Cooley record memorable win over highly rated Dublin champions

Leinster Intermediate Ladies Club Championship Round 1

Cooley Kickhams 2-9 Castleknock (Dublin) 1-7

The winning Cooley Kickhams juggernaut shows no sign of slowing down as following the men’s facile victory over Ballymahon in their Leinster Club clash, the following day saw the ladies team take care of business by accounting for Dublin Intermediate champions Castleknock to advance to the semi-finals of the competition, for the first time in the club’s history.

They say goals win games, well to be more precise the team who takes their chances normally prevails, and so it proved on this occasion as Eibhlin Rice’s second half major set Kickhams on their way to victory.

The goal swung the momentum in her side’s favour, as Castleknock led at the interval by 1-6 to 1-4, a lead which would have been greater if the Dublin side had brought their shooting boots with them to a rainy Fr McEvoy Park. They undoubtedly missed the guile of key forward and Dublin camogie star Aoife Whelan.

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Despite Castleknock grabbing the opening score of the game through the lively Aisling O’Donnell, Cooley Kickhams made clever use of a stiff first half breeze to lead by 0-3 to 0-1 by the seventh minute, thanks to an excellent Eibhlin Rice effort from an angle, either side of a Lauren Boyle early brace.

With Castleknock hitting eight wides in the opening half despite a slight wind advantage, the game was very much there for the taking. With Kickhams facing into that stiff breeze, Castleknock forced an intense press on their opponents’ kickouts.

This saw Peter McKenna’s side win seven out of 16 on the Cooley kickout, with midfielders Caitlin Coffey and Lauren O’Neill seeing plenty of possession, alongside Aisling O’Connor and Laura Carolan.

However, they failed to turn this into scores, with those eight wides costing them. One such Cooley kickout was intercepted by full forward Aisling O’Donnell to tee up Hannah Hanlon, who fired wide with the goal at her mercy.

Despite their wasteful shooting, their early pressure on the kickout was sufficient to see the Dublin side score three unanswered points from Caitlin Coffey, and Aisling O’Donnell (2) as they led by 0-4 to 0-3 after 14 minutes.

With the wet and downcast weather conditions playing a part, the next score did not arrive for another 10 minutes, with an Aisling O’Neill free stretching Castleknock’s lead to two points.

Cooley, who saw several attacks of their own break down in that period, needed a moment to excite the vociferous home crowd and to their credit, the Louth champions provided it when an Eibhlin Rice ball across the square was picked up by her sister Niamh Rice.

The Louth county star’s low drive rippled the net to put her side ahead, 1-3 to 0-5, and invite a seismic roar from that home support.

Wounded and stunned that they were trailing, Castleknock’s response was almost instant, as after Aisling O’Neill’s effort struck the butt of the post, Hannah Hanlon made up for her earlier miss to convert the rebound soccer style to restore her side’s lead.

Aisling O’Connor and Lauren Boyle (free) traded scores to leave it at 1-6 to 1-4 in the Dublin victors’ favour at the interval, a scoreline the home side would have been much happier with than their Dublin counterparts.

The second half saw Cooley having to withstand more pressure and Castleknock attacks, with Claire Donnelly, Hazel Malone and Patsi Boland deserving personal mentions for their defensive exploits, while Siobhan McCarthy merits huge praise for two crucial defensive interventions.

One of which saw her block a goal bound attempt from Aisling O’Neill, as referee Gráinne Sands eschewed any Castleknock claims for a foot block.

When the Cooley defence was breached, Sinead Rice was up to the task, as she denied the marauding Laura Carolan from point blank range, following a strong run, breaking the lines from Caitlin Coffey.

Teenager Lucy White’s hard running and tireless work also did not go unnoticed from those in attendance at Fr McEvoy Park.

Cooley Kickhams got back in numbers with women behind the ball. But with players of the class of Lauren Boyle, and the two Rices’ inside, you got the feeling that they could eke out a major when they needed it. And so it proved.

Following excellent foraging from the hardworking Aoife McDaid, Lauren Boyle picked up a loose ball, before sending it high into the full forward line.

It was picked up by Eibhlin Rice, who evaded Castleknock keeper Amy Mahony before grabbing her side’s second green flag to send the home support into dream land, as they led by 2-4 to 1-6, two minutes after the restart.

Castleknock did level things up a minute later from an Aisling O’Neill free. But that was their last score of the game as Cooley pressed for home.

Having put her side back in front, Lauren Boyle fired over the bar, having been teed up by substitute Laura Traynor, who had a noteworthy contribution from the bench, as Siobhan McCarthy continued to turnover Castleknock attacks from her sweeper role.

Traynor again turned provider for Eibhlin Rice to land another point, while Lauren Boyle set up Niamh Rice to score from play, before Boyle appropriately had the final say with a close range free, to seal an elusive Leinster club championship victory for Cooley Kickhams.

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Cooley Kickhams: Sinead Rice; Lisa McCarragher, Claire Donnelly, Hazel Malone; Aoife Traynor, Patsi Boland, Roisin McDaid; Aoife McDaid, Renee McGlynn; Chloe McCarragher, Niamh Rice (1-1), Lucy White; Lauren Boyle (0-6, 0-3 frees), Eibhlin Rice (1-2), Siobhan McCarthy. Subs: Laura Traynor for Aoife Traynor (40), Katelyn Murphy for McGlynn (43), Megan Ferguson for Eibhlin Rice (60).

Castleknock: Amy Mahony; Nicola Fagan, Jenny Hickey, Louise Mahony; Emma Strappe, Sinead Comerford, Denise Convery; Caitlin Coffey (0-1), Lauren O’Neill; Aisling O’Connor (0-2), Lauren Manning, Laura Carolan; Hannah Hanlon (1-0), Aisling O’Donnell (0-2), Aisling O’Neill (0-2, 0-1 free).

Subs: Tara King for Convery (45), Eimear Griffin for O’Donnell (48), Aisling Kenny for O’Neill (58),

Referee: Gráinne Sands.