Kildare camogs pip Antrim
July 28, 2014Antrim v Kildare in Glenavy Co Antrim : Sat July 26th
Kildare 1 - 17
Antrim 2 - 13
Both teams faced into this crucial encounter knowing a place in an All Ireland semi final was at stake.
A win or a draw was needed by Kildare to go straight to a semi final clash against Kilkenny, and boy did Antrim make them work hard for this honour.
The home team started best, firing over two quick opening points, before Susie O'Carroll settled Kildare into the game, with the first of her amazing tally of fourteen points.
Kildare then leveled the game before Cliodhna Mc Sweeney scored a beautiful point from an acute angle on the right, after ten minutes.
Antrim hit back with two points from placed balls, before their dangerous forward Aisling Mc Fadden fired home the games opening goal, to put Antrim three points ahead.
The teams then traded three points each in a very good passage of open play, before corner forward Mc Sweeney stole in from the right to crash home a goal for Kildare in the 27th minute, to level matters yet again.
The ever accurate Susie O'Carroll was in fine form for the Lillies. and she sent over two excellent points before the break, to give Kildare a two point lead at half time, Kildare 1 - 9 Antrim 1 - 7.
Indeed Susie made it five in a row when she scored the opening three points in the first five minutes of the second half. Antrim replied with a good point from Hannah Devlin, but when Melissa Lyons, who was by now dominating the center of the park, drove forward through the northern defence and finished off with a lovely point, to restore Kildare's five point advantage, it seemed that last years Premier Junior Champions were about to pull away.
But from the fifteenth to the twentieth minute of the second half, Antrim scored four unanswered points, to put them behind by only the minimum.
The game was now intense, with both teams eyeing the prize, but an O'Carroll free and a kicked point from Deirbhile Byrne, edged Kildare ahead by three. But Antrim came storming back, and a high speculative ball from Raquel McCarry, deceived the Kildare defence, and ended up in the back of the net.
When Antrim forward Charlene Hamill tagged on another quick point, to put the Saffrons into a one point lead with five minutes left, things were looking bad for Kildare.
Antrim kept coming forward, but full back Aoife Trant and centre back Carol Nolan, were inspirational with some brilliant defending, to get Kildare moving forward again. And once again it was the superb Susie O'Carroll to the rescue, when she sent over two late points, to give Kildare victory by a single score
Kildare now face Kilkenny in the All Ireland semi final on Aug 16th. This is remarkable progress in their first year at Intermediate level, and manager Stephen Dormer expressed his delight at the way the girls knuckled down to get the job done.
Kildare: Roisin O'Connell, Jane O'Donoghue, Aoife Trant, Fiona Trant, Clodagh Farrell, Carol Nolan, Émer Reilly, Melissa Lyons (0-1), Caroline Forde, Laura Sheahan, Regina Gorman, Clodagh Flanagan, Cliodhna McSweeney (1-1), Susie O'Carroll (0-14, 11 Frees), Deirbhile Byrne (0-1) Subs: Alison Hyland, Niamh Concannon, Niamh Breen, Catriona Temple, Hannah McDonnell, Ciara Mooney, Sabine Kennedy, Sinead O'Carroll, Fiona O'Sullivan, Chanice Corcoran, Niamh Egan, Maedbh Walsh, Siobhan Hurley and Orla Bambury.
Antrim scores: Aisling Mc Fadden 1 - 4, Raquel McCarry 1 - 4, Hannah Devlin 0 - 2, Emma McMullen 0 - 1, Charlene Hamill 0 - 1, Joanne Cambell 0 - 1. Tweet
