Six goal Cats cruise to victory

Kilkenny 6-13

Dublin 0-11

Kilkenny Minors got over their disappointment of not being able to finish the All Ireland Championship after it was cancelled when they made a blistering start to their Leinster Championship Campaign with an empathic win over Dublin in Thomastown last Sunday

With Asha McHardy netting a hat trick the hosts were in control for practically the entire game

Asha McHardy opened the scoring for the Kittens with a pointed free in the 3^rd minute. She followed this with a point from play a minute later

A couple of minutes later Mikaela Ryan added a point after a poor clearance from the Dublin defence

Niamh Comerford did open Dublin’s account in the 6^th minute with a pointed free. Aisling O’Neill added another for Dublin a minute later

Kilkenny increased their lead when Asha McHardy slotted over another free for Kilkenny in the 8^th minute with Mikaela Ryan striking for a goal a minute later, after McHardy hand passed the sliotar to her

Caitlin Coffey tagged on a point in the 14^th minute and Niamh Comerford then converted a 30m free for Dublin

Tara Ronan and Asha McHardy added further points for the stripey girls in the 23^rd and 24^th minutes before Niamh Comerford narrowed the gap to four points with a point from a 21m free for the Dubs

In the 26^th minute, the flood gates opened, Therese Donnelly won a ball from a ruck and soloed through the Dubs defence, she hand passed to McHardy, who then offloaded to Mikaela Ryan, with McHardy continuing her run and picked up the sliotar and blasted it to the back of the net, giving the Dublin goalie no chance

From the puckout, Miriam Brennan cleared the sliotar from defence to Mairead Corcoran who played it upfield and Asha McHardy fielded the ball beautifully and then passed to Roisin O’Keeffe who took on the Dubs defence and hand passed it to the back of the net

Then in the 28^th minute, Mikaela Ryan found McHardy in space to allow her to again find Roisin O’Keeffe on the edge of the square who duly riffled the sliotar to the back of the net

Niamh Comerford added two pointed frees for the Dubs as half time approached to leave the interval score Kilkenny 4-6 Dublin 0-7

On the resumption of play, Aisling Gannon added a point for Dublin. Aisling Prendergast then shot towards the goal but the Dubs keeper cleared it out to one of her defenders but Asha McHardy blocked her clearance and Roisin O’Keeffe picked up the breaking ball and passed it back out to McHardy who buried it into the bottom corner of the net

Katie McDonald pointed for Dublin in the 41^st minute before Ciara O’Keeffe then tagged on two points for Kilkenny

Niamh Comerford and Sarah Barcoe traded points in the 47^th & 51^st minutes before Asha McHardy then added another pointed free to her tally

Katie McDonald scored Dublin’s last point in the 57^th minute with Kilkenny taking complete control for the remainder of the match scoring 1-3 without reply

Substitutes Marlise Flynn and Sarah O’Donnell (2) adding the points while Asha McHardy closed out the scoring with a great goal, leaving her with a personal tally of 3-5

Referee Aidan O’Brien a short time later blew the final whistle with scoreboard reading Kilkenny 6-13 to Dublin 0-11

Scorers – Kilkenny – Asha McHardy (3-5, 0-4f), Roisin O’Keeffe (2-0), Mikaela Ryan (1-1), Ciara O’Keeffe, Sarah O’Donnell (0-2 each), Tara Ronan, Sarah Barcoe, Marlise Flynn (0-1 each)

Dublin – Niamh Comerford (0-6, 6f), Katie McDonald (0-2), Aisling O’Neill, Caitlin Coffey, Aisling Gannon (0-1 each)

Kilkenny – Sinead Farrell, Danielle Quigley, Niamh Phelan, Miriam Brennan, Mairead Corcoran, Tiffanie Fitzgerald, Carlise Comerford, Emily Kavanagh, Ciara O’Keeffe (Captain), Aisling Prendergast, Tara Ronan, Mikaela Ryan, Asha McHardy, Roisin O’Keeffe, Therese Donnelly

Subs – Sarah Barcoe for Emily Kavanagh, Sarah O’Donnell for Mikaela Ryan, Katie Ryan for Danielle Quigley, Marlise Flynn for Roisin O’Keeffe, Olivia Mahony for Therese Donnelly, Leah Brett, Keara Ryan, Kate Furlong, Anna Purcell, Lauren Comerford, Amy Lehane, Bri O’Donoghue, Anna Doheny, Jessie Newman

Dublin – Ciara Jones, Rachel Seery, Issy Davis, Kerri Milne, Claire Gannon, Laura Sharkey, Anna Sullivan, Ellen Dunphy, Ciara Clohessy, Aisling Gannon, Emily Byrne, Caitlin Coffey, Aisling O’Neill, Niamh Comerford, Katie McDonald

Subs – Meadhbh Hicks for Caitlin Coffey, Aoife Deegan for Emily Byrne, Roisin Ni Chathasaigh for Aisling Gannon, Christine Shanahan, Elyse Jamieson Murphy, Sophie Brennan, Amy Quinn, Anna Farrell, Cara Feeney, Ellie Keane, Hannah Reynolds, Lucy Quinn, Mollie Turner, Rachel Dolan, Erin Kennedy