12/10/2025
Congratulations to all involved with our Intermediate Camogie Champions 2025. The Eilish O'Neill Cup comes home to Bunclody Camogie Club
Wexford Intermediate Camogie County Final
Bunclody 3-08
Blackwater 0-10
in Bellefield
Watch the game here
Photos of the day here
8 years ago in 2017 an Under 16 squad backboned by the girls on the pitch today pulled an Under 16 Premier Camogie Final victory from the jaws of defeat with 3 goals at the death by Deirbhile Ó Ceallaigh. Deirbhile may now be on foreign shores but her team mates that day certainly learned a lesson. Goals win games! Yvonne Kelly, Naomi Kavanagh, Kate Kirwan, Maeve Sinnott, Lisa Kelly; Aoife Mahon, Muireann Doyle, Jacqui Kehoe were all on that squad in 2017 and all lined out today.
Aoife Mahon wasn't in the mood for nostalgia, reflection, sense of occasion or anything else when she latched on to a Kate Kirwan ball from the throw in. Her marker must have felt like she had only shook her hand, before she watched Aoife go by her and made the net dance. 8 seconds it had taken. (the scoreboard may have read 12 seconds, but it wouldn't be the first time that scoreboard in Bellefield was wrong!) Watch the goal here https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxDjTVALW4qBsFYHVsbZBGss6drhpwDDJH?si=v7szsEcPtU2p385k
Bunclody were never behind in this game and won by a margin of 7 points. This didn't tell the story of the game however, it was a battle on every level. We raced into a 1-04 to 0-01 lead after 11 minutes. Aoife Mahon followed up her goal with a pointed free from half way. Blackwater replied with a free of their own after 5 minutes, before Bunclody notched 3 unanswered points from play, Clodagh O Byrne, Lisa Kelly and Kate Hendrick doing the damage. Kates point on 11 minutes would be our last score of the first half and signal an extended period of Blackwater dominance.
Crucially though in an extended period where Blackwater dominated around the middle in terms of breaks and possession our backs held firm and in particular held their discipline. In the 24 minutes before Barry Redmond blew the half time whistle the Bunclody defence conceded no scoreable free and shipped only 3 points under sustained pressure. It was an example of defiance. Blackwater had several scoreable opportunities thwarted by last gasp blocks, hooks, bodies and sheer stubbornness.
The score at half time was 1-04 to 0-4 to Bunclody, although the management team must have been concerned about the momentum of the game. They gave a good 20 minutes in the dressing room at half time. Whatever was said seem to work. Aoife Mahon pointed a free in the 33rd minute to end the scoring famine, Lisa Kelly followed up with a point from play before Blackwater replied with 2 of their own from play through 16 year old full forward Ciara Whelan to leave the score 1-06 to 0-6.
We then hit a 5 minute purple patch, which inevitably was the deciding period in the game. A Kate Hendrick goal was the catalyst for the purple patch but the work in the build up from Kate Kirwan, twice winning the ball from rucks, once in the corner we were defending after an thrown in, seconds later in the middle of the field when we had lost possession, such intervention often go unnoticed in the ebb and flow of a game. However Kate Hendrick made sure they didn't go unnoticed. Kirwans ball landed to the right of the square in front of her and her marker, her back to goal. She feigned left and went right, her marker sent to the shops with the dummy. She sidestepped the advancing keeper to boot to the empty net to make it 2-06 to 0-06 on the 43rd minute. Watch the goal here. https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkxv9iPio9moQYVoN8Dn59BJwpJzzEkdAk_?si=UlJyMX3zd0PrqEme
Again goals win games, but Blackwater were far from finished, an excellent save by experienced netminder Brigid Murphy refusing to allow the ball beyond her with a fine save. Watch Brudge in action
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxU1I06iAlfOk6VWajCgJ49fzaQbZmr_gO?si=cNNhFANw1rkfmoQX
Blackwater, had an advantage and Whelan tapped over the resultant free.
Aoife responded with a free of her own before Maeve Sinnott decided she'd seen enough and finished the game as a contest on the 47th minute. Possession was initially won by Rachel Kelly, who found Kirwan who delivered to Leah Morris, to Lisa Kelly who struck it to Maeve Sinnott on the 40. Her and her marker ran towards the ball and the second it broke, Maeve sensed a goal, she lifted it put it on the hurl, took it into her hand again and finished low to the net to make it 3-07 to 0-7 Watch the goal here . https://www.youtube.com/clip/Ugkxx4NE1fqQEL7R5LeWJylCXDDN2L_UBvZV
The goal gave us a 9 point lead with 13 mins of normal time on the clock. There are many teams who would throw in the towel but to their credit Blackwater didn't. They continued battling and after trading points, won a penalty, Orla Doyle adjudged to have fouled her marker. Bridget was in no mood for negotiation in the goal and Ciara Whelan put the ball over the bar. She followed up from play in the 58th minute in what was to be the final score of the game.
Bunclody had won a war of attrition. The work the squad had put in since January reaped just rewards after last years county final defeat. Kate Kirwan was awarded player of the match, but it wasn't a day where individual performances were going to win alone, hooks, blocks, rucks and physicality were the order of the day. The entire team showed resilience, grit, courage and determination when required and when Orla Doyle accepted the Eilish O'Neill cup from Lisa O'Neill it was greeted with a huge cheer by the large Bunclody contingent.
Bunclody
Brigid Murphy, Riona Mahon, Orla Doyle - Captain, Naomi Kavanagh, Yvonne Kelly, Rachel Kelly, Jacqui Kehoe, Clodagh O'Byrne (0-1), Ciara Carroll, Muireann Doyle, Lisa Kelly (0-2), Kate Kirwan, Kate Hendrick (1-01), Maeve Sinnott (1-0), Aoife Mahon (1-04 4f)
Subs
Roise Dunbar for Riona Mahon
Leah Morris for Clodagh O'Byrne
Aoife Farrell for Muireann Doyle
Maria Carroll for Naomi Kavanagh
Kellie Cloke for Jacqui Kehoe
Taylor Travers, Sarah Kenny, Grace Foley, Megan Murphy, Leah Wall, Grace Tully.
Blackwater
Aine Wright, Fiona Kelly, Orla Roche, Siobhan Lillis, Eirin O Brien, Rebecca Kirwan, Aisling Murphy, Aifric Cashe, Mag O Leary, Clodagh Whelan, Jacinta Buckley, Aisling Byrne, Shelly Doyle - Captain, Ciara Whelan, Emma Cullen
Subs
Amber Wright for Shelly Doyle
Laura Doyle for Clodagh Whelan
Elizaeth Whelan for Siobhan Lillis
Referee Barry Redmond
