Dec 16,2024
Clanmaurice (Kerry) 2-16 Ahascragh/Caltra (Galway) 1-01
Jackie Horgan plundered the goals but Clanmaurice were too strong all over the field as they cantered to a second AIB All-Ireland intermediate club camogie title at Croke Park to ensure an historic shot at senior fare in 2025.
Ahascragh/Caltra struggled to get any sort of a grip on proceedings and while Aoibhe Glynn's scintillating goal in the 24th minute gave them hope, as it brought them to within three points of their distinguished opponents, with the interval approaching, that hope was extinguished by Horgan’s two ruthlessly taken goals.
The second of those arrived seven minutes after the resumption to make it an 11-point game and there was no way back from that.
Clanmaurice are well accustomed to playing in Croke Park and in national finals, in club and county colours, and that showed as they flew out of the traps to score four points without replay in the first nine minutes.
Ahascragh/Caltra hadn’t made it inside the opposition 45 by this stage and when they finally did in the 11th minute, Emma Reaney’s shot was adjudged by Hawk-Eye to have drifted just the wrong side of the posts.
Horgan had already been wide of the mark with a speculative shot when she sourced Amy O’Sullivan with an astute low delivery in the fourth minute. O’Sullivan, who missed last year’s successful campaign through injury, had her jersey tugged by Denise Kelly and when Kelly blocked the forward’s shot after Gavin Donegan had allowed advantage, the referee rightly called play back for a penalty.
Patrice Diggin’s piledriver thundered off the crossbar but Horgan gathered and though bottled up, found enough space to kick over off her left peg.
Diggin, the classy, long-serving midfielder who is also captain and club secretary, fired over a scintillating point soon after, off her back foot and falling over the Cusack Stand sideline, 46m out.
Rose Behan and the impressive Caoimhe Spillane also found the target before both sides missed chances.
The Galway contingent struggled to gain a foothold around the middle, where Diggin dovetailed well with Kerry’s All-Ireland-winning footballer and All-Star Danielle O’Leary. When they did, they found Sara Murphy and Niamh Leen in trademark obdurate form.
Kate Lynch, who had a very good game, broke a ten-minute fruitless spell with a point after a well worked move, taking a pass from the industrious Laura Collins, but a goal was there for the taking, with only O’Sullivan and Kelly between here and the posts.
That was two green flags eschewed by the champions and Glynn showed them how it was done. It was a truly magnificent effort too, as she somehow managed to pick up the sliotar in a ruck, surrounded by Clanmaurice players, after Aoife Fitzgerald had batted a dropping ball. From an almost impossible angle to the right of the parallelogram, Glynn roofed a howitzer and the challengers’ aspirations had oxygen.
Once more, the experience of their Kerry rivals showed however, as they totted up the next two scores before half-time.
Both came from Horgan, who registered a high quality point before goaling from close range in the third minute of injury time after Diggin and Murphy combined to send Collins clear.
This time, the two-on-one was utilised expertly, Helen Cullinane’s attentions drawn and the pop given to the hand. The rest was routine for a player of Horgan’s prowess.
That left it 1-06 to 1-00 at half-time but that gap quickly opened further, as Behan and Diggin (free) recorded points before Horgan picked up a break just outside the square and drilled beyond an exposed Laura Noone.
Ahascragh/Caltra kept battling but the Clanmaurice had threats everywhere, with the likes of Spillane and Lynch relishing the increasing spaces. Horgan had a point with her last act before she was withdrawn to a loud cheer as John Madden utilised his only three available subs late on.
Sarah Noone struck the westerners’ only point in the 58th minute but it was a tough day at the office for the red and green.
For Clanmaurice and Kerry camogie, it was another famous day.
Scorers: Clanmaurice J Horgan 1-03; C Spillane, P Diggin(3fs) 0-04 each; K Lynch 0-03; A Behan 0-02
Ahascragh/Caltra: A Glynn 1-00; S Noone 0-01
CLANMAURICE: A Fitzgerald, R McCarthy, S Murphy, M Costello, A Behan, N Leen, A O’Connor, P Diggin, D O’Leary, C Spillane, K Lynch, L Collins, AM Leen, J Horgan, A O’Sullivan. Subs: E Ryall for O’Connor (55), J O’Keeffe for Horgan (56), C Moloney for O’Sullivan (57)
AHASCRAGH/CALTRA: L Noone, D Kelly, H Cullinane, M Higgins, .R Blehane, S Noone, C Ní Cheallaigh, A Fitzpatrick, A Ní Cheallaigh, C Power, A Glynn, C Murray, L Kirwan, E Reaney, S Murray. Sub: M Mulryan for Power (ht); J Higgins for Murray (40), L Glynn for Blehane (40), E Blehane for Glynn (52), G Gerard for Ní Cheallaigh (57)
Referee: Gavin Donegan (Dublin)
