Murphy magic helps Stripeywomen take Leinster crown!

Derry calling for provincial champions

By Aoife Lanigan, PRO

Leinster Senior Camogie Final

Kilkenny 0-20 Wexford 1-6

Kilkenny won their 27^th Leinster Senior Title when they defeated Wexford in sun drenched Netwatch Cullen Park last Saturday.

Both sets of players entered the pitch prior to throw in wearing shorts but were informed by the referee they had to change into skorts for the match to go ahead which they did. No photography or streaming of the match was permitted following a request from the players, who decided not to give their consent to visual media as a form of protest.

Kilkenny started the match with great Vigor. They opened the scoring with a point from play through Laura Murphy in the second minute. Murphy then added a second point from a free two minutes later.

Aoife Prendergast slotted over two points from play for Kilkenny which sandwiched a Laura Murphy pointed free

Murphy scored Kilkenny’s sixth point in the 11^th minute with Asha McHardy and Katie Nolan adding a point each to leave the score 0-8 to no score after 17 minutes. Kilkenny harried and hassled the Wexford players every time they were on the ball.

It took until the 22^nd minute for Wexford to get their opening score, Joanne Dillon with a pointed free. Dillon added the Slaneysiders second point three minutes later.

Kilkenny took back control of the game, hitting the final three points of the first half through Steffi Fitzgerald, Mary O’Connell & Asha McHardy to leave the interval score 0-11 to 0-2 in favour of the Cats

On the resumption of play, Wexford got the better start this time, with Chloe Cashe hitting a fine point from play, Then in the 37^th minute, Wexford got in for a goal through Joanne Dillon. The Slaneysiders then added a further two points from Linda Bolger & Joanne Dillon (f) to narrow the gap to three points (0-11 to 1-5), but Kilkenny didn’t panic. A few substitutions were made and the Cats were back in business

Laura Murphy scored Kilkenny’s first point of the second half from a 45’ after Steffi Fitzgerald’s shot had been blocked out over the endline

Aoife Prendergast added her third point of the day, after a short puckout was played to Maria Brennan, who fired the sliotar towards Prendergast, she fielded it, turned & slotted it over the bar

Then two Kilkenny substitutes Kellyann Doyle & Sarah Barcoe combined with Barcoe tacking on a lovely point. Murphy added another pointed free for Kilkenny, before Piltown duo Kellyann Doyle & Sophie Holden also slotted over a point each. Murphy added another point for Kilkenny

In the 61^st minute, Wexford scored a point from Caoimhe Byrne (their first point in 14 minutes). But Kilkenny had the final say, with both Laura’s (Greene & Murphy) finding the target to give Kilkenny a 11-point victory

Kilkenny now start their All-Ireland Campaign tomorrow, with a trip away to Owenbeg to play Derry, throw in 2pm.

Scorers – Kilkenny – Laura Murphy 0-8 (6f), Aoife Prendergast 0-3, Asha McHardy 0-2, Katie Nolan, Steffi Fitzgerald, Mary O’Connell, Sarah Barcoe, Kellyann Doyle, Sophie Holden, Laura Greene 0-1 each

Wexford – Joanne Dillon 1-3 (2f), Chloe Cashe, Linda Bolger, Caoimhe Byrne 0-1

Kilkenny: Ali Kennedy, Michelle Teehan, Maria Brennan, Ciara Phelan, Niamh Deely, Katie Power (Capt), Tiffanie Fitzgerald, Aobha O’Gorman, Asha McHardy, Mary O’Connell, Laura Murphy, Caoimhe Keher Murtagh, Katie Nolan, Aoife Prendergast, Steffi Fitzgerald

Subs – Kellyann Doyle for Katie Nolan, Laura Greene for Aobha O’Gorman, Ava Brett for Michelle Teehan, Sarah Barcoe for Asha McHardy, Sophie Holden for Mary O’Connell, Aoife Norris, Caoimhe Dowling, Miriam Bambrick, Danielle Quigley, Carlise Comerford, Sophie O’Dwyer, Sinead O’Keeffe, Mairead Kennedy, Claire Doheny, Katiie Byrne, Niamh Crowley

Wexford: Keeva Steadmond, Karen Tomkins, Miria O’Dowd, Roisin Cooney, Amy Cahill, Orla Sinnott, Laura Dempsey (Capt), Muireann Fitzpatrick, Anais Curran, Sadhbh Buttle, Grace Roche, Leah Furlong, Joanne Dillon, Chloe Cashe, Emma Tomkins

Subs – Linda Bolger for Sadhbh Buttle, Clodagh Jackman for Roisin Cooney, Caoimhe Byrne for Grace Roche, Grace Ivanoff for Orla Sinnott, Emma Dempsey for Muireann Fitzpatrick, Laura Brennan, Jessie Morrissey, Liz Dempsey, Aisling Goggins, Sarah Hobbert, Ciara O’Connor, Sarah O’Connor, Rebecca Fanning