Dicksboro 0-13; Thomastown 0-8.
John Power at John Lockes Park, Callan.
Dicksboro qualified for a sixth Kilkenny Senior camogie championship final in seven seasons following a hard-fought victory over Thomastown at John Lockes Park, Callan, on a gorgeous sunny Saturday afternoon.
There was little between the sides for long periods of an absorbing contest, with Thomastown proving more than capable of matching the defending champions. However, the experience and composure of the city side eventually told, as Dicksboro produced their best spell of the game during the closing quarter to finally establish a winning cushion.
Dicksboro had enjoyed a relatively comfortable victory over Danesfort in their quarter-final, but this was an entirely different proposition. Thomastown, the 2023 All-Ireland Senior Club champions, arrived with plenty of ambition and showed from the outset that they had no intention of allowing the holders an easy passage into another final. Thomastown made the brighter start and opened the scoring with a pointed free from Eva Hynes.
Dicksboro quickly settled, however, and proceeded to take control of the scoreboard with an unanswered sequence of five points. Jenny Clifford was prominent during this spell, contributing two excellent scores, while Caoimhe Dowling also got on the scoresheet. Aoife Prendergast then added two accurately struck frees as the defending champions began to look increasingly comfortable.
Thomastown refused to be knocked out of their stride and gradually worked their way back into the contest. By the twentieth minute they had drawn level at 0-5 apiece following a productive spell in which Sarah Barcoe registered two points, with Sophie McCabe also finding the target. Barcoe added another before captain Sinead O’Keeffe produced a fine score to bring the teams level.
The momentum swung back towards Dicksboro before the interval and they went into the break with a three-point advantage, leading 0-8 to 0-5. Two more pointed frees from the dependable Aoife Prendergast accounted for the holders’ additional scores, with the second of those frees coming either side of a Jenny Clifford point from play. Dicksboro therefore had the advantage at half-time, but Thomastown remained firmly in contention and knew that a strong opening to the second half could put the pressure back on the champions.
They did precisely that. Thomastown came racing out after the restart and reduced the deficit with two points from placed balls by Eva Hynes. The second of those scores came from a disputed ’65’, but it was nonetheless converted and suddenly the margin was down to the minimum. At that stage, the outcome remained very much in the balance.
From the 42nd minute onwards, however, Dicksboro began to find another gear. Their passing became sharper, they moved the ball with greater speed, and their forwards started to find more space. It was during this crucial period that the defending champions demonstrated why they have been such a dominant force in Kilkenny camogie in recent seasons. They outscored Thomastown by 0-5 to 0-1 from the 42nd minute to the finish, turning a closely fought contest into a much more comfortable victory.
Aoife Prendergast continued to make a major contribution, adding a point from play as well as another from a free. Amy Clifford then showed her determination and work-rate with two individual scores as Dicksboro began to pull clear.
Another important score came from Rachel Dowling after she was picked out by Jenny Clifford, completing a fine move and further increasing Dicksboro’s advantage.
Thomastown continued to battle to the final whistle and their persistence was rewarded with a point from Anna Farrell, but by then Dicksboro had established sufficient daylight to ensure that their place in the county final was secure.
The victory sends Dicksboro into their third successive Senior final and their sixth in seven seasons, underlining their remarkable consistency at the top level of Kilkenny camogie. They have already collected four county Senior titles during this period, winning in 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2025, and will now have the opportunity to add another title to that impressive collection.
Their opponents in the decider will be Piltown, who won the second semi-final later that day. The prospect of a Dicksboro-Piltown showdown is certain to generate considerable interest throughout the county, with both clubs among the leading forces in Kilkenny camogie.
For Dicksboro, the objective is clear: another Senior title and further confirmation of their status as one of the outstanding teams of the modern Kilkenny camogie era. For Piltown, meanwhile, the final represents an opportunity to stop the city club from adding yet another championship crown to their impressive record.
Whatever the outcome, the final promises to be one of the highlights of the Kilkenny camogie season.
SCORERS
DICKSBORO: Aoife Prendergast (0-6, 0-5 frees), Jenny Clifford (0-3), Amy Clifford (0-2), Aoife Rachel Dowling (0-1)
THOMASTOWN: Eva Hynes (0-3, 0-2 frees, 0-1 “65”), Sarah Barcoe (0-2), Sophie McCabe, Sinead O’Keeffe, Anna Farrell (0-1 each).
TEAMS
DICKSBORO: Cara Duggan, Angela Carroll, Tara Clifford, Katie Byrne, Ciara Phelan, Caoimhe Dowling, Aisling Browne, Aobha O’Gorman, Tara McGrath, Asha McHardy, Jenny Clifford, Rachel Dowling, Aoife Prendergast, Orla Hanrick, Amy Clifford. Substitutes: Rose Kelly for Asha McHardy, Emma Hogan for Amy Clifford
THOMASTOWN: Libby Begley, Lisa Donnelly, Orlaith Kirwan, Sinead Galway, Orla O’Keeffe, Sinead O’Keeffe, Joanne Fitzpatrick, Roisin O’Keeffe, Ailis O’Shea, Anna Farrell, Eva Hynes, Ellen Treacy, Kate McDonald, Sarah Barcoe, Sophie McCabe. Substitutes: Therese Donnelly, Michelle Donnelly.
Referee: Julian Dwyer
