Piltown 0-12; Tullaroan 0-8.
John Power at John Lockes Park, Callan.
Piltown will play Dicksboro in a third successive Kilkenny County Senior camogie final following a hard-fought victory over Tullaroan in Saturday’s second semi-final at John Lockes Park, Callan.
On a splendid sunny afternoon, the Southern club eventually secured their place in the county decider, but they were made to work extremely hard for their victory by a determined and gutsy Tullaroan side. Piltown had recorded a comfortable quarter-final victory over St Brigid’s of Ballycallan and came into the semi-final with plenty of confidence. However, they quickly discovered that they would have to produce a much better performance if they were to overcome a Tullaroan side determined to make their mark.
Despite the excellent conditions for camogie, scores were hard to come by throughout much of the contest. Both teams defended doggedly, while neither attack was able to establish a sustained period of dominance. In the end, Piltown’s greater experience at this stage of the championship proved important.
Tullaroan made the brighter opening and had two points on the scoreboard inside the opening four minutes. Miriam Walsh opened their account before Niamh Dowling added a pointed free, giving the Northern side an early 0-2 to 0-0 advantage. Piltown gradually settled into the contest and began to exert increasing pressure. However, despite enjoying the greater share of possession and territory for much of the next twenty minutes, they struggled to translate that dominance into scores. Three of their points during this period came from the reliable stick of Kellyann Doyle, who converted a trio of frees with her customary accuracy. The other Piltown score was an excellent effort from Ruby Norris, who made a strong attacking run through the centre before finishing off the move with a fine point.
Tullaroan continued to battle hard and Niamh Dowling kept the scoreboard ticking over with another pointed free. Katie Power then responded for Piltown, leaving the Southern side with a narrow advantage as half-time approached. Dowling added another point from a Tullaroan free before the interval, but Piltown remained in front and went into the dressing rooms leading by 0-5 to 0-3.
There was little between the teams in terms of overall play, although Piltown had shown enough during the opening half to suggest that they could pull away if they managed to become more efficient in front of the posts. Tullaroan again showed their fighting qualities immediately after the restart, with Miriam Walsh registering an early point. Piltown responded through Sophie Holden within the opening three minutes of the second half.
However, Tullaroan suffered a significant setback shortly afterwards when Walsh picked up what appeared to be a nasty injury and was forced to leave the field. Her departure was a blow to the Northern side, particularly given the contribution she had made to their attack, and it undoubtedly hindered their efforts for the remainder of the contest.
Tullaroan continued to fight and Niamh Dowling converted another free to reduce the deficit. Piltown responded almost immediately, however, with Ruby Norris finding the target to restore their two-point advantage at 0-7 to 0-5. Dowling then produced another important score, this time from play, to leave just a single point between the sides and ensure that Piltown could not afford to relax.
For a period, Tullaroan looked capable of drawing level, but Piltown responded with their strongest spell of the game. Over the next dozen minutes, the Southern side registered four unanswered points to open up a five-point advantage at 0-11 to 0-6.
Laura Norris got the sequence underway before Kellyann Doyle added two more points from frees. Katie Power then completed the impressive spell with another point, as Piltown finally began to establish some daylight between themselves and their determined opponents.
Tullaroan refused to surrender and continued to press forward. Niamh Dowling converted another pointed free and Kellyann Doyle replied with a free at the other end by the 29th minute, leaving Piltown in front by 0-12 to 0-7. The Northern club applied further pressure during the closing stages, but Piltown’s defence remained composed and restricted Tullaroan to just one further score. That came from Ciara Dunne, who pointed from play, but by then Piltown had done enough to secure their passage to another county final.
It was a victory built on patience and perseverance rather than spectacular scoring. Piltown were forced to work for almost every score, while their ability to remain composed when Tullaroan threatened to close the gap proved crucial. For Tullaroan, there was disappointment at the final whistle, but they can take considerable credit from a performance which kept Piltown under pressure for long periods. They never allowed the Southern club to establish complete control and remained within touching distance until Piltown’s decisive scoring burst in the second half.
For Piltown, meanwhile, attention now turns to the biggest game of the Kilkenny camogie season. Their reward is a third successive County Senior final against familiar opponents Dicksboro, who had earlier overcome Thomastown in the other semi-final.
The two clubs have become familiar rivals at the business end of the championship, and another meeting between them promises to attract considerable interest throughout the county. Piltown will be bidding to add to their sole previous Senior championship title, won in 2024, while Dicksboro will be seeking yet another addition to their impressive collection of county crowns.
The final, which takes place in a fortnight, therefore promises to be a fascinating contest between two of the leading forces in Kilkenny camogie, with Piltown hoping that their persistence against Tullaroan will prove the foundation for another memorable championship victory.
SCORERS
PILTOWN: Kellyann Doyle (0-6 frees), Ruby Norris (0-2), Katie Power (0-2), Sophie Holden, Laura Norris (0-1 each).
TULLAROAN: Niamh Dowling (0-5, 0-4 frees), Miriam Walsh (0-2), Ciara Dunne (0-1).
TEAMS
PILTOWN: Aoife Norris, Daniel Carroll, Patsy Kenny, Lorraine Long, Karen Duggan, Aoife Landers, Jenni O’Dea, Laura Norris, Lorna O’Shea, Sophie Holden, Kellyann Doyle, Ruby Norris, Aoife Doyle, Katie Power, Grace Farrell. Substitutes: Alice Talbot for Lorna O’Shea, Alanna Gallagher for Jenni O’Dea, Heather Phelan for Grace Farrell.
TULLAROAN: Ella Walton, Karen Jones, Grace Brennan, Sinead Cash, Sinead Keoghan, Anna Doheny, Rachel Brennan, Grace Keoghan, Shannon Doheny, Eleanor Doheny, Ciara Dunne, Beth Grace, Miriam Walsh, Grace Walsh, Niamh Dowling. Substitutes: Sinead Cass for Grace Keoghan, Sinead Murphy for Beth Grace, Katie Dunphy for Miriam Walsh.
Referee: Gavin Quilty (Slieverue).
