LADIES FOOTBALL ROUND UP

LADIES FOOTBALL ROUND UP

 

BY JACKIE CAHILL

 

DEFENDING champions Cork picked up where they left off last year as they opened the defence of their Bord Gáis Energy National Ladies Football League crown with a comprehensive 2-12 to 0-4 victory against outclassed Kildare yesterday.

The Rebelettes, All-Ireland champions for the last four seasons, were in devastating form at Cork IT and the game was effectively over at half-time as Cork led by 2-6 to 0-1.

Lethal forwards Valerie Mulcahy and Mary O’Connor supplied the first half goals and while the Lilywhites made more of a game of it in the second half, this was the best possible start to the new season.

Elsewhere, last year’s beaten finalists Kerry earned a hard-fought 2-6 to 1-6 victory against hosts Armagh at Killeavey.

Armagh led by 0-5 to 0-4 at half-time but goals from Linda Cronin and Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh turned the game in favour of the Kingdom as the visitors moved 2-6 to 0-5 in front with ten minutes remaining.

Substitute Kelly Mallon brought Armagh back into the game with a goal, followed by by an Aileen Matthews point, but Kerry held on for the opening day win.

Meanwhile, there was a dramatic finish in Killanin as hosts Galway were defeated 1-9 to 1-6 by Clare.

The game was heading for stalemate before Clare’s Louise Henchy stole the points, netting with the last kick of the game to secure a dramatic win for the Banner County.

The sides were level at 1-3 to 0-6 at half-time as Sarah Burke supplied Galway’s first half goal.

Tyrone proved Mayo’s bogey once again as the influential Gemma Begley hit 0-5 for the Red Hands in their 1-9 to 1-7 victory at Trillick.

Tyrone led by 1-5 to 0-4 at half-time as Dearbhla McCallan pounced for a 7th minute goal.

Four minutes after half-time, Mayo star Cora Staunton, who finished with 1-5, scored a deflected goal to haul the Westerners right back into contention but Tyrone held out for a notable victory.

Dublin showed that they could be a real force to be reckoned with in the coming season as they shocked last year’s beaten All-Ireland finalists Monaghan on a 4-7 to 1-7 scoreline.

Niamh Hurley scored 2-2 for the Sky Blues while Sinéad Ahern and Lindsey Davey supplied the other goals for the winners, who led by 1-5 to 0-2 at half-time.

Edel Byrne scored a second half goal for Monaghan which proved merely a consolation as the metropolitans laid down an early marker.

And Laois went goal-crazy against hapless Donegal at Mountmellick en route to a facile 7-12 to 1-5 win.

The O’Moore girls led by 4-5 to 1-3 at half-time and never took their foot off the gas in the second half as Tracey Lawlor finished as top scorer with 2-4.

Aileen O’Loughlin and Áine Quigley helped themselves to a brace of goals each and Martina Kirwan weighed in with 1-3 as Nora Stapleton replied with Donegal’s goal.

 

***

Results:

 

Bord Gáis Energy Division 1

 

Armagh 1-6 Kerry 2-6
Laois 7-12 Donegal 1-5
Tyrone 1-9 Mayo 1-7
Cork 2-12 Kildare 0-4
Monaghan 1-7 Dublin 4-7
Galway 1-6 Clare 1-9

 

Bord Gáis Energy Division 2:

Sligo 4-14 Leitrim 0-5
Wexford 3-6 Waterford 3-9
Cavan 0-10 Fermanagh 1-6

 

*****

 

Division 1 scorers:

 

Scorers for Kerry: L Cronin 1-1, L Ní Mhuircheartaigh 1-0, P Dennehy 0-3, D Murphy 0-1, S Houlihan 0-1.
Scorers for Armagh: K Mallon 1-0, A Matthews 0-3, S O’Hagan 0-2, M McAlinden 0-1.

 

***

 

Galway scorers: S Burke 1-1, U Carroll 0-2, L Cohill 0-1, H McHugh 0-1, M Murray 0-1
Clare: L Henchy 1-3, A Kelly 0-3 (2f), M Considine 0-2 (1f), D Troy 0-1.

 

***

 

Laois scorers: T Lawlor 2-4, A O’Loughlin 2-1, M Kirwan 1-3, A Quigley 2-0, N Kirwan 0-4.
Donegal scorers: N Stapleton 1-1, N Doherty 0-2, N Hegarty 0-2.

 

***

 

Dublin scorers: N Hurley 2-2, S Ahern 1-3, L Davey 1-0, A-Marie Murphy 0-1, M Nevin 0-1.
Monaghan scorers: E Byrne 1-1, C McAnespie 0-2, N Kindlon 0-2, A McAnespie 0-1, T McNally 0-1.

 

***

 

Cork scorers: V Mulcahy 1-3, M O’Connor 1-2, N Cleary 0-2, A O’Shea 0-2, D O’Reilly 0-1, C O’Sullivan 0-1, J Murphy 0-1.
Kildare scorer: A Jennings 0-4.

 

***

Tyrone scorers: G Begley 0-5 D McCallan 1-1, C McGahan 0-1, L McGreesh 0-1, C Donnelly 0-1.
Mayo scorers: C Staunton 1-5, L Cafferkey 0-1, A Herbert 0-1.

Sign up to our email newsletter

sponsors

  • Used Cars ZuCar.ie

Partners & Supporters

PROVINCES

Counties

BRITAIN

INTERNATIONAL

See all LGFAClubs