St Catherine’s book their place in the SE Systems Cork Senior Camogie Championship final

Méabh Fitzgerald, St Catherine's, is chased by Katie McCarthy, Éire Óg, in the SE Systems Cork Camogie Senior Championship semi-final at Castle Road. Picture: Larry Cummins
St Catherine’s have booked their place in the decider of the SE Systems Cork Senior Camogie Championship, as they defeated Éire Óg in the second semi-final, before a sizeable attendance at Castle Road.
St Catherine’s have earned themselves a meeting with defending champions St Finbarr’s on October 12th.
Scoring opportunities were at a premium for St Catherine’s in the opening quarter while Éire Óg played a more open game.
The Imokilly side got the decisive goal within two minutes of the start of the second half, where they restricted Éire Óg to five points.
St Catherine’s Orla Cotter and Éire Óg’s Clara Murphy exchanged pointed frees, before Fiona Twohig got the game’s first score from play for the Muskerry side.
Persistent fouling was proving to be costly for Éire Óg as Cotter converted her second free.
Twohig and Clara Murphy slotted over two unanswered points from play for Éire Óg to give their side a lead of 0-4 to 0-2.

The tide turned in favour of St Catherine’s, who were aided by the elements in the opening half.
Méabh Fitzgerald and Ally Mulkerrins got the Imokilly side’s first two points from play, to level matters at four points apiece.
St Catherine’s had the Muskerry side pinned back for most of the second quarter as two points, including a free by Cotter and a point by Aoife Hurley gave them a lead of 0-7 to 0-4.
Eire Óg responded with a point by Ciara O’Brien, followed by a pointed free by Clara Murphy.
Cotter pointed her fourth free deep into stoppage time at the end of the first half.
This left the Imokilly side leading 0-8 to 0-6 at the break.
St Catherine’s put the game beyond Éire Óg’s reach within two minutes of the restart as Mulkerrins set up Hurley for the game’s opening goal. Cotter slotted over her fifth pointed free to stretch the margin to 1-9 to 0-6, before Órlaith Cremin responded with a point from play.
Cotter converted the game’s only 45 for St Catherine’s, before Isobel Sheehan replied with a pointed free.
Clara Murphy and Hurley exchanged points from play and this was followed by Isobel Sheehan’s second pointed free for Éire Óg.
In the final quarter, St Catherine’s outscored the Muskerry side by four points to one, with Erin Healy getting the Muskerry side’s only point of this period.
Niamh O’Regan got two points and Fitzgerald also added one. Cotter converted her sixth free, three minutes into stoppage time.
O Cotter 0-8 (0-6f, 0-1 45); A Hurley 1-2; N O’Regan, M Fitzgerald 0-2 each; A Mulkerrins 0-1.
C Murphy 0-4 (0-2f); I Sheehan 0-2f; F Twohig 0-2; C O’Brien, Ó Cremin, E Healy 0-1 each.
Y O’Neill; F Sheehan, C Motherway, M Murphy; C Hayes, L Hayes, F Neville; E O’Brien, M O’Keeffe; N O’Regan, O Cotter, T Murphy; M Fitzgerald, A Mulkerrins, A Hurley.
C Galvin for Mulkerrins (56, inj), L Kenneally for F Sheehan (60+).
M Gleeson; K McCarthy, F Murphy, E McGrath; E Quigley, I Sheehan, A Whelton; A McGrath, R Murphy; C Murphy, Ó Cremin, F Twohig; R Sheehan, E Sheehan, E Healy .
C O’Brien for E Sheehan (24, inj), E McGrath for R Sheehan (42), A Hennessy for F Murphy (48).
Andrew Larkin (Ballygarvan).