Cork Camogie: Courcey Rovers off to a flier against Blackrock
Courcey Rovers' Saoirse McCarthy clears the ball downfield last season. Picture: David Creedon
Courcey Rovers got their SE Systems Cork senior camogie championship campaign off to a winning start at Shamrocks on Thursday night.
They were the better side, led by their Cork star Saoirse McCarthy, but this was a top-class team showing, with the likes of their former Cork players Fiona Keating and Linda Collins to the fore.
Defensively Grainne Hannon and Aisling O’Reilly played their part.
Blackrock, last year's semi-finalists, will be disappointed with their overall display but know they are capable of performing far better. Their Cork player, Hayley Ryan, battled from start to finish as she always does, with Katelyn Hickey another to impress.
Despite conceding twice, Anna Kearney also did her bit as she stopped at least two more and her restarts were top quality.
Keating got the first score with Aine O’Donoghue adding a second for the winners. Ryan got the Rockies off the mark from a free, with Jacinta Crowley responding for Courceys, also from a free.
Ryan was on target again, with Keating getting her second, to make it 0-4 to 0-2 after 13 minutes. Cliona O’Callaghan and Kate O’Sullivan pointed for the Rockies to level it, before Crowley put Courceys back in front.
A free from McCarthy made it 0-6 to 0-4, before we had the first goal. A quick free from McCarthy was pulled on by Linda Collins, giving Kearney no chance of saving.
Juliet O’Keeffe pulled a point back for Rockies, before Courceys got their second goal.
McCarthy picked up the ball, and just like she did against Galway in the All-Ireland final, she drove at the defence. She beat several defenders to find the back of the net, to make it 2-7 to 0-5 and from here it was an uphill battle for Blackrock.
Ann Marie Collins added a point, before Ryan responded for Blackrock. McCarthy pointed a free before Blackrock got their goal. A quick free from Ryan found O’Callaghan and she found the top corner to make it 2-8 to 1-6 at half time.
Like the first half, Keating got the opening score of the second, with Ryan replying from another free for Blackrock.
McCarthy and Collins added points for Courceys, before Kearney denied Keating what looked like was going to be their third goal.
Crowley and Ryan exchanged frees, as Courceys led by 2-12 to 1-8 after 46 minutes.
Collins was on target again, before Kearney denied her a goal. McCarthy and Ryan exchanged frees, with Collins and Crowley scoring late on for Courceys as they ran out deserving winners.
S McCarthy 1-4 (0-4 f), L Collins 1-3, J Crowley 0-4 (0-1 f), F Keating 0-3, A O’Donoghue, AM Collins 0-1 each.
H Ryan 0-6 f, C O'Callaghan 1-1, K O’Sullivan, J O’Keeffe 0-1 each.
K Crowley; G O’Reilly, A O’Reilly, G Hannon; A Moloney, O O’Mahony, J Helbrow; S McCarthy, E Maguire; F Keating, J Crowley, AM Collins; A O’Donoghue, L Collins, D O’Reilly.
C Foley for AM Collins (51).
A Kearney; K Lyons, M Ryan, M Cashman; A Hegarty, K Hickey, O Grimley; J O’Keeffe, M Kennedy; M Coffey, H Ryan, S McCarthy; K O’Sullivan, C O’Callaghan, M Murphy.
E Curtin for J O’Keeffe, A O’Farrell for S McCarthy, J Murphy for M Coffey (all ht).
John Horgan, Gleann na Laoi.
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