St Canices Credit Union U14 Championship Final
Clara 3-6 Barrow Rangers 0-10
Clara capped an excellent underage season with a hard fought five point win over Barrow Rangers on a very pleasant Saturday morning at the well appointed Kells Road venue. This match brought a very competitive U14A championship to a conclusion and for Clara to come from having won the U14B Summer league and go on to win the U14A championship title confirms that there is serious talent and teamwork in their squad – and the key to this win was an ability to get key goals at crucial moments as well as tenacious defending which meant that despite Barrow Rangers having plenty of possession and territory over the hour, Clara goalkeeper Sarah Mulrooney was not forced to make any saves apart from one close range free in the second half. For Barrow Rangers, this was a final match that didn’t go their way but they have enjoyed an excellent U14A campaign having won the U14A league and made it to the U14A championship final – and their panel is made up of many excellent players who are well capable of winning championships in the years ahead.
A huge following was present from both sides and perhaps this contributed to a cagey opening to this match with both sides showing signs of nervousness on a big occasion for all. Clara did receive a tonic of a start with a goal from Emer O’Callaghan to open the scoring and the following minutes saw both sides trade scores to leave the scoreline at 1-3 to 0-3 by the 15th minute. The exchanges were full of intensity as both sides gave everything to each breaking ball and Clara’s setup with a sweeper protecting the defence meant that the Barrow Rangers attack which had scored freely in most U14A matches this year were unable to open up the Clara rearguard except for limited occasions. Further afield, a further Clara goal in the 21st minute from Emer O’Callaghan saw them stretch the lead to 2-3 to 0-3 and although the excellent Sadhb Tuite landed two frees for Barrow Rangers afterwards, a closing pointed free from Tara Boyd saw Clara enjoy a healthy 2-4 to 0-5 lead at the break.
The second half followed a similar pattern to the first with every ball being hard fought for all over the field and Barrow Rangers exerted initial pressure to reduce the deficit – they had reduced the deficit by one point by the 36th minute although this was poor reward for this initial dominance – and they were rocked moments later when a breakaway Clara attack saw Emer O’Callaghan whip an unstoppable dropping ball to the net after her initial shot was blocked by Barrow Rangers defenders. This third goal from Emer was a critical score as it stretched the lead out to 3-4 to 0-6 – and although Barrow Rangers again pushed to respond, they found the Clara defence very difficult to penetrate and they were very reliant on frees from Sadhb Tuite for scores. Three frees from Sadhb had reduced the deficit to 3-4 to 0-9 by the 43rd minute but the closing quarter saw both defences largely on top and limited scoring chances at either end. For Clara, the final whistle saw them bridge a gap stretching back to 1995 when they last won an U14A title and the celebrations of their players and supporters afterwards showed how much it meant for all involved. For a neutral reporter at the match, a highlight was the sporting embraces of both sets of players afterwards – both teams had given their all and wished each other well regardless of the outcome – this was the essence of good sportsmanship on display in a camogie match, and was a fitting conclusion to a fine contest between two very committed sides.
Clara: Sarah Mulrooney, Ella Carrigan, Roisin Moseley, Ella Croke, Orla O’Keeffe, Laura Fitzgerald, Abbie Carrigan, Lydia Phelan, Tara Boyd, Tilly O’Regan, Jessica Shannon, Grace Scanlon, Katie Shortt, Emer O’Callaghan (3-2, 0-1 free), Pearl Treacy. Subs: Orla Tierney, Anna Galvin, Maeve Hoyne, Mary Kate Curran, Rachel Comerford, Ava Kehoe Hanlon, Grace Mannion, Christina Comerford, Brid Moylan, Louise Moseley, Kate Kennedy.
Barrow Rangers: Emily Maher, Niamh Barcoe, Eve Kavanagh, Sophie Brennan, Lucy Doyle, Sadhb Tuite (0-9, 0-8 frees), Abby Hickey, Grace O’Keeffe, Lily Sweeney, Olivia Troy, Lauren Doyle, Emmie Jacob, Amelia Bolger, Bena Bambrick, Lucy Kavanagh (0-1). Subs: Kayleigh McCullagh, Cliodhna Barcoe, Sophie Bolger, Ruth Comerford, Grainne Brennan, Alisha O’Sullivan, Jessica Maher, Erin Jacob, Blaithin O’Hara, Ruth Dowling, Anya Havlin, Isabelle Nolan, Sarah Byrne, Sophie Byrne, Ellie Corcoran.
Referee: Julian O’Dwyer
By PRO Tue 20th Oct
