AGB: 10-11
Blessington: 3-8
AGB and Blessington Senior ladies got the 2015 Championship off to a flying start on Thursday June 18th in Blessington. The home side had the best of the opening exchanges chalking up a four point lead in the opening eight minutes with no reply from the visitors. Disaster struck for AGB when Kirsty Hughes-McCabe sustained a serious ankle injury in the fifth minute of play that put paid to her championship opener. She was replaced by Emma Furlong who immediately got stuck into the besieged Arklow back-line.
Jessie McElheron scored Arklow's opening point in the eleventh minute and this was followed by a beautifully taken point from distance by Georgina Canavan in the twelfth. McElheron narrowed the Blessington lead to a single point in the thirteenth and a fifteenth minute goal from Áine O'Reilly sought to settle the AGB ladies. A further point from O'Reilly was swiftly followed by a fifteenth minute goal from AGB's Stephanie Martin and it looked as if the visitors were getting matters under control.
However Blessington had other ideas and a penalty awarded in the sixteenth minute yielded their first goal. Áine O'Reilly immediately responded with her second goal for AGB in the seventeenth but the determined home side replied by rattling the Arklow net once again in the nineteenth. Jessica Hurley added two points for AGB and Annie Conroy added another in the 29th minute. Áine O'Reilly sought to establish Arklow dominance with a further goal and point but Blessington again rallied with a further 1-2 in the closing minutes of injury time leaving the half time score 4-8 to 3-6 in favour of AGB.
Blessington will undoubtedly have been the happier side going in to the break as they had managed to make the most promising start and had refused to let the mounting Arklow scores deter them from taking full advantage of their home venue and support. They showed the greatest hunger and capitalised on their share of the possession throughout the half. AGB on the other hand, having made a sluggish start, chalked up the scores but allowed the opposition to erode their lead to just five points at the break.
Some steadying words from manager Paul Hurley and fitness coach Garry Jameson at half-time served to galvanise the Arklow ladies. Ailbhe Carney replaced the hard-working Sue Tyrrell at centre field for AGB and Jessie Hurley, forced out through injury, was replaced by Róisín O'Reilly. Although Blessington scored the opening point of the second half it was to be their last score until the thirtieth minute of play. AGB on the other hand were now in fifth gear with multiple goals from Jessie McElheron, Áine O'Reilly, and Róisín O'Reilly adding to the woes of the home side. Orla Hayes had a powerful game at centre field and was replaced by Sarah Kendrick for the closing ten minutes. Kendrick immediately set to work in the busy AGB forward line which was now running like a well-oiled machine. Annie Conroy, having switched to centre field continued the forward momentum and added two further points for AGB to leave the final score 10-11 to 3-8 in favour of AGB.
This was a spirited, physical encounter with both sides showing a high level of preparation for this competition. There were some great individual displays from Blessington's Molly Cullen and Jade Palmer, Róisín Ellis, Niamh Ellis and Jess Carroll. Annie Conroy, Steph Martin, Jessie McElheron and Áine O'Reilly were outstanding in the AGB inside forward line, Georgina Canavan and Jessie Hurley cleaned up on the half forward line and launched relentless attacks on the Blessington defensive line. The Arklow back six were disciplined and clinical throughout the sixty minutes under the strict control of the ever watchful Linda Dempsey between the posts.
Arklow: Linda Dempsey, Kirsty Hughes-McCabe, Rachael Byrne, Katie Larkin, Kayleigh Carter, Áine Byrne, Helen Hurley, Sue Tyrrell, Orla Hayes, Annie Conroy, Jessie McElheron, Jessica Hurley, Steph Martin, Áine O'Reilly, Georgina Canavan, Emma Furlong, Ailbhe Carney, Róisín O'Reilly, Sarah Kendrick, Emer Curran, Becky Condren, Niamh Arthur.
Blessington: Kim Connors, Triona Hennessy, Emma Sargent-Kelly, Lauren Bird, Emma Reid, Molly Cullen, Niamh Ellis, Shona O'Connor, Amy Ryan, Jade Palmer, Róisín Ellis, Shauna Byrne, Katie Charles, Jess Carroll, Nicole Walsh.
AGB Senior Ladies following their 2015 championship first round victory over Blessington.
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