St Martin’s     2-10

Thomastown 1-06

St Martin’s became the fifth Wexford Club to lift the Leinster Senior Camogie Club Championship, on Sunday, as they beat Thomastown, 2-10 to 1-06, in Nowlan Park.

The Wexford side started strongly, it took 17 minutes for the Kilkenny champions to register their first score, but Thomastown were in trouble as early as the 7^th minute as they were reduced to fourteen players, as their full-back Ailish Butler, was dismissed following an off the ball incident.

Inter-county stars Chloe Foxe and Linda Bolger were a constant danger and the duo put their experience to excellent use. The ever vigilant, Mags D’Arcy, made a brilliant diving save close to half time to set the Martin’s up for a memorable day, that left the half-time score St Martin’s 0-06 to Thomastown 0-02.  .

Thomastown were fastest out of blocks in the second half as they reduced the margin to just one point. But a Linda Bolger shot from 40 yards, dipped under the cross bar, to restore parity, and a further point from Amy Cardiff looked to cement a Wexford success.

The three in a row seeking, Thomastown, were not about to give up their title easily, and four minutes from time, a Róisín O’Keeffe free was goaled to put two points between the sides. Shortly afterwards, an unmarked Chloe Foxe, found herself through on goal and she readily converted to send the Martins’ fans into heaven.

St Martin’s now face the Cork champions, Inniscarra, on the 27th January.

Speaking after the game, Maire O’Connor, said,

“To work with such a great management team and super bunch of girls means so much. This is the first Leinster title to come to St Martin’s in any code male or female, and its the fruits of not just this year but the many years previous that the work has been put in by many people . The club itself supports us to no end and we are never seen wanting or treated any differently to our male counterparts.”

Photographs courtesy of Robert Power- Wexford Camogie Photography Facebook Page

St. Martins: Mags D’Arcy, Aisling O’Connor, Noeleen Lambert, Maire Clare Morrissey, Áine Ennis, Ciara O’Connor, Mary Barrett, Katie O’Connor, Ella O’Connor, Linda Bolger (1-1), Chloe Foxe (1-7), Amy Cardiff (0-1), Anna Hennessy, Lettie Whelan, Emma Codd

Subs: Aisling Cronin, Lisa Firman, Niamh Dunne, Amy Ryan and Lauren Carty

Thomastown: Dearbhail O’Keeffe, Eimear Corr, Ailish Butler, Kate McDonald, Sally Teehan, Meighan Farrell (0-1), Catherine Walsh, Jenny Reddy, Ciara Farrell, Eimear Donnelly (0-1), Sinéad Brennan, Joanne Fitzpatrick, Eimear Farrell (0-3), Chloe Corrway, Niamh Donnelly (0-)

Subs: Róisín O’Keeffe (1-0)