Five star showing from classy Tipp in the first half sinks Wexford
Tipperary 3-15 Wexford 0-12
Tipperary seized the day and steamrolled before them to make the knockout stages of the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championships after securing their second victory from two Group 2 games when beating Wexford by 3-15 to 0-12 at Bellefield.
The Munster champions are playing with a deep confidence this year and Denis Kelly will be thrilled to have qualified for the knockout stages with a game to spare.
Wexford will need a comprehensive win over Dublin and hope that Tipp can do something similar to Kilkenny if they are to progress but their slow start issues will have to be addressed as it was all one way traffic in the first half of this one.
For the second tie in succession, Colin Sunderland’s outfit couldn't get going early on but unlike a fortnight ago, when they secured a draw after falling ten points behind Kilkenny, they were unable to rescue the situation this time as Tipperary didn't take the foot off the gas.
Eimear McGrath pointed early on for Tipperary when Cáit Devane came up with an inventive finish for a goal in the fifth minute despite the best efforts of Ciara Storey, who thought she had done enough but the sliotar was adjudged to have crossed the line by the umpire.
Points from Chloe Foxe and Ciara O’Connor, who finished with nine, looked to settle the home team but Grace O’Brien, Teresa Ryan and Karin Blair raised white flags for Tipp before Ryan slammed a 12th minute goal after good work from the very prominent Karen Kennedy and a sublime cross-field pass by Devane to Eimear Heffernan, who provided the final assist.
O’Connor fired three points and Linda Bolger two as Wexford looked to eat into the nine-point deficit but five was as close as they got, Devane, Blair, Heffernan and McGrath enabling the Blue and Golds to establish a 2-10 to 0-8 lead at the interval.
The second half was poor, with scores at a premium until Róisín Howard bagged a goal from 13m on the hour and Devane struck two injury-time points to herald a new age for Tipperary and high hopes with a new look team.