TG4 All-Ireland Ladies senior football championship Round 1 qualifiers

TG4 All-Ireland Ladies senior football championship Round 1 qualifiers

KERRY and Tipperary recorded impressive victories in round 1 of the TG4 All-Ireland Ladies senior football championship qualifiers on Monday before the winners received tough round 2 matches.

All eyes were on Mayo following their recent reinstatement in the TG4 All-Ireland Ladies SFC but the Westerners bowed out in their first match as Kerry scored a 0-12 to 1-8 victory in the first match of a double-header in Banagher.

Cora Staunton scored 1-6 for Mayo but it wasn’t enough to defeat Kerry, who had a six-point haul from leading scorer Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh.

The first half was closely contested and level five times before the sides went in deadlocked at the interval, 0-5 apiece.

Staunton netted two minutes after the break with a smart finish but Kerry responded in brilliant style with a run of six unanswered points to surge 0-11 to 1-5 in front.

That scoring burst provided the platform for victory as the Kingdom held off a late rally from Mayo to clinch a famous one-point victory.

In the second game at the Offaly venue, Tipperary produced a brilliant attacking performance to crush Meath by 2-16 to 0-9.

Full-forward Patricia Hickey scored 2-4 while former Allstar Edel Hanley kicked seven points for the Premier County.

At half-time, Tipp were eight points clear, 1-8 to 0-3 as Hickey notched 1-4 in the first half.

Elaine Duffy offered some resistance for Meath with a seven-point haul but Hickey’s second goal, set up by impressive substitute Gillian O’Brien, settled this tie as a contest midway through the second half.