Carlow recover after slow start to record another win
Carlow's Kate Nolan turns Kildare's full back Sorcha Dolan
ALL-IRELAND INTERMEDIATE CAMOGIE CHAMPIONSHIP - ROUND 3
CARLOW 1-12 KILDARE 1-3
Carlow survived an early scare to record a second consecutive win in this All-Ireland intermediate camogie championship at Netwatch Cullen Park on Saturday.
The visitors hit the ground running as they outplayed the hosts hitting two points on the trot through Sarah Lavin and Lea Sutton. In fact, Lavin will probably rue the chance she had as if she had showed a slightly higher degree of composure, she could well have found the Carlow net.
Rebecca Kelly’s point settled the home side and they found an equaliser through Anna Murphy on six minutes. Ciara Kavanagh did have a goal chance but an alert defence put in the hook and swept the loose sliotar to safety.
Points from Eleanor Treacy (free), Eve Sinnott and Kavanagh pushed Carlow clear but Kildare didn’t let their heads drop. Sutton was all over the pitch while Caoimhe Ní Bhuirceal was well watched by the Carlow defence who were in no mood to give too much away. Yet, the Lily Whites had chances but six wides in the opening half told its own story.
Kelly’s second point gave the home side a deserved 0-6 to 0-2 lead at the interval.
It was a dogged third quarter. Kelly point inside the opening seconds was a real confidence builder while Ní Bhuirceal finally raised a white flag which her play and her team deserved. It was tight after that. Carlow had the edge up front with Caoimhe Coady finally got a point her general play deserved as she had seen a number of efforts either fall short or whizz wide of the posts. Both substitutes, Kate Nolan and Holly Wall were involved in a move which saw Kavanagh fire over a point.
With 13 minutes left on the clock, Carlow sealed the victory when Coady did all the dirty work and her bravery was rewarded when she put in Nolan for a goal at the scoreboard end of the ground.
Kildare hit back and Ní Bhuircéal wrong-footed the Carlow keeper with a shot which fell over the line. With eight minutes to go, the visitors would fail to score again but they held their rivals to a point through Eve Sinnott. A nine-point margin at the end was probably a little hard on the visitors but to the victors goes the spoils.
Carlow: K Nolan 1-1, R Kelly 0-3, E Sinnott, C Kavanagh, E Treacy (1f) 0-2 each, A Murphy, C Coady 0-1 each.
