Impressive Loreto seal Leinster senior camogie spoils

Loreto Kilkenny claimed their fourth Leinster senior colleges title on the trot when securing a 13-point victory over Loreto Wexford in Bunclody last Saturday afternoon.

The Kilkenny side were involved in a tightly fought opening half but Holly Ryan’s goal on the cusp of the half-time whistle gave the team from the Marble City a big advantage and it was plain sailing from then on as they put up a big score at their opponents expense.

The start of the contest which saw the teams share the first four points gave hope to a final going to the wire with Wexford efforts from Ciara Whelan being cancelled out by Anna Doheny and Aoife Shealy.

Both of the Wexford points came from frees and that largely summed up their day as they failed to score at all from play and only scored once more after the opening two points.

Shealy, Doheny and Holly Ryan quickly pushed the Kilkenny side into a 0-5 to 0-2 lead before the only goal of the game arrived.

Ryan initially had a shot well saved by Wexford’s Sinead Cullen but after Ciara Dunne picked up the loose ball and fed Ryan once again, the dangerous forward made no mistake in shooting to the net at the second time of asking.

The task facing Loreto Wexford when staring into a six point half-time deficit looked a stiff one and when Anna Doheny quickly added on two further points to make it 1-7 to 0-2, the result looked to be academic. Loreto Kilkenny would go on to outscore their namesake 0-8 to 0-1 in total over the second half period although the Wexford side did play the last 20 minutes with a woman less after Éirinn O’Brien was give a second yellow card.

The winners also had the luxury of introducing Ona Kennedy off the bench and although she was only on the field just over 10 minutes, she still managed to add four points to her tally as she took up free-taking duties.

Loreto Wexford’s third point eventually arrived with three minutes remaining via a Ciara Whelan placed ball but with Kennedy and Doheny soon ending the Kilkenny tally, Loreto had safely secured their place in the All-Ireland Semi-Final.

A date with the Munster champions early next month now awaits the Kilkenny side and in this type of form, they will be a very difficult side to overcome.

Loreto Kilkenny - Ella Walton; Sarah Keher, Angela Carroll, Eva Tynan; Ellen Murphy, Anna Doheny ( 0-6 frees), Emily Smith; Louisa Gilmore, Sarah Kehoe; Sian Bolger, Shauna Mahony, Holly Ryan (1-1); Ciara Delaney, Ciara Dunne, Aoife Shealy (0-2).

Subs: Eleanor Doheny for Delaney (HT), Ona Kennedy (0-4, 0-3 frees) for Bolger (47 mins), Jessica Smith for Tynan (52 mins), Aoibhin Deegan for Shealy (56 mins), Sinéad Carroll for Dunne (56 mins).

Loreto Wexford - Sinéad Cullen; Aifric Cashe, Leagh Maddock, Grace O’Connor; Éirinn O’Brien, Layla Stafford, Anna Roche; Mollie Quirke, Emma O’Leary; Ciara Whelan (0-3 frees), Chloe Whelan, Rachel Cullen; Isabelle Carty, Molly Moran, Ellen O’Leary.

Subs: Lauryn Murphy for Carty (54 mins), Lilly Murray for Ellen O’Leary (58 mins).

Referee - Shane Foley (Carlow).