Laois have been crowned Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Premier Junior Camogie champions
Laois captain Clodagh Tynan raises the Kay Mills Cup aloft in Croke Park after getting the better of Armagh in the Premier Junior Camogie final Photo: Paul Dargan
Laois 2-15
Armagh 0-12
FOR the second year in a row, Laois made the journey to GAA headquarters looking to get their hands on the Kay Mills Cup having fallen short to Tipperary last year. Laois and Armagh are very familiar with one another over the past few years as this is their third meeting in two seasons. They faced off for the Division 3A league final last year where Armagh came out on top but Laois got their revenge in the group stages this year.
Laois got off to a commanding start when Grainne Delaney rattled the top left corner of the net, soon followed by Eimear Hassett splitting the posts. Armagh responded strongly as they levelled the game, pointing four in a row. Two frees from Rachael Merry followed by Niamh Forker raising a white flag before Merry added a third. Aimee Collier and Merry traded frees while Hassett found herself in a pocket of space but the effort hit off the lower right post and wide.
Merry added another free while Sinead Quinn added her name to the scoresheet pointing from play. Laois hit their purple patch in the final eight minutes of the half where they pointed three on the trot to push one point ahead heading into injury time. Clodagh Tynan pointed a super score with Collier adding her second free and Grainne Delaney raising her first white flag. A late free pointed by Merry was the final play of the half and the teams went down the tunnel all level.
Armagh pointed the opening two scores of the second half courtesy of Quinn and Corinna Doyle but Laois replied with three points to push one ahead entering the final quarter. Collier added a third free while both Kaylee O’Keeffe and Lucy Conroy raised their first white flags of the contest.
Collier pointed from a placed ball before Grainne Delaney set up Amy Daly who made no mistake burying the ball into the Armagh net. Grainne Delaney took her tally to 1-2 splitting the posts while Susie Delaney pointed an incredible score under the Cusack Stand. Merry stepped up for Armagh and pointed two frees but Laois were far from finished as they stepped up another gear and finished the game out pointing four in a row leaving Armagh in the smoke. Collier was responsible for three of the four with two coming from frees while O’Keeffe added to her first half point before referee Enda Loughnane called it a day and Laois were crowned Champions.
SCORERS – Laois: Aimee Collier 0-7 (0-6fs), Grainne Delaney 1-2, Amy Daly 1-0, Kaylee O’Keeffe 0-2, Susie Delaney, Clodagh Tynan, Eimear Hassett, and Lucy Conroy 0-1 each.
Armagh: Rachael Merry 0-8 (0-7fs), Sinead Quinn 0-2, Niamh Forker and Corinna Doyle 0-1 each.
LAOIS: Aedin Lowry (Camross); Laura Finlay (St Brigid's), Ellen Conroy (O'Moore's), Fiona Scully (Camross); Alice Walsh (The Harps), Clodagh Tynan (St Brigid's), Sarah Creagh (St Brigid’s); Alanna Tynan (St Brigid’s), Liadan C-Fennell (O'Moore's); Gráinne Delaney (Camross), Kirsten Keenan (Camross), Kaylee O'Keefe (St Lazarian's); Susie Delaney (Portlaoise), Aimee Collier (Camross), Eimear Hassett (St Brigid’s).
Subs: Lucy Conroy (O’Moore’s) for Keenan (27m), Amy Daly (St Brigid’s) for Hassett (41m), Lynda Keyes (Camross) for Walsh (53m), and Shona Jones (St Brigid’s) for C-Fennell (60m).
ARMAGH: Ciarrai Devlin; Meabh O’Hare, Gemma McCann, Lucie Loughran; Michelle McCone, Alanna McEntee, Eimear Hayes; Grace Gaffney, Ciara Hill; Megan O’Callaghan, Katie Connie, Niamh Forker; Corinna Doyle, Sinead Quinn, Rachael Merry.
Subs: Fiadhna Loughran for Loughran (41m), Eimear McGeary for Gaffney (41m), Laoise McConnell for Forker (53m).
Referee: Enda Loughnane (Galway)
