Brave Tracton fall short

Midleton 0-14 Tracton 1-9

(JJ Hurley)

(Tracton Skipper Laura Murphy and Midleton Captain Lucy Wallace , with Referee Brendan Barret before tonight's game in Minane Bridge.)

Midleton squeezed past Tracton in a pulsating encounter in the SE Systems Premier Junior Camogie Championship in Minane Bridge on Wednesday night.

A game that saw both sides dominate at different stages ultimately favoured Midleton, who proved more clinical in front of the posts.

However, coming down the home straight, the impressive Anne Fahy had put a single score between the sides with a huge free from out the field, before Midleton's ace free-taker Faye Dunlea fired her side into a two-point lead as injury time beckoned.

A lively encounter saw Tracton dominate much of the early exchanges, but it was Midleton who opened their account as Lucey Wallace provided the ammunition for Dunlea.

She doubled her tally two minutes later with a free, as Tracton had their goalkeeper, Lauren McCarthy to thank on nine minutes when she produced a fine save from Sarah Goulding.

Tracton finally got off the mark on 10 minutes as Fahy sent a free over from close in, but it was advantage the visitors as they led by 0-3 to 0-1 following a Sadhbh Beausang score on 14 minutes.

Midleton looked like they were going to take a stranglehold on the game on 20 minutes, as two additional points had given them an advantage of 0-5 to 0-1, but two quick points in succession from Fahy had the home side back in the contest.

It was nip and tuck from there to the break, with the sides going in at half-time with Midleton leading 0-7 to 0-5.

Fahy was on target early in the second half to put one between the sides, but a brace from Dunlea had three between the teams on 35 minutes, before Clara O'Sullivan pounced for a goal two minutes later.

Incredibly, Tracton were out in front on 41 minutes as Fahy scored again to leave the tallies at 1-7 to 0-9.

Three on the bounce for the Magpies had them in the ascendancy on 50 minutes, but their goalkeeper Lauren McCarthy produced a full-length save from Megan Fahy to keep them ahead, before the other Fahy sister put over the resulting 45.

From there to the finish it was nip and tuck, as Tracton saw another goal chance go agonisingly wide, but the home side were outscored in the time remaining as Midleton secured the victory.

Scorers:Midleton: F Dunlea 0-9 (6f), L Wallace, S Goulding, L Murphy, S Beausang, V Gleeson 0-1 each.Tracton: A Fahy 0-8 (7f), C O'Sullivan 1-1.

MIDLETON: J Connaughton; K Saunderson, S Cronin, L Hogan; R Cronin, K O'Sullivan, J Murphy; L Wallace, M Beausang; F Dunlea, V Gleeson, L Murphy; S Goulding, S Beausang, R Ryan.

Subs: R Keating for L Hogan (20, inj), R McManus for R Ryan (45).

TRACTON: L McCarthy; K Lynch, C Castleton, A Cummins; R Walsh, L Murphy, K Murphy; E McGuinness, S Lynch; M Fahy, A Fahy, M McGuinness; S Dempsey, C O'Sullivan, E Murphy.

Subs: None supplied.

Referee: Brendan Barrett, Shamrocks.