Senior League Division 1: St. Oliver Plunketts vs. Ballyboden
Things got off to quite a shaky start over in St. Oliver Plunketts for the Senior A Camogie Team. The home side got 1‐2 on the score board within the opening five minutes. Boden weren’t looking too sharp, with 3 balls already forced wide. However, when Jodie White and Olivia Meagher forced a turnover and free in the midfield line things were looking more promising. The subsequent free from Dearbhla Brennan dropped short but Sarah Nagle pulled on the ball and it went sailing over the bar. 1‐2 to 0‐1 to SOPER.
The next couple of minutes consisted of serious pressure from the Boden forward line. A free won by Hollyn Kennedy was converted by Brennan, Nagle got her second of the game and White pointed from the 45‐metre line. SOPER responded well when a free was finished to the net. A quick response from the girls in blue, when Martha O’Donoghue passed a perfect ball to Doireann Mullany who ran from the 21‐metre line and put the ball in the opposition’s net. Trojan work from corner forward, Erica Tobin, when she won a free, which Brennan converted and finished the ball to the net within quick succession of each other. Clever attacking coupled with a dogged defensive display kept the scoreboard in Boden’s favour. It seemed like Boden would be going into the break with a big advantage over the home side, but the opposition came back with 1‐1 in the closing stages of the first half.
Half‐time score 2‐8 to 3‐3 to Boden.
The home side got off to a quick start when they narrowed the gap to just 1 point. This was quickly nullified by Brennan’s acute free taking. The next 10mintues passed without a score for either team. Then a great piece of team play, when E.Tobin passed a ball inside to Nagle who blasted the net. SOPER were kept at bay by great pressure from Sue Kennedy and Julie McGrath who dissipated any danger. A wave of attack from the home side forced five frees from the Boden team, two of which were converted. The margin was again reduced to just 1 point. However, great build up play by the inside forward line, and a perfectly timed pass by H.Kennedy to Nagle on the edge of the box, gave Boden their fourth, and Nagle her second, goal of the game. The next couple of minutes passed without too much danger with O’Donoghue and Mairead Luttrell sweeping up any potential threats. A late goal for the home side from a free wasn’t enough to topple the Boden ladies and the game finished on 4‐11 to 4‐8.
Boden: Ally Ramsden, Julie McGrath, Mairead Luttrell, Robyn Flynn, Aisling Gargan, Susan Kennedy, Hannah Leddy, Martha O’Donoghue, Dearbhla Brennan (0‐8, 0‐7f), Olivia Meagher, Hollyn Kennedy, Sarah Nagle (2‐2), Erica Tobin (1‐0), Doireann Mullany (1‐0), Jodie White (0‐1), Síle Nic Coitir, Aisling Byrne (for Meagher 40mins), Aoife Tobin (for White 53mins), Sarah Ann Murphy (for E.Tobin 56mins), Laura Burns.
U-16 Division 1 League – vs. Castleknock –28th April ‘18
BBSE 2-8 Castleknock 4-4
The girls played their third league match against Castleknock on the Prunty on Saturday and suffered their first defeat in the league. However there was very much a sense of a lost opportunity afterwards as we led for virtually the whole match – only to be reined in by a strong Castleknock side, with a goal as the game entered added time.
We began with the aid of a strong wind and immediately began to exert strong pressure. A couple of chances went astray before Katie slotted over a “45” and Mia followed this up with a well-taken goal. Katie then followed up with a couple of points before Holly added one, and then Anna O’Shea got through for a great goal. Katie added a couple of more points before the break but Castleknock had bagged 2 goals and a point in the first half to leave us ahead by 5 points at the break.
This lead looked shaky, with us having to face the breeze, and that is how things transpired in the second half. ‘Knock began with a couple of points from placed balls, before Katie scored a fine point in reply, Then Castleknock cut the margin to the minimum with a goal, before Katie again increased the gap with a point. As time of ticking away we defended heroically, with Niamh marshalling the defence to great effect. However, the sense that all the pressure would eventually tell against us unfortunately proved true as Castleknock managed to find the net again as the game entered added time. We were now a point in arrears but these girls are resilient and back they went up the field. Our attack was halted by a clear foul but inexplicably the referee decided to allow the play to continue. Then ‘Knock tagged on another point so we needed a goal and the girls strove gallantly but it was not to be.
Disappointing, but the girls are continuing to learn wand improve with each outing. Lucan provide the opposition on Wednesday – a great chance for us to test our “bouncebackability”!