Brilliant Beth Inspires Waterford To All-Ireland Quarter Finals For Third Year In A Row

 

Back to back wins in this year’s All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship means that Waterford will be involved in the knockout stages of the championship for the third year in a row after Fergal O’Brien’s side overcame the challenge of Westmeath today at Mullingar.

The draw made after today’s games for next Saturday’s All-Ireland Quarter Finals proved to be somewhat kind for Waterford as they will play group three winners Tipperary from the round robin section of the competition, the second time in three years that the two neighbouring sides have met at this stage of the competition and Waterford will go into this game confident that they can progress to an All-Ireland semi final against Cork or Kilkenny at the end of the month.

Waterford were full value for their 13 point win in this game and were on top for much of the game apart from a period in the third quarter when the home side enjoyed somewhat of a purple patch when they reduced Waterford’s half time seven point advantage on the score board to four.

Double All-Star winner Beth Carton had another massive game for the Déise County in this game finishing the game with a very impressive 1-14 behind her name on the score sheet while elsewhere on the field for Waterford Brianna O’Regan without doubt one of the best goalkeepers in the country within the game saved a second half Megan Dowdall penalty while in front of her the full back line of Sibheal Harney, Iona Heffernan and Claire Whyte had possibly their best game ever playing together (and they have had some good games over the past few years), Lorraine Bray and Kate Lynch also had big games while Orla Hickey and Shona Curran in the middle of the field worked hard. Such was the dominance of Waterford while defending they restricted their opponents to just two points from open play.

This was a difficult game for both sides to be at their very best over the course of the hour. County Derry referee Eamon Cassidy was in charge of this game and while he is regarded as one of the top referees within the game he is also known to be very whistle happy while officiating at games and it was no surprise therefore to see a huge amount of frees (I counted 25 in the first half and 19 in the second, including a penalty, and may have missed some).

Lorraine Bray who is once again having a very impressive year in the Waterford colours opened the scoring on three minutes with a delightful point. Three Beth Carton scores followed, two from frees before Pamela Greville opened the home sides account on 13 minutes with a free.

Three more Beth Carton scores all from placed balls followed for Fergal O’Brien’s side before Pamela Greville possibly in her last game at this stage for the home side hit her sides second score on 26 minutes.

Two further scores from the De La Salle Club player followed for Waterford before Megan Dowdall split the posts for the home side for their first score from open play, the last of the half two minutes from the break.

Annie Fitzgerald opened the second half scoring for Waterford inside sixty seconds of the restart, but the home side would soon enter it’s best patch of the game.

Pamela Greville cancelled out the Gailltir club players effort when she put over a free, and while Beth Carton would score next two points from Greville and one from Dowdall cut the Waterford lead to five and when Pamela Greville put over a difficult free on 45 minute there is bound to have been some questioning if the home side could pull off another major scalp this year. Confusion however surrounded this score as referee Eamon Cassidy clearly blew his whistle before the sliotar went between the uprights, possibly spotting an infringement within the square but then instructed the umpire at the Dunnes Stores end of the ground to wave his white flag.

However Waterford upped the tempo in the last quarter.

Fergal O’Brien’s side hit their first goal on 48 minutes when Abbey Flynn played Beth Carton into space and she fired past Fiona Keating putting Waterford 1-12 to 0-8 in front. The De La Salle player edged Waterford further in front before her Club mate put Waterford nine points up with ten minutes to play.

On 52 minutes a Beth Carton free fell short. As the ball dropped Fiona Keating fumbled but she managed to clear the danger before the advancing Niamh Rockett would get a touch.

Seconds later the home side were awarded a penalty. They can be no disputing that Megan Dowdall was fouled but it appeared to have happened just outside the box but her momentum took her inside it and she went to ground. Referee Eamon Cassidy indicated for a penalty. New rules in Camogie mean that such strikes are one on one just as in hurling, but Waterford’s Brianna O’Regan showed her class in brilliantly saving from the Clonkill Club player who struck from 21 metres.

Greville and Carton swapped scores from placed balls before Greville pointed again from a free on the hour mark, but Waterford were not finished yet and in added time Beth Carton shot over her shoulder from out near the sideline finding Niamh Rockett who despite the best efforts of Aoife Cully fired Waterford’s second goal of the game. Two more Beth Carton scores, one from play and one from a free ensured that Waterford would be in the hat for the quarter final draws.

Waterford: Brianna O’Regan, Sibheal Harney, Iona Heffernan, Claire Whyte; Lorraine Bray, Clodagh Carroll, Kate Lynch; Orla Hickey, Shona Curran; Niamh Rockett, Caoimhe McGrath, Jenny McCarthy; Beth Carton, Abby Flynn, Annie Fitzgerald.

Subs: Sarah Lacey for Jenny McCarthy, Aoife Landers for Caoimhe McGrath, Keeley Corbett Barry for Orla Hickey, Anne Corcoran for Annie Fitzgerald.

Scorers: Beth Carton 1-14 (0-10f), Niamh Rockett 1-0, Lorraine Bray, Annie Fitzgerald, Abby Flynn 0-1 each.

Westmeath: Fiona Keating; Emily McCabe, Meabh Scally, Aoife O’Mally; Laura Doherty, Fiona Leavy, Amy Cully; Sheila McGrath, Muireann Scally; Aoife Doherty, Ava Balfe, Caoimhe McRossan; Megan Dowdall, Pamela Greville, Denise McGrath.

Subs: Niamh Horan for Denise McGrath, Sarah King for Aoife Doherty, Caoimhe Scally for Ava Balfe, Róisín Scally for Emily McCabe, Aisling Eggerton for Amy Cully

Scorers: Pamela Greville 0-8 (8f), Megan Dowdall 0-2

Referee: Eamon Cassidy (Derry).