Shannon Rovers goal touch sees off Boherlahan

CAMOGIE: FBD Insurance County Intermediate Championship Semi-Final

Shannon Rovers 3-8

Boherlahan-Dualla 0-10

Report: Joe Scully at the Camogie Grounds

Shannon Rovers qualified for another Tipperary Intermediate Camogie Championship final, after a comfortable seven-point victory over a game Boherlahan-Dualla side in the second semi-final played on Saturday afternoon.

A strong first half from the Rovers where they led by nine points at the break laid the foundations for the victory, as they also maintained their 100% record in the championship.

Boherlahan, to their credit, made a fight of it in the second half, and looked like they might make a comeback for a while but the concession of a third goal midway through the half killed off their challenge.

The Mid side can have little complaints about the outcome as the Rovers were the better team but will look back on a few missed frees in the first half from scoreable positions, which at the time could have kept them in the game at the time.

Shannon Rovers victory was based on a very solid defensive unit which gave the opposition very little time or space when in attack and been very accurate with their finishing in attack hitting just two wides throughout. Best for the Rovers were Aine Leenane, Julie Brennan, Niamh Franks, and Laura Leenane, while for Boherlahan, Sarah Delaney, Lisa O’Connor and Clodagh Horgan impressed.

Boherlahan were first on the scoresheet from a Clodagh Horgan point after three minutes. However, two minutes later, the Rovers were in for their first goal Laura Leenane finished smartly to the net after the referee gave a good advantage.

Boherlahan responded with another point from Clodagh Horgan, but that was as good as it got for them as the Rovers would take control of the game and would hit 1-6 without reply with three frees from Aoife McLoughney, which was followed by their second goal by Emma D’Arcy, after a sideline cut was played into her and she turned her marker and hit an unstoppable shot to the net.

The next three points all came from play with a McLoughney effort a superb effort from halfway sandwiched in between two from Laura Leenane. The final score of the half went to Boherlahan from the stick of Lisa O’Connor from a 45, after she was switched onto free-taking duty, to leave it at 2-6 to 0-3 at the break.

Boherlahan would come out after the break a renewed side and would hit the first four points to reduce the gap to just five points, as Rovers would go eighteen minutes of the half without a score. First up, Emma Horgan, who came more into her game in the second half, found the target from play, which was followed up by two frees from O’Connor. Then Aoife Kennedy found her range to leave it at 2-6 to 0-7 and gave Boherlahan hope of a comeback.

But the killer blow came in the 48th minute when Laura Leenane hit her second goal of the game and her sides first score of the half when a shot from D’Arcy landed short and Leenane gathered possession and finished past Marguerite Fryday in goal.

Shannon Rovers then hit the next two scores, firstly a Gillian McKenna effort from play and then a free from Aoife McLoughney, to put the outcome beyond any doubt.

Boherlahan, however, would stay fighting right to the end and would hit the final three scores all from O’Connor frees but they hardly raised a cheer from the crowd, as the game was well up by this stage.

Player of the Match: Laura Leenane (Shannon Rovers).

Shannon Rovers: Aine Slattery (6); Aine Leenane (7), Julie Brennan (7), Aisling McKenna (7); Jenny O’Meara (7), Niamh Franks (7), Francis Bulger (7); Eimear Fogarty (6), Celine Guinan (6); Emma D’Arcy (1-0, 8), Aine Cleary (6), Nicola Kelly (6); Laura Leenane (2-2, 9), Aoife McLoughney (0-5, 4f, 8), Gillian McKenna (0-1, 7).

Subs: Bethany Slattery (6) for O’Meara (38); Sarah Leenane (NR) for Bulger (60+1); Clodagh Cahalan (NR) for A Leenane (60+1).

Boherlahan-Dualla: Marguerite Fryday (6); Sarah McLaughlin (6), Aoife Kavanagh (7), Aoife Linehan (6); Maria Ryan (7), Sarah Delaney (8), Leah Kavanagh (6); Anna Murphy (7), Paula Quirke (6); Danielle Ryan (7), Leah Baskin (6), Lisa O’Connor (0-6f, 7); Aoife Kennedy (0-1, 7), Clodagh Horgan (0-2, 7) Emma Horgan (0-1, 6).

Subs: Mya Hickey (7) for Baskin (HT); Avril Ryan (6) for M Ryan (54); Emma Ryan (6) for Murphy (54); Maria Murphy (NR) for D Ryan (58), Dearbhla Casey (NR) for Linehan (59).

Referee: Mike Ryan (Nenagh Eire Og).