*Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
HISTORY was made at St Michael’s Park in Kilmihil this Sunday afternoon when Kilmurry Ibrickane qualified for the Clare ladies senior football championship final for the first time in the club’s history.
Kilmurry Ibrickane 0-11
Kilmihil 1-7
Venue: St Michael’s Park, Kilmihil
A one-point win over the home side was enough to see them through to the final after an exciting contest.
It was a result that did not seem likely at the halfway point as Kilmihil held a five point led at that stage and they would not have been flattered if that lead was greater at that point.
A storming second half from the visitors saw them shoot five unanswered pints to level the contest at the three quarter stage.
The sides were level twice more in the final quarter before Amy Sexton fired over what proved to be the winning score in the last play of the game. It came two minutes into added time, just when everything was pointing towards extra time.
After a rather slow start the home side took the lead in the seventh minute when Ailish Considine converted a 20m free. Two Chloe Moloney frees had the eventual winners in front by the twentieth minute but Kilmihil put in a storming last ten minutes to the half, shooting 1-3 without reply.
The goal was the last action of the half and it came from the penalty spot in the second minute of ‘added time’.
A foul on Catriona Callinan saw referee John O’Connell immediately point to the penalty spot and Ailish Considine made no mistake to leave the score at 1-4 to 0-2 at the break.
Points were exchanged in the early minutes of the new half before Kilmurry Ibrickane hit a purple patch, landing five point to level the tie.
Team captain Chloe Moloney kicked four of those, three from frees, while Amy Sexton was the other scorer in this period.
An Ailish Considine free saw Kilmihil regain the lead but Moloney replied before Ciara McCarthy put Kilmurry into the leadwith a minute of normal time remaining.
This came just after Dervla Higgins had been shown a yellow card, the second such Kilmihil player to suffer this fate as Laura Egan had been sent to the sin bin a few minutes earlier leaving Kilmihil with thirteen players for the closing stages of the game.
An Ailish Considine free in the first minute of ‘injury time’ levelled the game for the fifth and final time and everything pointed to extra time but Kilmurry had the final say and Amy Sexton became the hero when kicking what proved to be the winning score in the final play of the game.
It was heartbreak for Kilmihil who will reflect on a few missed opportunities at vital times. Credit, however, to Kilmurry who refused to concede defeat.
Joanna Doohan, Ciara McCarthy, Sophie Daly, Amy Sexton, and team captain Chloe Moloney were prominent for the winners while Kilmihil’s best on the day were Ellie O’Gorman, Aoife McNamara, Becky Mahon, Derbla Higgins and Ailish Considine.
Scorers Kilmurry Ibrickane: C Moloney (0-7 6f), A Sexton (0-2), C McCarthy (0-2),
Scorers Kilmihil: A Considine (1-4 1’Pen 3f), B Mahon (0-2), E O’Gorman (0-1),
Kilmurry Ibrickane: Katie McMahon; Aoife Martin, Rebecca Doohan, Niamh Miller; Rachel Tubridy, Joanna Doohan, Dympna Garrahy; Ciara McCarthy, Sophie Daly; Kayla Darcy, Amy Sexton, Ellie Hanrahan; Karen Galvin, Chloe Moloney, Ciara Hickey;
Kilmihil: Michaela Glynn; Ellie O’Gorman, Dervla Higgins, Rosie Currane; Caitriona O’Gorman, Aoife McNamara, Katie O’Halloran; Laura Egan, Caitriona Callinan; Ailish Considine, Becky Mahon, Katie Mullen; Megal Downes-Rigney, Edel McNamara, Aine McNamara;
Subs: Siobhan Carr for K. Mullen (47); Una Downes for C. O’Gorman (53)
Referee: John O’Connell (Cooraclare)
