Sligo win in blizzard conditions

Date: 18/03/2007

Venue: Tourlestrane, Co. Sligo.

Sligo 3 – 11 Clare 1 – 3

In a game played in arctic like blizzard conditions in Tourlestrane,
Co. Sligo the Clare ladies flagship intercounty team succumbed
to a superior second half performance from the 2006 All
Ireland Junior champions. Following on from their defeat
to Dublin last weekend Clare knew they had a difficult task
ahead of them when travelling north on Sunday. Clare’s task
was made all the more difficult when both Majella Griffin
and Fiona Lafferty were unavailable for selection and with
Orlaith Griffin out through injury and Louise Henchy struggling
to shake off the after effects of a recent bout of influenza
things did not look good for the banner county girls. Clare
however got the ideal start when playing against a bitingly
cold wind they were first to score with a well worked Marie
Kelly goal after just five minutes of play. This was as
good as it got for the saffron and blue’s however as they
had just a solitary Aine Kelly point to show for the remainder
of the half. Sligo meanwhile tagged on six points to leave
the interval score Clare 1 – 1 to Sligo’s 0 – 6.

Clare were guilty of some wayward shooting in this first
half and badly missed the influence of their freetaker supreme
Majella Griffin. Still with wind advantage to come in the
second half there was an air of cautious optimism in the
Clare dressing room at half time. Unfortunately for Clare
the expected dividend of wind advantage never materialised
in the second half and they were completely outplayed by
a much superior Sligo side. Sligo’s winter fitness programme
of gym work and weight training really sowed after the resumption
and the physically lighter Clare team just could not live
with their Yeats county counterparts. Despite the valiant
efforts of Sinéad Kelly in defence and Marie Kelly and Michelle
McCaw up front Clare raised just two white flags in the
entire second half – these points coming from the banner’s
Niamh Keane and Lissycasey’s Aine Kelly. Sligo scored at
will during this half and added 3 – 5 to their total to
finish merited victors on a 3 – 11 to 1 – 3 scoreline.

Despite this and last weekend’s results Clare have qualified
for the knockout stages of the league and their next opponents
will probably be Wexford who are tipped for the runner’s
up spot in the other half of the division. A victory in
this game is well within Clare’s capabilities especially
if they can field a full team and remain injury free.

Clare: Denise Walsh, Úna Downes, Carmel Considine, Ciara
Cleary, Sinéad Kelly, Lorraine Kelly, Grace Lynch, Louise
Henchy, Leona Murphy, Niamh Keane (0-1), Marie Kelly (1-0),
Olivia Lucas, Áine Kelly (0-2), Michelle McCaw, Helen Quinn.
Subs Used: Myra Daly, Bernie Kelly, Cliona Cleary, Eimear
Johnson, Michelle Madigan