Kilkenny u16’s advance to All Ireland decider with Cork

Kilkenny: 4-17

Tipperary: 4-11

A great team effort of sheer grit and determination saw Kilkenny defeat a dogged Tipperary team in the Tesco U16A All Ireland Semi Final played in Banagher last Sunday

Kilkenny opened the scoring after 45 seconds through a Rose Kelly point. Further three points from Lauren Ronan (2f) gave Kilkenny 0-4 to 0-0 after 8 minutes. A minute later, Anna Murphy got through the Kilkenny defence and slotted past goalie Ali Kennedy into the net

Caoimhe Keher-Murtagh (KK) and Kate Fermcombe traded points, before Kilkenny’s Lauren Ronan & Rose Kelly added points to leave Kilkenny 0-7 to 1-1 ahead at the first waterbreak

After the minibreak, Anna Murphy & Celine Guinan narrowed the gap with two points for the Premier County. In the 20^th minute, Lauren Ronan fielded a great ball, turned her marker and hit a rasper of a shot past the Tipperary goalie

Anna Murphy added a point for Tipperary from the puckout to narrow the gap again

Ava Brett (KK) and Kate Fermcombe traded points. Caoimhe Keher-Murtagh scored two lovely points for Kilkenny for Celine Guinan pointed for Tipperary to close out the scoring of the first half to leave the half time score Kilkenny 1-10 to 1-6

On the resumption of play, Ciara Moloney and Celine Guinan pointed for Tipperary. On the 35^th minute, Caoimhe Keher-Murtagh collected the sliotar out on the 40m line and ran at the Tipp defence and blasted the ball past the goalie. Straight from the puckout, the Kilkenny defence cleared the sliotar upfield and Lauren Ronan ran onto it and slotted it past the Tipperary goalie to put Kilkenny eight points ahead

Ciara Moloney scored a goal for the Premier girls a minute later

Ava Brett collected the ball after a great clearance from the Kilkenny defence and slotted over a lovely point

Anna Murphy took a shot at the Kilkenny goal, it was stopped by the Kilkenny goalie, but she was blocked down as she tried to clear and Celine Guinan (T) attempted to pull the trigger, but the goalie brought her down outside the box and a 21m free was awarded. Celine Guinan took the subsequent free and blasted it to the back of the net

Rachel Dowling and Lauren Ronan added points for Kilkenny to leave Kilkenny 3-13 to 3-8 ahead at the second waterbreak

At the start of the final quarter, Lauren Ronan slotted over a point from play before Caoimhe Keher-Murtagh got in for her second goal, Julie Lennon hit in a shot towards goal, the Tipperary goalie and defender were indecisive and Caoimhe nipped in between them and tapped the ball over the goal line and into the net

In the 51^st minute, Tipperary sharpshooter Guinan slotted over a point from a 40m free. Four minutes later, Ciara Moloney got in for her second goal for the Premier side to narrow the gap to five points

Rachel Dowling and Celine Guinan exchanged points before Aoife Coverdale & Julie Lennon added a point each for Kilkenny

Emma Horgan pointed for Tipperary to finish out the scoring

Final score Kilkenny 4-17 to Tipperary 4-11

Kilkenny play Cork next Sunday in the U16A All Ireland Final in St Brendan’s Park, Birr at 4.30pm. It will be streamed live on the Camogie Association YouTube Channel

Kilkenny: Lauren Ronan (2-6, 4f), Caoimhe Keher-Murtagh (2-3), Rose Kelly, Ava Brett (0-2 each), Rachel Dowling (0-2, 1f), Aoife Coverdale, Julie Lennon (0-1 each)

Tipperary: Celine Guinan (1-5, 1-4f), Ciara Moloney (2-1), Anna Murphy (1-2), Kate Fermcombe (0-2), Emma Horgan (0-1)

Kilkenny: 1. Ali Kennedy; 2. Síofra Meegan, 3. Marie O’Keeffe, 4. Laura Phelan; 5. Emma Corr, 6. Sofia Kerr (Capt.), 7. Lucy Walsh; 8. Rose Kelly, 9. Anna Doheny; 10. Amy Cody, 11. Ava Brett, 12. Rachel Dowling; 13. Lauren Ronan, 14. Caoimhe Keher-Murtagh, 15. Ciara Dunne

Subs – 17 Angela Carroll for 10 Amy Cody, 18 Julie Lennon for 5 Emma Corr, 24 Aoife Coverdale for 8 Rose Kelly, 26 Ella Middleton for 11 Ava Brett, 29 Leah Cooney for 7 Lucy Walsh

Tipperary: 1. Kacey Meehan; 2. Helen Cleere, 3. Niamh Franks, 4. Meabh Ryan; 5. Lucy Purcell, 6. Shauna Heffernan (Capt), 7. Emma Horgan; 8. Kate Fermcombe, 9. Danielle Ryan; 10. Kate Ralph, 11. Celine Guinan, 12. Aoife Fitzgerald; 13. Jennifer Heffernan, 14. Anna Murphy, 15. Danielle Ryan

Subs – 28 Ciara Moloney for 13 Jennifer Heffernan, 26 Paula Quirke for 12 Aoife Fitzgerald, 22 Leah Flannery for 15 Danielle Ryan, 19 Kellie Browne for 14 Anna Murphy

Referee: Cathal McAllister (Cork)