Armagh feel the heat as Donegal run riot in drive to Ulster crown
ARMAGH were caught in the eye of a scoring tornado when they were humiliated by 9-21 to 4-8 by a rampant Donegal side in yesterday’s Ulster Ladies Senior Championship final.
This was indeed a black day for the ladies game in the Orchard County. Their team simply had no answer to the speed, cohesion and lethal finishing power of a Donegal side that was always on top.
At half-time the game was over as a contest. By then Donegal, with goals from Yvonne Bonner, Geraldine McLaughlin, Eilish Ward and Niamh Hegarty had racked up a 4-13 to 2-7 lead, Armagh’s goals coming from Aimee Mackin and Kelly Mallon.
Donegal went on to hit 5-8 in the second half with Bonner, McLaughlin and the impressive Karen Guthrie very much to the fore as the Armagh defence collapsed in the face of a continuous onslaught.
Tyrone, meanwhile, glided to a runaway 6-22 to 1-6 victory over Down in the Ulster Ladies Intermediate final. The Red Hands swept into an early lead and never looked back. Maria Canavan, niece of Tyrone legend Peter Canavan, was the winners’ top scorer.
In the All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie Championship Group 1 Ulster champions Down and Derry finished all-square at Portaferry.
Down scored 0-18 while Derry registered 1-15 although the Mourne county suffered a setback when the influential Sarah Louise Carr sustained a leg injury that will keep her out of action for a few weeks.
In group two Antrim had no answer to the pace and scoring power of Kilkenny who won by 3-14 to 0-6. Kilkenny made a scorching start and led by 1-3 to nil after only a few minutes with the Saffrons never able to make any impact in the game.