Saints on top in Connacht Intermediate Championship

Connacht Ladies intermediate Championship Semi Final

Saints tops in dour game St Nathy’s (Sligo) 2 – 13 Kiltubrid (Leitrim)
0 – 7

St Nathy’s qualified for their second – third in total – Connacht
Intermediate Club Final in three years as they strolled to victory
over Leitrim counterparts Kiltubrid on Sunday last in Kilcoyne
Park, Tubbercurry in glorious sunshine. In a game that never seemed
to move out of first gear the Sligo kingpins never trailed during
the course of the hour and in fact apart from a brief ninety seconds
from the time Vivian Hardiman threw in the ball until the clock
ticked into the second minute when Aine Gormley sent over they
were never even level such was their dominance. By the 18th minute
the reporters could have wrapped up only to await the final score
and the scorers as the outcome of the game was well and truly
known as the Saints held a 2 – 6 to 0 – 1 advantage. Following
on from the Gormley point the winners swiftly added points through
Ailish Leonard (3), Gormley again and from Karen Lilly with the
goals coming from Etna Flanagan in the 5th minute and Leonard
in the 18th.

The sole response from the Leitrim Champions was an effort from
Siobhan Kelly in the 8th minute. Things didn’t get any better
for Kiltubrid over the next quarter hour or so either as the winners
outscored them by three points to one with Karen Lilly twice and
Angela Doohan raising the white flags for the saints and Siobhan
Kelly converting a free after the ball had been brought some fifty
meters by the Referee for descent by the St Nathy’s players after
a free was awarded against them. To add to their woes and probably
summed up their day was a 25th minute penalty miss by Aoife McWeeney
as she blasted the ball wide. By the time the half time whistle
sounded the football was beginning to go down hill as the outcome
was never in doubt with St Nathy’s having wind advantage in the
second half. Into the second half and the football moved to more
of the puke variety with St Nathy’s first to open their accounts
as Karen Lilly converted a free after just 2 minutes of the restart.
A bad miss from Aoife Tighe in the 9th minute really summed up
the day Kiltubrid were having as she did all the hard work but
the finish left a lot to be desired. Angela Doohan scored a fine
point in the 9th minute to edge the Sligo Champions even more
in front.

A minute later Emer Horan made a fine save to prevent a certain
3rd goal. The losers finally got their name on the score sheet
in the 16th minute as Siobhan Kelly converted from play. Points
from Etna Flanagan and Ann Marie Coleman extended St Nathy’s lead
to 2 – 13 to 0 – 3 by the 20th minute. Strangely that Coleman
point was to be their last score of the say as Kiltubrid went
in serch of putting a little bit of respectability on the score
board. That they did as Aoife McWeeney, Siobhan Kelly, Sinead
Tighue and Regina Bohan all added points to their Sides tally
but it been a sake of just respectability rather than narrowing
the gap. Next up for St Nathy’s is a Connacht Intermediate Club
Final date on Sunday next most likely at the same venue against
the Galway Champions. While they will be happy with reaching another
Final, the big question is how good is this St Nathy’s outfit
as they have yet to be testes given their easy County Final stroll
against Tourlestrane and again on Sunday last as Kiltubrid offered
little or no resistance either.

Scorers St Nathy’s: Ailish Leonard 1 – 3, Karen Lilly 0 – 4, Etna
Flanagan 1 – 1, Aine Gormley & Angela Doohan 0 – 2 each, Ann Marie
Coleman 0 – 1.

Scorers Kiltubrid: Siobhan Kelly 0 – 4, Aoife McWeeney, Sinead
Tighe & Regina Bohan 0 – 1 each.

St Nathy’s: Katrina Connolly, Tina Keane, Louise Gormley, Yvonne
Roddy, Eithne O’Flaherty, Cammie Kennedy, Aisling Frizzell, Angela
Doohan, Aileen Hannon, Ailish Leonard, Etna Flanagan, Karen Lilly,
Aine Gormley, Louise O’Donnell, Ann M Coleman. Subs used Denise
Scully, Claire Rooney & Mairead Keane.

Kiltubrid: Emer Horan, Carol Keaney, Sinead McKiernan, Aine Meehan,
Siobhan Carroll, Claire Kelly, Breda Holahan, Sinead Tighe, Lisa
McWeeney, Miranda Burke, Siobhan Kelly, Regina Boohan, Aoife McWeeney,
Sandra Earley, Aine Tighe. Subs used Sinead Byrne.

Referee: Vivian Hardiman (Roscommon)