Our Lady's fall agonisingly short in All-Ireland final loss to Galway opposition
Our Lady's Templemore were defeated by Portumna Community School on Saturday
Allianz Lily Spence Cup Senior C Camogie Schools Final
Our Lady’s Templemore 0-8
Portumna Community School 1-11
Our Lady’s Templemore came up short in an intense battle at MacDonagh Park, Nenagh last Saturday, falling at the final hurdle to Galway’s Portumna Community School in the Allianz Lily Spence Cup final.
This was a largely, closely fought contest for the majority but the main difference in the end result was the influence of super-sub Neisha Scott, who scored 1-1 in her 15 minutes on the field for the Galway school to finally take the game away from Our Lady’s Templemore late on.
That goal came in the 58th minute of the contest but up until that point, there was nothing to separate the sides with the teams deadlocked at 0-8 all with seven or eight minute of the game left to play, but the Galway school just about made better use of the breeze in the second half to find the scores they needed to win the title.
Our Lady’s will acknowledge the chances left behind them during the first half when the had the elements at their back, as they never truly made the most of their time on top, going in ahead at the break but it could and should have been more after the got the game off to a bright star.
Ciara Cahill set her team off and running straight from the throw-in, gathering the ball after an initial scrap for the ball and setting off on a powerful run before firing over a terrific effort from range.
Playing with that breeze in the first half, Cahill repeated that early score in the fifth minute, again ghosting away from a few Portumna markers to finish well on the run as the Tipp school took an early 0-2 lead, settling them well into the game.
Cahill was hugely prominent in the first half and had numerous chances to get scores on the board early from frees to add to her scores from play, but the swirling wind made it difficult to judge her efforts in that time.
Katie Lawless had a little more joy with her efforts and had Portumna on the board after seven minutes after Caithlyn Treacy was penalised for overcarrying the ball and it was yet another Lawless free from close range after 20 minutes that levelled the game at 0-2 apiece.
The wet and windy conditions were difficult for the players it must be said, so the scrappy nature of the game made the low scoring easy to explain at that stage, but despite a flurry of wides scuppering their use of the wind, Our Lady’s did manage to head in at the break in front with Caithlyn Treacy and Ciara Cahill pointing frees to give them a slender 0-4 to 0-3 advantage ahead of the second period.
Mercifully, the rain ceased for the second half resumption and Templemore had a glorious chance to goal within three minutes when a long ball into the square from Caithlyn Treacy found its way to Michelle Lee, and with the goal at her mercy, she blazed over the bar with the goal with the onrushing Portumna goalie just doing enough to put the Templemore attacker off as she pulled the trigger.
The fast start to the second half continued thereafter for Our Lady’s with Ciara Cahill converting a close-range free that she won by herself, and when Cahill added another from a free in the 41st minute, it gave her side a 0-7 to 0-3 lead.
Nessa Bloomer responded to Cahill’s frees well soon after, firing over a classy effort on the run and when the dangerous Bloomer won a converted free for Katie Lawless, and a first score for Emma Callana following suit just a minute later, the deficit was reduced to one point with the final quarter to come; the game now on a knife-edge.
Portumna were now in the ascendancy and on the stroke of the 45-minute mark, Lawless had again converted from a placed ball to make it 0-7 apiece, and with Neisha Scott introduced, the game would slowly drift away from the Templemore school from that point.
Scott was on the field just two minutes when she fired over a class point on the run in the 47th minute, but after a brief pause of play due to an injury, it allowed Our Lady’s to re-group and fins the equalising score - again from a Ciara Cahill free - to leave it deadlocked at 0-8 each with just over ten minutes to go.
Katie Lawless was a standout all game long for Portumna and when she got her first score from play in the 55th minute to regain the lead for the Galway girls, they never looked back as they finished strongly with an unanswered 1-2 with Neisha Scott finding the back of the net two minutes from time.
That goal signalled the end of the contest for Our Lady’s who battled valiantly all game long, and they will look back at the missed chances in the first half as their eventual downfall but they can be immensely proud of their efforts this year despite the final defeat.
Our Lady’s Templemore: Anna Cribbin; Orfhlaith Bergin, Mary Breslin, Caroline Johnston; Aoibhe Matthews, Caithlyn Treacy (0-1f), Kate Nevin; Julie Grey, Stephanie Treacy; Bríd Delaney, Michelle Lee (0-1), Ciara Cahill (0-6, 0-4f); Laurie Mullen, Annie Phelan, Emily Ryan.
Portumna CS: Leah Horan; Ailbhe Kenny, Roisin Power, Zoe O’Brien; Tara Kelly, Emma Kennedy, Makayla Malone; Eve Kennedy, Katie Lawless (0-6, 0-5f); Addyson Darcy, Kate O’Sullivan (0-1), Cara O’Brien; Samantha Hogan, Nessa Bloomer (0-1), Emma Callanan (0-2).
Subs used: Neisha Scott (1-1) for Hogan (46).
Referee: Kieran Dooley (Offaly)