Leinster Junior Club Championship
Bennekerry/Tinryland 4-9
Ballyroan 6-7
By Aaron Doyle
IN this entertaining clash in Tinryland, the Laois junior champions Ballyroan beat Carlow senior champions Bennekerry/Tinryland in the Leinster junior club championship on Saturday.
Ballyroan had the best of the early going and took the lead with a free from Eimile McWey. A point and a goal from Aoife McWey put the Laois side five points ahead after six minutes. A point from Rachel Fitzgerald made it 1-3 to 0-0 after 11 minutes.
It took the Carlow girls a while to get going, with the stop start nature of the first half not helping, but a point from Aoibhín Webb after 23 minutes got them on the score sheet. Webb scored a goal for Bennekerry/Tinryland but Ballyroan got a goal soon after thanks to Eimile McWey and points from Ciara Delaney and McWey left the score at 2-5 to 1-1 at the break in favour of Ballyroan.
Elaine Ware got a goal for Bennekerry/Tinryland 20 seconds after the restart and a point from Roisin Byrne had the Carlow girls within two points of their opponents.
Katie Whelan and Cliodhna Ní She scored a point each for their side before Stephanie Dunne scored to reduce the gap to one. Eimear McWey scored Ballyroan’s third goal of the game but a point for Ware made it 3-6 to 2-6.
A free from McWey and a goal from Arianna Mezapelle stretched Ballyroan’s lead but a free from Ware and a goal from Katie Bullen pegged them back. However, two goals from Ballyroan put the icing on the cake as they clinched the victory.
Benekerry/Tinryland: Shannen Cotter; Niamh Walsh, Elaine Ware (1-2, 1f), Ciara Nolan; Ruth Bermingham, Deirdre Tomlinson, Audrey Murphy; Cliodhna Ní She, Grace Lawlor; Leah Mullins, Roisin Byrne (0-1), Stephanie Dunne (0-1); Niamh Kelly, Aoibhín Webb (2-2), Lauren McGrath. Subs: Lauren Dwyer for G Lawlor (HT), Katie Bullen (1-1) for L McGrath (HT), Roisin Brennan for R Bermingham (43 mins), Emma O’Regan for S Dunne (45 mins), Aishling Kelly for N Kelly (56 mins), R Bermingham for A Kelly (67 mins)
Ballyroan: Sharon Corcoran; Orlaith Murphy, Eimear Brennan, Emily Mulhall; Amy Fitzpatrick, Clodagh Dunne, Leah Kelly; Aoife Delaney, Andrea Moran; Eimear McWey (1-0), Eimile McWey (1-3, 3fs), Rachel Fitzgerald (0-1); Ciara Delaney (0-1), Aoife McWey (2-1), Maggie Mulhare. Subs: Kate Whelan for R Fitzgerald (HT), Caoimhe Murphy for C Delaney (40 mins), Arianna Mezapelle (2-0) for A Fitzpatrick (45 mins), Sarah McMahon for C Dunne (55 mins)
Referee: Stephen McNulty (Wicklow)