Lorrha unable to halt dominant Holycross march to Junior title

CAMOGIE: FBD Insurance Tipperary Junior ‘A’ Championship Final

Holycross/Ballycahill 1-17

Lorrha 1-10

Report: Shane Brophy at the Camogie Grounds, The Ragg

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Elana McGrath (Holycross/Ballycahill)

SCORERS – Holycross/Ballycahill: Lauren McCormack 0-7 (5 frees, 1 ’45); Elana McGrath 0-5; Issy Carr 0-3; Linda Connors 1-0; Lorna O’Dwyer, Michelle Dwan 0-1 each.

Lorrha: Celine Cleary 1-4 (0-3 frees); Clodagh McIntyre 0-4 (2 frees); Hazel Reddin 0-2.

Lorrha were unable to halt the march of a dominant Holycross/Ballycahill to the County Junior ‘A’ Camogie Championship title in Saturday’s final.

The Mid Tipp side crushed all before them on route to the decider, including a Lorrha side whom they defeated by 24 points in the group stage in early September.

The fear in advance was that this final would be one-sided, but that didn’t take into account Lorrha’s spirit and confidence having bounced back from that loss to progress to the decider, with knockout stage wins over Brian Borus and Gortnahoe/Glengoole, the latter after double extra time the previous week.

Indeed, a major upset looked to be on the cards when they led 1-5 to 0-3 after 24 minutes with Holycross struggling to contend with the workrate and intensity of a Lorrha side backed by a vociferous support.

However, Holycross finally found their groove in the run up to half time, pinning a tiring Lorrha back in their own half. Holycross scored the final two points of the half with scorer-in-chief Lauren McCormack to the fore from placed balls, but it was the five minutes after half time where they won the game scoring 1-3 without reply.

Having fallen behind, Lorrha weren’t built to chase a deficit with Elaine Hogan marshalled as a sweeper, and effective as the Holycross’ attack were kept in check for the most part but the Mid Tipp side did have notable performers in Elana McGrath who contributed five points from play, while Issy Carr provided three from the bench to run out seven point winners.

While disappointed with the outcome, Lorrha have come a long way this year and the final margin was the closest anyone had come to this dominant Holycross/Ballycahill side who should immediately go into the contender category at intermediate level next year such is the quality they have in their side.

Lorrha find themselves in the boat Holycross sailed in last year as defeated finalists and they have plenty to build on with the level of effort produced. They didn’t lack belief despite being raging underdogs and after the sides shared the first two points, frees from Lauren McCormack and Clodagh McIntyre, Lorrha’s set-up was stifling Holycross with Elaine Hogan in front of their full-back line while Megan O’Meara was keeping Claire Stakelum quiet.

On the flip side, Lorrha had their own threat in county senior star Clodagh McIntyre whose hard running led to fouls and frees which she converted before Celine Cleary’s aerial ability saw her side into a 0-3 to 0-1 lead after ten minutes with sixteen-year-old Emma Kennedy’s influence in the middle of the field notable.

McCormack (free) and Elana McGrath pointed to level on seventeen minutes before another foul on McIntyre led to Celine Cleary restoring Lorrha’s lead.

It got even better on nineteen minutes when a delivery by Siobhan Reddin led to a superb catch by Clodagh McIntyre who had space to run into before playing in Celine Cleary to fire to the net, and when McIntyre pointed from play on 24 minutes, Lorrha were full value for their five point lead.

However, from there to half time, Lorrha struggled to get on the ball as Holycross pinned them back but were restricted to points from McCormack (free) and Elana McGrath to trail 0-5 to 1-5.

They took that momentum into the start of the second half, McCormack and McGrath adding to their tallies before they struck for a goal on 33 minutes when a mid-hit McCormack free almost found its way to the net, but Lorrha managed to keep their line intact. They thought they had survived but from a subsequent throw-in on the 21-yard line, Linda Connors managed to find space to fire to the net.

Lorrha responded well with Clodagh McIntyre pointing from play, but they couldn’t sustain regular attacks as Holycross incrementally built on their lead with Elana McGrath adding three more points from play, while sub Issy Carr also got on the scoresheet before Lorrha scored again through Hazel Reddin on 48 minutes, 1-11 to 1-7.

Lorrha needed a goal, but Holycross were able to create regular and better scoring chances with Lauren McCormack and Lorna O’Dwyer pointing from play with the former also converting a 45 as part of her seven point haul.

Issy Carr trebled her contribution off the bench, while fellow replacement Michelle Dwan also got in on the act as Holycross/Ballycahill outscored their opponents 1-12 to 0-5 in the second half with Celine Cleary (2 frees) and Hazel Reddin rounding off the scoring for a brave Lorrha side.

TEAMS – Holycross/Ballycahill: Sarah Gleeson (6); Katie Ryan (7), Meabh Ryan (6), Kate Dwan (7); Roisin Comerford (Capt, 7), Anna Gavin (7), Kate Carr (7); Claire Stakelum (7), Grainne O’Dowd (5); Lauren McCormack (7), Lorna O’Dwyer (7), Elana McGrath (9); Stephanie Dwan (6), Caoimhe Doyle (6), Linda Connors (7).

Subs: Alison Fitzgerald (7) for O’Dowd (20); Issy Carr (8) for S Dwan (29); Michelle Dwan (7) for Doyle (51); Sophie Lee (NR) for Connors (57).

Lorrha: Katie Kennedy (7); Michelle Maher (7), Aoife Brady (7), Marie Claire Fogarty (7); Lisa Duggan (6), Caoimhe Kennedy (7), Siobhan Reddin (J-Capt 8); Megan O’Meara (6), Emma Kennedy (7); Elaine Hogan (7), Clodagh McIntyre (8), Hazel Reddin (J-Capt 7); Aoife Hogan (6), Celine Cleary (7), Mary Houlihan (6).

Sub: Sophie Houlihan (6) for M Houlihan (48).

Referee: John Dooley (Thurles Gaels).