Lucan land early-season silverware after Leinster Camogie League win

LUCAN Sarsfields captured the Leinster Division One Camogie League title, following an impressive display that saw them beat O’Moore’s 3-9 to 0-6 at Abbotstown on Sunday.

Phoebe Shannon’s impressive haul of 1-6 helped Lucan claim the title while Ali Dunne’s two goals in the second half put the final nail in the coffin.

Sarsfields, who previously won this title in 2013, were exposed to different blends of camogie throughout their six games in the tournament.

“It’s a good tournament. We were the only team to represent Dublin in Division One,” Lucan Sarsfields manager Dermot English told The Echo.

“It’s great for us because you get exposed to a lot of different types of camogie when you play outside of Dublin, in particular, the physical camogie.

“We played a few good, hard, physical games against Laois and Offaly opponents.

“It’s a good chance for some of our players and a good opportunity for maybe your younger players coming through.

“It’s not too often you win silverware this early in the season, so we are very happy.”

The Leinster League is a pre-season type tournament for clubs and teams limited to bringing in players who do not represent their county.

With this rule, Lucan were without joint-captain Emma Flanagan and Ali Twomey, who are away with the Dublin Seniors.

And still, they were not to be denied in their pursuit for glory.

After coming through a tough group that included O’Moore’s of Laois, Naas and Johnstownbridge, Lucan got the better of Na Fianna of Meath in the penultimate round.

After beating O’Moore’s in the group, English and his team knew what to expect and they wasted little time in getting off the mark with Orla Beagan slotting over early on Sunday.

Shannon was unflappable from deadball situations, scoring 0-6 (0-5f) in the opening half alone to send Lucan into a 0-7 to 0-3 lead by the break.

Shannon picked up exactly where she left off from the throw-in, not wasting any time in finding the net before centre-forward Jessie McClelland slotted over shortly after that.

The forward line operated was great fluidity to break down the O’Moore’s defensive block, with Faye Murphy also finding her range before Ali Dunne raised two green flags.