Oulart-The Ballagh continued the form they had shown against Slaughtneil in the semi-final to take this year's AIB All-Ireland senior club camogie title from Michael's McGrath's Sarsfields in UPMC Nowlan Park.
The Galway title holders were forced to surrender their crown as Oulart-The Ballagh were unstoppable. Having blitzed the Galway side in the opening quarter, there was no way back.
Úna Leacy and Shelley Kehoe shot first-half goals in a repeat of the type of start that accounted for Slaughtneil in the semi-final, and when Leacy completed a second-half hat-trick, there was no way back for Sarsfields, despite how hard though they battled.
The Galway side was first to strike with a Clodagh McGrath free after a foul on sister Orlaith, but by the water break, that was their only score as the Wexford outfit had taken control with two goals and four points.
Stacey Kehoe and Anais Curran gained the upper hand around the middle to ensure a constant flow of ball for Leacy and Ursula Jacob, but at the other end Sarsfields' sharpshooters Orlaith and Siobhán McGrath were starved of ball.
Instead Wexford All-Ireland-winning skipper Ursula Jacob levelled from a free and Shelley Kehoe had her side in front, when Leacy turned poacher to produce a sensational finish in the 10th minute. When a high ball bounced off Maria Cooney's palm, Jacob pounced, and before Shelley Kehoe finished from close range two minutes.
Sarsfields tried to keep themselves in the game in he second quarter was about consolidation with Niamh McGrath slotting two points from play, but a wonder score by Shelley Kehoe was the highlight of the winners’ response and they led by 2-7 to 0-4 at the break.
Still Sarsfields refused to bow, and they had the perfect start with a Siobhán McGrath goal after sister Clodagh’s long delivery was dropped by Ciara Storey.
It proved short-lived, however, as Úna Leacy dispossessed Laura Ward and kicked to the net a minute later.
With the margin still eight points at the three-quarters mark, there was some respite when Klara Donohue’s shot ended in the OTB net, but Leacy continued her form, racking up a hat-trick with a thunderbolt two minutes later.
True to form Sarsfields never gave up with four points from the McGraths Orlaith (two ), Siobhán (one ) and Clodagh (one ), but Shelley Kehoe had the final say to deny the Galway side a second successive crown.
OULART-THE BALLAGH scores: Ú Leacy 3-0; Shelley Kehoe 1-3; U Jacob 0-3(2fs ); K Gallagher, A Curran 0-1 each.
SARSFIELDS scores: S McGrath 1-2(0-1f ); C McGrath 0-3(2fs, 1 45 ); K Donohue 1-0; N McGrath, O McGrath 0-2 each.
OULART-THE BALLAGH : Lauren Sinnott, M Leacy, A Brennan, K Roche, A Dunne, C Storey, M O’Dowd, Stacey Kehoe, A Curran, K Gallagher, Shelley Kehoe, Louise Sinnott, Ú Leacy, U Jacob, Shauna Sinnott.
SARSFIELDS: L Glynn, R Kelly, K Gallagher, L Ward, J Daly, A Deeley, T Kenny, N McGrath, C McGrath, K Donohue, O McGrath, S Spellman, S Corcoran, S McGrath, M Cooney. Subs: R Murray for Deeley (34 ), C Kenny for Daly (45 ).
REFEREE : Andy Larkin (Referee )
