By Cóilín Duffy

Waterford IT pulled off a historic double at the WIT Sports Campus on Saturday, beating the Scottish Student Shinty teams in Shinty-Hurling/Camogie matches in testing weather conditions.

The 2015 Fitzgibbon Cup finalists and Ashbourne Cup champions done the South-East college proud against the Scottish squads, composed of players from a number of different universities and colleges, that annually travel to Ireland to play these hybrid games.

In contrast this was new territory for all of the WIT players, but they certainly gave a great account of themselves, recording wins in both the mens and womens games.

In the hurling encounter, Mount Sion's Stephen Roche certainly proved to be the right choice as captain, bagging four goals in WIT's to a 7-8 to 4-16 win.

Kilmacow's Richie McNamara (2), and Mount Sion's Martin O'Neill got the hosts other goals, with Glasgow Clyde student Craig Anderson (2);Strathclyde University's Calum Morrison and Neil Finlayson from Glasgow University raising Scotland's green flags.

This game was refereed by Kilkenny's Sean Cleere, who had taken charge of the Under 21 Shinty-Hurling International a few weeks previously, and will be the man in the middle next Saturday in Croke Park for the Senior International.

Scotland were eager to make a positive showing and started strongly, leading by 2-12 to 1-3 at half-time.

The hosts would have been closer, but WIT veteran Tommy Kavanagh from Borrisilleigh had a goal disallowed in the opening half.

Roche helped put WIT on course on the restart, as Scotland struggled for scores, with Finlayson netting a late goal, but it was too late for the visitors.

In his final game Scotland captain Ewan Menzies from Heriot Watt University was named as the Man of the match.

Waterford IT's Camogie team found it tough but recorded a 1-3 to 1-1 win over Scotland.

The hosts got off to the perfect start with a ninth minute goal from Valerie O'Brien, but Scotland worked hard throughout.

The Roanmore clubwoman found the net, only after consistent pressure on the visitors defence, with Scotland defending strongly for the bulk of the contest, and their goalkeeper Sarah Jane Ferguson pulling off some tremendous saves throughout.

Ferguson from the University of the Highlands and Islands was playing in her second Shinty-Camogie game in a couple of weeks, having featured for Scotland in the Iomain Colmcille competition for Scots Gaelic and Irish speakers last month in Gaoth Dobhair.

A rare journey into the WIT defence, saw Scotland bag a goal just before the break from full-forward Lauren Pike of Strathclyde University to tie the contest at 1-1 apiece at the interval.

WIT upped their game in the second half, to hold Scotland scoreless, as they carved out a two-point win.

WIT were captained by Cork native Laura Treacy, with Strathclyde University's Christy Doherty the Scottish captain.

WIT HURLING PANEL: Nicky Barry (Passage, Waterford); Barry Whelan (Tramore, Waterford), Jerome Maher (Geraldine's, Waterford), Eanna Doyle (Bodyke, Clare); Conor Brophy (Mooncoin, Kilkenny), Jason Roche (Passage, Waterford), Rob Byrne (Naas, Kildare); Tom Moran (De La Salle, Waterford), Stephen Roche (Mount Sion, Waterford); Martin O'Neil (Mount Sion, Waterford), Joe O'Dwyer (Killenaule, Tipperary), John Doyle (St Patrick's, Wexford), Craig Browne (Erin's Own, Waterford), Tommy Kavanagh (Borrisilleigh, Tipperary), Richie McNamara (Kilmacow, Kilkenny), Bryan Power (Ballyduff Lower, Waterford), Jim Walsh (Roanmore, Waterford), James Hackett (Rower Inistioge, Kilkenny)

SCOTLAND STUDENT SHINTY MENS PANEL: Aedan Macrae, Cameron Keith, Hamish Harrison (Glasgow Caledonian); Brendan McLoone, Conal Mulholland, Cormack Nelis, Craig Grant, Neill Finlayson (Glasgow University); Calum Morrison, Finlay MacMillan, Ross MacRaw (Strathclyde University); Connor Sweeney, Ewan Menzies, Ryan Balharry (Heriot Watt University); Craig Anderson (Glasgow Clyde College), David MacKenzie, Jack Berg, Nathan Whear (Edinburgh University); Graham Black (Robert Gordon University); Hamish Anderson (Edinburgh Napier University).

WIT CAMOGIE PANEL: Miraim Walton (Kilkenny), Patrice Clancy (Waterford), Bridin Doyle (Wexford), Mags Doyle (Wexford), Siobhan Doyle (Wexford), Laura Tracey (Cork), Iona Heffernan (Waterford), Ruth Jones (Kilkenny), Andrea Loughnane (Tipperary), Loraine Bray (Waterford), Val O'Brien (Waterford), Gillian McKenna (Tipperary), Niamh Murphy (Waterford), Beth Carton. (Waterford), Niamh Ahearne (Waterford), Sarah Crowley (Kilkenny), Abbie Dunphy (Waterford), Deirdre Walsh (Kilkenny), Lorraine Delahunty (Kilkenny).

SCOTLAND STUDENT SHINTY WOMENS PANEL: Gillian Brown (Aberdeen University); Isla McKay, Arabella Kennard, Rhona McIntyre (Edinburgh University); Lucy MacMilan, Catherine Murphy, Donna Mackenzie, Maddy French (Glasgow University); Kirsty McLay (Heriot Watt University); Sarah Pocock (Napier University), Ciara McPherson (Queen Margaret University); Gillian Molloy, Rona Stewart, Katie Booth, Dawn Ryan (Robert Gordon University); Emer Murtagh, Rach McCafferty, Christy Doherty, Lauren Pike (Strathclyde University); Sarah-Jane Ferguson (University of the Highlands and Islands).

Coaches: Katie Drain and Niamh Donnelly.

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