AIB All-Ireland Intermediate camogie semi-finals: Clonduff (Down) 1-16 Clanmaurice (Kerry) 1-11 (after second series of extra time); James Stephens (Kilkenny) 1-10 Castlegar (Galway) 0-8
DON'T let the final scoreline fool you - Clonduff had to battle all the way see off Clanmaurice in the AIB All-Ireland Intermediate camogie semi-finals. The two teams could not be separated even after extra time in Kinnegad on Saturday but the Hilltown Ladies eventually prevailed.
Another period of five minutes each way had to be used and when, three minutes in, Sarah Louise Graffin put the Down and Ulster champions ahead, it was the first time her team was in the lead.
Her sister Fionnuala Carr put them two up with a monster free from 70 metres just before the break. The pair then did the footwork along the right side-line in the 90th minute for Callagh Byrne to send Beth Fitzpatrick in for a goal that brought huge relief to the players' aching limbs and their supporters who had remained in good voice through two and half hours and the freezing fog.
This was an epic that really challenged Clonduff who had to battle back from four points down at half time to force extra time. Then they recovered from conceding the first three points of extra time.
At the heart of the epic was Sarah Louise Graffin, her four points from play during the second half bringing her team back from the brink. Paula O'Hagan also played her part on the scoring front, while Fionnuala Carr was the immovable rock at the heart of the Clonduff defence.
The Fitzpatrick sisters also rose to the occasion as did the McGilligans and of course the judicious use of subs to freshen up the challenge.
Clanmaurice though were the dominant team in the first half of normal time. They were quicker to the ball and a number of their attack was causing huge problems; Jackie Horgan, Amy O'Sullivan, Caoimhe Spillane and the magnificent Patrice Diggins.
However when the Hilltown girls put on the pressure, the Kerry challenge dipped and, once the Carr sisters hit the target to put them ahead, there only looked to be one winner emerging from the fog that had enveloped the pitch.
Points from O'Sullivan, Diggins and Laura Collins gave Clanmaurice an early lead and when Diggins hit a long punt that bounced on the 4G area around the goals, it deceived Katie McGilligan in nets and the Kerry team pulled away to lead 1-6 to 0-5 at half-time with O'Hagan scoring three times for Clonduff.
Although Diggins added a point from a free on the re-start, Graffin and O'Hagan added two points each to close the gap to two points by the middle of the second half.
Graffin then hit another two monster scores to level with eight minutes left. Neither team could get a winner over those eight minutes and the game went to extra time.
Once more Clanmaurice made the early running with three points from frees converted by Horgan and Diggins (two). The game seemed to be drifting from the Ulster champions.
However Orla Gribbin and O'Hagan hit late points and they changed ends with just a point between them.
O'Hagan's point from outside the 45 right on the side-line levelled once more and we remained standing in the freezing fog for another ten plus minutes before the cheers went up for Clonduff's winning ticket to meet Kilkenny's James Stephens in Croke Park on Saturday evening.
Clonduff: K McGilligan; E Rafferty, J Boden capt, N Murray; C Kearney, F Carr (0-1 free), K Morgan; I O'Hare, C McGilligan; C Fitzpatrick, O Gribben (0-1), B Fitzpatrick (1-1); P O'Hagan (0-7, 5 frees), O McCusker, SL Graffin (0-6).
Sub: C Byrne for O McCusker,
Subs: C Byrne for O McCusker, A Morgan for N Murray, O McCusker for C McGilligan
Clanmaurice: A Fitzgerald, M Costello, S Murphy, R McCarthy, A Behan, N Leen, E Ryall, P Diggins (1-4, 0-3 frees), K Lynch, AM Leen, L Collins (0-1), C Spillane (0-2), J Horgan capt (0-3, 1 free), D O'Leary, A O'Sullivan (0-1).
Referee: Gavin Donegan (Dublin).
