DIVISION 1

Cork 0-12
Wexford 1-7

CORK RETAINED THEIR Camogie League Division 1 title with a deserved victory over new-look Wexford at Nowlan Park this afternoon.

While the Rebelettes will be without Gemma O’Connor for the season due to Army duties, it was very strange to see Wexford lining out minus the services of Catherine O’Loughlin, Claire O’Connor and Una Leacy.

It was a repeat of last year’s final but the flow was different. On this occasion, it was Cork having a strong opening period and Wexford attempting to reel them in after the resumption.

The ultimate result was the same though, with player of the match Orla Cotter helping to ensure a midfield dominance that was critical throughout.

With Rena Buckley in typically unwavering form at centre-back, Wexford’s forward unit was unable to make any significant headway until Ursula Jacob goaled from a 60th minute penalty.

That gave them renewed hope late on but though Kate Kelly, who had a big impact off the bench, reduced the margin to the minimum, they couldn’t find an equaliser in the four remaining minutes of injury time.

Instead, Cork substitute Finola Neville found the target with almost the last puck of the ball to secure a two-point victory.

Wexford opened very brightly thanks to points from Ursula Jacob and Fiona Kavanagh but two frees from Cotter had Cork level by the seventh minute. Síle Burns and Jacob exchanged scores but the latter, from a ninth-minute free, proved to be Wexford’s last score of the half as Cork opened up.

With the Leesiders monopolising possession from either team’s puckouts, they pushed ahead with points from Julia White, Briege Crokery, O’Sullivan and Burns to give them a 0-7 to 0-3 advantage at the break.

Cork’s Anna Geary and Rena Buckley put pressure on Ursula Jacob of Wexford
Pic: INPHO/Cathal Noonan

The scoring rate dropped considerably in the third quarter, with Jacob’s 39^th minute free the only return. It took Cork 18 minutes to get going again in the second half but White and Katrina Mackey’s quick-fire efforts certainly put Paudie Murray’s crew in the box seat.

Frances Doran struck back with a lovely point from play before Kelly popped over the first of her two points. When Mackey and Cotter (45) raised white flags with six minutes remaining, it looked like curtains for Wexford but a penalty awarded for a foul on Kelly was blasted to the Cork net to give Martin Lynch and his charges hope but they had left themselves too much to do.

Scorers for Cork: O Cotter 0-3 (0-2f, 1 ’45), S Burns, J White, K Mackey 0-2 each, B Corkery, E O’Sullivan, F Neville 0-1 each
Scorers for Wexford: U Jacob 1-3(0-2fs); K Kelly 0-2; F Kavanagh, F Doran 0-1 each

CORK: A Murray; P Mackey, M Walsh, L O’Connell; D Cronin, R Buckley, A Geary; O Cotter, A Thompson; B Corkery, E O’Sullivan, K Mackey; S Burns, A Deasy, J White. Subs: J O’Leary for Deasy; F Neville for K Mackey

WEXFORD: M D’Arcy; C Donohue, N Lambert, K Atkinson; F Doran, M Leacy, S Kehoe; J Dwyer, L Hammell; F Kavanagh, A Leacy, B Gordon; K Parrock, U Jacob, F Rochford. Subs: L O’Leary for Donohue; K Kelly for A Leacy, S Sinnott for Hammell, S McGovern for Rochford

Referee: F McNamara (Clare)

Cork’s Anna Geary lifts the cup
Pic: INPHO/Cathal Noonan

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DIVISION 2

Limerick 3-14
Kildare 0-10
Limerick marked their return to the top tier of the camogie league with a late flurry to ensure them an ultimately comfortable victory in the Division 2 final against Kildare.

Susie O’Carroll scored all of Kildare’s points in a wonderful display of dead-ball shooting but Limerick had significantly greater firepower, with the excellent Dympna O’Brien, Niamh Mulcahy, Mary O’Callaghan and substitute Marie Keating all key contributors for the Shannonsiders.

Kildare had the wind in their favour in the opening half at St Brendan’s Park but Limerick were by far the dominant outfit in that period and had a couple of points inside five minutes from Mulcahy and Caoimhe Costello.

O’Carroll got Kildare off the mark and kept them in touch as O’Brien in particular caused problems for the Lilywhite defence. With Sarah Carey and Mulcahy also finding the target, Limerick were not flattered by their 0-8 to 0-4 half-time advantage.

Kildare resumed in determined fashion and had their best period of play in the third quarter. A brace of points from O’Carroll reduced the margin to two entering the final quarter but it might even have been better for the All Whites.

O’Carroll caught Siobhán Hurley’s 38^th minute free brilliantly but was hauled to the ground and Cathal Egan had no option but to award a penalty. Unfortunately for Jim McMullan’s side, the otherwise immaculate O’Carroll drove the over rather than under the crossbar.

Suitably warned, Limerick embarked on a major scoring spree that yielded three goals and four points. O’Brien struck for the first goal in the 18^th minute, O’Callaghan found the net again four minutes later before the influential Keating put the game to bed for Joe Quaid’s girls with a third major.

Scorers for Limerick: N Mulcahy 0-8 (6fs); D O’Brien 1-3; M Keating 1-1 each; M O’Callaghan 1-0; C Costello, S Carey 0-1 each
Scorers for Kildare: S O’Carroll 0-10(0-8fs, 0-1pen)

LIMERICK: S Moynihan, J Garvey, N Ryan, F Hickey; J Mulcahy, M Casey, M Ryan; D Fitzpatrick, S Carey; R Delee, N Mulcahy, K Campbell; C Costello, M O’Callaghan, D O’Brien.

Subs: M Keating for Delee (42); N Barry for O’Brien (52); B Hannon for Campbell (60); E Quaid for Ryan (60)

KILDARE: B Byrne; N Breen, A Trant, N Concannon; F Trant, C Nolan, A Lyons; C Forde, L Keatley; C Flanagan, S Hurley, O Bambury; C Farrell, S O’Carroll, R O’Connell.

Subs: D Byrne for Farrell (26); M Lyons for O’Connell (42)

Referee: C Egan (Cork)

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