Kilkerrin/Clonberne given an early fright by rank outsiders

Kilkerrin/Clonberne 4-22

Glencar/Manorhamilton 1-6

Darren Kelly in Swinford

THE final scoreline doesn’t come anywhere near reflecting the challenge Kilkerrin/Clonberne received on Sunday, but a second half masterclass delivered a fourth consecutive Connacht senior title.

Willie Ward’s charges led by just three points at half-time in an erratic display  But after the break, they proceeded to punish the underdogs, hitting 3-15 to book an All-Ireland semi-final with Monaghan’s Donaghmoyne.

Kilkerrin/Clonberne were red hot favourites and a 25-point victory was along expected lines. At the first water break, however, the final was not going to the expected script.

Leitrim have never delivered Connacht senior champions and Glencar/Manorhamilton were intermediate winners last season. But they are a growing club with six successive underage crowns and they started like they planned staying around in the top tier.

Their main target players Leah Fox, Muireann Devaney and Ailbhe Clancy made their presence felt, rotating regularly, and asking serious questions of the five-time provincial winners.

Fox split the posts after just 50 seconds and from their next attack, Clancy ignored three defenders to add a second and it was 0-2 to 0-0 in Glencar/ Manorhamilton’s favour.

Kilkerrin/Clonberne had already made more mistakes than during the entire 60 minutes of last week’s semi-final against Roscommon’s Clann na nGael, but the north Galway outfit don’t do panic and kept the scoreboard ticking.

Chloe Miskell won a free which Olivia Divilly converted but Glencar/Manorhamilton responded immediately. Clancy drew the foul and Devaney provided the white flag.

Divilly was alert against any slips in the Leitrim defence and she took off on five minutes leaving two players behind before picking out Miskell who got Kilkerrin/Clonberne’s first from play.

However, Glencar/ Manorhamilton were up for the fight and found another response as Clancy kicked her second point. What was hard to believe was that they didn’t score a point again for 34 minutes.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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