A Cracking Final in Connacht

Connacht LGFA Senior final Carnacon and Kilkerrin/Clonberne went into battle on Sunday in Ballyhaunis, and battle they did. 11 goals, 31 pts, 5 Penalty’s, 2 red cards and 4-14 from Cora Staunton that doesn’t tell half the story of this game.

A tight first five-minute saw both teams trying to suss the other out. In the 5^th minute player of the match Cora Staunton opened the scoring with her first point of 4-13 that she would end the day on. Olivia Divilly levelled the sides on 7 minutes, Fiona McHale then saw her shot come back of the crossbar.

In the tenth minute Ref John Niland pointed to the spot to award Carnacon a penalty, up stepped Cora to dispatch the ball to the back of the net. Two minutes later and it was Kilkerrin/Clonberne’s turn for a penalty and Annette Clarke got her tally up and running.

Cora and Annette both pointed before Lynsey Noone broke the Carnacon defence to score her team’s second goal of the day.

Four unanswered points from Cora seen Carnacon retake the lead before Kilkerrin/Clonberne’s captain Louise Ward rifled the ball to the back of the net on 20 minutes.

Two more points from Cora and a goal from 14-year-old Louise Dowling had the Mayo champions back in the lead 2-08 to 3-02, but this was a case of anything you can do we can do better as Louise Ward got her second goal of the day followed by 2 points from Hannah Noone and Olivia Divilly. Amy Dowling pointed for Carnacon to leave it Kilkerrin/Clonberne 4-04 to Carnacon 2-09 at half time.

Second half started as fast as the first with Louise Dowling and Olivia Divilly exchanging points in the first two minutes. Kilkerrin/Clonberne added two more points from Claire Dunleavy and Olivia Divilly .

On the 38^th minute Carnacon’s Claire Egan was giving a straight Red card by Ref John Niland.

On the 40^th minute Annette Clarke bagged her second goal of the day and the teams exchanged points once again with 2 from Cora Staunton and Kilkerrin/Clonberne’s two coming from Clarke and Divilly.

Olivia Divilly was then sin binned by the referee. The next two scores were goals. Both were Penalties and as in the first half they came within a minute of each other. first Cora hit her second goal of the day before Annette Clarke completed her hat trick leaving the score Carnacon 3-14 to Kilkerrin/Clonberne 6-10 midway through the second half.

The teams again exchanged points through Cora and Nicola Ward before Carnacon scored 2-02 without reply to lead 5-17 to 6-12 with the clock ticking into the 60^th minute.

Olivia Divilly pointed for the Galway champions before seeing yellow for a second time this was followed by a red card.

 An Ailish Morrissey point in the fourth minute of added time was enough to salvage a draw and means both teams will have to do it all over again next Sunday. Time and Venue to be confirmed.

Final Score Carnacon 5-17 Kilkerrin/Clonberne 6-14

Player Of The Match – Cora Staunton

Referee– John Niland (Sligo)

In the Junior Final Tuam Cortoon ran out 2-11 to 1-07 winner over St Marys of Tulsk in Ballintubber on Saturday. A outstanding performance  by Galway Captain Emer Flaherty helped her club to the 2017 Connacht Junior Championship as well as the player of the match award for herself.

Intermediate Club Final: 5^th November in Fr. Gibbons Park Claremorris Co. Mayo at 2.00pm.

 

Maigh Culinn (Co. Galway) v St. Marys (Co. Sligo).