Ibar's stun Rathnure
ST. IBAR'S-SHELMALIER 4-8 RATHNURE 3-8
The St. Ibar's-Shelmalier squad. Back (from left): Stellah Sinnott (coach), Kim Moloney, Shelly Doyle, Aideen Parker, Janice Carr, Mary Cullen, Sandy Carr, Nikki Scallan, Bridget Curran, Fiona Cullen, Michelle Hearne, Kate Kelly (capt.), Mag Kelly,...
ST. IBAR'S-SHELMALIER stunned 2008 champions Rathnure with an unrelenting, dogged display to reach the final of the WFC Senior camogie championship at Wexford Park on Monday of last week for the first time since 2002 in their 50th anniversary year.
With just three of the squad involved with the county set-up, it was always going to be a tough ask against a team who could match that figure in their half-back line alone. However, they proved to be the more disciplined side and cut their more illustrious counterparts down to size.
Indeed, it was one of those county players that turned the game on its head. Kate Kelly, not for the first time, took proceedings by the scruff of the neck in the second-half.
Her official position at that stage would be described as midfield but she was back in the full-back line helping out and up breaking forward with possession just as often as dictating play from the middle.
Her influence was shown as early as the third minute. Lenny Holohan had already latched onto a Sandra Carr pass and fired Rathnure a goal ahead when Kelly pulled home an equaliser after Katie Flynn had struggled to deal with a high Shelly Doyle ball coming out of the setting sun.
With Ciara O'Connor on form from frees and Holohan and Evelyn Quigley also picking off a point apiece, Rathnure edged into a 1-5 to 1-3 lead with six minutes of the first-half remaining. However, that lead was soon padded when good work by Grace Hearn allowed O'Connor to grab her first goal and Michelle O'Leary quickly added a point.
Yet just before the interval Kelly added a placed ball and then danced through a surprisingly leaky Rathnure defence to grab her second goal of the half to leave the deficit at just two at the break (2-6 to 2-4).
A Sandy Carr goal just after the resumption had St. Ibar's-Shelmalier ahead for just the second time, but that major was soon wiped out when a long-range Ciara O'Connor free found its way past Anne-Marie Kelly.
A period of twelve minutes without a score was ended when O'Leary pointed to put Rathnure three clear, but now Kelly was winning everything, including frees, as she added four placed balls to edge St. Ibar's-Shelmalier ahead with six minutes to go.
Michelle Murphy took advantage of great play by Katrina Parrock and Deirdre McMahon to send the leaders into raptures and a four-point lead with a killer goal, and while O'Connor added a late free, Rathnure couldn't find a levelling goal in over seven minutes of added time, meaning the Over the Water side advanced to face OulartThe Ballagh in the final.
- DEAN GOODISON in Wexford Park
