Carlow down Westmeath with Grennan to the fore

Carlow 'A' 1-10, Westmeath 'A' 1-2

A tally of 0-5 from Gráinne Grennan saw Carlow get the win over a determined Westmeath side in Bunbrosna GAA grounds last Sunday in the second round of the Leinster U16 Division B Shield division.

A strong showing at the end of both halves saw the south Leinster side come out on top by eight points as a goal from Evie Kilmurray for the home side was the highlight in terms of scoring.

The opening minutes were dominated by a mixture of crashing hurls in the middle of ground fights for the sliotar and good running by attackers on both sides. The first attack of note came via Carlow but strong defending, particularly from Carolann Downes, kept the away side out.

Áine Brennan, Emma Wiseman, Grace Murtagh were doing their best to maintain the structure in the half-back line where Grennan was proving to be the tricky customer. Her first point was the opener of the game and it came from a well-struck 45. It was a two-point lead in the 10th minute when Grennan turned provider to tee-up Siobhán Sinnott for her sole point of the day.

The home team got off the mark seconds later when a foul on Katie McDonnell resulted in Jennifer O’Neill firing over from the resulting free. Carlow hit points three and four through Grennan’s free and a lovely point from Bronagh Myers. Defensively, it was a strong test of the resolve of Kevin Williams’ side, with Downes, Rachel McDonnell, and Anna Reilly having to be on their toes to keep up with the pacey forwards against them.

Following a decent patch where Carla Gaffney was unlucky not to get in for goal, Evie Kilmurray made no mistake in finding the net as she struck the sliotar home after a fine pass from O’Neill. With the sides on a par, 1-1 to 0-4, Carlow restored their lead heading to the half-time whistle. Grennan took a puckout from Sophie Slye in goals before bolting forward to point. Late in the half, Aoibheann Meaney registered two points and going into the changing rooms it was the visitors who were ahead 0-7 to 1-1.

With big panels to select from, both managements utilised what they had at their disposal throughout the half, changing players often. The second half was only four minutes old when Ella Doyle buried to the net and suddenly the gap was out to six.

Chances did come for Westmeath with Kilmurray almost able to find a second goal but Slye kept her out. Equally alert was Rachel McDonnell at the far end as she deflected Myers strike just round the post. A Grennan double – one 45 and one free – put the result out of Westmeath’s reach as they found their sole score of the half through replacement, Emily Spollen. Player of the match Grennan saw one last effort saved expertly by Lily Tyrrell before she exited the field.

Late efforts from Ruth Hynes and Lily O’Farrell did not produce scores but Westmeath fought until the end. The game ended with a score from Bláthnaid Corcoran as Carlow finished with eight to spare on the board.

Scorers – Carlow: G Grennan 0-5 (2 45’s, 2f), E Doyle 1-2, S Sinnott, B Corcoran, B Myers 0-1 each. Westmeath: E Kilmurray 1-0, J O’Neill (f), E Spollen 0-1 each.

Carlow: Sophie Slye; Anna Gurhy, Caoimhe Dempsey, Lara Fanning; Eimear Bolger, Eimear O’Toole, Rosanna Doyle; Siobhán Sinnott, Bláthnaid Corcoran; Aoife Bergin, Gráinne Grennan, Eva Dooley; Ciara Moran, Bronagh Myers, Ella Doyle. Subs used: Aoibheann O’Brien, Hilary Minchin, Isabel Foley, Sophie Wallmurphy, Elisa Nolan, Aoibheann Meaney. Rest of panel: Mia Dalton, Sophie Maher, Christine Cassidy, Abby Condell, Ella McDonald.

Westmeath: Lily Tyrrell; Carolann Downes, Rachel McDonnell, Anna Reilly; Áine Brennan, Emma Wiseman, Grace Murtagh; Katie McDonnell, Eleanor Corcoran; Kayla Kennedy, Erin O’Faoláin, Ruth Hynes; Carla Gaffney, Jennifer O’Neill, Evie Kilmurray. Subs used: Katie Savage, Emily Spollen, Emily Galvin, Jessica Smyth, Lily O’Farrell, Cara Finnegan, Aoibhinn Brady. Rest of panel: Saoirse Farrell, Shona Gilsenan, Amanda Gudaityte, Sorcha McNamee.

Referee: Simon Redmond (Dublin).