THERE WAS more tears than cheers in Cahir on Saturday where Borris Vocational School girls slid out of contention in the all-Ireland senior B camogie final, a match they early threatened to win and bring home the silver to Co. Carlow.

They took the lead in the fifth and 26th minutes with goals from Margaret Simpson and Ciara Quirke and broke for half-time 2-3 to 1-4 ahead, and worth every score of their advantage having faced the light breeze.

Although here was no question as to the superior team, he maroon-clad Borris girls played some fine camogie in the opening half after going two points down in the first two minutes.

However, the girls who posted those scores - Niamh McCarthy and Trish Buttimer – gave glimpses of the devastation they were to wreak, and in the end the Cork team owed them top kudos for their delivery.

Borris measured up particularly well in that half, countering with their opening point from Quirke - arguably the Leinster team's best player – and she took a Kate Nolan clearance up the left and swung over a fine cross which Simpson directed to the net.

The Ballincollig challengers retaliated four minutes later with a goal from Samantha Cooney who was in the square to shuffle McCarthy's cross from the left to the net.

Again Borris raided with Quirke scoring probably he best point of the game from the left to tie the teams. Sarah Buckley - top-scorer with five points from frees – put the Munster champions ahead again with Simpson equalising a second time. Again Buckley sent the blues in front from a placed ball, but Borris gave their support great heart when Quirke when she got onto the end of a Joanne Barcoe cross from the right and whipped the ball inside the left post for the final score of the half.

But signs were ominous with the winners mopping up in the middle where Buckley was in flying form and with Buttimer superb at 11 they hit the front four minutes into the second half and there they stayed and improved as the game continued with McCarthy and Emma Crowley torturing the Borris defence which had done well to restrict the southerners to 1-4 in the opening thirty minutes, mainly through the resistance of sisters Michelle and Emma Kelly and Nolan, but they were prevented from initiating attacks in the second half because of their increasingly-difficult defensive duties.

The first half play of the Carlow full-forward line of Quirke, Simpson and Barcoe suggested a promising last period but as it transpired the service dried up with Cork's supremacy at midfield and halfback, and not even he drifting out of Quirke could turn the game in this favour.

Colaiste Choilm dropped Jessica Hennigan into defence and could even afford to introduce substitutes in the closing ten minutes if only to engage further players in the victory.

The game slid from Carlow grasp in he opening dozen minutes of the final half after Crowley pointed and was then under service from McCarthy for tier second goal in he 35th minute and when Cork minor Buckley converted her third free the outcome was clear.

Nolan breathed a shaft of hope into the Borris bid with a 45th minute free but that girl Crowley put the lid on it when she was end of a Orla Ni Chathasaigh cross from the right.

The remainder of the contest was academic with Borris only scoring once more - from Ann Murphy - in the closing 16 minutes.

The 2006 national C champions held most of the aces and had the edge in pace a stick-work and in Cliodhna Irish, Alison Coughlan and Kath O'Donoghue had a tight defence. Buckley was the best of the midfield four with McCarthy and Buttimer flying in an attack which only blossomed in the second half.

And Ballincollig might have won more handsomely had not Katie O'Byrne been in dazzling form, but with the exception of Michelle Kelly, Nolan, Mary Ellen Doyle early in the contest, and forwards Quirke and Simpson in he opening half, Borris were simply not as well balanced despite their commitment.

The winners took eleven of the 21 frees and recorded seven of the ten wides; Borris' first coming 11 minutes into the second half.

* Disappointing was the condition of the soft Cahir pitch which was badly cut up, apparently by team training. It was also a pity that the association could not have played the three finals at the same venue and create a festival atmosphere.

- PAUL DONAGHY in Cahir