Clare win thriller and reach first junior championship final for 17 years
In a game where the lead changed hands on six occasions, the home side were lucky to escape when a last-ditch attempt on goal by Armagh full-forward Patricia McEvoy was blazed wide. They trailed by the minimum at the interval 1-5 to 1-4, and in spite of a second-minute goal after the restart from Armagh’s McEvoy, they managed to regroup and fought back, hitting a purple patch that yielded parity by the three-quarter stage.
With the Northerners hitting their third goal from Sinéad Gray, the experienced heads of outstanding captain Catherine O’Loughlin and centre-forward Deirdre Murphy steadied the ship, scoring two decisive goals in the closing five minutes.
