Intermediate Ladies open campaign with a win

Intermediate Ladies open campaign with a win

Waterford intermediate ladies opened their Munster championship campaign with a convincing win over Limerick in Bansha on Thursday night last. This was a very important match for the team as they wished to put the heartbreak of the league final defeat behind them and were in a very determined mood to do so. In the first fifteen minutes of the game Waterford laid the foundations for their victory quickly racing into a 1-5 to 0-2 points lead courtesy of a Maria Delahunty point ,two points from Sinead Ryan, a wonderful goal from Mary Foley and a point from Elaine Power.

In the second quarter Limerick rallied and with points from Stephanie Carroll, Dympna O Brien and Claire Coughlan in quick succession cut the deficit to three points. Waterford quickly responded to this Limerick onslaught with one of their own Sinead Ryan pointed a free in the 20^th minute and was followed with well taken points from Mary Foley and Emma Murray. In the 28^th minute Maria Delahunty raised another green flag for the Waterford ladies with a piledriver to the Limerick net to leave Waterford comfortably in front 2-8 to Limerick’s 0-6.Limerick replied with a goal of their own when a mix-up in the Waterford defence led to a Brid Cahill goal before Aileen Wall had the last say for the Deise on the stroke of half time with a point to leave the score Waterford 2-9 Limerick 1-6.

Waterford opened the second half brightly with a point from Sinead Ryan in the first minute and the Ballymacarbry girl was on hand to stretch the Waterford lead to ten points with a wonderful goal two minutes later. Points from Maria Delahunty in the 5^th minute, Mary Foley in the 10^th and Sinead Ryan in the 12^th minute stretched the Waterford lead even further and put the Deise almost out of sight. Dympna O Brien replied with a point for the Treatysiders before Ballymac duo Sinead Ryan and Aileen Wall kicked on each for Waterford to leave Waterford convincingly in front by 3-15 to  1-7 with 10 minutes to go.

Limerick, refusing to give up piled on the pressure and were rewarded with a Stephanie Carroll goal in the 21^st minute followed by another green flag from Dympna O Brien one minute later. To cut the gap to eight points. Abbeyside’s Maria Delahunty steadied the ship with a point five minutes from the end with a point before Limerick star forward Dympna O Brien rattled the Deise net with a fourth Limerick goal to leave the final score Waterford 3-17 to Limerick 4-7.

Manager Pat Sullivan will be pleased in general with the performance of the team especially in the first 50 minutes but will be somewhat concerned with the concession of three goals late in the game and will be under no illusions about the amount of work required to retain the Enda Mc Donnell Memorial Cup. He will be please also that the girls have got the League final defeat out of their system and it is now onwards and upwards for the team.

Waterford continue their Munster title quest with a home game against Tipperary who gave favourites Clare a major fright in the other first round game. The game against Tipperary will take place on Saturday June 20^th at a Waterford venue before completing the round robin set of games against Clare with the top two teams qualifying for the final on July 12^th.

Tesco Homegrown Team of the League

Congratulations and well done to Waterford players Megan Dunford, Linda Wall and Aileen Wall who were selected on the Tesco Homegrown team of the league Division 3 for 2015.