Roscommon win Intermediate Crown

Roscommon Lift Intermediate Crown

TG4
All Ireland Intermediate Championship Final Roscommon 1-12 Down
1-05

Roscommon claimed the Mary Quinn Memorial Cup and the TG4 All
Ireland Intermediate Championship in glorious sunshine at St Loman’s
Mullingar. Before the action got underway Niamh O’Shea expertly
sang our National Anthem. Niamh from the Shandonagh ladies club
in Westmeath has many achievements in Scor and anyone present
at the game could see why, as she sang Amhran na bhFiann. The
Westerners were much the better side once they fired over their
opening score after eighteen minutes of play.

Up until that point the Down girls were very much looking the
side that could well have been the champions at the end of the
day. They opened the scoring after just three minutes with Michaela
Downey converting a free. The same player was on hand five minutes
later after a good Down move to finish to the Roscommon net. But
suddenly Roscommon began to take control and with Diane Dolan
having an outstanding game at centre field, Down struggled against
the eventual winners from that point on. Player of the match Steffi
Carty finally got the Connaught side off the mark with a point.
The same player added a further two with one from a free. The
sides were back on level terms on twenty four minutes with Ann
Marie Carley popping over a fine score. The lively Cathy McCann
give the Roscommon girls the lead for the first time a minute
later and a point deep into injury time from Diane Dolan off the
top of the crossbar give the Westerners a 0-06 to 1-01 interval
lead.

After the resumption early points from Michelle Carey and Ann
Marie Carly extended the lead to four points as Roscommon continued
to call the shots. Down were reduced to fourteen with the sin
binning of Aileen Pyers fourteen minutes into the second half.
Despite the numerical disadvantage the Ulster side began to come
back into the game. Karen Keown fired over a free, their first
point in almost forty minutes of football. A fine point from Kyla
Trainor minutes later suddenly opened up the game again. Yet just
as it seemed Down were getting back into contention Roscommon
struck for the killer blow at the other end with Steffi Carty
riffling the ball to the net. Breathing space for the girls from
the West and they needed it as Down came back with two fine points
from substitute Grainne McClean.

That was as good as it got and Roscommon finished the stronger
with some fine points from Michelle Carey, Cathy McCann, Anne
Marie Carley and the final score of the game from the star of
the day Steffi Carty with a free. Overall this was a good run
out for both sides and shows the tournament to have been a success
and surely will once again be an annual event. The last winners
of this title in 2000 was Laois, the following year they lifted
the Brendan Martin Cup so who knows what 2006 may hold.

Roscommon: Eimear Walsh, Ursula Brooks, Laura Sharkey,
Louise Tully, Olivia Keogh, Annette McGeaney (Capt), Caroline
Conway, Diane Dolan (0-01), Aisling Creighton, Lizzie Glennon,
Natasha Beegan, Cathy Conway (0-02), Michelle Carey (0-02), Ann
Marie Carley (0-02), Steffi Carty (1-04,2f)
Subs Used: Sarah Finnerty for E Walshe (17min), Sarah Sharkey
for L Glennon (41min), Regina Mullaney for C McCann, Feena Beirne
for O Keogh, Tara Taylor for M Carey (60min)
Down: Elaine McCourt, Niamh Lennon, Eliza Downey, Aveen
McEvoy, Aine Keary, Bronagh McCurry, Patricia McKibben, Denise
Maguire, Aoibheann Downey, Kyla Trainor (0-01), Michaela Downey
(1-01,1f), Lynsey Cunningham, Aileen Pyers, Ailis McConville (Capt),
Karen Keown (0-01)
Subs Used: Grainne McClean (0-02) for L Cunningham (HT),
Michelle Fearon for A Pyers (59min)
Referee: Ciaran Groome (Offaly)

Alan Gunn (PR Committee)