Tesco All Ireland Minor Championship 

Kilmaley GAA 

Clare 0-10 Kilkenny 0-15 

Clares first outing in the Tesco Minor Championship ended in defeat on Sunday afternoon in Kilmaley, after a late change of venue was deemed necessary by the referee due to surface water in Fr McNamara Park. A point separated the sides at half time, however Kilkenny capitalised on the aid of a strong breeze in the second half to add to their score tally and run out winners.   

The first half was tit for tat affair with the sides level on four occasions. Clare had the opening attack of the game  but the ball was carried wide of the upright. From the puckout Kilkenny moved play to the other end where Ellen Gunner split the posts. Jennifer Nicholas went high for the puckout winning possession in the air and sent play to the corner where Ella Cahill gathered and sent over for Clares opening score and levelling the sides.

An Amy Clifford free edged the visitors in front and then with the next passage of play a well struck Aisling Cooney sideline was gathered by Labhaoise O’Donnell who sent her shot over the black spot to tie up the sides on 0-2 apiece. A brace from the visitors, a Clifford free followed by an effort from play by Emma Mulhall saw Kilkenny go ahead by two, however the Banner girls replied in kind, a Cooney free followed by a point from play by Aoife Dooley. Both sides free takers traded points over the next five minutes,  Clifford with a free and Cooney with a converted ’45 and in the closing minutes Clifford, who would end the day as her sides scorer in chief added another free to see the sides go in at the break with the home side trailing by one, Clare 0-5 Kilkenny 0-6.

The start of the second half continued in a similar vein to the first half, Clifford and Ella Cahill exchanging points. When Aoife Anderson was fouled on the run, Cooney converted the resulting free. Cooney again found the target to reduce the deficit to a point with forty five minutes from play. However, Kilkenny who up to this point had ben unable to shake off a tenacious Clare outfit hit their purple patch over the next eight minutes as they hit five points with no reply to go ahead by six. Cooney pulled back a brace through play and placed ball.Grainne Daffy denied the visitors a green flag when she bravely came off her line to deny Amy Brennan what looked like a green flag for the visitors on the hour mark. Brennan only had Daffy between her and the open net, but the Crusheen youngster got her foot to the flying sliotar to deflect it away from the open goal mouth and Eabha McInerney cleared down the wing. Kilkennys Clifford added a free for the final score of the game leaving the visitors winners on a final score line of Clare 0-10 Kilkenny 0-15.

Clare: Gráinne Daffy Crusheen; Aoife Dillon Truagh Clonlara, Eva Fitzgibbon Crusheen, Éabha McInerney Tulla; Eimear Murphy Kilkishen, Jennifer Nicholas Tulla, Aoife Anderson Ruan; Abby Walsh Scariff Ogonnelloe, Eimear Begley Truagh Clonlara; Grace Carmody Kilmaley, Labhaoise O'Donnell Scariff Ogonnelloe 0-1, Hannah Mai Neylon Ballyea; Aisling Cooney Parteen 0-4 3F1’45, Ella Cahill Eire Og 0-3, Aoife Dooley Tulla 0-2

Subs: Lorraine Grady Scariff Ogonnelloe for Dooley, Elisha Twomey Inagh Kilnamona for Carmody 

Kilkenny:Ruth Phelan Conahy; Nathania Jackson Windgap, Moya O Brien St Brigids, Laoise Nolan Clara; Katie Byrne Dicksboro, Emma Manogue James Stephen’s, Rachel Brennan Tullaroan; Claire Doheny St Brigids, Aine Rohan Carrickshock; Ellen Gunner Conahy, Amy Clifford (Capt) Dicksboro, Amy Brennan Conahy; Sarah Hudson Thomastown, Sofia Kerr Conahy, Emma Mulhall Conahy 

Subs: Rachel Whelan Clara for Rohan 

Referee: Kevin O’Brien, Limerick