Champs again! Incredible JTB capture All-Ireland Intermediate title with thrilling win

Johnstownbridge 1-8

Athenry 1-6

All-Ireland Camogie Intermediate Club Championship final

Johnstownbridge are All-Ireland champions for a third time in a row after they showed all their class and experience to narrowly edge a thrilling encounter with Athenry in St Tiernach's Park, Clones, on Saturday afternoon.

It is an incredible third All-Ireland title in three years for Johnstownbridge, who have previously won back to back honours in the junior grade before being promoted to the intermediate ranks. That makes the achievement all the more stunning, with the Kildare club, managed by Dick Flanagan, easing into life at a higher level and proving they are the best team in the country at this standard.

It was a long build-up to the game that also became immersed in controversy in recent days, with the match being postponed on two separate occasions due to snow, while it was decided on Tuesday that it would not be played in Croke Park as the GAA didn't want to cut up the pitch at HQ with extra games today. Still, the venue farce will matter little to the Johnstownbridge players when they look back on a magnificent accomplishment in years to come.

They had captain and Player of the Match Tanya Johnson to thank, with the experienced goalkeeper providing the platform for their win as she made four or five tremendous saves to keep her side in the lead throughout the final.

Johnstownbridge got off to a superb start as they hit the front in the opening minute thanks to a superb point from their talisman, Siobhán Hurley, who split the posts with a fine point from on the touchline 50 metres out.

Athenry hit back with a point from Noreen Coen, by far their most threatening forward in the opening half, and she would go on to have a thrilling personal duel with goalkeeper Tanya Johnson after that. A spell of five minutes without any chances for either side was ended with the game's first goal arriving in the eighth minute, and it fell the way of Johnstownbridge. A move started by a strong Aisling Holton run saw the ball worked out wide to Hurley, and though her speculative shot from the right was blocked by goalkeeper Megan McDonogh, Shauna Beatty followed in to stroke the sliotar home from close range.

Athenry's most productive spell of the half saw them muster two points in quick succession as Therese Donoghue and Coen landed scores, but the latter's ought to have been a goal, but her shot was parried by the alert Johnson.

The Kildare side assumed control after that as they kept their opponents scoreless for the remainder of the half, and a stunning point from Louise Codd following a surging run pushed Johnstownbridge two points clear. Hurley followed up with points from a long range free and a '45, but her 18th minute point proved to be the last time the scorekeeper was called upon in the first half.

Athenry struck a couple of poor wides, while Johnson denied Coen certain goals on two further occasions to keep her side well in control as Johnstownbridge entered the half-time break with a 1-5 to 0-3 lead, though they would be playing against the wind in the second half.

Athenry immediately made the wind advantage pay off as they netted the goal they needed within a minute of the resumption. It was a rare mistake from goalkeeper Johnson as she was caught in limbo when Niamh Kehoe's long ball came in over the top, allowing Eimear Keane to steal in and knock the ball low into the net.

Johnstownbridge responded with composure as Holton broke up field and floated over a beautiful point, but Athenry narrowed the gap with two points in succession, the second of which was a free from Dervla Higgins.

There was just one point between the sides at this stage, and Johnstownbridge looked somewhat nervy as Hurley struck a free that she would normally score narrowly wide. Róisín O'Connell settled the nerves soon after when she slotted over a free that was won by the hard-working Holton, but that was immediately cancelled out by a fine effort at the other end from Elora Mahon.

A Hurley free with two minutes of normal time proved to be the clincher, and despite Athenry having previously poured forward in search of goals at various stages in the game, they looked out on their feet and couldn't get through a Johnstownbridge rearguard that has proved watertight throughout their electrifying run to All-Ireland glory.

Scorers for JTB: S Hurley 0-4(1f, 1'45), S Beatty 1-0, R O'Connell 0-2(1f), A Holton and L Codd 0-1 each.

Scorers for Athenry: E Keane 1-0, N Coen 0-3, T Donohue(1f), D Higgins(1f) and E Mahon 0-1 each.

Johnstownbridge

Tanya Johnson; Erin McEvoy, Eimear Hurley, Ellen Morgan; Careen Farrell, Aoife Trant, Jenna Murphy; Aisling Holton, Clodagh Flanagan; Louise Codd, Siobhán Hurley, Miriam Murphy; Róisín O'Connell, Catherine Moloney, Shauna Beatty.

Subs used: Emma Farrell for Murphy 28mins, Jane O'Donoghue for McEvoy 54mins.

Athenry

Megan McDonogh; Regina Glynn, Niamh Keane, Fiona Page; Laura Hannon, Jessica Gill, Kate Moran; Dervla Higgins, Grace Cahill; Niamh Hannon, Therese Donohue, Eimear Keane; Niamh Donnellan, Noreen Coen, Elora Mahon.

Subs used: Niamh Kehoe for Hannon 24mins, Hannon for Donnellan 34mins.