Clare 5-10 Mary Immaculate College Limerick 0-6

Clare 5-10 Mary Immaculate College Limerick 0-6

The Clare ladies’ team had a facile win
over Mary Immaculate College Limerick in this pre-season challenge
game played at St. Flannan’s College, Ennis on Sunday. Mary I, who
had no less than seven regular intercounty panellists in their first
fifteen, were expected to mount a significant challenge to the Banner
representatives but on the day a significantly understrenght Clare
side emerged as overwhelming victors over the students.

Without the services of players such as Majella Griffin and Niamh
Keane and also Áine Kelly (who as a Mary I student lined out
with the college team) Clare dominated the game from the throw in
and built up a 0-7 to 0-2 interval lead. On the resumption Clare overwhelmed
the college side with a succession of goals to run out easy winners.
While not taking from the Clare performance one can only assume that
much stiffer challenges will lie ahead as they face into the opening
rounds of the Suzuki league. However as always a win is a win and
in this regard Deirdre Murphy and her backroom team will be pleased
with this result.

Clare open their Suzuki league campaign when travelling to Limerick
on Sunday next. This game will have a 12.00 noon throw in but the
exact venue has still to be confirmed. This opening contest will provide
the Clare management with their first real measure of the current
team’s progress so it will be an important fixture on that issue alone.
Early league points are also crucial to ensuring qualification for
the latter stages of the Suzuki league tournament so this will give
added impetus in delivering a good performance on Sunday. I expect
the early start of this year’s preparations & the two challenge
games already played to produce dividends on Sunday with an emphatic
Clare win.