CLONAKILTY 2-5
KINSALE 0-5
GER MCCARTHY REPORTS
AN all-West Cork LGFA senior B final saw the Brewery Town outlast their divisional rivals amid awful conditions. Last weekend’s weather affected every scheduled LGFA final and the senior B decider was no exception.
A gale wind an intermittent heavy showers put paid to any hopes of high scoring. This was no day for fancy football. The team that handled the weather conditions the best would eventually win out. In this case it was Clonakilty. Using the benefit of the wind in the opening half, the eventual winners changed ends 2-2 to 0-2 in front. Defending stoutly in the second period and sensibly playing through the hands, Clonakilty held off Kinsale and won by a two-goal winning margin.
Siobhán Callanan was immense at full-back as was her goalkeeper just behind, Martina O’Brien. The half-back line of Ruth Shanley, Ashling Hutching, and Méabh O’Donovan gave nothing away with Moira Barrett and Kate O’Donovan impressing in midfield. Up front, Sinéad O’Donovan and Aisling Moloney’s goals proved vital.
‘I think that was it (making better use of the conditions), to be honest,’ Clonakilty manager
David Aherne said. ‘We prepared for it the last couple of days at training. We knew it was going to be windy. We got two lucky goals, if I’m being honest, in the first half and they were the difference in the end. Second half was really just about protecting our lead.
‘In the first half, we gave away the world of ball. We talked about that at half-time and said to keep it through the hands in the second half. In fairness to the girls, they did the basics brilliantly.’
Moira Barrett, a week after claiming a Camogie junior B county title with Ballinascarthy alongside teammates Síofra Pattwell, Martina O’Brien and Millie Condon, was ecstatic to help Clonakilty get over the line. ‘What a week we have had between the two teams,’ Barrett said. ‘It means the world to us. We will take this and enjoy it. We are building all the time. I have no doubt, eventually, senior A might be within our grasp in a few years. I’m just grateful to have been able to play the games despite the weather warnings. We will really, really enjoy this.’
Despite losing the toss, Clonakilty made full use of the wind at their backs. Sinéad O’Donovan announced herself on the senior B county final by scoring 1-2 inside the first five minutes. Kate Redmond and Lorraine Copithorne helped a shell-shocked Kinsale to settle with Caoimhe Horgan and Juliet Cronin raising badly needed white flags. But Clonakilty went in six points ahead as Aisling Moloney’s long-range attempt squeezed in under the crossbar for her side’s second goal.
Former Cork senior Orla Finn got Kinsale off the mark at the beginning of the second half but Clon responded positively, maintaining possession by keeping the ball in hand in the face of a strengthening wind. Finn reduced the deficit with her second score.
Moira Barrett floated over an important score shortly before Kinsale wasted a goal scoring opportunity. Aoife O’Flynn Meade was sprung from the bench and fired over a fine point in Clon’s next attack to make to 2-4 to 0-4. Both teams committed numbers in attack despite the deteriorating conditions in the closing stages. Kinsale rattled Clon’s crossbar before goalkeeper Grainne Cowhig made a fantastic save at the opposite end.
Clonakilty worked the ball to Millie Condon with five minutes to go. The Cork Camogie senior set off for goal and walloped her shot inches over the crossbar. That gave Clonakilty some breathing space despite Catherine Murphy pulling one back shortly before the end. The final whistle saw Clonakilty celebrate a first senior title and qualification for the
Munster senior B championship.
‘Coming in to today we knew what we were up against as they (Kinsale) are a great side, probably one of the best teams we have played all year,’ Clonakilty captain Méabh O’Donovan added. ‘It was seriously hard out on that pitch with all that wind. It was no joke. We were lucky in that we had the advantage of it in the first half. We took our chances and had to dig deep in the second half.’
Scorers
Clonakilty: S O’Donovan 1-2, A Moloney 1-0, M Barrett, A O’Flynn Meade, M
Condon 0-1 each.
Kinsale: O Finn 0-2, C Horgan, J Cronin, C Murphy 0-1 each.
CLONAKILTY: M O’Brien; N Kennedy, S Callanan, N Desmond Collins; R Shanley, A Hutchings,
M O’Donovan (captain); M Barrett, K O’Donovan; A Moloney, K O’Driscoll, M Condon; S
Pattwell, S O’Donovan, K O’Mahony.
Substitutes: A O’Flynn Meade for K O’Mahony (ht), L Daly for S Pattwell (37).
KINSALE: G Cowhig; C Heffernan, E O’Brien, A Casey; M O’Callaghan, C O’Callaghan, D Tyner; K Redmond, L Copithorne; C Horgan, J Murphy (captain), J Cronin; A McCarthy, C Murphy, O Finn.
Substitutes: C O’Donnell for A McCarthy (20), N Buckley for K Redmond (36, inj), K Redmond
for L Copithorne (44), H Deasy for C Heffernan (58).
Referee: Deirdre Cronin (Naomh Fionnbarra).
