Leinster final ticket for camogie team at Bagenalstown
Meath 3-13, Carlow 1-4 Defending champions Meath qualified for the Leinster Junior Camogie final with a thoroughly merited victory over Carlow at McGrath Park, Bagenalstown on Saturday evening. Carlow defeated Offaly's second team in the provincial quarter-final while Meath accounted for Westmeath the previous week at Páirc Tailteann. "That was a tough game for us in the opening half, but Carlow ran out of steam after the break and we were able to raise the tempo sufficiently for a comfortable victory," commented Meath manager John Davis. Meath had to work hard on Saturday night to go in on level terms at half-time, 1-2 apiece with Kristina Troy solid at centre-back. Carlow produced a dogged first-half display that was illuminated by the pace of Ciara Quirke who grabbed a goal in the sixth minute and also added a point midway thought the half. Katie O'Byrne accounted for Carlow's other first-half point. Edel Guy and Sinead Hackett split the posts for Meath and a hard-earned goal from Lizzie Oakes spared the Royal blushes against a team that was beaten in the National Camogie League Div 4 decider by Dublin's second team. Meath upped the tempo in the second-half and were boosted by a fortunate early goal from Jane Dolan direct from a '45' although Carlow replied instantly with a point from O'Byrne. Meath found a rhythm for about 10 minutes and reeled off points from Sinead Hacket and Dolan (two each) and Aoife Maguire for a 2-7 to 1-3 advantage by the three-quarter stage. That effectively ended Carlow's resistence and as the hosts tired, Meath added a Lizzie Lynch goal in the closing stages and also picked off some good points from Dolan and Sinead Hackett (two each), Maggie Randle and Áine Keogh. A repeat of last year's decider against Kildare will determine the destination of the silverware on Sunday at Monasterevin, 2.0. Meath - Emily Mangan (Blackhall Gaels); Fiona O'Neill (Dunboyne), Aoife Thompson (Dunboyne), Niamh Guy (Trim); Áine Keogh (Dunboyne 0-1), Kristina Troy (Blackhall Gaels), Holly Geraghty (Blackhall Gaels); Aileen Donnelly (Kilmessan), Edel Guy (Trim 0-1); Jane Dolan (Blackhaell Gaels 1-4), Aoife Maguire (Killyon 0-1), Elizabeth Oakes (Navan O'Mahonys 1-0); Elizabeth Lynch (Donaghmore/Ashbourne 1-0), Sinead Hackett (Dunboyne 0-5), Katie Hackett (Trim). Subs - Cheyenne O'Brien (Kiltale) for O'Neill 22 mins, Claire Coffey (Na Fianna) for K Hackett 38m, Maggie Randle (Donaghmore/Ashbourne 0-1) for Oakes 45m, Lisa Foley (Killyon) for Maguire 56m, Stacey Duignan (Killyon) for Guy 57m. Carlow - N Curran; M Griffith, K Nolan, E Murphy; L Bible, E Brennan, M Coady; C Mullins, T Wilson; K O'Byrne (0-2), M Doyle (0-1), SJ Burke; E Tracey, K Foley, C Quirke (1-1). Referee - Aidan O'Brien (Wexford).