Ladies HEC Competition Gets Underway

It is college championship season once again and the HEC LGFA O’Connor Cup starts this Tuesday night with 3 games all in the capital.

21 March 2015; UL players, Caroline McCarthy, left, and Claire O'Sullivan, both from Sneem/Kenmare, Co. Kerry, celebrate with the O'Connor cup after victory over DCU. O'Connor Cup Ladies Football Final, Dublin City University v University of Limerick, Cork IT, Bishopstown, Cork. Picture credit: Diarmuid Greene / SPORTSFILE *** NO REPRODUCTION FEE ***

This year the O’Connor Cup is again made up of 2 groups of four teams, with the top two teams progressing through to the Championship weekend being held in IT Tralee on Friday the 11th and Saturday the 12th of March.

Group A comprises of 3 of the last 4 winners DCU, QUB and UCC with Maynooth University the final member of the group. Group B features Trinity College, who after winning the Giles Cup last year, are making their debut at this level along with NUIG, one of last year’s semi-finalists; UCD, this years’ league finalist and defending champions UL.

 

Tuesday the 2nd Feb 7.00pm in DCU Sports Grounds

Group A

DCU v UCC

Arguably the tie of the round. DCU, the current league champions and beaten finalist last year against a very strong UCC side made up of 12 of the Cork senior football squad who won the All Ireland last September.

DCU are one of the strongest teams in this year’s competition and laid down a marker in the league, bringing home their first silverware at senior level in 4 years. The squad is brimming with talent and with 7 Dublin senior squad members including captain Siobhan Woods and wing back Leah Caffrey along with Mayo seniors Sarah Rowe and Amiee Bell . UCC will not be phased by them and will call on Doireann O’Sullivan, Marie Ambrose , Roisin Phelan, Aine O’Sullivan, Orlagh Farmer and Emma Farmer. This will be an intriguing game but DCU with home advantage should come out on top.

Verdict: DCU

 

Group B

Tuesday the 2nd Feb 7.00pm in Clann na Gael, Ringsend

Trinity v NUIG

This will be a very stiff test for Trinity on their O’Connor Cup debut. Having successfully worked their way up from the Lynch Cup grade and through the Giles Cup, Trinity find themselves at the top table of the O’Connor Cup. They have struggled to find their feet during a league campaign which saw them lose all 3 of their games. This; however, is a learning process and only by playing against the stiffer opposition shall they improve. NUIG will come into this game with the confidence of knowing they can at least reach a semi-final place again this year. Their preparations have gone well and should have beaten a Mayo team in the Connacht winter Cup semi-final. They will be calling on Galway seniors Sarah Conneally and Olivia Divilly, Donegal players Emer Gallagher and Rose Boyle and Doireann Hughes of Mayo to lead from the front.

Verdict: NUIG

 

Tuesday the 2nd Feb 7.30pm in UCD Sports Grounds

Group B

UCD v UL

Another clash to look forward to is that of UCD and UL in Belfield. Between these two Universities they have won 15 of the previous 28 Championships. It has been 8 years since UCD last made the weekend, however there is a strong sense that is about to change this year. Last year UCD ran UL the closest of all teams in the championship and have maintained most of their squad. Indeed it has been strengthened by the arrival of Galway seniors Nicola Ward and Megan Glynn. These two additions along with Dublin seniors Niamh Collins and Martha Byrne and Monaghan senior Ciara McDermott resulted in UCD qualifying for the league final , only to lose out to cross town rivals DCU. UL, the two time defending champions, are in a rebuilding phase having lost 17 players from last year’s squad and  have only 5 of the starters from the 2014 winning team left. This game will be a close affair, however UCD should make full use of home advantage.

Verdict: UCD

 

Wednesday the 3rd Feb 5.00pm in The Dub Arena, Queens Belfast

Group A

QUB v MU

The final game in the first round of the O’Connor Cup, sees MU make the trip up north to the 2013 champions;  Queens. Both teams have had mixed league outings with neither team making the semi-finals. This is Maynooth’s second year playing in the O’Connor Cup and are slowly finding their feet. However, given the group they are in, they will be concentrating on performances rather than wins this year. Queens have been relatively quiet in their preparations  but will be pushing for a place at the weekend. In Amiee Mackin they have one of the brightest talents in the country and will prove difficult to any opposition.

Verdict: QUB

 

Full Fixture list for this week.

 

LGFA Third Level Championship 2016

 

2nd February 2016

 

LGFA Third Level O’Connor Championship 2016 – Round 1

DCU (H) v UCC, 7.00pm, (C Dourneen)

TCD (H) v NUIG, 7.00pm, Clann na Gael, (C McManus)

UCD (H) v UL, 7.30pm, (S McNulty)

 

LGFA Third Level Giles Championship 2016 – Round 1

MICL (H) v IT Sligo, 3.30 pm, (E Moran)

St Pats Drum v AIT, 4.30pm, Alfie Byrne, Clontarf, (A Keating)

 

3rd February 2016

 

LGFA Third Level O’Connor Championship 2016 – Round 1

QUB (H) v MU, 5.00pm, (G Corrigan)

 

4th February 2016

 

LGFA Third Level Giles Championship 2016 – Round 1

UCC2 v IT Carlow, 5.00pm, The Farm UCC, (J Dorgan)

CIT (H) v DCU2, 6.00pm, (K Delahunty)

 

LGFA Third Level Lynch Championship 2016 – Round 1

ITT v DIT, 2.30pm, UL (3G), (J Mullins)

WIT v UUJ, 7.30pm, Ballykelly, (J Flood)

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