Brave Tramore Lose Out As Champions Gailltir Advance To Another Final

 

All-Ireland Champions Gailltir are on track to retain the crown they won earlier this year after they booked their place in this year’s County Senior Camogie Final which takes place next weekend when they proved too strong for Tramore in the first of this year’s semi finals at the WIT Arena at Carriganore on Saturday.

Many sides would fear going into a game against the reigning All-Ireland Champions but Tramore really put it up to the neighbours in this game despite what the seven point winning margin might suggest. Tramore proved very hard to break down throughout the course of the hour with their half back line of Kristin Lyons, Catherine Power and Kate O’Donoghue particularly impressive in the white and blue shirts.

Gailltir played with the strong wind at their backs in one of the back fields at the Carriganore venue in the first half and at times it looked as if they would prove far too good for their opponents.

Shauna Fitzgerald opened the scoring inside 30 seconds and Anne Corcoran doubled the Sky Blues advantage on two minutes.

Clara Griffin who impressed throughout for Tramore pulled a point back from a ’45 on three minutes, but Gailltir followed up with scores from Aoife Fitzgerald, Annie Fitzgerald and Anne Corcoran with a brilliant score to open up a four point advantage with just 13 minutes played.

Abbie Dunphy pointed for Tramore on the quarter of an hour mark but this proved to be their last score of the half.

At the other end  from the restart after Abbie Dunphy’s score Ciara Jackman with the wind at her back sent a huge delivery into her forwards and when the ball made its way into the control of Annie Fitzgerald she made no mistake in finishing past Shannon Acheson.

Five minutes from the break Gailltir added a crucial second goal. An Annie Fitzgerald free appeared to have been dragged off target but Leah Sheridan was on hand to send the ball back into the danger zone where Aoife Fitzgerald was on hand and in front of goal she made no mistake in bellowing the net.

Gailltir score twice more before the end, both scores coming off the stick of Annie Fitzgerald to give her side a 2-7 to 0-2 lead at the break.

With their wind at their backs in the second half Tramore were always going to be a much stronger side in the second half and they did manage to outscore Gailltir five scores to one, but the goals that they needed if they were to create a shock here never came their way.

Clara Griffin hit the first two scores of the second half and Kate Marie Hearne hit one in the opening 12 minutes of the second half. Ciara O’Sullivan landed Gailltir’s only score of the second half on 43 minutes following some good work by Emer Walshe and Alannah O’Sullivan in the build up.

Points followed for Clara Griffin and Kate Marie Hearne but it was not to be enough as Gailltir held out for a win. Tramore going forward will take great heart from this game knowing that they are moving in the right direction. Gailltir are back in a fifth county final in a row, but they will not need any telling they will have to up their game if they are to win a third final in a row, but they also will know they may not play in conditions like last Saturday again, where it could be argued that the wind was a telling factor.

Gailltir: Ciara Jackman; Claire Dunne, Emma Roche, Sorcha Cantwell; Leah Sheridan, Clodagh Carroll, Hannah Flynn; Kate Lynch, Shauna Fitzgerald; Anne Corcoran, Ciara O’Sullivan, Una Jackman; Alannah O’Sullivan, Annie Fitzgerald, Aoife Fitzgerald.

Subs: Emer Walsh for Anne Corcoran (29), Roisin Flood for Emer Walsh (55).

Scorers: Annie Fitzgerald 1-3 (0-1f, 0-1 ’45), Aoife Fitzgerald 1-1, Anne Corcoran 0-2, Shauna Fitzgerald, Ciara O’Sullivan 0-1 each.

Tramore: Shannon Acheson; Hannah Leamy, Leah Barry, Eimear Gallagher; Kristin Lyons, Catherine Power, Kate O’Donoghue; Vikki Falconer, Clara Griffin; Tara Power, Jordan Scholtz, Saoirse O’Brien; Abbie Dunphy, Kate Marie Hearne, Alannah Jones.

Subs: Natasha Dobbyn for Saoirse O’Brien (40), Ceri Griffin for Tara Power (55).

Scorers:  Clara Griffin 0-4 (4f), Kate Marie Hearne 0-2, Abbie Dunphy 0-1.

Referee: Martin Quilty (Slieverue).