Gallant Lismore Fall at Penultimate Hurdle

A playing season in which they won the County Senior League, the County Senior Championship and the Munster Intermediate Club Championship came to an end for Lismore Camogie Club when they were beaten by Galway side Athenry at Kinnegad.

Lismore travelled to the Westmeath venue confident that they would reach a third All-Ireland Club final in five years, but on the day they came up against a very strong Galway side that included vastly experienced players such as Therese Donohue, Jessica Gill and Rebecca Glynn

Both sides were forced to make changes to the side that they would have hoped to field for such a game. For Lismore ace free taker Aoife Hannon missed the game, while for the Galway side Eimear Keane missed the clash and will be hoping that she can force her way back into contention for their upcoming All-Ireland Final.

Lismore found the going tough throughout this game and never were allowed to show exactly what they can do.

At the break they trailed by three points, and in the second half they failed to add to their first half tally while the Galway side added just three points to their first half tally in what were difficult conditions for both sides.

The Galway side were first off the mark in this game with three points in the opening ten minutes. Jessica Gill opened the scoring with a point from play which was quickly followed with a brace of scores from the impressive Therese Donohue by the tenth minute.

Lismore however were intent on making a game of things and not to let the Galway side have things all their own way and they hit back with a Nicola Morrissey point on 15 minutes and Caithriona McGlone followed up with another point six minutes later.

But the Galway side would add two more scores, both frees off the stick of Therese Donohue to give her side a 0-5 to 0-2 advantage at the break.

The Galway side clearly had their homework down when it came to the threat that Lismore can pose to opposing sides and each time Caithriona McGlone a player that had scored seven goals in her last four competitive games got the ball, the Athenry defence swarmed around her and as a result the ladies from the Heritage Town never looked as if they were going to have a green flag waved in this game.

But if the Athenry defence proved strong at one end, the same could be said of Lismore at the other end, and like their opponents they never allowed their Galway side the chance to have a green flag waved.

Niamh Hannon opened the second half scoring for the Galway side nine minutes into the second half and they had to wait another 21 minutes to score again and when they did it was just like a London Bus, two came in quick succession, as Noreen Coen put over a brace of scores in a three minute spell.

With Lismore’s interest in the competition now after coming to an end, many of the players may now take a short break away from the game to recharge the batteries for a new year ahead in which they will be hoping to replicate what they achieved in 2017, but Waterford manager Donal O’Rourke will be hoping that the players that he wishes to use this year will not be too long away from the game, as he will want as strong as possible panel for the remainder of the National League which Waterford have made a good start to, but have possibly their hardest games yet to come.

Lismore; Tanya Morrissey; Sarah Coughlan, Shauna Prendergast, Ellen Curran; Aoife Houlihan, Shauna Kiernan, Izabella Markiewiz; Marie Russell, Sharon Williams; Grainne Kenneally, Nicola Morrissey, Shona Curran; Johanna Houlihan, Caithriona McGlone Ellen Power. Subs: Ruth Geoghegan for Johanna Houlihan, Sinead Bennett for Ellen Power.

Scorers: Nicola Morrissey, Caithriona McGlone 0-1 each.

Athenry: Megan McDonagh; Regina Mitchell, Niamh Keane, Fiona Page; Lorna Hannon, Jessica Gill, Kate Moran; Dervla Higgins, Grace Cahill; Niamh Donnellan, Therese Donohue, Niamh Keogh; Noreen Coen, Niamh Hannon, Elona Mahon. Sub: Megan Waldron for Niamh Keogh.

Scorers: Therese Donohue 0-4, Noreen Coen 0-2, Jessica Gill, Niamh Hannon 0-1 each.

Referee: John Dermody (Westmeath).