Senior Final result: St. Laurence's 1-8 Celbridge 1-5 A last minute goal ensured a dramatic finish to this year's senior camogie championship and ensured that St. Laurence's claimed their 14th senior title. In doing so they also became inaugural winners of the new perpetual trophy, the Sean and Annie Conway Cup, donated by Broadford Camogie to Kildare County Board for the senior championship.   Much was expected of this encounter and while free flowing camogie or prolific scoring wasn't on offer, there was plenty of thrills for patrons at a sun-drenched and excellently presented game at Clogherinkoe/Broadford GAA grounds.   St. Laurence's were never led throughout the game but a strong second half display from Celbridge eventually leveled the scores in the final quarter of the game. But cometh the hour, cometh the player and Carol Nolan was the player who clinched the title for the south Kildare side. She connected sweetly with a breaking ball, and from her wonderful ground stroke, the ball coursed, uninterupted, to rattle the back of the net. Joy for St. Laurence's. Despair for Celbridge.   In a low scoring game, St. Laurence's led by double scores after the first 30 minutes.  Five of St. Laurence's six points in the first half came from impressive full forward Louise Keatley. She scored three of these in the first 12 minutes when the Celbridge defence had no answer to her anticipation of the ball, her mobility, her ability to score from distance and her combination play with corner forward Lorraine Bowes. Keatley's second point in the ninth minute was worthy of the occasion when she put the ball between the uprights, from at least 25m out and when she was standing close the sideline.   The St. Laurence's half back line of Niamh Breen and the Treacy sisters, Melanie and Reiltin, were the outstanding line of the game. They successfully broke up the progress of the hardworking Celbridge midfield of Aisling Maher and Mary Murtagh. And importantly, they were the launchpad for many of the Laurences' attacks. Melanie Treacy's long clearances were peerless. Reiltin, on her left, had one of her best games this year with plenty of close tackling and shot blocks. Niamh Breen, on her right, kept her focus on the final even though immediately after the game she had to hurry away to catch a flight to Australia.     Celbridge won some possession during this early phase of the game but were unable to register anything on the scoreboard.  A number of efforts from full forward Susie O'Carroll and Sinead Halstead went wide. After 12 minutes, a pointed free from O'Carroll, opened the north Kildare side's account but Keatley replied to this in the 19th minute.   In the last ten minutes of the first half, both sides exchanged two points - the Murtagh sisters, Kate and Mary, raised white flags for Celbridge while Keatley and Bowes did the same for Laurence's leaving them ahead 0-6 to 0-3 at the half time whistle.   On the re-start, Celbridge started more strongly than was the case throughout the first half. Angela Lyons and Clare O'Sullivan came off the subs bench for Celbridge with Lyons moving to full forward and O'Carroll moving to the 40m line. This strengthened Celbridge's attacking efforts from the outset and O'Carroll was unlucky with two wides in the opening five minutes. She pointed a free in the 36th minute but Keatley again replied for the Larries when Celbridge failed to clear a ball from their backline. Melanie Treacy got in on the scoring act in this half when she pointed a free in the 42nd minute to give Laurence's a four point lead.    However, even though Laurence's had the better of Celbridge on the scoreboard there was little between the sides in the last twenty minutes of the game. While Celbridge failed to get a return from a couple of scoreable frees, their defence were doing better and were not leaking as much ball as in the first half. Fiona Lanigan, Niamh Concanon and Deirdre Corcoran were asserting themselves a bit more on the game and put in several good clearances. Aisling Maher and Mary Murtagh were on the ball a little more at centerfield and the latter combined with O'Carroll to get Celbridge's only goal at the three quarters stage. The margin was now down to a point and Celbridge piled on the pressure.   Ball catching is a sweet skill of the game and what better place than a county final to show off your ability to do this. Liz O'Donoghue Byrne, the Larries net minder, who also manages the Wicklow county team, kept Celbridge at bay with a series of excellent catches and clearances. In the next period, she kept a close eye on at least four dropping balls, caught them cleanly and relieved the Larries defence.  Celbridge must have decided not to test the goalkeeper any further because the next opportunity they got, Mary Murtagh wisely chose to go for the high ball, and with an excellent 40m strike leveled the game with her second point.   At this stage, Celbridge had tenaciously worked their way back to par and it was a case of next score wins. That opportunity fell to the Larries. On the attack, Celbridge conceded a free about 35 to 40 m to the left of their goal. Up stepped Melanie Treacy who sent in a high ball that went diagonally across the goal. As Micheal O'Hehir might comment, a bit of schmozzle resulted and the ball eventually broke from the crowd about 25m out. Larries midfielder Nolan was in the right place at the right time and, instinctively, just connected to send a ricochet past the faultless Celbridge keeper Saolog O'Keeffee.   Shortly after, referee Alan Lagrue (Naas) blew the final whistle and glory for St. Laurences. They now go on to represent Kildare in the Leinster club championship quarter final next weekend v Westmeath's Raharney.   Prior to the presentation of the cup, Nuala Kerrigan and Liz Conway (both Broadford), both spoke fondly of the high regard for Sean and Annie Conway in Broadford and in Kildare camogie. The Chairman of the Kildare Camogie Board Colm Hoban then presented the Player of the Match to Liz O'Donoghue Byrne and cup to Larries' captain Melanie Treacy. For Ruth Treacy the occasion was also special as she kept up her incredible record of having played in every county final that St. Laurence's have been involved since they won their first in 1992.   St. Laurence's: Liz O'Donoghue Byrne, Paula Keatley, Roxanne Treacy, Lydia Byrne, Niamh Breen, Melanie Treacy (0-1f) (capt). Reiltin Treacy, Ciara Tallon, Carol Noaln (1-0) , Amanda Fullam, Ruth Treacy, Lizzie Finnegan, Maria McNaughton, Louise Keatley ((0-6), Lorraine Bowes (0-1). Subs used: Maria Mc Cabe for Mc Naughton.     Celbridge: Saolog O'Keeffe, Fiona Lanigan, Niamh Concannon, Aoife Murtagh, Therese Lynn, Deirdre Corcoran, Triona Byrne, Aisling Maher, Mary Murtagh (0-2). Kate Murtagh (0-1), Aoife Magee, Hannah McDonnell, Sinead Halstead, Susie O'Carroll (1-2; 0-2f)(capt), Orla Maher. Subs used: Clare O'Sullivan for A. Murtagh. Angela Lyons for Orla Maher.   Referee: Alan Lagrue (Naas) Intermediate final result: Cappagh 2-3 Sarsfields 2-3   It will take a replay to decide who are the Kildare Intermediate Camogie champions for 2008. The last 20 minutes of this matched the senior final, played earlier, for excitement. Sarsfields put up a tremendous display of determination when they came back from being behind four points down to a goal up. However, Cappagh put up an equally strong show of determination to level the game.   There was little excitement for the first 40 minutes of this game. In fact the first half produced only four scores with Cappagh's Clare Doran and Regina O'Gorman registering a point each with O'Gorman's coming from a free. For the Sash, Noelle Earley got their two points in the opening half.   On the re-start, Cappagh were much more penetrating in the first period. When Clare Doran (0-1) and Kathy Daly (1-0) put Cappagh 1-3 ahead to Sarsfields 0-2 it started to look like red and white hooped team had done enough to take home the silverware.   However, the Sarsfields revival was about to begin. Noelle Earley was now playing between the centre back and midfield positions and herself and Laura Lynch were key in the Sarsfields revival. This started when Earley slotted over a pointed free. Good work around the middle kept the pressure on Cappagh and their play was much nearer the opposition's goal compared to the first half. Sarah Duignan 's goal for the Sash leveled the game at 1-3 each and when Aimee Butler also netted some time after it now looked like it could be the townsiders' day.   Cappagh though raised their game again found a higher gear for the last seven or eight minutes. Orla Burke was doing well at full back and county dual player Hazel Mulligan was showing well in the centre back position. Their work was freeing up the pressure on midfield where Clare Doran was working very hard to advance. She took her opportunity when it came and impressively drove the ball past Ann Dempsey, the Sash keeper, to the back of the net to give them another day. The date of the replay was not known at the time of going to print.   Cappagh panel : Ella Houlihan, Carol Hopkins, Orla Burke, Orla Mulally, Mary Hopkins, Hazel Mulligan, Niamh Boland, Jackie O'Rourke, Clare Doran (1-2), Sinead Gormley, Regina Gorman (0-1f), Caroline Forde (captain), Kathy Daly (1-0), Sarah Nealon, Louise Nealon, Laura Sheehan, Rebecca Duff, Siobhan Murphy, Aoife Murphy, Siobhan Doogan, Catherine Mulligan, Ciara Ni Ruairc   Sarsfields panel: Ann Dempsey, Annie Earley, Aileen O'Callaghan, Cara Scannell, Elaine Dillon, Emma Hannon, Noelle Earley (0-3;0-1f), Laura Lynch, Pauline O'Callaghn, Paula Earley, Janice O'Brien, Melissa O'Brien, Sarah Duignan (1-0), Lynda McNamee, Meabhdh O'Sullivan, Aoife O'Leary, Niamh O'Connor, Oonagh Markey, Aoife Courtney, Catriona Lane,  Mary Lennane, Aimee Butler (1-0).   Referee: Ciaran Quigley (Celbridge) Tweet

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