Antrim retain U16 C crown with strong final quarter

All-Ireland U-16 C final

Antrim 1-12

Limerick 1-7

By Deniese O’Flaherty

A strong last quarter saw Antrim retain their All-Ireland U16 C title with victory over Limerick in Kinnegad.

Trailing by four points in the 37th minute the Saffrons drew level ten minutes later despite having Aoibheann Monaghan sin-binned in the 42nd minute. Josephine Darragh scored a goal in the 54th minute and it set them on their way.

Antrim’s Erin Stewart opened the scoring with a pointed free inside the first minute. Limerick drew level in the eighth minute with a point from Maeve Murphy. Minutes later they took the lead when Mary English set up Murphy and she found the back of the net.

Aoibhínn O’Connor fired over a free to put five points between the sides in the 23rd minute. Both sides had opportunities to get more scores but didn’t take them.

Limerick will be disappointed with the way they gave the ball away on a number of occasions in the final third of the pitch.

After 24 minutes without a score Antrim got their second point in the 25th minute; a great effort from Josephine English. Anna Rice followed up to close the gap to just two points.

O’Connor got a fine point from play in the 29th minute and right before half-time Stewart kicked over her second point for Antrim to reduce the margin and cut the gap to 1-3 to 0-4 at the break.

Stewart landed a free in the first minute of the second half before O’Connor scored three points in a row (one free) to extend her side’s lead to four points.

Limerick keeper Geraldine Carmody got a vital touch to Darragh’s ball in the 39th minute. Stewart kicked over the ‘45. Darragh got a neat point herself to cut the deficit to just one point.

Despite being down to 14 after Monaghan was yellow carded in the 42nd minute Antrim took the game to Limerick. They took the lead in the 51st minute, the first time they were in front since the first minute.

They regained the lead in the 54th minute when Darragh raised the green flag and they didn’t let it slip. Try as they might, Limerick couldn’t find a way past Antrim’s resolute defence.

Stewart kicked over two late frees to seal the win for Antrim. They ended the game with 14 players after substitute Aine McCavana was sin-binned deep in stoppage time.

 

Scorers – Antrim: E Stewart 0-8 (7fs, 1’45), J Darragh 1-2, A Rice, E McAllister 0-1 each.

Limerick: A O’Connor 0-6 (3fs), M Murphy 1-1.

ANTRIM: O Lynch; A Mitchell, S Scullion, A McDonnell; S Bradley, S McGurk, A Annett; A Rice, L Scullion; L McCann, A Monaghan, C Boyd Munce; A Fitzsimons, E Stewart, J Darragh. Subs: E McAllister for Mitchell (ht), H Mead for Boyd Munce (46), A McCavana for Bradley (58).

LIMERICK: G Carmody; A MacNamara, C Hennessy, E Fitzgerald; K O’Donnell, E Cleary, T Hynes; G Hunt, O Barrett; C Moriarty, G Fitzgibbon, M O’Mahony; M English, M Murphy, A O’Connor. Subs: R Conway for Hennessy and C Murphy for Moriarty (ht), A Davis for O’Mahony and C Long for O’Donnell (50), G Leahy for Barrett (53).

Referee: Sinead McHugh (Donegal)