Waterford 2-9 Kildare 1-5
Waterford completed a memorable double by adding the Liberty Insurance All-Ireland intermediate camogie title to the Division Two league crown they won earlier in the year.
That means that Stephen Fleming’s crew will be operating at the top table in both competitions next year and with five minors starting this game, it is evident that they are a force for the future.
They had to recover from a very slow start to record a third win over Kildare this season as the premier junior champions of 2013 made a bold bid for honours. In the end, it was two goals at either end of half time that decided the issue.
While the scoring rate wasn’t particularly high, the heavy rain that persisted for most of the game had much to do with that.
So too did the defensive structures of both sides, with Kildare drawing two half-forwards deep and Niamh Rockett filling a similar role for Waterford.
It was Kildare that started best with a third minute goal from Noelle Earley, followed by points from Melissa Lyons and Emer Reilly.
Waterford, starting with five minor players, gradually settled into the game though as Lorraine Bray and Trish Jackman got on top around midfield and scored 2-4 without reply.
Beth Carton got them off the mark and she followed up from a free before Bray and Jennie Simpson reduced the margin to one
The first goal came in the 29th minute when Aisling Power showed good strength before rifling to the Kildare net.
The second arrived two minutes into the second half, when Beth Carton sent a powerful shot beyond the Lilywhite defenders from an angled 20m free and it was Waterford’s to lose from that juncture.
Kildare tried hard but they just couldn’t get enough possession to the forwards that had looked so dangerous early on.
It took until the 52nd minute for the Kildare captain, Susie O’Carroll to get her first score of the game, and though she followed up with another excellent effort three minutes later, it was Waterford that had the final say.
Fittingly, the closing credits featured midfield partners Jackman and Bray, with the former slotting a free before Bray profited from tremendous work by Carton to slot her third point from play, just as she was announced as player of the match.
WATERFORD: D Brennan, K McMahon, C Whyte, V Falconer, J Simpson (0-1), C Raher, I Heffernan, T Jackman (0-1f), L Bray (0-3), C McGlone, N Morrissey (0-1), B Carton (1-2 1-1f), D Power, N Rockett (0-1), A Power (1-0). Subs: S Curran for D Power (28), V O'Brien for Rockett (46), Rockett for Morrissey (48), C Murphy for McGlone (56)
KILDARE: R O'Connell, C Flanagan, C Nolan, F Trant, A Lyons, R Gorman, C Farrell, C Forde, O Bambury, L Keatley, S Hurley, E Reilly (0-1), S O'Carroll (0-2 0-1f), N Earley (1-0), M Lyons (0-2). Subs: H McDonnell for Forde (50), D Byrne for Trant (52)
Referee: J Byrne (Dublin)
Laois 2-12 Roscommon 1-6
Laois finally brought their Croke Park torment to an end by overcoming a determined but profligate Roscommon in the Liberty Insurance All-Ireland premier junior camogie final.
The O’Moore County girls had lost the previous two deciders and the weight of that history appeared to affect them at times as they sought to shake off their gritty opponents.
Indeed you could hardly say they were dominant in the first half and yet they led by 2-6 to 0-4 at the interval thanks to two goals in a minute.
The final margin was very hard on Roscommon and if anything, they were slightly the better side as they came to the end of the first quarter level on 0-3 apiece.
Then came the key period though. Sarah Ann Fitzgerald toe-poked to the net after her penalty was saved by Roscommon goalie Caroline Connaughton and a minute later, Laura Marie Maher finished clinically after controlling the sliotar brilliantly.
That kept Laois ahead even as they endured significant bouts of pressure from the westerners. Annette McGeeney struck a good point but four wides prevented Roscommon from making further inroads.
Instead, despite playing second fiddle for most of the second quarter, Laois finished with three points, including a wonderful Elaine Mahony strike from 60m to lead by eight points at the break.
Roscommon were in control at the outset of the latter period too and a goal two minutes after the resumption from Niamh Farrell, followed by a pointed Kelley Hopkins free got them back into the game.
They could not capitalise on the good work of midfielder Rachel Fitzmaurice and half-back Susan Spillane though and paid the price as Laois and particularly player of the match Louise Mahony stepped it up.
The Harps’ sharpshooter raised the siege with a fine point from play. She kept the scoreboard ticking over with five further scores to bring her tally to nine and end the Laois agony.
LAOIS: L Dunne, M Burke, R Bermingham, A Burke, E Mahony (0-1), E Delaney, S Creagh, O Parkinson, SA Fitzgerald (1-0), N Dollard (0-1), L Mahony (0-9 0-7f), A O'Dea, A Burke (0-1), LM Maher (1-0), A Loughman.
Subs: D Mortimer for O'Dea (21), C Walsh for Creagh (60), S Moylan Burke (60)
ROSCOMMON: C Connaughton, C Killeen, S Coyle, A Byrne, S Spillane, E Daly, J Beattie, N Coyle, R Fitzmaurice, K Hopkins (0-4 0-3f 0-1 45), A McGeeney (0-1), R Brennan, C Curley (0-1), N Farrell (1-0), F Connell-Jones.
Subs: M Fannon for Connell-Jones (22), C Dowling for Brennan (42), M Brennan for Curley (57), N McCormack for Farrell (60), C Morriss for Killeen (60)
Referee: G Coulter (Down)
