After Trinity’s last meeting with IT Carlow in the final round of the league, Trinity Camogie was determined to come out on top on Tuesday night in the first round of the Purcell Cup. Bitterly cold conditions coupled with incessant rainfall ensured that this endeavour was a challenge from the get-go, and sure enough Carlow ran out comfortable winners in the end.
IT Carlow got off the mark first and scored a point from the throw in, followed by a swift goal a minute later when its full-forward bypassed Trinity’s defence after winning a well-worked pass. Trinity quickly attempted to get back on track, Aisling Maher was unlucky to see her shot whizz wide of the post after an excellent pass from Lizzy Murray.
Maher quickly redeemed herself, supplying Aoife O’Carroll with a pass into the centre. O’Carroll then swiftly struck the sliotar over the bar. However, Trinity’s momentum did not last as IT Carlow won a free and converted. After Maher was fouled outside the 45-line, Trinity won a free, which got them a point.
IT Carlow proceeded to crank up its efforts and put Trinity under pressure down the centre. Niamh Horan thwarted Carlow’s efforts, winning the ball off her player before being awarded a free, which Maher converted. IT Carlow’s players did not let this dampen their zeal, continuing to be an ever-present threat and scoring multiple times from play.
As IT Carlow increased the pressure. the team displayed its accuracy from play, scoring both points and goals throughout the half. Trinity began its efforts to fight back and play from midfield. Rosanna McAleese struck a good pass forward to the ever-present Maher. Good passing play resulted in an unlucky miss for Eimear Dolan.
Trinity started to come into its own and had good spells of possession in the forward lines. However, the players were continuously stopped in their tracks by Carlow’s defence. This spell of possession resulted in multiple scoring chances for Trinity, but the team failed to convert. After O’Carroll pinged an attempt off the post, Maher managed to convert from outside the 45-yard line.
Towards the end of the half, IT Carlow’s free movement began to be dealt with effectively, with Juliette O’Flynn and Bronagh Quinn leading Trinity’s defensive efforts. It was becoming increasingly difficult for either team to get scores, and the first half ended in a tactical stalemate.
As the second half went underway, Trinity was determined to redeem themselves. Trinity’s defenders were giving it their all, causing problems for IT Carlow’s attacking players. After missed chances from both teams, Maher broke the deadlock after having skipped past Carlow’s defence. Regardless, IT Carlow never faded, continuously dominating large periods of play.
The second half saw a much better Trinity side, a great team effort causing some problems for IT Carlow. Carlow’s superior stamina was too much for Trinity to deal with, resulting in a score-line that perhaps flattered the hosts. Lora Smith did eventually find the net for the visitors after a goalmouth scramble but at this stage it was far too late for Trinity to launch a serious comeback. After a hard-fought game from both teams, the score-line read 4-9 for Carlow IT and 1-10 for Trinity Camogie.
Wednesday’s defeat makes Trinity’s next fixture against Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) all the more crucial. Trinity will have to win if they are to make it out of its group.
