Four first half goals laid the foundations for St Vincents to secure their place in next weeks Leinster Camogie Senior Club final
St. Vincents 5-11
Thomastown 1-11
An excellent first half performance which yielded four goals paved the way for St Vincents to secure a place in next weekends Leinster Camogie Senior club championship final.
On a dull and gloomy day weather wise in Marino, St Vincents brought plenty of shine to proceedings on the pitch with a osparkling display of intensity, disciplined defending and creative attacking.
Kilkenny club champions Thomastown had no answer to St Vincents goal threat with Aisling Maher proving a particular thorn in their side with the Vinnies forward finishing with an impressive 2-09.
Vincents started the game brightly and Niamh Hetherton grabbed the first score of the game with a fine point. Seconds later and the Marino girls grabbed their first goal of the semi final, Vincents won the puck out and worked the ball to the right, the ball was flicked inside to Ali Maguire in front of goal and she made no mistake and clinically finished to the net.
Thomastown though hit back in style with five unanswered points to take the lead, two from Eva Hynes and Eimer Farrell and one from Niamh Donnelly.
Thirteen minutes in and Ava Lambe drew the sides level with an excellent point from play and St Vincents retook the lead two minutes later with a converted free from Aisling Maher.
Vincent’s were awarded another free in the nineteenth minute about thirty yards out from the Thomastown goal, Maher stepped up to take it, everyone expected the Vincents forward to slot the ball over the bar but Maher had other ideas and despite three Thomastown players on the goal line, Maher hit a rocket of a shot into the top left hand corner of the net for the games second goal.
St Vincents went on to dominate the remainder of the half, Maher tagged on two further points, one play, the other from a free to extend the lead to six points.
In the final minute of the first half St Vincents played the ball out to the right wing, Anna Sullivan won possession, she offloaded to Ali Maguire who slipped the ball inside to the onrushing Muireann Kelleher who finished to the net.
Seconds later Aisling Maher gathered a high ball on the right and released Niamh Hetherton in on goal and the half forward blasted the ball to net for Vincents fourth goal of half.
There was just enough time for one more score before the half time break with Eva Hynes converting a free for Thomastown to leave the score at the break 4-05 to 0-06.
Thomastown started the second half on the front foot and a converted Eva Hynes free shortly after the restart reduced the deficit to ten.
Both sides then really got stuck in with no quarter given and the physical approach from both teams led to the concession of eight consecutive frees, four for each side which their respective free takers Eva Hynes and Aisling Maher dispatched, including a monster of free from Maher from inside her own half.
Eight minutes from time Thomastown were given a glimmer of hope of an unlikely comeback when Eva Hynes just like Maher had done in the first half found the top left hand corner of the net from a free.
But that hope was quickly extinguished with two points in a matter of seconds from Maher, one from a free and the other a sublime point from the right wing.
Three minutes into injury time Eva Hynes scored her seventh pointed free of the game but it was fitting that the last score of the game would fall to St Vincents and their star player with Aisling Maher racing clear and finishing to the net to bring the curtain down on a fine individual and team performance and Vincents can look forward to a Leinster Camogie Senior club final next weekend against either Wexford’s Oulart-The Ballagh or Offaly’s Birr.
St. Vincents Scorers:
14. Aisling Maher 2-09 (1-07f)
10. Niamh Hetherton 1-01
17. Alison Maguire 1-00
15. Muireann Kelleher 1-00
11. Ava Lambe 0-01
Thomastown Scorers:
10. Eva Hynes 1-08 (1-07f)
11. Eimer Farrell 0-02
12. Niamh Donnelly 0-01
St. Vincents
1. Dara Cooke
2. Ciara O’Leary
19. Anna Sullivan
4. Lora Smith
5. Ellen McGovern
6. Grainne Quinn
7. Eva Marie Elliot
8. Aine Woods
9. Danielle Smith
10. Niamh Hetherton
11. Ava Lambe
12. Claire Donnelly
17. Alison Maguire
14. Aisling Maher
15. Muireann Kelleher
St. Vincents Substitutions
22. Grace Gilroy for 17. Alison Maguire (50)
24. Shauna McBride for 7. Eva Marie Elliot (59)
18. Róisín Drohan for 12. Claire Donnelly (65)
Thomastown:
1. Kate McDonald
2. Lisa Donnelly
3. Sally Teehan
4. Sarah Hudson
5. Roisin O’Keeffe
6. Sinead O’Keeffe
7. Joanne Fitzpatrick
8. Jenny Reddy
9. Sarah Walsh
10. Eva Hynes
11. Eimer Farrell
12. Niamh Donnelly
13. Sarah Barcoe
14. Anna Farrell
15. Therese Donnelly
Thomastown Substitutions
23. Orla O’Keeffe for 2. Lisa Donnelly (Blood Sub 20-23)
Referee: Ray Kelly