Red-hot Oulart-The-Ballagh ooze class against Mullagh
The Wexford squad, backboned by Karen Atkinson, Ursula Jacob and the Leacy sisters, Mary and Úna, didn’t take long to show their class.
Forty seconds had elapsed when Stacey Kehoe fired a first-time shot beyond Catriona Daly for a goal. Rachel Monaghan converted a free for Mullagh but Ursula Jacob did likewise at the other end before Shelly Kehoe put four points between them. But the Wexford girls pushed on and it took a brilliant point-blank save by Daly to deny Úna Leacy a second Oulart goal.
Monaghan converted a run of frees but missed two chances while Jacob was unerring at the other end, slotting three in a row. Úna Leacy finished excellently off her left after a strong catch under pressure from Sarah Dervan and that left Philip Rossiter’s team leading 1-6 to 0-3 at the interval.
Mullagh showed huge intent on the restart but Monaghan’s pointed free was all they had to show for their efforts. Instead, Úna Leacy pounced on some hesitancy in the Mullagh full-back line to stab home from close range in the 40th minute — a goal which sucked the life from the Mullagh challenge. Louise Sinnott had Oulart’s third goal in the 47th minute, having been left completely unmarked, seconds before being replaced.
Stacey Kehoe, Jacob, Diane Ryan and Shelly Kehoe added white flags to leave Oulart-The Ballagh 15 points to the good when the final whistle was sounded.
Meanwhile, Piltown held off a late rally from champions Lismore to claim their first AIB All-Ireland Club intermediate camogie title in the curtain raiser (1-10 to 1-9)
Scorers for Oulart-The Ballagh: U Jacob 0-7(6fs); Stacey Kehoe 1-2; Ú Leacy 1-1; L Sinnott 1-0; Shelly Kehoe 0-2; D Ryan 0-1
Scorers for Mullagh: R Monaghan 0-6(fs); A Donohue 0-1
OULART-THE BALLAGH: H Jacob, C Storey, K Atkinson, C Atkinson, S Redmond, M Leacy, A O’Connor, Shelly Kehoe, S Sinnott, D Ryan, Stacey Kehoe, L Sinnott, A Brennan, Ú Leacy, U Jacob.
Subs: Laura Sinnott for Louise Sinnott (47), B Redmond for O’Connor (59), a Moran for Brennan (59), Sharon Kehoe for Ryan (59)
MULLAGH: C Daly, J Cone, S Dervan, C Donohue, D Kelly S Catalan, N O’Brien, L Monaghan, T Manton, R Monaghan, C Glenn on, P Manning, C Bowes, A Donohue, K Kennedy.
Subs: A Clarke for Kennedy (ht), C Hardiman for Manning (57)
Referee: C Egan (Cork).
