Famous win for Ursuline Thurles who claim All-Ireland title in replay

The Ursuline Junior A team made history on Friday 18th March with their win over Loreto Kilkenny in the Tesco All Ireland Junior A Camogie Final Replay. This is a first Junior A All Ireland Camogie title for the School and the girls in the Ursuline royal blue put in a princely performance against worthy, battle hardened opponents.

This was the follow up to what turned out to be an epic first day encounter that saw the Tipp side make a Lazarus like return with 13 points down with 13 minutes on the clock to force the Loreto to a replay. The Johnstown pitch was once again the site for the showdown with James Lundon presiding as referee.

The game got off to a good start for the Ursuline who went on the attack early on despite playing against a stiff breeze. The strong wind would dominate proceedings in both halves making scores and puck outs arduous. Loreto were first on the scoresheet having decided to take advantage of the blustery conditions in the opening half. The initial score was the result of a Rachel Dowling free for Kilkenny in the seventh minute.

Sarah Corcoran and Kate Ferncombe, in mid-field for the Ursuline, piled on the pressure from the off. There was dogged defence of the goals both ends with Angela Carroll staunchly meeting head on any Tipp challenge. Down the other end of the field there were many fine clearances from Aoife Bourke, Robbyn Fanning, Alison Fitzgerald, Miah Bourke, Paula Quirke and Aoife Kavanagh.

It was certainly a game of sideline cuts with the ball going out over the line frequently and both sides getting their fair share of the sideline action. Loreto’s Rachel Dowling got the second point of the day in the twelfth minute from a ’45. She followed this with a classy score from play off her left hand side to send it over the bar. The Loreto were 0-3 now to no score from the Ursuline.

However, Lucy Purcell had something magical up her sleeve to get her team onto the scoreboard. Winning the ball from a ruck she sent her shot flying across the Kilkenny goalmouth and over the bar. Next it was the turn of Sarah Corcoran who scored two points in quick succession. The first, one of her trademark accurate frees, and the second she sent sailing over the crossbar from play.
Now the Tipp girls had Loreto in their sights, 0-4 Loreto 0-3 Ursuline. Lucy Purcell made numerous solo runs throughout the day in an effort to break through the rock solid Kilkenny defence. Her superb goal came as a result of an Aoife Kavanagh clearance. Lucy seized her opportunity and sent the sliotar across the goal from the left hand corner and over the head of Kilkenny keeper Emer O’Neill.

The tables had turned and instead of trailing by a point the Ursuline were now in a two-point lead. Lucy’s goal was followed by a Maria Ralph point when she harvested a Sarah Corcoran free in to widen the gap just a little bit more. Loreto Kilkenny 0-4 Ursuline 1-4. Both Ursuline’s Sarah Corcoran and Kilkenny’s Rachel Dowling scored points from frees to make it 0-5 to 1-5 before half time, in favour of Thurles.

Ursuline took advantage of the strong breeze in the opening of the second half with Sarah Corcoran pointing from a free. Despite gallant Ursuline efforts the Kilkenny backs kept the pressure on and some nice scoring opportunities were denied such as the one taken by Maria Ralph early in the second half blocked fearlessly by Aisling Browne.
Equally the Ursuline backs and goalie Orla Ryan put up fierce resistance down the other end. A Caoimhe Keher Murtagh bullet was batted away by Orla Ryan to stave off danger.

Such stoic defending and the difficulty in gaining any traction in the wind meant the second half was characterised by low scoring. Sarah Corcoran’s free in the twentieth minute of the second half pushed Ursuline up to 1-7 to Loreto’s 0-5 meaning Ursuline had only scored two points so far in the second half while Loreto had yet to score.

However, Ursuline assaults would eventually bear fruit. An Emer O’Neill puck out was picked up by Ursuline’s Maria Ralph who turned on her left, hitting to Caoimhe Stakelum who buried it in the back of the net in spite of Emer O’Neill’s best efforts. 2-7 Ursuline 0-5 Loreto. Ciara Dunne replied shortly afterwards with a goal of her own to bring Loreto’s tally to 1-5. Kate Ferncombe got the last Ursuline score of the day, a stylish point from the hard working midfielder.

Kilkenny never gave up and looked dangerously close to staging a miraculous come-back late in injury time when Rachel Dowling scored a goal from a free in the fourth minute of stoppage time, but the Thurles team held out for the win at the final whistle.

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