Carlow crowned All-Ireland camogie champions
Carlow captain Caoimhe Coady and double goal-scorer Abhainn Coady celebrate with their father Pat following their All-Ireland U23 'C' Camogie Championship victory over Meath in Castletown Geoghegan, Westmeath. All Photos: INPHO/James Crombie.
Carlow are the All-Ireland U23 'C' Camogie Champions after a nine-point win over Meath on Saturday afternoon at Páirc Mhic Eochagain in Castletown Geoghegan.
Three goals in as many minutes right at the start of the first half proved to be the winning of the game, as Brian Lawler's charges left Westmeath with a rare All-Ireland title for Carlow.
Sarah Sheehan scored 1-7 on her way to being named Player of the Match, with other excellent performances on the Carlow side from Aimie Nolan, Leah Ryan, Abhainn Coady and Rhihannon Kenny.
Carlow began the championship round robin with a comprehensive 4-15 to 1-5 victory over Westmeath and ended with an 8-17 to 0-5 demolition of Cavan. Meath also beat Westmeath and Cavan in the round robin, but when Carlow and Meath went head to head, it was the Barrowsiders who emerged victorious on a convincing scoreline of 1-22 to 0-4.
Meath took the lead inside 30 seconds with a well-taken score from Emma Hanifan, but her opposite number, Abhainn Coady, took hold of the game then as the floodgates opened up for Carlow.
Coady took the ball out of the sky, charged in on goal and rippled the Meath net after 90 seconds. The St Mullins full forward had the goal in her sights barely a minute later and finished low to the bottom corner to raise her second green flag.
Coady then turned provider, setting up Leah Ryan who drilled the ball beyond Grainne Ni Laoire for goal number three in the opening four minutes of the final.
The outstanding Aimie Nolan then took the spotlight with a thunderous score from all of 70 metres. The Myshall player showed an exemplary ability to read the game and run with the ball, creating further scores for Molly Kavanagh and Sarah Sheehan.
Katie Connolly (free) and Rachel O'Neill pulled scores back for Meath to leave it 3-3 to 0-3 after ten minutes.
The sides swapped scores courtesy of a sensational effort from Sarah Sheehan and another free from Connolly midway through the half, but Carlow surged on with three scores on the trot from Sheehan, including two frees - one of which she struck from 60 metres.
Katie Connolly landed two quick-fire scores at the other end, one a free, but Muinebheag midfielder Rebecca Kelly closed out the half with a lovely score to leave Carlow up 3-8 to 0-6 at half time.
Meath went up a gear after the break and landed four scores in the first ten minutes of the half through Laura Kelly with her very first touch, a long-range free from Rachel O'Neill and two more frees from Connolly.
Carlow kept the scoreboard ticking through Coady and Kelly, and when Connolly and Sheehan swapped scores it left nine points in the difference with ten minutes of normal time remaining.
Connolly pointed her sixth of seven frees, but Carlow put the game to bed with a superb 1-1 from the inimitable Sarah Sheehan and a free from Clodagh Lawler to make it a ten-point game with the 60 minutes almost up.
Connolly pointed one last free before Laura Kelly hit the crossbar allowing Ciara Flanagan to gather the rebound and raise a green flag for Meath right at the death.
But it was Carlow’s day as captain Caoimhe Coady - the only member of the panel not eligible for U23 again in 2027 - climbed the steps to lift the All-Ireland trophy.
Sarah Sheehan 1-7 (0-3f), Abhainn Coady 2-1, Leah Ryan 1-0, Rebecca Kelly 0-2, Aimie Nolan, Molly Kavanagh and Clodagh Lawler (f) 0-1 each.
Katie Connolly 0-9 (7f), Ciara Flanagan 1-0, Rachel O'Neill 0-2 (1f), Emma Hanifan and Laura Kelly 0-1 each.
Aoibhinn Dowling (St Mullins); Sarah Joyce (Mount Leinster Rangers), Caoimhe Coady (St Mullins), Olwyn Lawler (Naomh Brid); Clodagh Lawler (Naomh Brid), Caoimhe Jordan (Myshall), Martha Dolan (Mount Leinster Rangers); Rebecca Kelly (Muinebheag), Rhihannon Kenny (Myshall); Molly Kavanagh (Mount Leinster Rangers), Sarah Sheehan (Myshall), Aimie Nolan (Myshall); Leah Ryan (St Mullins), Abhainn Coady (St Mullins), Holly Wall (Ballinkillen).
Niamh Minchin (Muinebheag) for Wall (46), Niamh Cox (Kildavin-Clonegal) for Dolan (56), Niamh Tracey (Ballinkillen) for O Lawler (58).
Grainne Ni Laoire; Lara Lacey, Rachel Moran, Michelle Brien; Alex Donoghue, Rachel O'Neill, Jennifer Ward; Julie-Anne Murtagh, Grace Connolly; Amy Boyle, Beibhinn Murphy, Katie Connolly; Anna Keogh, Emma Hanifan, Ciara Flanagan.
Blathnaid Hughes and Ellen Bermingham for Lacey and Brien (both 15), Laura Kelly for Donoghue (HT), Rachel Mulligan for Keogh (39), Cara Ratty for Boyle (51).
Ciaran Goff (Wicklow).
