Louth U16 camogie dominate with hard fought victory over Wicklow in Darver

Louth U16 camogie team put in a dominant performance to secure a thrilling victory over their Wicklow counterparts in a hard-fought encounter at Darver GAA centre of excellence on Saturday, 25th February 2024.

The home side started brightly, with Moira Russell setting the tone with a well-taken point in the opening four minutes.

This was followed up by great combination play with Gemma Harvey getting on the end of it to double the Louth lead with a well-taken point on her backhand.

Wicklow responded well as Erin Byrne opened the Garden County account with a well-taken point.

Wicklow continued putting pressure on the Louth defence, but the backline held firm, marshalled by the impressive captain Caoimhe Hynes.

Tara Reilly extended Louth’s lead further with a well-taken free in the 18th minute and then followed up with one from play for good measure.

However, Wicklow refused to give up and pulled one back with the ever-impressive Erin Byrne.

Louth upped the ante just before the final whistle as the lightning-fast Caoimhe Callaghan added Louth’s first goal, extending their lead to five points at halftime. The halftime score 1-4 to 0-2

The second half was a tense affair, with both teams trading points, Louth’s Tara Reilly from a free and Wicklow’s Ella Andrews.

Wicklow narrowed the gap further with a well-taken Erin Byrne point, however straight from the poc-out Nicole Fisher found Jemma Harvey who passed a diagonal ball into Aine Dillon who finished with the boot to the net to get Louth’s second goal.

Louth’s determination and work rate was paying off. Wicklow piled on the pressure with Maeve O’Donovan delivering some great balls to the Wicklow attack, but Louth’s defence remained resilient with strong performances from Caoimh Brennan and Helen O’Reilly.

Jemma Harvey continued to shine, scoring Louth’s third goal with four minutes remaining to put her side in control once again.

Wicklow threw everything at Louth in the final minutes, but the Louth defence stood strong, denying them any clear-cut chances. Erin Byrne added another point for Wicklow from the placed ball with time just up.

As the final whistle blew, the score finished Louth 3-5 to Wicklow’s 0-5, securing a hard-fought victory for the home team in the first round of the Leinster U16 C Championship. 

Overall, it was a fantastic display of camogie from both sides, with Louth ultimately deserving winners.

This victory will be a major boost for their confidence as they continue their campaign when they play away to Meath on the 10th of March.

Louth: Nicole Fisher, Méabh O'Hora, Aoife Carroll, Caoimhe Brennan, Nikki Cunningham, Caoimhe Hynes, Helen O'Reilly, Caoimhe Callaghan, Deirbhile Morgan, Jemma Harvey, Tara Reilly, Ruby Gibney, Moira Russell, Aine Dillon, Niamh Kearney

Chloe Condon for Méabh O'Hora (38 Mins), Marie Gallagher for Nikki Cunningham (40 Mins), Sorcha Magee for Ruby Gibney (45 Mins), Maedbh Thornton for Aoife Carroll (45 Mins) and Síorcha Treadwell for Aine Dillon (50 Mins)

Scorers:

• Louth: Jemma Harvey 1-1, Tara Reilly (0-3, 2F), Caoimhe Callaghan Aine Dillon 1-0 each, Moira Russell 0-1.
• Wicklow: Erin Byrne (0-4, 1F), Ella Andrews 0-1

Referee: John Weir (Westmeath)