for the first 20 minutes of the second half and then came a scoring burst of five points in five minutes; a Haughey free, followed by two points for Monique O’Boyle, one from Clodagh McPeake and another free from Haughey.
With just a point between the sides and the momentum with St Killian’s, Phelan pushed up from sweeper and from the pressure over those next five minutes Emily Doughan scored the winning point, Haughey’s point in injury time too late to save the Ulster champions.
Roscrea will be pleased to have secured the win, but they are not finished with St Killian’s. A Galway school of the same name beat Colaiste Naomh Cormac from Offaly in the other semi-final.
St Killian’s: L Haughey 0-5 (4f), M O’Boyle 0-2, O McAlister 0-1, C McPeake 0-1.
Colaiste Phobail: A Scully 1-4 (0-1 f), O Phelan 0-2 (f), E Doughan 0-1.
St Killian’s : O Donnelly, R Black, E McMullan, Ú McAlister, Catherine O’Boyle, A McNeill, E McCambridge, Cara O’Boyle, L Haughey, O McAlister, S Woodhouse, K McNeill, M O’Boyle, C McPeake, N Graham.
Subs: A Mulholland for R Black (16), L Black for E McCambridge (16).
Coláiste Phobal Ros Cré: G Mulrooney, R Murphy, C Maher, A Maher, J Kelly, N Cleary, K Lynch, K Wing, O Phelan, L Hogan, E Doughan, I O’Meara, L Ryan, C Flannery, A Scully
