Doyle delight as Piltown prevail

Michael Lyng Motors Senior Championship Quarterfinal – Sunday 8 October

Piltown 3-15 Clara 0-07

By Jason O’Brien, Piltown PRO

Aoife Doyle grabbed a hat trick of goals as she helped put a finely tuned Piltown team into the Championship semi final after a dominant display over Clara on a perfect day in Graiguenamanagh G.A.A Club.

They may have been dominant, and it looks like an easy victory if you judge it by the final score, but Piltown had to work very hard to over power a determined, and dogged Clara side.

Sinead McCarthy started the scoring in the second minute as Piltown were shooting towards the scoreboard end, but with very little breeze, there was no advantage from the elements for either side.

Aoife Doyle started her scoring in the 8th minute with a point from the right hand side, as both sides tried to assert some dominance and Clara were fighting to keep Piltown pegged back. Clara scored their first chance in the 12th minute through Keara Ryan from a free, and Ryan got one from play a minute later. And then Clara went ahead. From left half forward Lucy Boyd as she pointed coming in field from her wing.

Clara were in front and had kept Piltown scoreless for 8 minutes until Kellyann Doyle got the ball in hand, she delivered a perfect pass to Katie Power, Power in turn found Aoife Doyle and she found the net with a unstoppable shot blasted past Aoife Glynn in the Clara goal. Sinead McCarthy then got her second of the day as she picked up loose ball around the 45 and rose the white flag.

The goal seemed to spur on the girls from Piltown and it was starting to become one way traffic, as Heather Phelan scored 3 frees and one from play in the next 5 minutes, added to by a monster free from Aine Doyle out near the half-way line, with Sophie Holden getting her first on the 28th minute. Clara had their hands full now as the team in Black were in full flow. The team in maroon did finish the half brightly though with Keara Ryan scoring two points in first half injury time.

HALF TIME SCORE: Piltown 1-09 Clara 0-05

Liz Dempsey threw the sliotar in to start the second half and straight away a foul led to Heather Phelan taking a free central on the 45 yard line, she made no mistake. Heather repeated that strike from nearer the stand side five minutes later as Piltown were now well on top but they had to work hard for every score, Clara were not giving up despite the score line. They did get through on goal twice but Aoife Norris kept out Emma Shortall and Grainne Glynn.

Sophie Holden scored another two points as she turned her marker and sprinted away into the space behind her and took her scores.

Then in the 43rd minute, the same duo were again involved in Piltown’s second goal with the ever increasing influence of Katie Power causing the Clara half back line problems, and it was Power that once again delivered the pass to the incoming Aoife Doyle and Doyle raised the green flag.

Emma Shortall got Clara’s first score of the second half in the 47th minute as Clara tried to reduce the lead, although it seemed a lost cause , and it became even more so when provider became scorer in the 56th minute when Katie Power struck one over the black spot, Keara Ryan got her 5th in the 58th minute before Aoife Doyle broke through and got her third goal of the day, Katie Power then finished the game with her second point in the 60th minute.

FINAL SCORE:  Piltown 3-15 Clara 0-7

Piltown – Aoife Doyle 3-1, Heather Phelan 0-06 (5 frees), Sophie Holden 0-3, Sinead McCarthy, Katie Power 0-2 each, Aine Doyle 0-1 (1f)

Clara – Keara Ryan 0-5 (4f), Lucy Boyd, Emma Shortall 0-1 each

Piltown – Aoife Norris, Lorraine Long, Kellyann Doyle, Jenni O’Dea, Emer Long, Laura Norris, Emily McCarthy, Aoife Doyle, Katie Power, Aine Doyle, Niamh Culleton, Ellen O’Keeffe, Sophie Holden, Heather Phelan, Sinead McCarthy

Subs – Maire Beth Kirby, Alice Talbot, Chloe Power, Leah Cooney, Edel Long, Nicola Phelan, Ciara Dunne, Lorna O’Shea, Rachel O’Shea, Sarah Norris, Lisa Norris, Chloe Holden, Katelyn Phelan, Sophie Long, Aoife O’Shea, Karen Duggan, Alanna Gallagher

Clara – Aoife Glynn, Tasmin English, Rachel Whelan, Margaret Kehoe, Emma Corr, Laoise Nolan, Grace Barcoe, Rebecca Nolan, Aisling Curtis (Captain), Niamh Byrne, Katie Ryan, Lucy Boyd, Grainne Glynn, Emma Shortall, Keara Ryan

Subs – Aine McDonald, Niamh Ward, Joanne Comerford, Rachel Brickell, Sarah Dunne, Roisin Kealy, Anna Walpole, Aoife Ward, Aoife Treacy, Pia Langton, Maria Shortall