Gourmet Food Parlour Ladies HEC Football titles for Queens Uni and RCSI

Queens University Belfast and RCSI were the big winners on the opening day of the Gourmet Food Parlour Ladies Football Higher Education Championships weekend hosted by IT Blanchardstown and the National Sports Campus in Abbotstown.

It looked like the GFP O’Connor Shield would be heading West after a strong showing by NUI Galway but Queens University Belfast had other ideas and put in a powerful finish to claim the title, with a 2-11 to 3-4 win in Abbotstown.

NUIG led by 2-1 to 0-4 at half-time, with Clare’s Grainne Nolan and Olivia Divilly netting goals.

Tipperary’s Kirsty Ryan added a further goal seven minutes of the restart, while at the opposite end NUIG keeper Mikayla Kelly from Laois pulled off three fine saves, as Queens went in search of three-pointers of their own.

A Doireann Hughes point pushed NUIG into a six-point lead, but Queens staged a remarkable comeback.

Led by their captain and GFP Player of the Match Joanne Doonan, Queens caused the NUIG defence havoc, with Fionnghuala Rocks and Doonan netting goals, and Laoise Duffy also on the scoresheet in the closing stages.

RCSI also staged a strong finish to take GFP Donaghy Cup honours, with a 4-8 to 1-8 win over DCU’s sixth team at ITB.

Trailing by 1-7 to 1-2 after 25 minutes, it looked like the Dublin City centre medical college were finding it tough, but they held their opponents to just one further point over the remainder of the hour.

Cork duo DCU’s Jennifer Baker and RCSI’s Julieanne Hayes netted the first half goals, with the gap cut to four points at the break.

DCU’s lone second half point came from Emma Kevany seven minutes after the restart, but at this stage RCSI had bagged two more goals from Laura Mulroony and Emer McHugh.

RCSI continued to cause DCU problems with Shannon Fullam and Hayes in fine scoring form and GFP Player of the Match Roisin Baker excellent in defence, on the way to a nine-point win.

RESULTS

GFP O’Connor Shield Final 
QUB 2-11 NUIG 3-4

GFP Donaghy Cup Final
RCSI 4-8 DCU6 1-8

GFP Lynch Cup Semi-finals
UU Jordanstown 4-10 Garda College 2-6

IT Sligo 3-9 DIT 1-9

 

GFP Moynihan Cup Semi-finals 
St Mary’s University College Belfast 6-9 Dundalk IT 0-9

IT Tralee 2-10 Letterkenny IT 2-9

FIXTURES 

Saturday March 10

 

GFP O’Connor Cup semi-final – DCU v UCD – IT Blanchardstown, 1pm

GFP O’Connor Cup semi-final – UL v UCC – IT Blanchardstown, 3pm

 

GFP Giles Cup semi-final – WIT v AIT – Abbotstown pitch 4, 2.30pm

GFP Giles Cup semi-final – MICL v DCU2 – Abbotstown pitch 5, 4.30pm

 

GFP Lynch Cup FINAL – UUJ v IT Sligo – IT Blanchardstown, 5pm

 

GFP Moynihan Cup FINAL – St Mary’s v IT Tralee – Abbotstown 3G pitch, 7pm

 

Sunday March 11

 

GFP Lagan Cup FINAL – UUC (Coleraine) v AIT2 – Abbotstown 3G pitch, 12pm

 

GFP Giles Cup FINAL – WIT/AIT v MICL/DCU2 – Abbotstown pitch 1, 2pm

 

GFP O’Connor Cup FINAL – DCU/UCD v UL/UCC – Abbotstown pitch 1, 4pm

-ENDS-