Stabannon in seventh heaven

7-11 1-7

STABANNON Parnells retained their crown as Senior ladies champions with an imperious display of football against the Geraldines, winners of the Intermediate Championship in 2015.

Geraldines approached the game on a positive note and indeed opened the scoring but once Stabannon Parnells found their feet their experience told as they pegged the Geraldines back and made the most of the chances presented to them.

The Geraldines opened brightly in the first half with Rebecca Carr taking a quick free, playing a one two and driving a ball over the bar. This was quickly followed by a point from Sorcha McCooey as the Geraldines brought the early game to Stabannon.

It took until the sixth minute of the match for Stabannon Parnells to register their first point through Danielle Sharkey. This was to be the beginning of a purple patch for Stabannon as they added a further two goals, Grace Rogers and Rachel McNally, and two points, Grace Lynch and Aine McBride, without reply in the next four minutes to establish a convincing lead of 2-3 to 0-2.

Sorcha McCooey then brought the Geraldines back into the match with a point and then a goal from the resultant kick out in the fourteenth minute.

Three minutes later Stabannon were awarded a penalty for a foot block which Danielle Sharkey duly converted.

On twenty minutes Rebecca Carr reduced the deficit with a point but this was to be the Geraldines final score of the half as Stabannon again added another two goals from Grace Rogers and three points from Rachel McNally, Danielle Sharkey and Ann Marie Lynch to leave the half time score 5-06 to 1-04 and the Geraldines an impossible task in the second half.

The Geraldines were playing for pride in the second half and fought hard for the first fifteen minutes with Sorcha McCooey adding the only score pointing for the Geraldines in the third minute.

Stabannon added three points in three minutes from the sixteenth minute as Sharkey pointed twice from frees and Grace Rogers got in on the act again.

The Geraldines were obviously tiring with Stabannon Parnells winning more and more ball and pinning them back further as the game entered the final ten minutes. In the twenty third minute Ann Marie Lynch added a further goal for Stabannon which was followed by a point from a free by Rebecca Carr for the Geraldines.

As the game wound down the Geraldines continued to fight for every ball but were rewarded only with a point from Victoria Prendergast in the thirtieth minute sandwiched between two points by Grace Rogers for Stabannon. Rachel McNally fired the final nail in the Geraldines coffin with a goal from basically the last kick of the game as Stabannon Parnells retained the Senior Championship in style.

The Geraldines were not a match for a strong Stabannon Parnells team but the score line was certainly not a reflection of the hard work they put in.