Intermediate Championship Rd 2. Spa V Finuge St Senans in Spa 10th Aug 2020

Spa 2-10 Finuge St. Senan’s 2-14

Senior ladies played their first home game in Spa on Monday night. It took the last few minutes in injury time for Finuge St. Senan’s to snatch victory away from Spa in their home ground. Finuge/St.Senans were quick to open the score board in the first minute by the talented half forward Niamh Carmody. Shortly followed by another great score. Niamh Carmody scored her second from a free. In fact it took Spa ten minutes to score their first pint with a free from Niamh Kearney and she slotted another over the bar in quick succession. Visitors replied with a great score from Behan to claim her second. Spa settled with a great score from Mairead Bennett created deep within their defence. Teams exchanged scores from Spa’s Loretta Maher and North Kerry side tapped over another from Aoife Behan and the half back Miriam O Keeffe going into the first water break with one point between the sides. The last quarter of the first half saw some great football from both sides and desperate to gain and hold possession. Half forward Niamh Carmody played deep to gain possession and got a great score. Miriam O Keeffe was a great threat to Spa’s defence and tapped a point over the bar. In fact Jacqueline Horgan changed to full forward line and opened up Spa’s backs to score two points. The home side were not going to quit and came back with a great score from full forward Niamh Kearney. Finuge was rewarded with a 45 when a great save by Spa’s midfielder Cass Buckley to deflect from the goalmouth. Miriam O Keeffe kicked it in to the awaiting hands of Jacqueline Horgan to score their first goal. Spa replied with a great pass from Liadh Tobin to Saoirse Kelly to tap it into the net narrowing the deficit to three points going into half time. Spa 1-5 to Finuge St Senans 1-8.

Spa started strong in the second half with three great scores from Liadh Tobin (two) and Cassandra Buckley. In fact it was all Spa in the first quarter with most possession in Finuge/St Senans defence. O Keeffe and Carmody kept them in the game as Spa were causing all sorts of problems for Finuge/ St Senans. Spa’s defence were very strong and lead by captain Ciara Moynihan as most of the home sides scores started from her blocking and gaining possession. Spa’s Niamh Kearney scored a point from free but it was half forward Lynn Jones goal that put them in the lead for the first time during the game. The last fifteen minutes were tense and very tight with both sides playing great football. However, a judgment call in Spa’s goalmouth resulted in a penalty being awarded against them. Niamh Carmody stepped up and blasted it past goalie Caoimhe Claffey to pull away by two. Spa scored another point from Saoirse Kelly but Finuge/ St Senans ran away with victory with two more scores from Miriam O Keeffe and sub Olivia Stack to win by four. Spa tried hard with Ciara Moynihan, Mags Cronin, Elisabeth Stack, Aisling Mahony, Lynn Jones and Mairead Bennett. Although they didn’t win, the team played much better and hopefully will gain their first victory against Corca Dhuibne in Lispole next Monday night 17th.

Spa: Caoimhe Claffey, Elisabeth Stack, Ciara Moynihan (Capt), Aisling Mahony, Gina Crowley, Katie O Brien, Katie O Connor, Loretta Maher, Cassandra Buckley, Mairead Bennett, Lynn Jones, Mags Cronin, Saoirse Kelly, Niamh Kearney and Liadh Tobin, Subs: Karol Fleming