The DCU camogie team sailed through to the semi-final of the Purcell Cup after they overcame a battling Mary I side in horrid conditions on Wednesday afternoon.
The match was subject to a late change in venue as it was originally fixed for St. Clare’s, but was then changed to the all-weather pitch in Artane, where DCU ran out comfortable 1-15 to 1-5 winners. DCU’s stickwomen are bidding to defend the title they captured last February after a brilliant campaign.
The 10-point victory margin was richly deserved with strong performances from the likes of Aoife Kelly, Orla Durkan and Mairead Power setting up a decent platform for the hosts to advance on.
Speaking after the game Emma Brennan expressed her delight at progressing to the next round of the competition. “We’re delighted with the win. We’re in an All Ireland semi-final now so it’s onwards and upwards from here. I was part of the team that won it last year, so it’d be nice to win it again.”
“It was a pretty tough game. The second half was very tough, we were lucky that we got a good few scores in the first half to give us a good lead. We were playing against the wind and they put on a lot of pressure but we worked very hard and everybody fought very hard. Everyone had to put a lot of effort into the performance and thankfully it paid off. It was a great team performance all around.”
“We’ve a lot to work on coming up to the semi-final, but we’re going in the right direction so we’re quite happy. Whoever we meet in the semi-final, it’s always going to be a tough game. We’re not sure who it’s going to be yet,” she continued.
NUI Maynooth and Cork IT are two of the sides likely to emerge from the other side of the draw, but last year’s finalists QUB could force a three-way play-off should they overcome Maynooth. The Purcell Cup semi-finals will take place at the UL GAA grounds on February 16th, with the final fixed for the following day, Sunday, February 17th.
Patrick Ward
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