St Lazarian’s bow out of Leinster at the final hurdle after narrow defeat
Holly Brennan (St Lazarian's Abbeyleix) races to win possession in the Leinster Club Camogie Junior 'A' Championship final Photo: Paul Dargan
ST LAZARIAN’S Abbeyleix and St Peter’s Dunboyne travelled to SETU Carlow on Sunday afternoon to battle it out for the coveted Leinster Junior A title in what promised to be a thrilling contest between two well-drilled and determined sides.
The conditions were ideal for a game of camogie, no wind, a mild temperature, and a pitch in immaculate condition. Both teams were clearly up for the occasion, with supporters from Laois and Meath creating a lively and colourful atmosphere around the grounds. The Meath champions took a slender two-point lead to the dressing rooms at half-time and ultimately held on for a hard-fought single-point victory after a tense and dramatic finish.
It was St Lazarian’s Abbeyleix who got the scoring underway when the lively Katie Dunican split the posts from play. However, St Peter’s Dunboyne quickly settled into their rhythm, hitting four unanswered points to take control early on. Ellen Burke converted from a free to get them off the mark before Laura Reilly added another from play. The impressive Maeve Clince then landed a long-range free, and Sinead Hackett also found her range to stretch their advantage.
Holly Brennan kept Abbeyleix in touch with a well-taken free, but Clince replied in kind for Dunboyne. Kaylah O’Mara added a fine point for the Meath side, before a powerful goal-bound effort from Laoise Dunne was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Bronagh Moran, a key moment that kept Dunboyne in front.
The Meath outfit built further momentum as Amy O’Hara and Erin Mangan fired over back-to-back scores. St Lazarian’s responded well before the break, with Kaylee O’Keeffe and Brennan both converting frees to narrow the deficit to just two points at half-time, 0-7 to 0-5.
St Peter’s Dunboyne began the second half with intent, notching two quick scores through Hackett and Mangan. Yet, the Laois champions refused to buckle, Dunican struck twice in succession after getting on the end of clever deliveries from Brennan, keeping her side right in contention.
Mangan, who was a constant threat throughout, added two more points, one from play and another from a free, to restore Dunboyne’s four-point cushion entering the final quarter. Then came a pivotal moment: St Lazarian’s Abbeyleix were awarded a free on the 21-metre line, and Brennan stepped up with confidence, rifling the sliotar straight into the net, just under the crossbar to bring it back to a single point game.
Reilly and Brennan exchanged late scores in the 58th and 59th minutes, leaving St Peter’s Dunboyne clinging to their narrow advantage. In a tense four minutes of injury time, St Lazarian’s threw everything forward, dominating possession and creating several opportunities. However, their efforts were just off target, and the Meath champions held firm to claim a dramatic one-point win when the final whistle sounded.
Erin Mangan 0-4 (0-1f), Laura Reilly, Sinead Hackett, and Maeve Clince (fs) 0-2 each, Ellen Burke 0-1 free.
Holly Brennan 1-3 (1-2fs), Katie Dunican 0-3, Kaylee O’Keeffe (f) and Kaylah O’Mara 0-1 each.
Sinead Clince; Niamh Boyce, Siobhan Synan, Dearbhla Curran; Clodagh Maher, Maeve Clince, Ellie McGovern; Ellen Burke, Anna Kane; Sinead Hackett, Laura Reilly, Niamh O’Connor; Erin Mangan, Amy O’Hara, Eve Cunningham.
Tara Wattets for Cunningham (41m).
Grace Foxe; Emma Cass, Rachel Cass, Sasha O’Keefe; Kate Kenna, Kaylee O’Keefe, Clodagh Gee; Roisin Fitzgearld, Jill Gaughan; Laoise Dunne, Claire Daly, Kaylah O’Mara; Holly Brennan, Katie Dunican, Katie Doyle.
Carragh Concannon for Fitzgerald (46m), Alison Kenna for Doyle (51m).
Shane Foley (Carlow)
