CORK AND KILKENNY last week both booked places in this year’s Liberty Insurance All-Ireland senior camogie final with semi-final wins in Semple Stadium.
Today it was the turn of the county’s intermediate sides to triumph in Nowlan Park as they defeated Laois and Kildare respectively in their semi-final clashes.
It means we will have two Cork-Kilkenny clashes in Croke Park on 10 September.
Cork 0-19
Laois 2-6
CORK withstood some nervy moments and a valiant effort by last year’s Premier Junior champions Laois to triumph in their game this afternoon.
The Leesiders always held the upper hand but an early goal by Sarah Ann Fitzgerald asked a question, that they looked to answer pretty well until Joan Dollard netted in the second half to put the game in the melting pot.
But ultimately Cork had too much scoring power, with eight different contributors to their 19-point tally, including six multiple scorers, that ensured they could pull away once more and look forward to a clash with Kilkenny.
Laois got a perfect start when one of the legends of Laois camogie Fitzgerald goaled after four minutes.
Cork did not panic however, as Rachel O’Shea converted a couple of points and Linda Collins finished well from a tight angle to edge them ahead.
Sarah Fahy added a brace of her own while O’Shea and Carolin O’Shea converted a pair of frees early after the resumption but a limpet-like Laois would not be cowed, Niamh Dollard and Fitzgerald slotting points to stay within four at the three-quarter mark.
Collins and Jacinta Crowley made it a six-point game but that was two when Joan Dollard found the net 10 minutes from time.
The Laois contingent at MacDonagh Park were really making their voices heard now but Cork took the air out of their sails really well, with five consecutive points that has them dreaming of All-Ireland glory.
Scorers for Cork: R O’Shea 0-6(fs); S Fahy 0-3; L Collins, C Sugrue, C Sigerson, J Crowley 0-2(fs) each; F Neville, L Lynch 0-1 each
Scorers for Laois: SA Fitzgerald 1-4(0-2fs); J Dollard 1-0; N Dollard, L O’Mahony 0-1
Cork
A Lee, L Coppinger, L Weste, N O’Keeffe, J Crowley, S Buckley, S Harrington, C Sigerson, J Barry, K Hickey, S Fahy, F Neville, R O’Shea, L Collins, C Sugrue.
Subs: L Lynch for O’Shea (54), K McCarthy for Sugrue (58), N O’Callaghan for Collins (59)
Laois
L Dunne, M Burke, Aisling Burke, A Hyland, S Creagh, E Mahony, O Parkinson, S Burke, E Ryan, N Dollard, L Mahony, SA Fitzgerald, Aoife Burke, J Dollard, S Moylan.
Referee: J McDonagh (Galway)
Kilkenny 1-15
Kildare 0-7
KILKENNY produced a whirlwind second half performance that blew Kildare away and kept their double dreams alive.
Having gone in at the break just a point ahead, Kilkenny reeled off five points in a row and a Keeva Fennelly goal in the 56th minute ended all hope for the Lilywhites, who failed to register a score in the second half.
It was all a far cry from what the early-comers to MacDonagh Park in Nenagh witnessed in the opening period, as the teams traded blow-for-blow.
Áine Fahy opened the scoring from play for Kilkenny but Susie O’Carroll levelled from a free.
Twice more the Stripey women edged ahead but Kildare were quick to respond. They never got their noses in front but showed more than enough to suggest that they might, even when a couple of points from leading scorer Ciara Holden pushed their opponents a couple clear.
Points from Louise Keatley and Deirbhile Byrne brought the teams level for a fourth time on the stroke of the half-hour but there was still time for Sarah Walsh to raise a white flag in response and get Kilkenny’s noses in front at the interval, 0-8 to 0-7.
For some reason, Kildare could not maintain their competitiveness after the resumption as Kilkenny moved through the gears.
Holden fired three points and her full-forward line partner Jenny Clifford slotted a brace.
The third member of the inside triumvirate, Fennelly joined in on the action late on finding the Kildare net and adding a couple of points to cement Kilkenny’s place in Croke Park on September 11th.
Scorers for Kilkenny: C Holden 0-7(4fs, 1 45); K Fennelly 1-3; J Clifford 0-3; A Fahy, S Walsh 0-1 each.
Scorers for Kildare: S O’Carroll 0-3(2fs); D Byrne 0-2; L Keatley, N Earley 0-1 each
Kilkenny
K Maher, L Phelan, J Norris, N Sweeney, N Leahy, K Nolan, E Frisby, A Kenneally, E Doonan, S Walsh, L Greene, A Fahy, C Holden, J Clifford, K Fennelly.
Kildare
R O’Connell, C Flanagan, C Nolan, F Trant, S Cribbin, A Trant, A Lyons, M Murtagh, E Reilly, N Earley, S Hurley, L Keatley, D Byrne, S Carroll, M Lyons.
Referee: E Cassidy (Derry)
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