Walsh inspires Borris-Ileigh to comeback win

The Tipperary Senior Camogie Championship got off to a blistering start on Friday evening with three goals in the opening three minutes.

CAMOGIE: FBD Insurance Tipperary Senior Championship Group 2 Round 1

Borris-Ileigh 4-12

Knockavilla-D Kickhams 3-8

Report: Joe Scully in Borrisoleigh

Visitors Knockavilla-Donaskeigh Kickhams scored two of them, and despite leading for the whole of the first half and in front by three points at the break, they were unable to maintain the same level of performance in the second period.

Borris-Ileigh were inspired by county star Nicole Walsh who gave a masterful performance, as they outscored Kickham’s 3-4 to 0-3 to run out deserved seven points victors, after a highly entertaining hour of camogie, where the level of skill from both sides was of the highest quality.

Walsh, who returned to a more familiar position in the forwards after being in goals for the Tipperary seniors this year, was inspirational scoring 2-9 and was involved in everything good they did.

While Borris will be delighted with the win, they will know they have improvements to make also, as they really struggled when Knockavilla ran at them and looked like conceding goals every time.

Kickham’s meanwhile they will be disappointed with the result will know they played some great camogie at times and will be in a positive frame of mind going forward and will cause problems for teams as the championship goes forward.

The game got off to a flyer, and Kickham’s straight from the throw-in ran at the Borris defence and had the ball in the back of the net after only 24 seconds through Niamh Slattery, after Ereena Fryday’s shot was originally blocked.

The home side responded instantly and had a goal from the resultant puck-out with Nicole Walsh catching it and running towards goal, before hitting an unstoppable shot to the net.

Kickham’s would then respond with another goal a minute later, this time through Eimear Heffernan, as the Tipp star ran at the Borris defence and batted the ball to the back of the net.

The game would start to settle down from this point and Borris hit their first point in the fifth minute through a Nicole Walsh free. Kickham’s would respond with two scores, from Heffernan (1 free) after a fine team move to leave it 2-2 to 1-1.

Walsh and Heffernan would exchange frees before the former would hit three in a row, two from frees, the last from play after a Kickham’s puck-out went wrong, to leave just a point in it after sixteen minutes.

From the resultant puck-out, Kickham’s would go up the pitch and score their third goal, this time through Emma O’Mara, once again after running at the Borris defence before finishing well.

The home side responded well, however, and hit the next two scores, firstly through Nicole Walsh from a 45 and then an effort from play from Danielle Ryan. Heffernan pointed next for the away side from a free before Walsh once again got on the scoresheet with a fine effort from play.

The final score of the half went to the away side through Caoimhe McCarthy with a fine effort from 65 metres as Kickham’s went in leading 3-5 to 1-8.

Last year’s beaten semi-finalists came out in the second-half a totally different side and were level by the second minute through a Nicole Walsh penalty which she finished emphatically.

They hit three points in a row, two from Walsh and one from Aoife Fitzgerald to put Borris 2-12 to 3-5 ahead after 46 minutes. Fitzgerald hit the next score, a goal after a strong run and finish to put her side seven up in the 47th minute.

Kickham’s finally hit their first score of the half in the 50th through an Eimear Heffernan free which was followed up shortly after through a Caoimhe McCarthy super-score.

Any chance of a comeback was quickly extinguished however, when Aoife Fitzgerald scored her second goal after being set up by Nicole Walsh and after knocking the ball past Kickham’s keeper Sheena Ryan and tapped the ball into an empty net.

Kickham’s would push for a goal to try and get back into the game and had chances but were repelled at every opportunity by a gallant Borris-Ileigh defence and had to just settle for an Eimear Heffernan 45 in added time as their only score as the home side ran out deserved winners.

Player of the Match: Nicole Walsh (Borris-Ileigh).

Borris-Ileigh: Kellie Healy (6); Sinead O’Meara (7), Niamh McGrath (8), Eve Maher (6); Emma Kelly (6), Julieanne Bourke (8), Avril Ryan (7); Katie Fitzgerald (6), Danielle Ryan (0-1, 7), Aoife Fitzgerald (2-1, 8), Nicole Walsh (2-9, 1-6f, 9), Therese Groome (6); Emma Maher (7), Ava Bevans (6), Noirin Stapleton (6).

Sub: Aoife Ryan (7) for Stapleton (HT).

Knockavilla-Donaskeigh Kickhams: Sheena Ryan (6); Eimear Crowe (7), Sarah Mae Crosse (6), Sinead Furlong (7); Millie Kelly (6), Caoimhe McCormack (8), Saoirse O’Dwyer (7); Caoimhe McCarthy (0-2, 8), Sarah Ryan (7); Emma Daly (6), Ereena Fryday (8), Emma O’Mara (9); (1-0), Eimear Heffernan (1-6, 0-5f, 8), Ellen Browne (7), Niamh Slattery (1-0, 6).

Subs: Jessie Collins (7) for Slattery (HT), Keri-Ann Walshe (6) for Crosse (39); Emma Ryan (6) for Daly (51 mins).

Referee: Tommy Ryan (Kiladangan).