McCrossan and Broughan goals herald return to winning ways

Glen Dimplex All-Ireland intermediate camogie championship: Westmeath 2-16, Carlow 0-8

Westmeath’s camógs bounced back from a championship defeat to Galway last weekend by recording a 14-point win over Carlow in TEG Cusack Park this evening.

To a certain extent, the result understated the gulf between the sides. All but one of the Barrowsiders’ scores came from frees, and they didn’t score from play until the 15th minute of the second half. In contrast, all but two of Westmeath’s 18 scores came from open play.

Despite their sizeable winning margin, Westmeath only occasionally got out of first gear. It took a serious push early in the second half to put this game out of Carlow’s reach, with the hosts leading 0-9 to 0-3 after a low-scoring first moiety.

Goals in the 38th and 49th minutes, from Caoimhe McCrossan and Emma Broughan respectively, put the result beyond any doubt, and on another day the Maroons could easily have had more, with Broughan and Sheila McGrath going close.

McGrath, deployed at left wing forward, continued to impress for Westmeath, picking off four superb points from play.

The St Munna’s star handed the Lake County their first lead after seven minutes, pointing superbly off her left side after Maria Kelly had equalised for the Maroons with a good strike moments earlier. Carlow had taken the lead inside the first minute thanks to a free from Myshall’s Ciara Quirke.

A fleeting goal opportunity preceded Westmeath’s third point, after Hannah Core split the Carlow defence with an excellent pass to find the inrushing Sheila McGrath, who failed to latch onto the sliothar at the crucial moment, but regained her composure to fire her second point.

A minute later (12), Caoimhe McCrossan shot straight down the middle to establish a 0-4 to 0-1 lead for the Lake County.

Westmeath probably should have kicked on from there and blitzed the visitors, but a brace of wides broke their momentum and Carlow responded with another free from Quirke.

With 16 minutes gone, Sheila McGrath added her third point as she continued to torment the Barrowsiders down the left flank, but it took Westmeath another seven minutes to add to their score. In the meantime, they lost Raharney forward Hannah Core to injury.

A patient move on 23 minutes led to a sixth Westmeath point – Caoimhe McCrossan’s second – before Megan Dowdall made up for some earlier misses with a free to make it 0-7 to 0-2 to the hosts.

The Lake County then had a couple of sniffs at goal, with a high ball from Emma Broughan calling for a swiped clearance from Carlow netminder Catherine Kavanagh.

Moments later, Denise McGrath gave her marker the slip en route to goal but was hooked by Carlow’s Orla Kavanagh, who received a yellow card. Dowdall uncharacteristically put the resultant free wide.

Westmeath finished the extended first half (seven minutes were added on due to stoppages) in strong fashion, with Denise McGrath firing the hosts’ eighth point from a tight angle, after being found by a magnificent through-ball from Muireann Scally.

Dowdall then came into the game more, teeing up McGrath after an outrageous bit of skill on the left flank. In a solo reminiscent of Gearóid Hegarty’s Munster hurling final heroics for Limerick, Dowdall weaved her magic, flicked over the head of a Carlow defender and set up McGrath, whose subsequent shot was blocked.

The Clonkill starlet then made it 0-9 to 0-2 with a point off her left side after some superb build-up play, before Carlow’s Quirke chipped away at the lead with a free deep into stoppage time.

Quirke hit another free shortly after the restart, and with the visitors only five adrift, one felt that Westmeath – now facing into a stiff breeze – needed to take the game by the scruff of the neck in case any banana skins lay ahead.

Again Quirke hit the target with another dead ball effort to maintain that five-point gap, moments after experienced Westmeath sub Elaine Finn announced her arrival with a well-struck score.

On 38 minutes however, the decisive passage of play arrived. Maria Kelly put Megan Dowdall through on goal, and Dowdall’s goalbound shot was blocked by Carlow full back Rachel Breen. However, the ball was recycled to Caoimhe McCrossan, whose drive goalwards was deflected to the net by Catherine Kavanagh.

Leading 1-10 to 0-5, Westmeath were now all but home and hosed, and pressed on with consecutive points from Kelly, Sheila McGrath (a sublime fourth) and Emma Broughan (assisted by McGrath).

In between these scores, Westmeath had two clear-cut goal chances. The first came on 41 minutes when McCrossan set McGrath free, but the St Munna’s player drilled her low shot just wide. A minute later, Carlow were caught flat-footed at the back and Denise McGrath rolled a low centre to Emma Broughan, whose attempt at goal was blocked down by Catherine Kavanagh.

With 45 minutes on the clock, Carlow got their first score from play when Anna Breen divided the post. Three minutes later, this was cancelled out by a Megan Dowdall free, shortly after which Westmeath notched up their second goal at the third attempt.

This time, Denise McGrath found herself free of Carlow’s last line and drove the ball at goal, with Kavanagh’s hurl blocking it down. An alert Broughan pounced on the rebound for her second goal in three games.

With Westmeath leading 2-14 to 0-6, the game petered out to its inevitable conclusion. Carlow’s final scores came from Ciara Quirke (both from frees), but on 56 minutes, Megan Dowdall shot her second point to give the Maroons a 13-point lead going into stoppage time.

Experienced sub Sarah King then had the last say for Westmeath, pointing brilliantly after a neat pass from fellow sub Olivia Glynn, who picked up an injury in the process.

With two wins from three in the bag, next up for Diarmuid Cahill’s charges is a long trip to Lixnaw, Co. Kerry next Saturday to face the Kingdom (5pm), and Westmeath will surely be targeting a win there to enhance their Jack McGrath Cup prospects.

Scorers – Westmeath: C McCrossan 1-2, Sheila McGrath and M Dowdall (2f) 0-4 each, E Broughan 1-1, M Kelly 0-2, D McGrath, E Finn and S King 0-1 each. Carlow: C Quirke 0-7f, A Breen 0-1.

Westmeath: Fiona Keating; Sandra McGrath, Méadbh Scally, Emily McCabe; Laura Doherty, Muireann Scally, Aoife O’Malley; Maria Kelly, Megan Dowdall; Hannah Core, Caoimhe McCrossan, Sheila McGrath; Emma Broughan, Denise McGrath, Róisín Scally. Subs used: Olivia Glynn for Core (inj., 20), Elaine Finn for R Scally (h-t), Shannon Dalton for Broughan (55), Sarah King for D McGrath (58), Una Leonard for Muireann Scally (60+1).

Carlow: Catherine Kavanagh; Sarah Jayne Burke, Rachel Breen, Áine Ryan; Orla Kavanagh, Katie Garry Murphy, Keeva Collins; Emma Cody, Eleanor Treacy; Ciara Kavanagh, Eimear Byrne, Emily Doyle; Emma Lillis, Ciara Quirke, Anna Breen. Subs used: Niamh Gray for O Kavanagh (48), Hannah Rapley for Lillis (53), Tracy McNally for Ciara Kavanagh (55).

Ref: Ciaran Groome (Offaly).