Fennessy and Carey lead charge as Loreto Clonmel book Lidl PPS All-Ireland senior A final date

Lidl Post Primary Schools All-Ireland senior A semi-final

Loreto Clonmel (Tipperary) 3-14 
Scoil Chriost Ri, Portlaoise (Laois) 2-9

LORETO Clonmel are into the Lidl PPS All Ireland senior A final following a hard-earned win over Scoil Chríost Rí Portlaoise in Heywood today. 

Ava Fennessy helped herself to 1-8 with Anna Carey scoring 2-2 as they blitzed Portlaoise with a powerful second-half performance. 

Loreto recovered from a slow start to put in an impressive second-half display to win by seven points in the end. 

Powered by Laois senior players Erone Fitzpatrick and Emma Lawlor, the Portlaoise school got off to a great start. 

Fitzpatrick got the first of her tally after three minutes when she pointed and midfielder Sarah Larkin added another straight away.

Ava Fennessy hit back with a free for the Tipperary girls but Portlaoise had their first goal when Fitzpatrick finished to the net following a pass from Lawlor in the 10th minute. 

Loreto responded straight away, however, with the impressive Anna Carey goaling after a brilliant run. 

A Carey point drew the sides level and Loreto went into the lead for the first time when Ava Fennessy was on target from a free. 

An Emma Lawlor free squared things up and Portlaoise then got back in front when Larkin got her second. But an injury time point from Carey meant the sides went in level at the break, 1-4 each. 

Portlaoise again started the second half well with a couple of frees from Lawlor and they could have opened up a lead only for Loreto denying Orla Hennessy with a goal chance. 

The excellent Fennesssy and Jenny Everard pointed to put Clonmel into the lead in the 10th minute of the second half and they never looked back from there. 

Carey’s second goal with 11 minutes remaining put six points between the sides and Fennessy added on a string of fine scores to keep her side on top. Kellyann Hogan and Niamh Martin also got in on the scoring and Fennessy got their third goal with two minutes remaining. 

Emma Lawlor pulled one back for Portlaoise but it was too late and the Clonmel girls now go forward to an All Ireland final date. 

SCORERS – Loreto, Clonmel: Ava Fennessy 1-8 (0-4 frees), Anna Carey 2-2, Jenny Everard 0-2 (one free),  Kellyann Hogan and Niamh Martin 0-1 each; Scoil Chriost Ri: Emma Lawlor 1-5 (0-4 frees), Erone Fitzpatrick 1-2, Sarah Larkin 0-2. 

LORETO, CLONMEL: Aoibhin Coady; Veerle Van Der Wal, Maeve Ryan, Brigita Valuntaite; Niamh Martin, Sadhbh Hallinan, Orla Winston; Kellyann Hogan, Cora Maher; Anna Carey, Aine Fitzgerald, Anna Morris; Jenny Everard, Ava Fennessy, Eimear Quirke. 

SCOIL CHRIOST RI: Aoife Conlon-Hyland; Niamh Crowley, Rebecca Reddin, Ciara Byrne; Zoe Keegan, Elaine Daly, Julia Cahill; Sarah Larkin, Aoife Daly; Isabella O’Toole, Emma Lawlor, Erone Fitzpatrick; Jenny Murphy, Jennifer O’Neill, Orla Hennessy. Subs: Shauna Dooley for Keegan

REF – Barry Redmond (Wexford)

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