Laois make light work of Kildare in Camogie League opener

Very Camogie League Division 3A Round 1

Laois 3-11 

Kildare 2-5

Pairc Acragar, Mountmellick, was the venue as Laois kick-started their Division 3A campaign against Kildare on Saturday afternoon. Susie Delaney, Eimear Hassett, Aimee Collier and Ellen Conroy stood out as Laois eased to a nine-point win that could easily have been double that number.

Laois beat Kildare by five points on their way to reaching last year's National League final and will be hoping that is a good omen on their quest for silverware in 2025.

Aimee Collier broke the deadlock with an early free, but scores were hard to come by in the opening period. It was all Laois for the first 15 minutes, but it took a 45’ from Collier to move the scoreboard a second time midway through the half.

Susie Delaney landed the game's first point from play in the 25th minute, but that was soon cancelled out when a Lea Sutton free got Kildare off the mark.

But the hosts burst into life in the closing stages of the half, with Susie Delaney carving through the Kildare defence before playing in Eimear Hassett, who drilled the ball beyond Ellen Donovan for a really good goal.

Points from Kirsten Keenan and Kaylee O’Keefe left Laois 1-5 to 0-1 up at the interval, but between wides and shots dropped short, they could have been much further ahead.

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Keenan and Delaney added a second score each after the restart before Hassett scored goal number two, pouncing on a loose ball after a free-in from Collier.

The visitors were forced to live off scraps in the first half but found a foothold in the game midway through the second half with Róisín Forde, Sarah Lavin and Sutton all on target. But Laois kept the scoreboard moving, including a magnificent score from Grainne Delaney, before Susie Delaney was once again the provider, playing in Collier for a third Laois goal.

Kildare raised two green flags of their own very late in the game, with three-pointers from Forde and Lavin taking some of the blush off the scoreline. Laois are away to Louth next Saturday while Kildare will host Roscommon.

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SCORERS - Laois: Eimear Hassett 2-1, Aimee Collier 1-2 (0-1 free, 0-1 '45), Susie Delaney 0-3, Kirsten Keenan and Kaylee O’Keefe 0-2 each, Grainne Delaney 0-1. Kildare: Sarah Lavin and Róisín Forde 1-1 each, Lea Sutton 0-3 (one free).

LAOIS: Aedin Lowry (Camross); Laura Finlay (St Brigid’s), Ellen Conroy (O’Moore’s), Fiona Scully (Camross); Alice Walsh (The Harps), Clodagh Tynan (c) (St Brigid’s), Sara Creagh (St Brigid’s); Liadan C-Fennell (O’Moore’s), Lynda Keyes (Camross); Susie Delaney (Portlaoise), Aimee Collier (vc) (Camross), Grainne Delaney (Camross); Eimear Hassett (St Brigid’s), Kirsten Keenan (Camross), Kaylee O’Keefe (Abbeyleix).

Subs: Meadhbh Bolger (The Harps) for Walsh (inj, 33), Sinead Slevin (Banrion Gaels) for Finlay (50), Aoife Gee (The Harps) for Scully (53).

KILDARE: Ellen Donovan; Fionnuala Hughes, Shauna Dunne, Sinead O'Brien; Shuana Mulligan, Caoimhe O'Sullivan, Aoife Newman; Aisling Connaughton, Róisín Forde; Niamh Khran, Lea Sutton, Liana Glynn; Sarah Lavin, Caoimhe Ní Bhuircéal, Michelle Brogan.

Subs: Sadbh Buckley for Connaughton (HT), Roisin Maguire for Glynn (37), Mae Donovan for Mulligan (50).

REFEREE: Paul O'Neill (Antrim)