Ballyboden capture 8 in a row

Ballyboden St. Endas 1-12 Naomh Mearnog/St. Sylvestors
1-10 by Declan Drake

Ballyboden St. Endas ladies team recorded their 8th consecutive
Dublin Ladies Senior Football Championship title success under
the Parnell Park Floodlights on Friday night at the expense of
a gallant Naomh Mearnog/St Sylvestors side who last year won the
Intermediate Championship and went all the way to the All Ireland
Final. On a perfect night for football the attendence were treated
to a fine contest between two well matched sides with an array
of current and past county players on show. 3 times in the opening
half the sides were on level terms the last of those at 1-3 to
0-6, the goal a finely executed effort from Boden corner forward
Edel Drury on 17 mins after Louise Kellys ball picked her out.

By the time the half time break was signalled by refereee Keith
Tighe Boden enjoyed a one point lead 1-5 to 0-7. Sinead Aherne
an all star in her time was enjoying her evening as was her fellow
corner forward Katie Slattery for the Portmarnock/Malahide ladies
in their all white strip. On the other side of the equation Boden
skipper Louise Kelly was exerting her inflluence on proceedings
both as a scorer and creator of chances. The second half saw the
sides continue their fine battle. Sinead Aherne was to get the
better of Boden net minder Suzanne Hughes in the second period
on 41 mins for her sides goal to keep her team believing that
they could actually end the reign of their southside opponents.
Hughes as has been the case so often for her team was enjoying
a strong performance having produced a couple of excellent stops.
Having conceeded that goal Boden showed just why they are a champion
team as they responded with a hatrick of scores of the boots of
Fiona Corcoran, Edel Drury who finished with 1-2 and Karen Hopkins.

While Mearnog/Sylvestors continued to work hard and put the Boden
defence under pressure the experience of players such as Martina
Farell Joanne O Sullivan and further out the field in the shape
of Fiona Corcorcan was to prove invaluable. The final few mins
were tense with both sides spurning good opportunities to achieve
the same aim of being county champions for 2007 and earning the
right to represent Dublin in the Leinster Club championship. At
the end of it all it was Bodens night once again as they had the
crucial couple of point advantage to secure the win. Former Dublin
All Star Angie Mc Nally enjoyed a managerial success in the intermediate
decider when her Ballinteer St. Johns/Naomh Olaf side beat St.
Brigids. It was a real family affair as her dad Paddy was a selector
on the team and her sister Deirdre played at corner back.