Kilkenny hockey Firsts return to winning ways

The Kilkenny Ladies 1s were back on home soil on Saturday when they faced Portrane Ladies in Division 1 of the Leinster League.

Having drawn their previous two games, the Cats were keen to come away with all three points from the fixture. Spurred on by the home crowd, Danny Mulligan’s side hit the ground running from the first whistle, with Ally Carter and Sara Browne making a threatening run goalwards.

Before long, the black and amber ladies managed to win themselves a penalty corner after a bad stick tackle in the circle.

Anna May Harte’s straight strike sailed into the bottom right corner of the Portrane net to give Kilkenny an early lead.

The Cats continued to dominate the game for the remainder of the opening quarter, and it wasn’t long before they bagged their second goal of the game.

A slick series of passing between Gemma O’Dwyer, Paula Farrell and Clair Phelan saw the ball transfer from the left wing to the ring wing in seconds, with Phelan sweeping a perfect pass to Anna May Harte in the opposition circle.

Harte carried the ball along the end line before picking out sharp-shooter Poppy Williams at the penalty spot.

A reverse strike from Williams rattled the back of the net and the home side were two goals to the good at the end of the first quarter.

As the half time break approached, the Dublin side made a surge up the field.

A scramble in the Kilkenny circle saw the ball fall to a Portrane attacker who tucked it into the net, and there was only a single goal separating the sides at the break.

The Cats took back control of the game in the second half and Danny Mulligan’s side looked full value for the win.

Sarah Richardson, Ciara Mahon and Kate Crotty combined well together high up the pitch and Crotty drifted into space in the circle just after the half time whistle.

Portrane made several attempts in the second half to penetrate the Kilkenny defensive line, but the Cats were well organised and cleared away any potentially dangerous attacks.

Goalkeeper Jess Cary was also called into action on more than one occasion, but Cary’s experience shone through as she kept a vital second half clean sheet.

A superb team performance saw the Cats run out as eventual winners on a scoreline of 2-1.

Kilkenny will be hoping to keep their winning streak going next weekend when they host Dublin side Clontarf on Saturday in Kilkenny College at 2pm.

Kilkenny 1s: Paula Farrell (C), Clair Phelan (VC), Jess Cary, Niamh Spratt O’Shea, Sara Browne, Sarah Richardson, Ciara Mahon, Sam Willis, Anna May Harte, Gemma O’Dwyer, Kate Crotty, Ally Carter, Cliodhna O’Connor, Laura O’Neill, Sue Shirley, Poppy Williams.

Coach / Manager: Danny Mulligan / Jenny Wallace.