Laois 5-10 Armagh 0-20
Premier Junior All-Ireland Camogie Championship
Laois made it five wins from five in this year’s All Ireland Premier Junior Camogie Championship with a clinical display against Armagh, where they hit the net five times in a strong attacking performance on Saturday afternoon.
The result ensures Laois finish top of the group stage and sets up a semi-final meeting with Wicklow on Saturday, July 19.
Both sides opened brightly, trading the first four scores. Susie Delaney and Lucy Conroy were on target for Laois, while Rachel Merry and Sinead Quinn got Armagh off the mark.
A pointed free from Merry edged Armagh ahead, but Susie Delaney soon equalised. Then came the game’s opening goal when Clodagh Tynan sent a 65 into the danger area and it found its way into the net to give Laois an early boost.
Points from Merry and Delaney kept the tempo up before Armagh were dealt a major blow.
Megan O’Callaghan was dismissed with a straight red card following an off-the-ball incident. Laois took full advantage, registering 1-2 without response. Grainne and Susie Delaney both pointed, while Aimee Collier pounced for Laois’s second goal.
Armagh replied with a trio of scores from Eimear Hayes, Quinn, and Merry to close the gap slightly. Collier knocked over a free before Kirsten Keenan added Laois’ third goal. Kaylee O’Keeffe chipped in with a point before Armagh ended the half with three more scores. At half-time, Laois led by 3-8 to 0-10.
Armagh came out fighting in the second half, hitting five unanswered points through Corrina Doyle and Quinn to cut Laois’ lead down to four. At one stage, the gap had been ten.
But Laois steadied themselves once more. Susie Delaney fired in a fourth goal, followed soon after by a point from Amy Daly to push the lead back out.
Still, Armagh kept coming. Doyle, Aimee Forker, Katie Convie, and Quinn all added points to keep the pressure on. But Laois found their fifth goal just when they needed it. This time, Daly hit the net to seal the result, meaning Laois had five different goal scorers on the day.
Late points from Quinn and Collier were followed by another Quinn free and a final score from Doyle, but Laois held firm to win by five in the end.
Laois are now one game away from a return to Croke Park on All-Ireland final day, which takes place on Sunday, August 10.
Armagh, who lost last year’s semi-final to eventual champions Tipperary, will hope to go one step further this time and earn a return to the Intermediate ranks.
SCORERS — Laois: Susie Delaney 1-4, Aimee Collier 1-2 (0-1 free), Amy Daly 1-1, Kirsten Keenan 1-0 and Clodagh Tynan (free) 1-0 each, Lucy Conroy, Kaylee O’Keeffe, and Grainne Delaney 0-1 each. Armagh: Sinead Quinn 0-8 (one free), Rachel Merry 0-4 (0-2 frees), Corrina Doyle 0-3, Katie Convie and Niamh Forker 0-2 each, and Eimear Hayes 0-1.
LAOIS: Aedin Lowry (Camross); Laura Finlay (St Brigid’s), Ellen Conroy (O’Moore’s), Fiona Scully (Camross); Shona Jones (St Brigid’s), Clodagh Tynan (St Brigid’s), Alice Walsh (The Harps); Alanna Tynan (St Brigid’s), Lucy Conroy (O’Moore’s); Kaylee O’Keeffe (Abbeyleix), Kirsten Keenan (Camross), Grainne Delaney (Camross); Susie Delaney (Portlaoise), Aimee Collier (Camross), Amy Daly (St Brigid’s). Subs: Eimear Hassett (St Brigid’s) for Jones (48), Meadhbh Bolger (The Harps) for Scully (62), and Aoibheann Stynes (Branrion Gaels) for Daly (63).
ARMAGH: Ciarrai Devlin; Meabh O’Hare, Gemma McCann, Lucie Loughran; Michelle McCone, Alana McEntee, Eimear Hayes; Grace Gaffney, Riona Cunningham; Megan O’Callaghan, Katie Convie, Niamh Forker; Corrina Doyle, Sinead Quinn, Rachel Merry. Subs: Tierna Maxwell for Merry and Laoise McConnell for Forker (Both 50m) Caitlin Byrne for Convie (54m)
REFEREE: Paul O’Neill (Antrim)
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