Sunday's ladies Football league game was the opening match of the season for both Fr Murphy's and Kingdom /Kerry and what an advert for ladies football it turned out to be.
It was a chilly enough morning in Greenford, but with the pitch newly mown and marked everything was set up in anticipation of a great game.
Fr Murphy's playing against the wind started off well, carving openings, Charlotte Faughnan scoring the opening point,the Murphy's then hit the cross bar and the upright, before KKG went down the field to equalise,which they quickly followed up with another point, Angela Kenneally and Helen Murphy were starting to work well together and Murphy's keeper Elaine Hayes made a blinding save to keep her side in the hunt.Charlotte Faughnan at the other end equalised, KKG hit another through Helen Murphy to go one up, Murphy's , camogie star Mairead Hogan, hit a massive point from the half forward line, three a piece, the Clare girl Fiona Considine kicked the lead point for the purple & gold.
Then came a period of KKG pressure which yielded a goal from Marie Murray and two points from Helen Murphy for the girls from the Kingdom to lead by four points, just approaching half time Charlotte Faughnan pulled one back for the Murphy's and at the break the score was Fr Murphy's 0-05 KKG 1-05.
Fr Murphy's opened the second half as they started the first and things were looking good for them when Charlotte Faughnan lofted a high ball across the square which Aoibhinn McKenna drifted in and fisted it to the KKG net, Level 1-05 a piece.Angela Kenneally put KKG a point up, which Fiona Considine equalised. KKG came back with a point which the excellent Shauna Henry cancelled out, teams level again Fr Murphy's then hit a purple patch, scoring three unanswered points, to lead 1.10 to KKG's 1-08, with three minutes to go, disaster struck for them when a long ball banged of Elaine Hayes' crossbar,straight at the feet of Angela Kenneally, who tapped it home, KKG in the lead 2.08 to 1.10. Fr Murphy's were not going to be out done, what happened next was an exquisite   passage of play, the ball from keeper Elaine Hayes fielded by Sarah Burns, on to Aoibhinn McKenna, who made three interchange passes with Shauna Henry, before sending  Carol Anne O Kane through the centre, the move looked to have floundered when the ball was fielded inside by a KKG defender but Shannon Mullen made an amazing block, then flicked the ball out to Fiona Fleming who from an acute angle send over a delightful point.
Game over a draw Fr Murphy's 1-11 Kingdom/Kerry Gaels 2.08. What a game to watch, not only because of the closeness of the scores but the exceptionally, high skill and sporting levels displayed by both teams. The game was impartially refereed by John Doyle.The next outing for the club is the re fixed Camogie League game with Tara on Tuesday evening at Greenford, with some of the older members of the club due to make an appearance both on and off the pitch.
Anyone interested in the club can contact us through www.frmurphy's.co.uk, through Facebook or Larry on 00 44 7944178879, [email protected]"

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