Tesco Post primary Finals Match Reports now on-line

St Leo’s College, Carlow 3-7 – Loreto Grammar School, Omagh (Tyrone) 2-9

By Jackie Cahill at Pearse Park, Longford

ST. Leo’s College, Carlow, were crowned Tesco All-Ireland Post Primary schools senior A ladies football champions for the second time in four seasons at Longford’s Pearse Park on Saturday.

13-year-old Lauren Dwyer kicked the winning score almost two minutes into stoppage time as Tyrone outfit Loreto Grammar School from Omagh were defeated by just a single point in a dramatic decider.

St Leo’s last won the senior A title in 2007 and there was also revenge in the air for the Carlow girls after they lost out to Loreto in last year’s junior decider.

Loreto were seven points down with 20 minutes remaining but two goals in a minute from full-forward Eva Hicks dramatically turned the game on its head as the Ulster kingpins moved a point clear, 3-5 to 2-9.

The impressive Sinead Doogue hit back with a well-taken free to level the game heading into stoppage time before substitute Dwyer had the final say.

At half-time, St Leo’s held a comfortable five-point lead, 2-4 to 0-5, as Hilary Griffin and Sinead Ruth hit fine goals.

Approaching the break, St Leo’s full back Rhona Julian was sin-binned and Loreto picked off some crucial points to remain on the coattails of the winners at the midway point.

The game appeared done and dusted in the 40th minute when Emer Delaney scored a third goal for St Leo’s but after Kerrie McGarvey kicked two frees for Loreto, Hicks followed up with that clinical brace of goals in the 50th and 51st minutes.

Scorers for St Leo’s: S Doogue 0-5 (4f), E Delaney, H Griffin & S Ruth 1-0 each, A Burke & L Dwyer 0-1 each.

Scorers for Loreto: E Hicks 2-1, K McGarvey 0-6 (4f, 1 45), T McCusker 0-2.

ST LEO’S COLLEGE, CARLOW: T Kehoe; C Callanan, R Julian, A Wall; G Miller, J Moore, A Byrne; D Callanan, A Hayden; D O’Sullivan (c), S Doogue, E Delaney; H Griffin, S Ruth, A Burke.

Subs: S Rennick for Byrne (45), L Dwyer for Delaney (54), A Kinsella for Hayden (59).

LORETO GRAMMAR SCHOOL, OMAGH: S Lynch; C Morris, T McLaughlin, C McGovern; C Gallagher, C McMenamin, E Tierney; G McGread, C McDonald; S Kelly, C McMahon, C McNabb; T McCusker, E Hicks, K McGarvey.

Subs: C McQuaid for McNabb (h/t), N Donnelly for McMahon (56), C McCrossan for McGarvey (60+1).

Referee: PJ Rabbitte (Galway).

All-Ireland Post Primary Schools senior B Ladies Football final

Mount St. Michael, Claremorris (Mayo) 1-15 – St. Patrick’s Academy, Dungannon (Tyrone) 2-5

MAYO’S Mount St Michael from Claremorris captured the Tesco All-Ireland Post Primary schools senior B ladies football championship for the first time on Saturday with an ultimately comfortable seven-point final victory against St. Patrick’s Academy, Dungannon.

Rebecca Kean scored 0-5 for Mount St Michael and Aoife Hyland collected 1-2 as the westerners won the battle of the first time finalists to claim an historic triumph.

Mount St Michael selector Fr. Mike Murphy worked the oracle again with a Mayo team after inspiring St. Joseph’s Castlebar to All-Ireland B and C glory in recent years.

Mount St Michael led by 1-10 to 0-3 at half-time and all but one point of that first half tally was collected from play, after Kean hit the opening score of the match from a free.

Hyland’s fourth minute goal set the Connacht outfit on their way but unfortunate St Pat’s full forward Aoife McGahan missed two penalties in this game, either side of half-time.

With the Tyrone side trailing by 1-8 to 0-2 ten minutes before the break, McGahan screwed her first effort wide of the target and the Aodh Ruadh forward endured a similar fate with eleven minutes remaining.

But to her credit, McGahan did kick two points from play and St Pat’s were far more competitive after half-time as Nichola Rafferty and Louise Kelly scored second half goals to add some gloss to the final scoreline.

Scorers for Mount St. Michael: A Hyland 1-2, R Kean 0-5 (4f), L Kelly 0-3, S Tierney & D Hughes 0-2 each, A Bell 0-1.

Scorers for St. Patrick’s Academy: N Rafferty & L Kelly 1-0 each, E.J. Girvan 0-3 (1f), A McGahan 0-2.

MOUNT ST. MICHAEL: E Murphy; D Dolan, R Tierney, K McCormack; M Kirrane, R Kearns, A Brett; S Delaney, S Tierney (c); D Hughes, A Hyland, A Bell; L Kelly, E Nolan, R Kean.

ST. PATRICK’S ACADEMY: A Palmer; U McGee, A Cullen, C Grogan; E Connolly, M McGuigan (c), F Keenan; L Kilpatrick, N Rafferty; A Scullion, E.J. Girvan, L Kelly; A Carroll, A McGahan, C Mallaghan.

Subs: M Barker for McGuigan (52), C McNulty for Scullion (57), C McKillion for Grogan (58).

Referee: P Kehoe (Carlow)

All-Ireland Post Primary Schools senior C Ladies Football final

Mercy Heights, Skibbereen (Cork) 6-11 – Scoil Mhuire, Strokestown (Roscommon) 4-14

A tally of 4-4 from full-forward Mairead O’Driscoll helped Mercy Heights of Skibbereen to victory in the Tesco All-Ireland Ladies Football Post-Primary Schools C final at Croagh, Co Limerick on Saturday afternoon.

As the scoreline would suggest, this was a pulsating game that entertained all the way through, with plenty of fine score-taking on show.

O’Driscoll, Grainne O’Sullivan and Mihaela Davis were the main stars for the victors, though Scoil Mhuire’s loss was not for the want of trying on behalf of Laura Brudell and Niamh McHugh.

The game swung from end to end, with the lead changing hands on no less than 11 occasions over the course of the 60-plus minutes. Seven times this happened in the first half, the first as early as the seventh minute when O’Driscoll stroked a penalty home to put her side 1-0 to 0-2 ahead.

A fine goal from Tianna Kelly 10 minutes later put Scoil Mhuire 1-5 to 1-3 to the good, but almost immediately O’Driscoll replicated her penalty prowess at the other end.

She would complete her hat-trick on 23, O’Sullivan then finding the net two minutes later to make it 4-3 to 2-8 before O’Sullivan amazingly scored her fourth goal of the half to ensure that the Cork school led at the break, 5-5 to 3-8, Brudell with a green flag for Strokestown just before half-time.

Whereas O’Sullivan’s goals decorated the first half, it was the supreme point-taking of McHugh that illuminated the early stages of the second period, as the lead was reeled in within six minutes before Mercy Heights got their sixth goal, Davis finishing well from a tight angle.

Scoil Mhuire were not about to lay down however, and two more huge points from McHugh had them level before O’Driscoll responded with a free to leave Skibbereen a point ahead with 15 minutes left.

Then, the lead fortuitously returned to Scoil Mhuire as sub Bronagh McHugh’s long ball in went all the way to the net, but, driven on by O’Driscoll and Davis, who scored five points between them, Scoil Mhuire finished stronger to take the crown.

Scorers for Mercy Heights, Skibbereen: Mairead O’Driscoll 4-4 (2-0 penalties, 0-3f), G O’Sullivan 1-4, M Davis 1-2, Melissa O’Driscoll 0-1.

Scoil Mhuire, Strokestown: L Brudell 2-3 (0-2f), N McHugh 0-5 (0-2f), T Kelly 1-1, B McHugh 1-0, K McLoughlin, R McDonagh 0-2 each, S Brudell 0-1.

MERCY HEIGHTS, SKIBBEREEN: R Looney, A Kearney, E Stoutt, N O’Sullivan; K McCarthy, O McCarthy, K Coombes; G Coombes, A O’Driscoll; G McCarthy, G O’Sullivan, F O’Driscoll; M Davis, Mairead O’Driscoll, Melissa O’Driscoll.

Subs: C O’Regan for Stoutt, C Ní Chonghaile for Melissa O’Driscoll (both half-time), Melissa O’Driscoll for Kearney (51)

SCOIL MHUIRE, STROKESTOWN: M Mullooly; E Beirne, C Mullolly, Y Lennon; G Dufficy, R Corcoran, C Hagan; S Brudell, M Holmes; K McLoughlin, L Brudell, R Cox; T Kelly, N McHugh, R McDonagh.

Subs: B McHugh for Beirne (half-time).

Referee: Sean Joy (Kerry)