St Finbarr's will defend camogie title after late flourish against Sarsfields
St Finbarr's ace shooter Sorcha McCartan nailed 0-8 against Sars. Picture: Noel Sweeney
Defending champions St Finbarr’s are through to the SE Systems Senior Camogie final after a hard-fought win over Sarsfields at MTU on Sunday.
This was always going to be a close affair with the game level 13 times over the hour, before two late points from the title holders saw them advance to the final. They will face Blackrock in two weeks.
Both sides had some impressive displays with Ava Fitzgerald, named at corner-forward, but dropped deep in a sweeper role for most of the game.
This helped to quell some of the Barrs threat. In the end, the quality Sorcha McCartan, Orlaith Cahalane, Nicole Olden and Kate Wall, just back from Australia, told. Add in experienced heads like Gemma O’Connor and Meabh Cahalane at the back and they just had about enough to come through.
Orlaith Cahalane opened the scoring for the Barrs in the first minute, with Rachel Roche replying for Sars from the restart.
Sorcha McCartan got off the mark six minutes in, with Roche on target again to make it 0-2 each after eight minutes.
Ava Fitzgerald put Sars in front for the first time from the restart, with McCartan scoring to level it for the third time.
Cliona Lynch was on target for Sars, with McCartan replying as neither side could get away from the other.
Cahalane and McCartan scored for the Barrs, to make it 0-6 to 0-4 after 19 minutes. Again, Sars replied with Lynch and Lucy Kelly scoring to level it for the fifth time, 0-6 each.
A free from McCartan was followed by a point from Nicole Olden as the Barrs pushed two ahead again.
Kate Fennelly made it a one point game, before Cahalane scored to make it 0-9 to 0-7 in the Barrs' favour.
With the last shot of the first half Orlaith Mullins scored for Sars to put only one between them at the break and all to play for in the second half, 0-9 to 0-8.
Wall put two between the sides, before three frees from Lynch made it 0-11 to 0-10 in Sars favour.
McCartan equalised, with another Lynch free making it 0-12 to 0-11 after 44 minutes. McCartan had the sides level again, before Kelly put Sars back in front.
Points from Olden and Wall made it 0-14 to 0-13 to the Barrs, but Sars hit back through Mullins and Kelly to lead again.
Cahalane and Wall pointed for the Barrs, before a Lynch free had them level for the 13th time.
But late points from McCartan and Wall secured the win for Barrs as they reach their third title in a row.
S McCartan 0-8 (0-3 f), O Cahalane, K Wall 0-4 each, N Olden 0-2.
C Lynch 0-7 (0-5 f), L Kelly 0-3, R Roche, O Mullins 0-2 each, A Fitzgerald, K Fennessy 0-1 each.
C Hurley; S Punch, A Egan, K Cahalane; M Cahalane, G O’Connor, A O’Neill; L O’Donovan, A Shannon; N Olden, E Wigginton Barrett, K Wall; E Hurley, O Cahalane, S McCartan.
C Golden for E Wigginton Barrett (h-t), A Byrne for E Hurley (40).
M Lynch; E Murphy, K Barry, E Casey; C O’Donovan, L Dunlea, O McAllen; C Lynch, R Roche; L Allen, L Kelly, O Mullins; K Fennessy, M McCarthy, A Fitzgerald.
C Mullins for K Fennessy (h-t), C Casey for M McCarthy (39), T Elliott for E Murphy (60 inj).
Bernard Kiernan, Newtownshandrum.
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