Galway Camogie Championship round-up: Shamrocks claim win first win

Shamrocks 1-17

Davitts 1-3

Shamrocks recorded their first victory at Senior A level when they overcame Davitts in wet conditions in Kenny Park Athenry.

The 2025 Senior B champions opened the scoring in the second minute. A short free from Katie Gilchrist found Niamh McInerney and McInerney made no mistake in sticking the ball over the bar. Leah Behan missed a goal opportunity on the 8th minute as both sides struggled to get scores on the scoreboard. Gilchrist and Catherine Hanley swapped frees on the 11th and 12th minutes. McInerney got her second of the day a minute later.

A Hanley free and a goal from Behan gave Davitts the lead for the first time, but Shamrocks responded well with a Leah O’Halloran point and two Gilchrist frees. Hanley, from a placed ball, and Katie Donohue swapped scores at the end of the half as Shamrocks went in 0-7 to 1-3 in front at the break.

It was all Shamrocks in the second-half as they held Davitts scoreless. Gilchrist was extremely accurate, scoring six of their 10 points in the second-half (0-4 frees). McInerney was also on target slotting 1-1 for Shamrocks while O’Halloran slotted over two points and substitute Lauren Boyle also scored a point.

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Senior B

Salthill Knocknacarra 1-10

Kinvara 0-13

Salthill Knocknacarra and Kinvara had to share the spoils on Wednesday evening in Kinvara. It was the hosts who started the brightest in a low-scoring opening half, Aoibheann Barry through a free and Ella Bergin slotted over points for Kinvara in the opening seven minutes.

Laura Kelly opened Salthill-Knocknacarra’s account with a free in the 15th minute. Kelly added two more points for the city side, one from a free, while Nessa Daly also got her name on the scoresheet. Kinvara responded well to each score, with Siofra Barry slotting over three points as the sides went in at half-time with Kinvara leading 0-5 to 0-4.

Each team went through purple patches in the second half. It was Salthill/Knockncarra who hit the ground running in the second half. Two points from the player of the match from the U-16A All Ireland Camogie final, Orna Dunne, and a free from Kelly left the city side in front after 35 minutes.

Kinvara responded with unanswered points from Barry, Lisa Shields, and Ciara Costello, but the city side hit 1-3 without reply in a four-minute period for a 1-10 to 0-8 point lead heading into the final 12minutes.

Two Kelly frees, a point from Aoibhe Joyce and a goal from Dunne made it look like Salthill-Knocknacarra were going to take the victory. However, the Barry sisters hit back for Kinvara in the final 10minutes. Four frees from Aoibheann and a point from Siofra meant the sides ended up deadlocked 1-10 to 0-13.

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Craughwell 1-12

Castlegar 3-5

A Katelyn Walsh goal from a free in the third minute of injury-time snatched victory for Craughwell in a dour contest on a wet and windy evening in Castlegar last Wednesday.

With Craughwell trailing by two points in injury-time, Walsh hit a screamer from approximately 25 metres out to ensure her side preserved their unbeaten start to the campaign following an opening day draw against Kinvara.

A wind-assisted Craughwell had led 0-7 to 1-2 at half-time after Keisha Coleman and Walsh, with six points, five from dead balls, tallied for the victors while Caitriona Lee, with a 14th minute goal, and Chloe Broderick (two frees) responded for Castlegar in the first half.

However, second-half goals from Lee and Louise Mahoney – along with points from Broderick (free), Lee and Orlaith Kelly – in the second period turned the contest on its head, with Craughwell now seeking to keep in touch with points from Katie Leen and Walsh (four frees).

Down by two heading into injury-time, Craughwell poured forward in search of a match-winning goal and, while Walsh may have been denied in a crowded goalmouth minutes earlier, she was not to be denied a second time when she executed a sweet strike to secure a coveted Group 1 triumph.

Craughwell now face championship favourites St Thomas’ in their next round while Castlegar, without a win to date, will look to rally against their city rivals, Salthill-Knocknacarra, this weekend.