Roscommon’s Championship ends at the hands of Meath
Wednesday, 14 July 2010
Roscommon midfielder Niamh Coyle in action against Meath during the league.Niamh was sent off against the same opposition last Saturday.GOL0936
Meath 2-12 Roscommon 1-6.
ROSCOMMON"S involvement in the All-Ireland junior camogie championship came to an end at a very wet Athleague on Saturday afternoon when they were beaten by Meath.
This was an unusual game in that while Meath were the better team for long periods, Roscommon were the victims of some bizarre refereeing decisions including a sending off for something that nobody else saw and a point that was at least six feet wide and signalled by the umpire only for the referee to over rule and award a point.
Conditions did not help either with heavy driving rain making conditions very difficult and while Roscommon end their championship without a win, they will have learned some very important lessons that will make this young team a much better side for next year's league and championship.
Meath had the dream start to this game. A high ball from Lizzy Oakes was finished to the net by Elizabeth Lynch and already Roscommon were up against it. Both teams went into this game with big expectations with Roscommon needing the win to keep their championship hopes alive while Meath knew that a win would put them in a strong position regarding their group. With that goal Meath were off and running and they would run up a five point lead inside the first nine minutes. Lynch added a point before Jane Dolan opened her account with a point. Roscommon were working hard but not able to break down the Meath back line and a free from Kelly Hopkins was all they had for their efforts. Hopkins would also pick up a yellow card in the 6th minute and would narrow the gap with another free as Roscommon started to find their feet in what were terrible conditions.
As the game reached the end of the first quarter Roscommon were now starting to play well and Hopkins and Dolan swapped points in an exciting five minute period. Lynch added another point but the game was now wide open and Gráinne Egan picked up a pass from Sinead O'Brien to drive pass Emily Mangan. It narrowed the gap to just three points and installed belief into the Roscommon team as they drove forward. Hopkins' free narrowing the gap to two points three minutes before half time.
Meath lifted their game again and points from Dolan and midfielder Kris Troy had them ahead by four at the break leaving Roscommon with a lot of work to do if they were to remain in this year's championship. That work started almost immediately when Cait Kenny's goal bound shot was well saved by the Meath keeper. A minute later Roscommon narrowed the gap to two points once more with points from Kelly Hopkins (A free) and Sinead O'Brien. The comeback was on once more only for Aileen Donnelly to score another Meath point.
With twenty minutes left in the game an incident that looked innocent ended with Hopkins getting her second yellow card for something that did not look that serious. However, it also meant that Roscommon were now down to fourteen and the mountain was getting that bit harder to climb. Donna Kelly was also the victim of a poor refereeing decision when penalised for over carrying and Dolan duly obliged with the free to once again put four points between the teams and a quarter of the game remaining.
What happened next was unusual to say the least. Following another Dolan free, Meath were awarded a free 25 metres from the Roscommon goal Jane Dolan lifted and struck the ball at least six feet wide but the referee Con O'Ceadaigh incredibly awarded the point even though one of the umpires had indeed waved the ball wide.
It was the final straw and when Fiona O'Neill goaled following a pass from Sinead Hackett, Roscommon's resistance finally ended. There would be no further score in the game for either side and Meath now know that should they defeat Antrim on Sunday next, they will be into the final stages of the All-Ireland junior championship.
For Roscommon, a time to reflect on the year but as said at the outset, they will learn from this and become a better team.
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