Injury time heart-break for Silvermines minors

CAMOGIE: FBD Insurance County Minor ‘B’ Championship Final

Knockavilla-Donaskeigh Kickhams 1-7

Silvermines 1-6

Report: Joe Scully in Borrisoleigh

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Una Ryan (Silvermines).

SCORERS – Knockavilla-Donaskeigh Kickhams: Ruby Kelly 0-5 (4 frees); Clare Horgan 1-0; Ellen Browne, Niamh Hayes 0-1 each.

Silvermines: Maeve Cunneen 0-5 frees; Kellie O’Dwyer 1-1

A goal deep in injury time by corner back Clare Horgan broke Silvermines hearts as Knockavilla-Donaskeigh Kickhams won the Tipperary Minor ‘B’ Camogie title on Sunday in a game of high quality encounter.

In a game of few scores, every score that did come was hard earned as both sides defensive abilities. Both teams deserve an immense amount of credit for the effort put in throughout the hour, as the heart and commitment shown was very high, and some of the blocking and hooking from both sides were on show throughout, with the player in possession not giving any time on the ball.

It was a game where neither team deserved to lose but, on this occasion, it was Silvermines who were left heartbroken at the final whistle, after conceding a late goal, after it had looked like Kellie O’Dwyer’s 52nd minute goal had given her side the win. Knockavilla’s ability to score from play with 1-3 as opposed to just 1-1 for Silvermines was probably the key difference in the end.

It was a tight cagey affair throughout with the winner in doubt right up to the last puck of the game. There was some fine individual performances, most notably for Knockavilla from Sarah Ryan, Mary Ellen Holmes, Ellen Browne, and Ruby Kelly, while for Silvermines, Maeve Cunneen, Kellie O’Dwyer, and Una Ryan excelled.

The first half was a tense and cagey affair, with both sides guilty of a few wides but it was the ‘Mines who opened the scoring in the eleventh minute through a Maeve Cunneen free.

Two minutes later, Knockavilla had a great goal chance but Saoirse O’Dwyer had her shot saved by Mines keeper Caoimhe Delaney. It took till the nineteenth minute for the West Tipp side to open their account through a Ruby Kelly free, and she followed up with an effort from play two minutes later to leave the score at 0-2 to 0-1.

The ‘Mines were level in the 25th minute through a Cunneen free. Ellen Browne hit the next score for Kickhams in the final minute of the half with an effort from play top leave the score at 0-3 to 0-2 at the break.

Silvermines were quickest out of the blocks for the second half and scored the first two points, the first of was a nice effort from play by Kellie O’Dwyer, and then a free from Cunneen both inside the opening four minutes.

Kickhams would respond within a minute through a Niamh Hayes effort to leave the sides level once again. It would stay this way till the 45th minute when a Ruby Kelly free would put the West side back ahead, but Cunneen had Silvermines level two minutes later through a free, as the game continued to seesaw back and forth.

Ruby Kelly had Kickhams back in front again in the 50th minute but two minutes later Silvermines would hit the front through a Kellie O’Dwyer goal after dispossessing her marker and finishing smartly to out her side two points up with nine minutes left.

Both teams would really go all at it from here on in with the game really coming to life with Kickhams desperately trying to find a way back into the game, and they would have the deficit back to a single point in the 59th minute with another Kelly free.

Kickhams would continue to push for a late score and were awarded a free in the third minute of added time as the drama increased. Ruby Kelly dropped the ball into the square where a goalmouth scramble ensued and eventually the ball fell to Clare Horgan, up from her corner back position, and he shot found its way into the back of the net much to the delight of the Kickhams and the heartbreak and tears of the Silvermines.

TEAMS - Knockavilla-Donaskeigh Kickhams: Aine Leahy (6); Orla Gleeson (6), Jessie Collins (7), Clare Horgan (7); Aoife White (7), Sarah Ryan (7), Niamh Buckley (6); Emma Kingston (6), Mary Ellen Holmes (7); Ellen Browne (8), Jade Collins (6), Millie Kelly (6); Ruby Kelly (9), Saoirse O’Dwyer (7), Niamh Hayes (7).

Silvermines: Caoimhe Delaney (6), Ruth Maher (6), Molly Ryan (7), Emer Moroney (6), Kathie Ryan (7), Marve Steed (7), Robyn O’Dwyer (7), Phoebe Sage (7) Una Ryan (9), Maeve Cunneen (7) (0-5 5f), Jane Ryan (6), Aoife Ryan (7), Lydia Leamy (6), Kellie O’Dwyer (7) (1-1), Ella Bailey (6).

Subs: Shauna Looby (6) for Bailey (35); Ave Quigley (6) for O’Dwyer (53 inj).

Referee: Philly Ryan (Boherlahan-Dualla).