| Taken
from Newry Democrate
The Down
minor camogs received a massive culture shock
in their All Ireland semi-final.
At Ballyholland’s Father Lynch Park, the red and
black shirted girls were out-played and out-classed
- though never out-fought - by a vastly superior
Kilkenny side.
Then scoreboard in the end spoke volumes 8-11
to 1-02.
That’s not to say however, that the Down girls,
in any manner or form threw in the towel. In fact
they gave all that was humanly possible. But they
were up against a classy team from the home of
hurling and camogie. Those Kilkenny Cats were
just too strong in every department, with Down,
for the best part of the game, under severe pressure.
Though amazingly the Mourne girls raced into a
fourth minute lead when Ciara McPolin shot low
into the back of the Cats’ nets, via the woodwork.
But Ciara’s joy was short-lived, as less than
a minute after scoring, the full forward received
a nasty leg injury that ended her match. Ciara
did continue for about five minutes but the pain
was just too much for her to stay on the park.
Meanwhile Down held a two point lead until the
ninth minute when Laura Kavanagh, sister of the
Kilkenny hurling star, Michael, shot into the
Down net to give the visitors a 1-01 to 1-0 lead.
And after that Kilkenny ruled the roost, in fact
adding four more goals before the break, through
Kavanagh (again), Ann Dalton and a couple from
Ann Marie Phelan.
They also fired over six points via Lucinda Gahan
(3) Dalton (2) and Colette Dorimer.
But near the end of the first half Sara Louise
Carr pointed twice.
Though that was as good as it got for Down and
in fact they didn’t score at all in the second
period.
While Kilkenny added three more goals –from Lorna
Fennelly, Phelan and Dorimer and further points
from Gahan (2), Phelan, Dalton and Dorimer.
Down lost, yes they lost heavily, but manager
Kitty Fegan can still take some positives from
the match, in particular the performances from
skipper Sara Louise Carr, from corner back Marlene
Collins, from centre half back Grainne O’Higgins,
from left half Carol Ann Sloan and from gritty
midfielder Karen Tinnelly.
Down team: Joanne Sloan, Corinna Cunningham, Marlene
Collins, Suzanne Campbell, Helen McAteer, Grainne
O’Higgins, Carol Anne Sloan, Karen Tinnelly, Claire
Quinn, Joanne Fitzpatrick, Sara Louise Carr, Lisa
Hughes, Claire Malone, Ciara McPolin and Aoibheann
O’Neill with subs: Nicole Curran, Sara Farnon
and Ratchel O’Reilly.
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