Clare Camogie: Scariff/Ogonnelloe 1-16 Truagh/Clonlara 1-10
Clare Senior Camogie Championship – Saturday, 15th August 2020
Scariff/Ogonnelloe 1-16 Truagh/Clonlara 1-10
Last year’s champions Scariff-Ogonnelloe saw this game out in their fight for survival in the 2020 championship after a tough battle with Truagh in Fr. McNamara Park on Saturday.
The teams exchanged early points with Mairead Scanlon putting the ball over the bar for Scariff-Ogonnelloe answered almost immediately by a point from Truagh’s Niamh Powell. The big hitters were out today with Eimear Kelly adding Truagh’s second with a long-range point from a free.
Scariff-Ogonnelloe’s goalie Aisling Corbett attempted to better than with a free from inside her own half which went narrowly wide. Opening warning shots from both teams that frees from anywhere in the park would more than likely be punished.
Scanlon added her second from a placed ball from the 20-metre mark and from the puck out that followed Truagh’s Aideen Hogg found Aine O’Loughlin whose initial shot hit the post but O’Loughlin worked hard to win back possession and get her first point of the day.
A 45-metre free was converted by Scanlon to level the sides with Truagh’s indiscipline gladly punished by Scanlon to put Scariff-Ogonnelloe back in the lead with a 40-metre free. Linda Daly further extended the lead just before the first half water break with a fine point from play.
O’Loughlin was doing well under her own puckouts and laid off to Truagh’s inside forward Rebecca Foley whose shot was cleared by Aisling Corbett.
An indirect free resulting from an injury to Niamh Powell in an attempted block down on Corbett should have resulted in a Truagh score until Hannah Horgan over carried and pressure was relieved from the Scariff-Ogonnelloe backline.
Jennifer Daly pounced on the resulting free delivery and got her first of the day and added her second point from play shortly afterwards and was turning out to be a handful for the Truagh half back line.
Daly had her hat trick complete with 5 minutes remaining in the half after winning a Truagh puckout. Truagh staged a mini comeback in the final minutes of the half which commenced with a Foley point – a shot that Corbett touched over the bar.
The move of Horgan from midfield for Truagh into the full forward line proved fruitful as Horgan won a scorable free after a Roisin Begley won the Scariff-Ogonnelloe puckout and Kelly duly pointed with Horgan winning a second free for Kelly to point to close the gap to 2 points at half time.
Aisling Corbett’s long frees and booming puck outs along with good performances from Susan Daly at full back along with her point scoring sister proving the difference at half time.
County players Aine O’Loughlin & Susan Vaughan were having a great battle at half back and forward each contributing positively to an entertaining encounter.
Scariff-Ogonnelloe got the dream start to the half after a costly sideline was conceded by Michelle Powell for Truagh. Aoife Power got on the resulting breaking ball & bore down on goal to rattle the Truagh net minutes into the second half.
Marian Rodgers opened her account from full forward to follow Power’s goal. Scariff-Ogonnelloe had a gilt edge chance on 36 minutes to put their stamp all over this game when they found themselves with a 3 v in front of the Truagh goals but some brave defending from Powell and good covering back from Caulfield ended with Truagh winning a free out to keep themselves in this game.
What followed was some persistent attacking by Truagh, with the young Joanne Egan showing great determination to keep the ball in play at the end line and Kelly winning a free from the resulting ruck.
Kelly, somewhat prematurely, went for goal as her team were 6 points behind at this stage, and 17 minutes left to play.
The shot was blocked and cleared. The teams then exchanged point with Rodgers adding her second and Truagh’s Ellen Horgan adding her name to the South East Clare outfit’s list of scorers.
Truagh went into the second water break 6 points behind and this break in momentum seemed to suit Scariff-Ogonnelloe as they emerged by winning two frees, in as many minutes which were both converted by sharpshooter Scanlon.
Roisin Begley who had worked tirelessly for Truagh throughout was rewarded by winning a free after a defence splitting run, which Kelly converted.
The flow of the game was stuttering as tired bodies conceded several frees on both sides, with Truagh taking a chip out of Scariff-Ogonnelloe’s lead, Kelly converting again from placed ball.
What followed was a bizarre moment in the game with an unusual error on the puckout by Corbett, resulting in a 45metre free for Truagh, Kelly converted, and the deficit was reduced to five.
When a team needs settling one usually looks to the senior players but up steps the young Jennifer Daly for Scariff-Ogonnelloe who steadied her team’s ship with two excellent points from play the first from an impossible angle to snuff out any chance of a Truagh comeback as the clock ticked into injury time followed by a point from the lively Power to further Scariff-Ogonnelloe’s lead early in injury time.
The contribution of Truagh’s Begley was not complete however and her speculative shot towards the Scariff-Ogonnelloe goal found the net after deceiving Corbett.
The last play of the day however was reserved for Scanlon, who, deep into injury time converted a free with the final puck of the game. Final score in Ennis Scariff-Ogonnelloe 1-16 to Truagh’s 1-10.
Scariff Ogonnelloe: Aisling Corbett; Alison McGee, Susan Daly, Holly McGee; Aisling Corry, Ciara Doyle, Susan Vaughan; Lynda Daly (0-01) Amy Barrett; Jennifer Daly (0-05) Mairead Scanlon(0-07 6F), Rachael Minogue; Marian Rodgers (0-02), Aoife Power(1-01), Alva Rodgers.
Truagh Clonlara: Aideen Hogg; Michelle Powell, Sarah Sherlock, Sinead Ryan; Louise Egan, Michelle Caulfield, Laura Foley; Hannah Horgan, Roisin Begley (1-00); Niamh Powell (0-01), Eimear Kelly (0-06 5F 1’45), Aine O’Loughlin (0-01); Ellen Horgan (0-01), Joanne Egan, Rebecca Foley (0-01).
Subs: Maire Begley for N Powell (inj) 20 mins, Sinead Hogg for J Egan 45 mins.
Tags: Clare camogie, Scariff Ogonnelloe, Truagh Clonlara