Vhi Leinster Senior Championship Quarter Final

Match Report Competition: Vhi Leinster Senior Championship Quarter Final Venue: Courtbane Date: Sunday 12 October 2008 Time: 3 PM Leixlip 3 – 13 Naomh Malachi 0 – 9

Score at Half Time: Leixlip 2 – 7 Confey 0 – 4

Never was the old saying “a good start is half the work” truer than last Sunday in Courtbane when Kildare Champions Leixlip got a brilliant start and scored 2 – 5 with reply in the first 12 minutes. They built the lead courtesy of an iron tight grip at midfield where Joanna Timmins and Ciara Kinsella were supreme and the brilliance of Maria Moolick at centre forward. Maria scored 2 -1 in that opening spell and finished with a great tally of 2 – 5. The first score came right from the throw up, as Joanna knocked the ball down to Ciara Kinsella who flicked a return pass and Joanna fisted to Maria who burst through and buried her shot in the net with less than 20 seconds gone. The first minute had still not elapsed when Ciara Kinsella played a long ball to Christina Newton who pointed from the corner. Maria Moolick added another point, and Tara Kealy converted the free when she was fouled at the end of the move set up by Sinead McHugh who broke up the home teams first attack and the ball was swiftly transferred vie Karen O’Shea , Catherine O’Hara and Maria Moolick. Clodagh Farrell then went flying up the right wing and passed inside to Maria Moolick. A quick one two between the pair followed leaving Maria tearing in from the right to bury in the far corner. Catherine O’Hara knocked over a free and Tara Kealy added a long range point on the turn after Joanna Timmins picked her out with an accurate long kicked pass. Naomh Malachi did eventually get off the mark with a point from a free by Sharon Drumgoole as the Naomh Malachi Caroline Lynch was tumbled and a couple of minutes later she repeated the process when Niamh Lyons was called for a harmless challenge. Tara Kealy was then upended and punished the Louth Club with her third point. Naomh Malachi got their first score from play when Órlaith Kirk came through from midfield to point. Leixlip then lost Christina Newton with an ankle injury when she toppled at the end of a length of the field move started brilliantly by Katie Roche who chased out to the corner flag, robbed her opponent, soloed past 3 despairing tackles and drove a low 50 yard ball to Maria Moolick who sent another 50 yard pass to Christina. Maria Moolick kicked her second point from out on the right wing after good work by Paula Reilly and Sinead McHugh. Naomh Malachi then got a couple of sympathy frees one of which Sharon Drumgoole kicked wide but Órlaith Kirk took the next one and pointed deep in injury time.

Leixlip restarted in style as Tara Kealy gathered in the right corner was fouled and picked out Ciara Kinsella with the quick free. Ciara and Caroline Lynch quickly transferred the ball back to Tara who had raced in from the wing and Tara struck it over the bar. Leixlip then went to sleep for a while and did not score for 17 minutes but Naomh Malachi had great difficulty trying to find a gap in a tight Leixlip defence and could only score 2 points during this spell, both by Sharon Drumgoole, the first from play off an Órlaith Kirk pass and the second from a free she won herself. Leixlip suffered another blow when Ciara Kinsella took a smack in the face and had to be replaced. Karen Haughton came on at wing back with Karen O’Shea moving to midfield and Leixlip kicked back into gear. Maria Moolick raced through and flashed a shot to the net but was called back for a free which Catherine O’Hara knocked over. Tara Kealy quickly added another and soon after she turned provider for Maria Moolick to belt over another. Shona Killeen then joined the action turning up in defence and attack and cleared up in defence to allow Catherine O’Hara, Joanna Timmins and Maria Moolick combine to give Tara Kealy an opening which she buried with 60 minutes just up. With Leixlip 13 points up nobody would have quibbled had Referee Joe Murray blown it up but he played a full 6 added minutes. After Sharon Drumgoole pointed Maria Moolick shot 2 points before the Ref, having awarded a fairly obvious free to Leixlip changed his mind to allow Órlaith Kirk kick over and the last kick of the game was a point, by Abbey Duffy for the home team, the only score from a member of their team other than the two “big names”, Kirk and Drumgoole.
Yvonne Quigley in the home goals did well and could do nothing about any of the Leixlip goals. Blanaid Callan was a sound full back while centre half Fiona Lennon was relieved from her Maria Moolick induced nightmare while Ciara Rafferty was a bit more competitive when she tried her luck on the Leixlip flyer. Órlaith Kirk did come into the game at midfield after the first quarter whitewash and up front only Caroline Lynch and Áine-Louise Connolly offered any support to the hard grafting Sharon Drumgoole.

Leixlip had stars all over the field. Eimear Fallon kept a safe goals, Paula Reilly, Catherine Grier and Sinead McHugh played well in defence while Katie Roche turned in a brilliant performance at full back leaving Leixlip with plenty of options when Aishling Savage and Aileen Quinn return from injury and that could b e next Sunday. Joanna Timmins and Ciara Kinsella bossed midfield and after Ciara left Karen O’Shea having been quiet at wing back blossomed in the middle. While Maria Moolick and Tara Kealy were the stars in attack Clodagh Farrell, Aine Coughlan and Catherine O’Hara were well involved in cutting the home defence apart.
Next up for Leixlip is a home Semi Final on Sunday against Wexford champions Shelmaliers which promises a much bigger challenge.
Scorers

Leixlip

Maria Moolick 2 – 5,
Tara Kealy 1 – 5(0-2Frs),
Catherine O’Hara 0 – 2(Frs),
Christina Newton 0 – 1.

Naomh Malachi
Sharon Drumgoole 0 – 5 (0-3Frs),
Órlaith Kirk 0 – 3(0-2Frs),
Abby Duffy 0 – 1.

Teams

Leixlip

1 Emer Fallon,
2 Paula Reilly,
3 Katie Roche,
4 Catherine Grier,
5 Niamh Lyons,
6 Sinead McHugh,
7 Karen O’Shea,
8 Joanna Timmins,
9 Ciara Kinsella,
10 Aine Coughlan,
11 Maria Moolick (2-5),
12 Catherine O’Hara (0-2),
13 Clodagh Farrell,
14 Tara Kealy (1-5),
15 Christina Newton (0-1),

Subs
Caroline Lynch for C Newton (inj 27 min)
Karen Haughton for C Kinsella for C Grier (inj 48 min)
Shona Killeen for A Coughlan (58 min).

Naomh Malachi

1 Yvonne Quigley,
2 Ciara Rafferty,
3 Blanaid Callan,
4 Clare Lennon,
5 Anne Marie Kane,
6 Fiona Lennon,
7 Karen Rafferty-Gogarty,
8 Órlaith Kirk (0-3),
9 Edel McKeown-Sloane,
10 Abbey Duffy (0-1),
11 Sharon Drumgoole-Callan (0-5)
12 Áine-Louise Connolly,
13 Eileen Murphy,
14 Caroline Lynch,
15 Elaine Woods.

Subs
Sandra Conlon for E Woods (45 min)
E Woods for E McKeown (inj 59 min)

Referee: Joe Murray (Dublin).
Report By: Tom Ryan