Cork one win away from camogie league final after beating Clare
Cork's Rachel Harty shoots from Clare's Niamh Mulqueen during the Very Camogie League Division 1A tie at Páirc Uí Rinn. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
Cork got back to winning ways against Clare in their Very Camogie Division 1 clash at Páirc Ui Rinn.
It now means it's a straight shoot-out between the Rebels and Galway next Saturday to see who reaches the Very Division 1 League final. Cork, Galway, and Tipperary are now all on nine points with one round to go. So the winners will go through to the league decider where they will most likely face Tipperary, who take on Clare in their final game.
The Rebels lost to Tipperary two weeks ago and from the off, they took the game to Clare, Hannah Looney, Laura Hayes, Katrina Mackey, and Saoirse McCarthy leading by example.
Despite dominating early on Cork weren’t converting that domination to scores, with three wides in the first five minutes. The wind was in their favour but it was swirling and at times difficult to judge
Saoirse McCarthy got Cork off the mark in the seventh minute from a free, judging the wind to perfection having learned from one she missed earlier. Two minutes later she doubled Cork’s lead, from another free, as Clare had yet to get anywhere near the Cork goal.
Cork went further ahead when Amy O’Connor pointed from another free as the pressure was telling on the Clare defence. With 12 minutes played it was 0-4 to no score when Laura Hayes set up Fiona Keating for Cork’s first point from play.
Clare’s first real chance came after 17 minutes as Ciara Grogan pointed from a free as the Rebels were still in control and totally dominating possession. Another long-range point from out near the sideline by McCarthy stretched Cork’s lead to four points. With 29 minutes gone O’Connor pointed from a 45 to make it 0-6 to 0-1.
That proved to be their lead at half-time as Cork controlled the game but won’t have been happy with their scoring conversion. They had eight wides in the first 30 minutes and only one point from play.
Cork’s best move of the game came after 34 minutes when Aoife Healy played the ball to Katrina Mackey. She turned and beat several players before playing Hannah Looney in to find the back of the net, to make it 1-6 to 0-1. Caoimhe Cahill pulled a point back for Clare before two points from Sorcha McCartan, who came on after halftime, made it 1-8 to 0-2.
With 41 minutes gone, Clare raised a green flag when a long ball in by Hannah Mai Neylon was deflected into the net by Aine O’Loughlin to put Clare back into contention. But Cork responded well with points from McCarthy and O’Connor to make it 1-10 to 1-2 after 44 minutes.
Grogan pointed from another free for the visitors but despite playing against the wind Cork were still enjoying the better of the possession.
McCarthy and Keating increased Cork’s lead with Grogan replying for Clare. McCarthy and Mackey kept Cork in control as they ran out deserving winners and now move on to the Galway game still in contention to make the league final.
S McCarthy 0-5 (0-3 f), A O’Connor 0-4 (0-3 f, 0-1 45), S McCartan 0-3, H Looney 1-0, F Keating 0-2, K Mackey 0-1.
C Grogan 0-4 f, A O'Loughlin 1-0, C Cahill, Zi Yan Spillane 0-1 each.
A Lee; M Murphy, L Coppinger, G Cahalane; I O’Regan, L Treacy, L Hayes; H Looney, A Healy; S McCarthy, R Harty, F Keating; A O’Connor, K Mackey, O Cahalane.
S McCartan for O Cahalane (h-t), C Healy for R Harty (40), H Ryan for A O’Connor, A Thompson for A Healy, M Cahalane for L Hayes, O Mullins for H Looney (all 47), N O’Callaghan for L Coppinger (57).
R Daly; C Lally, A Walsh, M Scanlon; L Daly, E Casey, S Daly; N Mulqueen, C Grogan; C Carmody, C Cahill, A Anderson; J Daly A O’Loughlin, HM Neylon.
Zi Yan Spillane for J Daly, L O’Donnell for A Anderson (both 37), L Ryan for S Daly, G Carmody for HM Neylon (both 52).
Liz Dempsey (Kilkenny).
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