Limerick withstand Down comeback and tough conditions to win National Camogie League opener

“YOU need games like this to discover the character of a team,” explained debutant manager Dave Deady as Limerick's senior camogie team held out to win their opening fixture of their National League Division 1B campaign 0-12 to 0-10 against Down in severely challenging conditions in Cappamore on Saturday.

“We'd built up a healthy lead by half-time, but it was almost impossible to play in the second half monsoon and the team had to dig deep to get over the line.”

With the stiff breeze at their backs, Limerick's ability to get the ball quickly to their forwards allowed them dominate before the break and clever use of possession drew the fouls that Donna Kenny, stepping into the free-taking role vacated by Caoimhe Costello's absence, punished relentlessly.

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However, once the rain started lashing down with increasing ferocity, play turned into a lottery. Down enjoyed sustained periods of pressure and had a sharpshooter of their own in Aimee McAleenan to bring the margin back to three points going into the closing spell.

However, a backs-to-the wall effort by the Limerick defence sucked the momentum out of the Ulster side's rally before they could be overtaken.

Limerick's early attacks saw them take the lead through Laura Southern's point, while Kenny slotted over a '45'.

Down struggled to get distances in their clearances against the wind but, once they started to find targets beyond the half-way line, they enjoyed a decent spell of possession without managing to get on the scoreboard.

The wasted chances came back to haunt the visitors once the hosts re-established their grip around the middle and, following Kenny's pointed free, Southern's point from play, struck over from a sharp angle after cutting in from the right and another Kenny free, the gap had stretched to five points by the quarter mark.

After breaking the siege, McAleenan's converted free got the Mourne girls off the mark before Grace Cunningham followed up with a further score for the home side after Kenny's reply from a free.

Home side Limerick then stepped on the gas again after Rebecca Delee pounced to lift, strike and point off a loose ball.

Pressing their opponents back into their own half, three fouls were drawn for Kenny to punish with further scores, before McAleenan answered with a free of her own on the stroke at half-time to leave Limerick 0-10 to 0-3 in front at the break.

The clouds descended over the break and Limerick pressed forward to take the elements on and stretched their lead with a Kenny pointed free.

However, the going got heavier with the rain, giving Down two chances for McAleenan to add to her tally of frees before Delee scythed through the challenges to fire over superbly on the run.

Coming up to the three-quarter mark, however, it was turning into a truly wretched afternoon, making it next to impossible to control the sliotar and string the passes together.

The move of skipper Beth Fitzpatrick up to centre-forward gave a focus to the Ulster team's deliveries upfield and a platform from which to draw fouls.

After Dearbhla Magee rounded a challenge to point from a tight angle and McAleenan struck on the turn, Limerick struggled to get distance into the clearances playing into the teeth of the strong wind.

When McAleenan followed up with another pointed free and a score from play, the gap was down to just three points with seven regulation minutes to play.

However, Limerick kept their focus long enough to break the siege and, although they lost the opportunity to ease the scoreboard pressure when Ciara Curtin's shot was stopped on the line, they were eating up enough time to force Down into going for the goal off the frees when they resumed their onslaught.

That turned out to be a miscalculation as four of them failed to yield a score in the five minutes added for stoppages, the last one yielding a breaking ball that flashed just wide off a ground pull and the best that could manage came off McAleenan's fifth attempt which was deflected over the crossbar for a point.

SCORERS: LIMERICK: Donna Kenny 0-8 (7 frees, 1 '65'), Laura Southern, Rebecca Delee 0-2 each; DOWN: Aimee McAleenan 0-7 (6 frees), Grace Cunningham, Dearbhla Magee, Beth Fitzpatrick 0-1 each.

LIMERICK: Sarah Gillane; Teresa Dore, Shauna Cunningham, Emily O'Halloran; Sophie O'Callaghan, Stephanie Woulfe, Eimear O'Donovan; Ailbhe Larkin, Orlaith Kelleher; Donna Kenny, Rebecca Delee, Lizzie Boylan; Laura Southern, Dearbhla Egan, Sarah O'Brien. SUBS: Ciara O'Riordan for Sophie O'Callaghan (43 mins), Ciara Curtin for Sarah O'Brien (43 mins), Maeve Geary for Dearbhla Egan (45 mins).

DOWN: Niamh O'Toole; Aoife McDowell, Aimee Mallon, Sophie McGrath; Dearbhla Coleman, Beth Fitzpatrick, Deirbhile Savage; Clara Cowan, Orlaith McCusker; Aimee McAleenan, Saoirse Sands, Dearbhla Magee; Grace Cunningham, Erin McGrattan, Niamh McGrath. SUBS: Caleigh McConnell for Orlaith McCusker (injured, 38 minutes), Aisling Brown for Erin McGrattan (50 minutes), Kate McAleenan for Clara Cowan (58 minutes).

REFEREE: Joe Mullins (Clare).