The Cats showed their teeth to book their quarter final spot and a return to Croke Park
Glen Dimplex Senior All Ireland Championship 4th Round
Kilkenny 4-14
Clare 1-8
By Aoife Lanigan, PRO
Kilkenny secured their place in the Quarter Finals of the Glen Dimplex All Ireland Senior Championship after they cruised to a home win over Clare last Saturday in UPMC Nowlan Park
Despite being a battle of the unbeaten sides the teams took time to find their scoring from. The game was eight minutes old before Clare substitute Caoimhe Carmody, an early replacement for Danielle Griffin, struck the opening point
Sixty seconds later, Kilkenny struck for the first goal with Sarah Barcoe getting onto a pass from Steffi Fitzgerald and blasting the ball to the net
Fitzgerald slotted over a point & Kilkenny lead by three on a 1-1 to 0-1 scoreline. The Banner responded immediately with an Andrea O’Keeffe delivery into the square met by Roisin Begley, flicking the sliotar into the Kilkenny net levelling the game for the one and only time
GREAT SAVE
Aoife Prendergast then converted a 45’ after Clare’s goalkeeper Doireann Murphy made a great save from Barcoe’s goal bound goal
In the eighteenth minute, Aoife Prendergast hit a shot towards the O’Loughlin Gaels end. Steffi Fitzgerald made an amazing double on the ball in the air and it flew into the back of the net.
Fitzgerald followed this with a white flag, the Kilkenny lead was back to five points. However, Clare showed character and hit three unanswered points – a fine Ziyan Spillane score from play, a converted Roisin Begley free and a long range Clare Hehir free
Kilkenny then hit the closing two points of the half, from Caoimhe Keher Murtagh & Sarah Barcoe, as the teams headed to the dressing rooms, with Kilkenny leading by four points (2-5 to 1-4)
On the resumption of play, the visitors stormed out of the blocks and fired over the first two scores inside the opening three minutes – suddenly the gap was down to just two
Kilkenny steadied the ship though and from there to the finish it was all the home side.
Taking complete ownership of the contest with six unanswered points, five of them from play (Sarah Barcoe, Aoife Prendergast (f), Laura Greene (2), Claire Doheny & Emma Shortall) with only a Roisin Begley free in reply, the Cats lead stood at seven by the end of the third quarter on a 2-11 to 1-7 scoreline
Any notions of a Banner fightback was ended soon after with substitute Katie Nolan needing just thirty seconds after her introduction to blast to the net, this coming after a Laura Greene’s point attempt cannoned off the upright and fell to Nolan
Roisin Begley slotted over the Banner’s last score from a placed ball in the 52nd minute before Kilkenny then hit 1-3 unanswered – the goal coming from Steffi Fitzgerald and points from Laura Greene, Laura Murphy (f) and substitute Emma Mulhall, winning out on a score of 4-14 to 1-8, to make it four wins out of four for the in form Cats
Kilkenny now head to Chadwick Wexford Park on Saturday to face Wexford in the last Group game for a 3.30pm start with the All Ireland Quarter Final taking place a week later
Scorers – Kilkenny – Steffi Fitzgerald 2-2, Sarah Barcoe 1-2, Laura Greene 0-3, Kate Nolan 1-0, Aoife Prendergast 0-2 (2f), Laura Murphy 0-1 (f), Caoimhe Keher Murtagh, Emma Shortall, Claire Doheny, Emma Mulhall 0-1 each
Clare – Roisin Begley 1-3 (3f), Caoimhe Carmody 0-2, Clare Hehir 0-1 (f), Ziyan Spillane, Roisin McMahon 0-1 each
Kilkenny: Aoife Norris, Ava Brett, Tiffanie Fitzgerald, Caoimhe Dowling (Captain), Angela Carroll, Niamh Deely, Laura Murphy, Laura Greene, Rachel Dowling, Aoife Prendergast, Caoimhe Keher Murtagh, Asha McHardy, Emma Shortall, Steffi Fitzgerald, Sarah Barcoe
Subs – Claire Doheny for Rachel Dowling, Katie Nolan for Aoife Prendergast, Aisling O’Sullivan for Asha McHardy, Emma Mulhall for Emma Shortall, Miriam Bamrick for Caoimhe Dowling, Ellen Gunner, Maria Brennan, Laura Phelan, Emily Smith, Rachel Phelan, Sofia Kerr, Ciara Dunne, Leah Brett, Ciara O’Shea, Una Duggan
Clare: Doireann Murphy, Muireann Scanlon, Sinead O’Keeffe, Niamh Mulqueen, Lynda Daly, Abby Walsh, Clare Hehir, Roisin McMahon, Danielle Griffin, Jennifer Daly, Andrea O’Keeffe, Aoife Anderson, Clare McNamara, Roisin Begley, Ziyan Spillane
Subs – Caoimhe Carmody for Danielle Griffin (inj), Ellen Casey for Jennifer Daly, Aine O’Loughlin for Clare McNamara, Aisling Cooney for Ziyan Spillane, Laoise Ryan for Roisin McMahon, Sophie Cullen, Ciara Grogan, Michelle Powell, Meave Millea, Susan Daly, Aoibhin McNamara, Cliodhna Queally, Caoimhe Lally, Caoimhe Ryan, Lorna McNamara
Referee: Cathal McAllister, Cork
By PRO Sun 28th Jun
