The Clare Champion U16 Championship

U16A

Kilnamona GAA: Inagh Kilnamona 2-16 Scariff Ogonnelloe 1-1

A very competitive opening half as both teams were even matched. The visitors Scarriff/Ogonnelloe got off to a flying start with a well taken goal by Alison McGee within the first minute. Inagh/Kilnamona took a while to settle before recording first half points through Sarah Cotter, Aoibhinn Ryan (2), Karlene McGerr and Muireann Daffy.  This left the half time score at Scarriff/Ogonnelloe 1-0 Inagh/Kilnamona 0-5.

The home team were well on top in the second half registering a further 2-11 to Scarriff/Ogonnelloe’s one point. Patricia Coote, Orla Vaughan, Karlene McGerr, Hannah Shannon and Sarah Coote were very prominent for Inagh/Kilnamona.  Alison McGee and Maria Scanclan fought to the very end for Scarriff/Ogonelloe. 

Inagh/Kilnamona team lined out as follow: P.Coote, E. Keane, T. Hegarty (0.1), C. Longe, A. Shannon, D. Griffin, O. Vaughan (capt.), H. Shannon (0.1), K. McGerr (0.1), S. Coote (1.5), A. Ryan (1.3), R. Cotter, M. Daffy (0.2), H. O’Connor (0.1), N. Hegarty. L. Fitzgerald for N. Hegarty, E. Leyden for E. Keane, C. McInerney for A. Ryan, C. Devitt (0.2) for R. Cotter & A. McMahon for K. McGerr

 Éire Óg GAA: Éire Óg 1-01 Feakle Killanena 6-18

U16B

Truagh Clonlara 3-9 St Josephs 3-9

Truagh had the quicker start to this first round U16 B Championship encounter, with a point from Eimear Begley & a goal from Alex Condron. before St Joseph's opened their evening with a converted 45' free. Two more points from play, Christina McKeon & Aine Hannon adding their name to Truagh's growing list of scorers, preceeded another Truagh goal, this time finished to the net by Rebecca Reilly for the home team after a goalmouth scramble. St Joseph's came back into the half with a goal from play followed shortly by another point for Truagh from Joanne Egan, the fifth Truagh scorer being the difference in the teams in the opening quarter. The visitors then hit their purple patch with four unanswered points, three from play and one from a free to narrow the half time deficit to only two points. 

The team exchanged points early in the half with Egan adding her second point from play. Truagh maintened and then extended their lead with a second goal from Condron in between two points from play by St Josephs. Egan added anothe brace of points to bring her personal tally to four for the day, and Truagh's lead was out to 5 poitns. However, St Joseph's were not finished and fought out to secure two goals towards the latter end of the half, and followed with a point from play to take the lead, by two, for the first time into the closing minutes. Some positional changes but Becky Foley within range and she duly responded with a pointed free and a point from play to draw the game shortly into injury time. The final whistle flew where teams shared the spoils in an exciting opening game to the U16 B Championship. 

Truagh: Katie Conlon; Eve McMahon, Katryn Galvin, Fiona O'Connor; Blaithin Larkin, Becky Foley (0-2, 1f), Molly Fennessy; Eva Larkin, Christina McKeon (0-1); Aobha Geary, Joanne Egan (0-4), Alex Condron (2-0); Aine Hannan (0-1), Rebecca Reilly (1-0), Eimear Begley (0-1). 

Sub: Fahrya Dilmac for O'Connor (45 mins). 

Referee: Flan O’Reilly

Clooney Quin 1-7 Ruan 1-8

A very tight game that could have gone either way was won by the visitors with a strong push in the last 10 minutes getting the last 3 scores to win by a point 1-7 to 1-8.

It was a close game with the lead changing multiple times. Ruan took the initial lead to be then overtaken by the home side who went a point clear, but the visitors brought it back to the minimum 0-5 to 0-4 by halftime. The start of the second half was tense with neither side giving away anything until Ruans goal putting them in the lead. The lead changed again after five minutes with a goal for Clooney-quin. Both defences battled hard and closed down scoring opportunities. With ten minutes to go Ruan pressed hard keeping the play predominately in the home teams half, which eventually told on the score board and secured them a win by the minimum.

Ruan: Niamh Glass; Sinead O’Halloran, Ciara O’Grady, Grainne Wynne; Sinéad Hastings, Lisa Whelan, Maeve Stankard; Eve O’Connor, Aoife Anderson; Neasa Ní Ainiféin, Amy O'Donoghue, Aine Clancy; Zara Waterhouse, Aoife Meere, Aoife Glass.

Clarecastle/Ballyea 0-12 Sixmilebridge 1-4

Clarecastle/Ballyea came out on top when they took on Sixmilebridge in the first round of the U16B in Clarecastle on Sunday evening in a tough fought game by both sides.  Emma O’Donoghue opened the scoring with 2 points from play with further points from Dearbhile McMahon (1) and Hannah Mai Neylon (2) to keep the scoreboard ticking over for Clarecastle/Ballyea. In the 27th min a free to Sixmilebridge was converted by Kate Fitzgerald. A third point from O’Donoghue gave Clarecastle/Ballyea a five point lead at the interval on a score of 0-6 to 0-1.  Clarecastle/Ballyea scored the first three points of the second half with two from play from Aoibhin Donnelly and O’Donoghue and a 45 from Niamh Enright. Kate Fitzgerald found target in the homesides net. Clarecastle added four points one from a free. Rosie Young pointed for the ‘Bridge with Fitzgerald adding a converted ‘45. With both teams adding a point each it was Clarecastle/Ballyea who held onto a comfortable lead.

Clarecastle/Ballyea: Luisine Corey, Caroline Enright, Molly McMahon, Orla Commons, Ciara O’Dell, Beth Faulkner, Niamh Enright (0-2f), Hanna Morrissey, Aoibhin Donnelly (0-1), Emma O’ Donoghue (0-4 ),  Hannah Mai Neylon (0-2), Laura Carmody, Moya Sheehan, Dearbhile McMahon & Lily McMahon (0-1). 

Subs: Stella Quinlivan (0-1) for Donnelly, Katelyn Talty for Lily McMahon, Genna Kearney for Moya Sheehan & Sorcha Donnellan for O’Donoghue.

Sixmilebridge: Sinead Cahill; Kate Fitzgerald, Sinead Hogan, Josette Hogan; Aine Healy, Caoilfhionn Nic Giolla Cearra, Megan Gaule; Rosie Young, Zoey Merriman; Alana Swire, Alise Roche, Jessica Williams; Emma Stanley, Jade Toomey, Rebecca O’Grady.

Subs: Lily Mahon for Toomey, Miriam Quinn for J. Hogan, Aoife Keenan for O’Grady. 

Referee: Shane O’Loughlin (Ruan)

U16C

Tulla 2-6 Newmarket on Fergus 7-2

This week saw the first round of the U16C Championship where Newmarket on Fergus travelled to Tulla.  The home side started well and within five minutes saw great play from Eabha McInerney and Aoife Halpin as they worked the ball to Nessa Flynn who managed to hit the back of the net for Tulla’s opening goal and then this followed with a point from play from Aoife Dooley.  Nevertheless, when Newmarket settled they really got into their stride. With these evenly matched teams there was a battle in the middle with Alex O’Sullivan for Tulla and Ellen Casey for Newmarket fighting for every ball in the middle of the pitch.  Tulla seemed to have the upper hand and Aoife Dooley fired in a goal after a good pass from Roisin Duffy and followed with another two points from play.  Both Leagh Hunt and Alex O’Sullivan also scored widening the gap – but the match was far from over and with five minutes to go to half time Ellen Casey pulled a goal and point back for the Blues leaving the half time score at 2-5 to 2-1.

Tulla were without the influential Aoife Dooley following an injury picked up in the opening half and Newmarket-on-Fergus had the wind at their backs. The Blues got off to a great start with goals from Lisa O’Neill, Isabel Coffey, Lauren Cunneen. Though Tulla tried hard, it wasn’t to be as and a hattrick from Kate Burke effectively ended their chances leaving Newmarket on Fergus comfortable winners.

Newmarket-on-Fergus: Arianna Cunneen; Ella Fitzpatrick, Lisha Regan; Hannah Fitzgearld (C), Lisa o Neill (1-0), Lucy Enright; Ellen Casey (1-01), Emma freeman; Ashling O’ Callahan, Lauren Cunneen (1-0), Isabel Coffey (1-0); Kate Burke (3-0), Nora McInerney (0-1).

Sub; Hayley Nesbitt for Lisha Regan.

Tulla: Laura Nolan; Aoife Halpin, Danara Crowe, Katie Clune, Eabha McInerney, Aoife Murphy, Nessa Flynn (1-0), Roisin Duffy, Eimear Culloo, Alex O’Sullivan (0-2), Emma O’Grady, Aoife Dooley (2-3), Leagh Hunt (0-1), Alex O’Sullivan (0-1)

Subs: Caoimhe Egan (Dooley)

Referee: Seamus Murphy