Ladies Football round up

ULSTER regained the Ladies Football interprovincial championship in Kinnegad on Saturday as Leinster were denied a first success since 2006.

Ulster, who had last won this competition two years ago, took over as champions again from Munster after securing a 1-14 to 1-6 victory against Leinster in Kinnegad.

Leinster, who had beaten Ulster earlier in the day in the round robin stages, got off to the better start and led by 1-2 to 0-2 after seven minutes as Laois player Martha Kirwan scored the early goal.

But Ulster were soon level at 0-6 to 1-3 as Donegal’s Yvonne McMonagle and Monaghan’s Ciara McAnespie began to sparkle in attack.

Approaching half-time, Leinster held a one-point lead but Armagh’s Caroline O’Hanlon pounced for Ulster’s goal to secure a 1-6 to 1-4 interval lead for the Red Hands.

Dublin’s Allstar goalkeeper Cliodhna O’Connor had saved brilliantly from McMonagle but O’Hanlon was on hand to pick up the pieces for the crucial major.

Leinster were held to just two second half points, both of them frees converted by player of the tournament Tracey Lawlor, as Ulster held the upper hand.

The winners finished the game with five unanswered points, as Down’s Aileen Pyers shot the final three scores of the match to crown an eight-point win.

Meanwhile, Munster were crowned shield winners on a final score of 4-15 to 2-5 against a Connacht team comprised of Galway players only.

Scorers for Ulster: C O’Hanlon 1-0, C McAnespie 0-3, A Pyers 0-3 (2f), T McNally & G Begley 0-2 each, Y McMonagle 0-2f, S Courtney & C Donnelly 0-1 each.

Scorers for Leinster: T Lawlor 0-4f, M Kirwan 1-0, N Healy & B Leahy 0-1 each.