Tiny Clanmaurice win second All-Ireland on the bounce and set their sights on senior
Game Clanmaurice Geczo The Champions: the Team ©inpho/laszlo After picture: Celebrate
The Clanmaurice bandwagon just keeps rolling along as they produced one the best performances of their 10 year existence, when the put a below par Ahascragh Caltra side to the sword with superb eighteen point win in this All-Ireland Intermediate Club Camogie final, played in Croke Park. Unbelievably Clanmaurice will be playing senior camogie in 2025 and that with a panel of just 21 players.
Superbly led by Patrice Diggin and Kerry All-Star footballer Danielle O’Leary, they dominated from the very outset with the Galway side just managing one score in each half.
But if Jackie Horgan, Amy O’Sullivan and Caoimhe Spillane were the shooting stars upfront, it was their teak tough defence in which Sara Murphy (whose brother Bryan was also victorious with Sarsfields in the All-Ireland senior club) was a colossus at full back, Rachel McCarthy was tenacious in the tackle with Niamh Leen and many patrons player of the game, Aoife Behan, who denied the Galway side with some wonderful interceptions.
Clanmaurice began as if they meant business with Anne Marie Leen shooting wide inside a minute but defensively resolute, the Kerry side drove forward in waves and Jackie Horgan found Amy O’Sullivan in space, she sped past her marker in the fifth minute but was taken down with a penalty being awarded. Diggin found her penalty being parried by keeper Laura Noone and she then saved Diggin’s follow up. But the sliotar broke to Jackie Horgan whose shot came back off the crossbar but Horgan used her football skills to fly-kick it over the bar.
Smarting from not taking that goal chance Clanmaurice hit four unanswered points from Diggin (a beauty from the touchline, Aoife Behan, Caoimhe Spillane and Kate Lynch as Ahascragh Caltra shot three wides.
Then the Galway side struck for a well taken goal when Aoibhe Glynn fired the ball into the roof of the Clanmaurice net. But any hope of a Caltra comeback were dealt a cruel blow when Jackie Horgan fired over a point but then followed up a cracking goal in added time before the break. Diggin passed the ball to Sara Murphy who drilled a long ball that was fielded by Laura Collins, who drew the cover and found Jackie Horgan, one on one with the Galway keeper and Horgan billowed the net with a bullet.
Clanmaurice retired 1-6 to 1-0 in front but could Ahascragh Caltra fight back in the second period.
The answer was in the negative as Clanmaurice upped the tempo and their work rate and intensity and it was unfortunately one way traffic. Aoife Behan and Diggin added two early points and then in the 38th minute it was game over when Diggin found Horgan and the Soaring All-Star scored her second goal. Further points from Kate Lynch, Diggin and Caoimhe Spillane saw Clanmaurice move out of sight (2-11 to 1-0) at the end of the third quarter.
Clanmaurice added five more points as they never let up and it was left to Sarah Noone to fire over her side’s solitary point for the sixty odd minutes.
It was an emotional captain Diggin who raised the Cup after the final whistle while Jackie Horgan was awarded player of the game for her 2-3.
J Horgan 1-3; C Spillane, P Diggin(3fs) 0-4 each; K Lynch 0-3; A Behan 0-2
: A Glynn 1-0; S Noone 0-1
: A Fitzgerald, R McCarthy, S Murphy, M Costello, A Behan, N Leen, A O’Connor, P Diggin, D O’Leary, C Spillane, K Lynch, L Collins, AM Leen, J Horgan, A O’Sullivan.
: E Ryall for O’Connor (55), J O’Keeffe for Horgan (56), C Moloney for O’Sullivan (57)
: L Noone, D Kelly, H Cullinane, M Higgins, .R Blehane, S Noone, C Ní Cheallaigh, A Fitzpatrick, A Ní Cheallaigh, C Power, A Glynn, C Murray, L Kirwan, E Reaney, S Murray.
: M Mulryan for Power (ht); J Higgins for Murray (40), L Glynn for Blehane (40), E Blehane for Glynn (52), G Gerard for Ní Cheallaigh (57)
: Gavin Donegan (Dublin)