20 March 2007 Sligo win in blizzard conditions Share this Article 0 0 0 Shares! 0 Shares! Sligo win in Blizzard conditions Clare .v. Sligo Suzuki National League Division Two match report. 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 Share this Article 0 0