Camross defeat St Brigid’s to be crowned Laois Camogie Division 1 champions

Camross claimed the 2026 Laois Camogie Division 1 title after overcoming St Brigid’s by eight points in the final at the Centre of Excellence on Tuesday evening.

The game had been due to take place on Sunday but was deferred as a mark of respect following the passing of Camross clubman Tim Lowry.

Despite being reduced to 14 players for the closing stages, Camross never relinquished their grip on the contest and finished strongly to secure the silverware. Ella Cuddy’s dismissal midway through the second half could have swung the momentum in St Brigid’s favour, but instead Camross finished the game in dominant fashion, outscoring their opponents by 1-3 to 0-1 after the sending-off.

With a number of players unavailable on both sides due to Laois preparations ahead of the upcoming All-Ireland Intermediate final against Antrim, opportunities arose for others to impress in Tuesday’s final.

St Brigid’s settled quickest and were on the scoreboard inside the opening minute when Jessie Quinlan pointed. Chances were scarce in the early exchanges before Chloe O’Riordan got Camross up and running after eight minutes.

Camross looked set to edge ahead shortly afterwards, only for Laura Dunne to produce an excellent save from Erin Walsh. St Brigid’s then enjoyed their best spell of the opening half, adding three unanswered points through Niamh Sweeney and a brace of frees from Aiva Coss to move into a three-point lead.

However, Camross gradually began to take control. Tara Lowry reduced the deficit before Sarah Anne Fitzgerald supplied a clever pass to Walsh, who made no mistake in firing to the net and turning the game on its head.

The sides traded scores over the next few minutes. Sweeney and Coss were on target for St Brigid’s, while Fitzgerald landed two frees for Camross. Andrea Scully then struck twice before the break as Camross opened up a three-point cushion.

There was nearly another goal before half-time when Walsh rattled the crossbar, while St Brigid’s came close at the opposite end only for Niamh Dollard to deny Amy Daly after good work from Maggie Fitzpatrick. Camross carried a 1-6 to 0-6 advantage into the break.

Scores were harder to come by after the restart. Coss opened the second half scoring from a placed ball, while Daly was again thwarted by Dollard when another goal opportunity presented itself.

The contest took another twist when Camross lost Ella Cuddy to a straight red card following an incident involving Gráinne Hyland.

Rather than falter, the victors responded impressively. Tara Lowry’s effort somehow squeezed into the net for a crucial second goal and effectively ended St Brigid’s hopes of a comeback.

Fitzgerald then took centre stage, adding three more points, including a magnificent free from distance, as Camross stretched clear. Quinlan registered the final score of the evening for St Brigid’s, but by then the outcome had long been decided as Camross celebrated a deserved league triumph.

Final Score

Camross 2-9

St Brigid’s 0-8

SCORERS— Camross: Sarah Anne Fitzgerald 0-5 (0-4 frees), Tara Lowry 1-1 Erin Walsh 1-0, Andrea Scully 0-2, Chloe O’Riordan 0-1. St Brigid’s: Aiva Coss 0-4 (frees), Jessie Quinlan and Niamh Sweeney 0-2 each.

CAMROSS: Niamh Dollard; Mairead Burke, Aisling Burke, Ella Cuddy; Aoife Collier, Leanne Dowling, Ava Guilfoyle; Luisne Delaney, Andrea Scully; Tara Lowry, Sarah Anne Fitzgerald, Leah Daly; Aoife Daly, Erin Walsh, Chloe O’Riordan. Subs: Lara Culleton for L Daly (42 mins), Amy Dowling for Lowry (52 mins), Ava Hogan for O’Riordan (55 mins), Maeve Collier for Delaney (59 mins), Ciara Peavoy for Guilfoyle (61 mins), Cara Daly for Walsh (63 mins).

ST BRIGID’S: Laura Dunne; Danielle Healy, Amy Quinlan, Roisin Kilmartin; Ellen Meagher, Aiva Coss, Hannah Fitzpatrick; Tiegan Reilly Bowe, Gemma Hoare; Grainne Hyland, Niamh Coss, Jessie Quinlan; Maggie Fitzpatrick, Niamh Sweeney, Amy Daly. Subs: Eimear Guidera for Kilmartin (26 mins-HT Blood), Eimear Guidera for N Coss (HT), Eva Carroll for Meagher and Enya Carroll for H Fitzpatrick (both 51 mins), Teresa Bourke for Daly (56 mins).

Referee: JJ Gorman (Clough/Ballacolla)