Laois 3-11 Kildare 3-15 (AET)
Leinster Minor ‘B’ Camogie Final
There was heartbreak for the Laois minor camogie team in the Carlow Centre of Excellence this afternoon.
Laois were seconds away from glory in normal time but a late Kildare goal forced extra time in this Leinster ‘B’ final.
In this, the Lillywhites found an extra gear and went on to win by four points in the end.
The sides produced 6-26 between them over the 80 minutes in what was a fabulous advertisement for the sport.
Laois made a dream start as Kaylee O’Keefe and Lucy Conroy pointed before the former struck for a goal in the fifth minute.
But Kildare did not panic and the excellent Rebecca McDermott slotted four points on the trot before Louise Murphy tied it up.
They then had a goal via Orlaith McNeil and went into the lead for the first time.
But Laois battled back as Kaylee O’Keefe was fouled for a penalty which she converted and a late point from her left Laois 2-3 to 1-5 ahead at the break.
Laois now had the aid of the breeze and used it to build a lead via a brace from O’Keefe.
Rebecca McDermott cut the gap to one and then Kildare sprung Emily Mahon from the bench and she pointed twice to give Kildare a one point lead.
But the game swung back Laois’s way then as Kaylee O’Keefe pointed twice with Kathlyn Shore and Catherine Kirby also scoring.
It looked like that would be enough but deep in injury time, a ball in fell to Anna Coburn and she drilled it to the net to leave it 2-9 apiece and send the game to extra time.
Laois failed to score when play resumed and Kildare soon took charge with sub Nessa McPhilips tying the game up.
She added another point while the excellent Rebecca McDermott scored 1-1 to leave Kildare 3-12 to 2-9 ahead at half time in extra time.
Katelyn Shore went into the forwards when play resumed and that move worked as she scored the game’s sixth goal.
But Kildare were not about to let their lead slip and saw out the game with points from McDermott, Mahon and Roise Hennessy to seal the win.
SCORERS – Laois: Kaylee O’Keefe 2-7, Katelyn Shore 1-1, Catherine Kirby 0-1, Aoife Kirby 0-1, Lucy Conroy 0-1 Kildare: Rebecca McDermott 1-8, Anna Coburn 1-0, Orlaith McNeill 1-0, Emily Mahon 0-3, Nessa McPhilips 0-2, Louise Murphy 0-1, Roise Hennessy 0-1
LAOIS: Mia Henderson (The Harps); Julieann Bennett (O’Moore’s), Kate Phelan (Naomh Eamann), Emer Conroy (O’Moore’s); Ella Cuddy (Camross), Katelyn Shore (Naomh Eamann), Eva Carroll (St Brigid’s); Sinead Slevin (Banrion Gaels), Lucy Conroy (O’Moore’s); Catherine Kirby (The Harps), Aoife Daly (Camross), Caoimhe Cuddy (Naomh Eamann); Aoibheann Stynes (Banrion Gaels), Kaylee O’Keefe (Abbeyleix), Aoife Kirby (The Harps)
SUBS: Grace Fox (Abbeyleix), Lucy Donoghue (CRG Gaels), Ella Phelan (Naomh Eamann), Aoife Delaney (CRG Gaels), Aoife Gee (The Harps), Aoife Morris (Portlaoise), Chloe Troy (CRG Gaels), Lorraine Bergin (The Harps), Rachel Heffernan (O’Moore’s), Ruth Killeen (Banrion Gaels), Niamh Peake (O’Moore’s), Nicole Matthews (O’Moore’s), Shauna Walsh (St Brigid’s), Kayla Dwyer (The Harps)
KILDARE: Tiarna Kinahan; Aoife Mulcahy, Rachel Byrne, Michaela Farrell; Aoife Keane, Sadhbh Buckley, Hannah Enright; Louise Murphy, Roise Hennessy; Rebecca McDermott, Hannah Finnerty, Rianna Cribbin; Ciara Ryan, Anna Coburn, Orlaith McNeill Subs: Nessa McPhilips, Emily Mahon
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