CAMOGIE: LITTLEWOODS IRELAND NATIONAL CAMOGIE LEAGUE DIVISION TWO: ROUND 3
Kildare Just Miss Out Despite Outstanding Result Against Westmeath
KILDARE 3-10
WESTMEATH 0-17
By Daire Walsh
IN a frantic finale at the Manguard Plus Kildare Centre of Excellence in Hawkfield on Saturday evening, Deirbhile Byrne and Tanya Johnson produced the goods at either end of the field to give Kildare a two-point victory over Westmeath in Division Two of the National Camogie League.
Deep into stoppage-time, corner-forward Byrne bagged the Lilywhites’ third goal of the game to put them in sight of a second consecutive home victory in their eventful Group Four campaign. There was further drama in the dying moments, when visitors Westmeath were awarded a penalty for a foul on substitute Aisling Egerton.
The evergreen Sheila McGrath stepped forward to take this 20-metre strike, but – for the third game in succession – Johnstownbridge netminder Johnson pulled off a majestic one-on-one save. This kept the Lilies in the ascendancy and they ultimately held out to finish Division Two with two wins and six points to their name.
Despite finishing level with both Westmeath and Meath, this wasn’t enough to secure GT Troy’s charges a spot in the knockout phase of the second-tier. The Royals’ four-point triumph over Dublin – coupled with earlier results in the group – ensured Kildare finished third in the final standings.
Nonetheless, Saturday’s performance can provide great encouragement to the Lilies as they aim to leave a lasting impression on the forthcoming camogie championships.
Westmeath came into this game with two wins from two, but were resolutely second best during the early exchanges. Full-forward Leah Sutton got Kildare up and running with a third-minute free and this was followed shortly afterwards by a point from the experienced Siobhan Hurley at the tail end of a patient move.
While Aoife Doherty subsequently grabbed the Lake County’s first point, the Lilies responded immediately through Ciara Egan. Quick combination play was creating ample opportunities for the Kildare forwards and this was at the heart of their maiden goal in the ninth-minute.
Racing onto a Caoimhe Maher pass, Eire Og ace Emma Kielty found herself bearing down on Westmeath custodian Fiona Keating. Although her first attempt was expertly stopped, Kielty batted the rebound to the net in clinical style.
This moved Kildare into a five-point buffer (1-3 to 0-1) and on course for the victory they craved. Their Midland counterparts are nothing if not resilient, however, and there were quality performers throughout every line of their team.
Having failed to find the target off her first shot, centre-forward Caoimhe McCrossan converted a brace of unanswered frees to settle Westmeath into a more familiar groove. McGrath pointed from play in advance of the first half water break, during which Kildare held a 1-3 to 0-4 advantage.
A resurgent Westmeath were now getting considerable joy in attack, with McCrossan at the centre of their brightest moves. Either side of another McGrath single, she further displayed her dead-ball prowess to squeeze her side in front.
The growing Kildare nerves were eased by a Sutton free from 45 metres, but McCrossan’s latest two-point salvo gave Westmeath the upper hand once again. Still, there was no reason for the Lilywhites to be despondent, especially after Sutton burst through the opposition rearguard to hit an excellent stoppage-time point.
This left the bare minimum between the teams at the break (0-9 to 1-5) and Kildare quickly turned the tide in their favour when the action resumed.
There was just two minutes gone in the second half when Sutton burst the Westmeath net with a powerful penalty strike. This was the ideal way to rein in the challenge of Darren McCormack’s charges, though they did remain a viable threat to Kildare.
A Hurley free was squeezed in between McGrath and Hannah Core points, leaving the hosts just one point to the good in the process. After Kielty and McCrossan traded scores, Emma Broughan and Core found the range to put Westmeath back into the driving seat during the final-quarter.
However, a couple of injury stoppages meant there was more than enough time for Kildare to force the issue. Hurley (free) and Egan put them 2-9 to 0-14 ahead on the stroke of 60 minutes, only for the unerring McCrossan to cancel out their efforts at the opposite end.
Yet, Kildare continued to persevere and got their just rewards in the 66th-minute when St Laurence’s star Byrne lashed onto a loose ball and fired home at a left-hand angle.
McCrossan kept Westmeath in the hunt late on and after Egerton was fouled inside the square, McGrath was presented with a golden opportunity to be the match-winner. She couldn’t find a way past the impenetrable Johnson, though, and Hurley made sure of Kildare’s triumph with an outstanding solo point off a resulting attack.
KILDARE: Tanya Johnson; Caoilfhionn Hallissy, Nicole Malcolmson, Catriona Temple; Ellen Morgan, Niamh Hegarty, Kelly Perkins; Shauna Mulligan, Emer Reilly; Caoimhe Maher, Siobhan Hurley 0-4, 2f, Emma Kielty 1-1; Ciara Egan 0-2, Leah Sutton 1-3, 1-0 pen, 0-2f, Deirbhile Byrne 1-0. Subs: Aoife Stynes for Perkins (half-time), Aoife Fitzgerald for Mulligan (61).
WESTMEATH: Fiona Keating; Laura Doherty, Emily McCabe, Dearbhil McLoughlin; Amy Cully, Fiona Leavy, Megan Ennis; Muireann Scally, Meadbh McLoughlin; Emma Broughan 0-1, Caoimhe McCrossan 0-10, 10f, Aoife Doherty 0-1; Jade McKeogh, Sheila McGrath 0-3, Hannah Core 0-2. Subs: Aoife Boyle for McKeogh (half-time), Aisling Egerton for M McLoughlin, Shannon Dalton for Broughan (both 62).
REFEREE: Kevin O’Brien (Limerick).