Cork, Offaly on collision course

Cork and Offaly face a straight shoot-out for a place in the Liberty Insurance senior camogie semi-finals in a fortnight, after maintaining their 100% records with victories over Dublin and Tipperary.

Cork were much too strong for a disappointing Dublin outfit, registering a 5-23 to 0-4 verdict at Páirc Uí Rinn. Paudie Murray’s side had seven individual scorers in a consummate team performance. Katrina Mackey led the way with 2-3, with Síle Burns close up on 2-2. Angela Walsh showed that her switch to the forward division is proving a success with 1-4.

Jenny O’Leary, Julia White and Eimear O’Sullivan scored 13 points between them, with the tireless Briege Corkery also on the mark.

Offaly had to work much harder for their 1-15 to 0-10 success in Banagher. With the wind at their backs and Sarah Fryday in tremendous form, Tipp led by 0-6 to 0-4 at half-time.

It was still all to play for at the three-quarter mark before Elaine Dermody scored a smashing goal for Offaly and they pulled away after that.

Siobhán Flannery brought her tally to four points with two monster scores and Dermody finished with 1-4 to her credit.

It’s all to play for in Group 1 as All-Ireland champions Wexford suffered their first defeat of the campaign to Galway.

The Tribeswomen came away from a tightly-contested affair on the right side of a 0-10 to 0-8 scoreline. The winners, with the magnificent Niamh McGrath slotting five points, including three from play, led by 0-8 to 0-2 at the interval.

Ursula Jacob was responsible for Wexford’s two scores and led the comeback effort with three more after the resumption.

It took Galway 24 minutes to get their first score of the half courtesy of substitute Noreen Coen, and two minutes from time Niamh Kilkenny hit her second point to give her side a little bit of breathing space.

Kilkenny remain in the box seat of a hugely competitive group when beating Derry 6-12 to 1-5 at Ashbourne.

Grainne McGoldrick was Derry’s standout performer with a goal and three points, but ultimately Kilkenny’s goal-scoring threat proved too much.

Denise Gaule bagged a hat-trick, Shelly Farrell scored two goals while Emma Comerford also raised a green flag. Michelle Quilty fired five points and Grace Walsh — sister of Tommy — notched up two points.