This set the ball rolling for a great day for Myshall
AZAP PRINT CARLOW JUNIOR CAMOGIE FINAL
Myshall 0-10, Mount Leinster Rangers 1-2
By Leo McGough
When your mid-field engine room is on top of their game as the Myshall mid-field was in Sunday’s Carlow Junior Camogie Championship final at Netwatch Cullen Park then the chances of victory have been greatly enhanced.
‘Engine room’ in a sporting terms is defined as ‘a mid-field player or group of mid-field players that have a lot of energy and strongly influence the level of activity within the team’. Well Ciara Mullins, a crafty veteran of many battles, and Niamh Nolan, a skilful enthusiastic operator, certainly ticked all those boxes in this final and apart altogether from dominating proceedings the centre-field duo also contributed handsomely to the scoreboard, racking up 0-6 between them, Ciara pointing twice from play, Niamh contributing a quartet of points, two from placed balls, the other two delightful scores from play.
In fact Niamh Nolan set the white flag flying within 30 seconds of the throw-in though scores after that were scarce but by the 29th minute Myshall’s second team had established a 0-5 to 0-0 lead, Roisin Mullins hooshing over the second, Niamh Nolan the third (after a fine Ella Nolan run and cross), Ciara Mullins (a sweet strike after a great catch) and then Mary Sullivan who gained possession after a ruck and piloted over a lovely point, a popular score this, scored as it was right in front of the Myshall senior squad who watched the first half action from the Oak Park side terrace.
The said Mary, along with Ciara Mullins, Niamh Nolan, Ella Nolan and Niamh Hamilton were also on the Myshall senior panel and thus had the distinction of winning Junior and Senior Championship medals on the same afternoon.
Mount Leinster Rangers who were also fielding their ‘second team’ – their first team lost narrowly ti Myshall in the senior semi-final – finally opened their account in first half injury-time when Fiona Byrne pointed a 35m free after she had opted to go short with a ’45’, the receiver fouled.
0-5 to 0-1 then at half-time with Myshall to have the wind on the restart and within a minute of that restart the champions-elect had tacked on another point when teenager Issy Foley careered through for a great score, the classy No 11 following in the footsteps of her father Robbie and mother Catherine (nee Crooks), stars of many a Myshall championship victory.
Fiona Byrne pointed her second free in the 34th minute after a good run by Rangers No 9 Maeve Lawlor was illegally impeded but Niamh Nolan replied with a pointed free of her own after a Rangers defender was hassled into over-carrying. Come the end of the third quarter it was 0-8 to 0-2, Myshall’s Maggie Simpson pointing superbly in the 45th minute while the winners a couple of minutes earlier had a goal disallowed, Issy Foley blown for over-carrying, which she probably did but only after what appeared to be a couple of illegal tackles.
Whether or which their Ballymurphy/Borris/Rathanna opponents were unable to mount sufficient attacks down the other end to reduce their arrears and in fact no further score arrived for either side until injury-time, Niamh Nolan pointing a free before we had the only goal of the game in the 63rd minute and a great goal it was, Rangers Rachel Martin rising high to catch a Lottie Cullen cross and on the turn dispatching a rising left hand shot to the roof of the Deerpark end net. Fittingly, though, Ciara Mullins had the final say, another great point as Myshall clinched part one of a dazzling double.
Myshall: Eimear Nolan; Danielle O’Neill, Katie Slye, Roisín Byrne; Mya Farrell, Ella Nolan, Cathy Doyle; Niamh Nolan 0-4 3f, Ciara Mullins 0-2; Roisin Mullins (Capt) 0-1, Issy Foley 0-1, Niamh Hamilton 0-1; Mary Sullivan 0-1, Maggie Simpson 0-1, Jasmine Roberts. Subs: Tess O’Neill for E Foley, Mairead Hogan for M Simpson (59), 23 for Mullins (59), Maria O’Neill for Sullivan (58)
Mount Leinster Rangers: Aine Doyle; Clodagh Byrne, Claire Brennan, Aisling Ryan; Rachel Martin, 1-0, Jeanne Brennan (Joint-Captain), Mag Coady; Ailbhe Stegar, Maeve Lawlor, Marie Coady, Shelly Kelly, Lottie Cullen; Rachel Kavanagh, Fiona Byrne 0-2 2f, Alex Murphy. Subs: Orlaith Power for S Kelly (13), Emily Maley for Mag Coady (36), Emma Coleman for A Murphy (54), Ella Foley for N Fitzpatrick (56), Katriona Kinsella for Marie Coady (58), Siobhan Brennan for F Byrne (58)
Referee: Seamie Doyle
