19/09/2021: Kildysart travelled to Clarecastle for their Junior A championship opener and didn't come away disappointed. Apart from getting the opening the scoring of the match, Kildysart trailed Clarecastle for more than 50 minutes. They were behind at half time by 11 points (3-6 to 0-4), but buoyed by self-belief -they turned a 11 point deficit into a 6 point win.

The home side settled into the match quite well and scored 1-4 without reply. Kildysart tacked on 2 scores to leave just a goal between them at the first water break (1-3 to 0-3). Kildysart missed some scoring chances throughout the half but the second quarter was dominated by the Magpies who raided the net three times. Their haul would have been greater, if not for the quick reflexes of Kildysart goalie Cheryl Ginnane, who made here championship debut between the sticks. Score at half time: Clarecastle 3-6, Kildysart 0-4.

Though known for their strong second half displays, with a 9 point deficit, Kildysart left themselves a mountain to climb. Rachel O’Sullivan got the opening score of the half inside the minute marker and raised the first of Kildysart’s 4 green flags. Kildysart slotted over 6 more points to Clarecastle’s 2 to reduce the deficit to just 4 points at the second water break, Kildysart 1-10, Clarecastle 3-8. A strong defensive performance, especially from Chloe Sheehan, Caroline Casey and Shona Garry limited Clarecastle to only three points in the second half. The sides swapped points before Sinead Fox’s goal left the bare minimum between the sides. Kildysart then drew level with 10 minutes remaining and regained the lead when Aisling Murphy found the net with 5 minutes left on the clock, Kildysart 3-11, Clarecastle 3-9. Niamh Moloney’s goal a minute later put Kildysart up by 5 and gave Kildysart (the team and supporters ! ) a bit of breathing room. Championship debutante Eabha Garry got the second of her two scores to end the match. It took a full team performance to get the win. Final Score: Kildysart 4-12, Clarecastle 3-9. Referee: Gerry Clarke. Round 2 is against Wolfetones at home next weekend.

Kildysart: Cheryl Ginnane, Chloe Sheehan, Shona Garry, Laoise Kelly, Sarah Casey, Caroline Casey, Sinead Kelly, Ashleigh O’Brien, Niamh Moloney (1-5, 2f), Aisling Murphy-captain (1-0), Amy Murphy (0-2), Eabha Garry (0-2), Rachel O’Sullivan (1-1), Sinead Fox (1-2). Subs used: Caitriona Donnellan, Catherine Pender, Kyla Foley.

Front Row: Emma Finucane, Sarah Casey, Aisling Murphy, Cheryl Ginnane, Sinead Fox, Caroline Casey, Chloe Sheehan, Ashleigh O'Brien, Catherine Pender.
Back row: Roisin Donnellan, Emma Byrne, Grace Scanlon, Rachel Conway, Rachel O'Sullivan, Niamh Moloney, Eabha Garry, Hazel O'Donoghue, Shona Garry, Gillian Finucane, Amy Murphy, Caitriona Donnellan, Kyla Foley, Sinead Kelly. Missing: Manager John Byrne.