2023 Electric Ireland All Ireland Minor Championship

Minor A: Round 1

Galway v Waterford
Date: 12 Mar, 2pm
Venue: Duggan Park, Ballinasloe
Referee: Liz Dempsey (Kilkenny)
Match Day Mascot: Aoibhínn Fahy (Davitts Camogie Club)

FT: Galway 3-10 Waterford 2-6

MATCH REPORT

By Sarah Gaughran, Galway Camogie PRO
The Galway minor camogie team got their Electric Ireland Minor A Championship off to a winning start on Sunday when they overcame Waterford in Duggan Park. There is a new format to this year’s minor championship that will see Galway playing everyone in the Minor A championship with all 6 teams battling it out for 4 semi final positions throughout the group stages. The minor team under the guidance of Aaron Fox has plenty of experience throughout their panel with players such as joint captain Ava Crowe, Alannah Fahy and Aoibheann Barry featured in last years All Ireland Minor A final while players such as Ciara McGrath and Caoimhe Kelly are fresh from All Ireland success with their club Sarsfields.

Galway started very quickly out of the blocks with Fahy finding the back of the net for Galway in the opening minute after fighting hard to win the ball from the Waterford defence. Waterford however did not panic and responded a free from Maggie Gostl and a well take point from play by Alannah McNulty. Kelly delivered a fantastic cross field ball to the Galway goal scorer Fahy who was in plenty of space on the 6th minute and Fahy made no mistake in sticking the ball over the bar. Barry got her first free on the 13th minute to leave it 1-2 to 0-2 in favour of Galway. Then a minute later, a long ball in from midfield found Gostl and Gostl, who would be in contender for one of the goals of the season, batted the ball on the run into the back of the net to leave the sides deadlocked halfway through the half. Galway responded well with Kelly and Massy teaming up to set Barry up for a well taken point on the sideline. Gostl replied with a point for Waterford through a place ball to leave the sides deadlocked on 1-3 a piece with 16 minutes gone in the half.

Galway finished the half the strongest. Clodagh O’Meara worked hard in the Galway attack and was rewarded with a point on the 20th minute. Then 2 minutes later, a long ball out by Ciara McGrath in the Galway defence found Barry who went on a solo run from the 45m line and blasted the ball into the back of the Waterford net for Galway’s second major of the day. Barry and Gostl exchanged frees on the 24th and 31st minutes while Kelly, who was showing and working hard for a lot of balls throughout the first half was rewarded with a point from play just before the break to leave it Galway 2-6 Waterford 1-3 heading into the half time break.

Barry opened the scoring for Galway in the 3rd minute of the second half with a point from play. Eimear O’Neill got her name on the score sheet in the 37th minute for Waterford with a point from play while Gostl got her 4th point from placed balls on the 42nd minute to leave it 2-7 to 1-5 with 18 minutes left to play. Barry, Galway’s top scorer on the day got Galway’s first score in 11 minutes with a point from a free on the 44th minute. It was nip a tuck with both defences well on top and scores were hard to come by for both sides. Bevin Bowdern forced Caoimhe Hickey to pull off a great save in the Galway net on the 50th minute with Hickey deflecting the ball out for a 45. However, Gostl lobbed in the resulting 45 into the square. While Hickey did get a block on it, the block resulted in the ball bouncing off the astro turf in the goal mouth and into the back of the Galway net to leave it Galway 2-8 Waterford 2-6 with 9 minutes left on the clock. Galway knew that they would need a big finish in order to secure the victory. Barry added two more frees on the 52nd and 54th minutes while on the 57th minute, a long ball in from substitute, Therese Marie Murray was won in the air by Massey and Massey laid off the ball to the oncoming Fahy who blasted the net for her second goal of the day as it finished Galway 3-10 Waterford 2-6.

Galway will be delighted to have gotten their campaign off to the dream start. It will be a campaign with a difference this year for the girls with the girls getting a lot more game time then normal which is a massive positive for all the girls development. They had to dig deep for a finish to grind out the victory, a trait you like to see in a team. For Galway, Ciara McGrath, Zoe Rogers, Abbie Massey, Caoimhe Kelly, Aoibheann Barry and Alannah Fahy were some of their top preformers on the day while for Waterford, Laoise Forrest, Jane Kirwan, Hannah McGrath, Bevin Bowdern, Eimear O’Neill and Maggie Gostl tried hard for the Deise. Up next for Galway is a home game against Kilkenny next Sunday.

Galway:
C Hickey, S Kelly, A Crowe (JC), K Scully, G Leen, C McGrath, Z Rogers, L Nic Donnacha, A Massey, A Barry (1-7, 0-5F), C Kelly (0-1), C O’Meara (0-1), A Fahy (2-1), K Madden, A Collins.
Subs used: T.M Murray for Nic Donnacha (37 mins), C Glynn for A Collins (39mins), H Tarpey for Madden (45 mins), K Earner for Leen (59 mins)

Waterford:
Waterford: K Gardner; A Healy, F Murphy, L Forrest; J Kirwan, M Buck, H McGrath; K Obanya, A McNulty (0-1); C Sherlock, N Halley, B Bowdern; M Gostl (2-4, 0-3F, 1-0 45)m, K Lyons, E O’Neill (0-1).
Subs used: K O’Neill for McGrath (45 mins), N Ryan for Halley (55 mins), H O’Sullivan for Lyons (59 mins).

ADDITIONAL:

• Galway 3-10 Waterford 2-6 (All-Ireland Minor Championship) – Galway Bay FM
• Minor’s enjoy flying start to camogie campaign – Galway Advertiser
• Galway make winning start to campaign – Connacht Tribune

TEAM

• PLAYER PROFILES: Minor panel
• MANAGEMENT: Minor management
• FIXTURES: Minor A Championship fixtures