Donoughmore retain their Munster Crown

Munster
Senior Club Final

 

 

Munster
Ladies Senior Club Final Donoughmore ( Cork) 5.08 Ballymacarbry
( Waterford) 1.08

Donoughmore retained their Munster senior club title with
a well merited victory over a game Ballymacarbry outfit.
The match, played in perfect conditions, was never quite
as close as many neutrals hoped it might be.

Donoughmore got off to the perfect start when full forward
Louise Murphy was fouled inside the square in the first
minute. She took the resultant penalty herself but badly
scuffed the kick. However, Hanora Kelleher, who had a
very good 6o mins, was pulling the strings at midfield
and feeding excellent ball into the full forward line.
Mary O’Connor gave Donoughmore the lead in the 2nd minute
and this was quickly followed by a point from Linda O’Connell
following an excellent through ball from Hanora Kelleher.

Mary O’Connor and Louise Murphy combined well in the 12th
minute for the latter to shoot the ball low past Ballymac
keeper, Sarah Hickey. The Donoughmore backs were well
on top in the first half operating a blanket defence with
Hanora Kelleher, Edel O’Sullivan and Vera Sheehan tidying
up any loose ball. Ballymac had to wait until the 17th
minute for their first score from a free by Marian Ryan.
Mary O’Connor quickly replied for Donoughmore with a well
taken point. However Ballymac were coming more into the
game and it took an excellent save from Norita Duggan
in the Donoughmore goal to deny Ballymac corner forward,
Caitriona Casey, a certain goal.

This proved invaluable and indeed not untypical of Donoughmore
they punished this miss in no uncertain terms. The ball
was quickly taken up the field by Rose Cogan who transferred
it to Mary O’Connor. She in turn fed Rena Buckley who
rounded a Ballymac defender and the keeper before crashing
the ball to the back of the net. At half time the score
line read 2.03 to 0.05.

Donoughmore emerged in the second half intent on taking
the game to Ballymac. In the 32nd minute the very impressive
Caitriona O’Connell fed Louise Murphy who in turn found
Linda O’Connell. The latter side stepped a number of defenders
and planted the ball low past the Ballymac keeper. The
same player added a second goal minutes later when she
finished off an excellent move initiated by centre back
Vera Sheehan.

Ballymac refused to lie down and through excellent play
from Mairead Wall, Linda Wall & Michelle McGrath they
kept the Donoughmore defence on their toes. In the 52nd
minute Norita Duggan once again came to Donoughmore’s
rescue when she superbly tipped away a goal bound effort
from Ballymac substitute, Michelle O’Gorman. Ballymac
eventually managed to find the net when a long ball over
the top beat the Donoughmore defence & Ballymac captain,
Michelle Ryan, was on hand to finish to the net. However
Mary O’Connor saved the best till last when she collected
a ball on the 21 m line and without hesitation hammered
the ball high into the top left hand corner of the Ballymac
goal.

Donoughmore: N Duggan E Walsh E O’Sullivan S O’Connell
V Sheehan R Buckley (1.00) R Cogan H Kelleher C O’Connell
(0.01) A Barrett A O’Connor L Barrett M O’Connor (1.06)
L Murphy (1.00) L O’Connell (2.01)
Ballymacarbry: S Hickey A Ryan E Cooney B Whelan
L Ryan R Hallahan G Moore M Ryan (0.04 (2f) M McGrath
M Wall (0.01)M Ryan (1.01) L Wall S Ryan (0.02) C Ryan
C Casey Sub: M O’Gorman for B Whelan (36th m)
Referee: M O’Connor (Limerick)

Report by Terry 0′ Brien Assistant Pro
terryobrien1@eircom.net