Taghmon Minor masters
TAGHMON-CAMROSS 4-4 D’TOWN-C’CUDDY 2-8
A GOAL-HUNGRY Taghmon-Camross pipped Davidstown-Courtnacuddy to the ladies’ football Minor Division 3 championship title in Newbawn on Saturday.
Credit must go to both sides for their dazzling displays in slippery conditions, and on another day Davidstown-Courtnacuddy certainly could have been victorious.
Taghmon-Camross started the sharper and actually scored half of their total points tally inside the first minute, with Ciara Banville on target with both to give her side an early advantage.
Davidstown-Courtnacuddy answered back and dominated the remainder of the half, eclipsing the Taghmon-Camross first-half tally of 1-3 by two points.
Carrie Power fired them into the game as she finished low past Emma Kelly from Eimear O’Shea’s pass.
O’Shea and her attacking partner, Anna Roche, scored Davidstown-Courtnacuddy’s other five points of the half, with the goal-creator bagging three of them.
Taghmon-Camross didn’t score after the 13th minute but raised the green flag once to keep themselves in contention.
Katelyn Maher reacted quickest when Ciara Banville’s point effort cannoned back off the bar, and the full-forward finished from close range.
Trialling by two at the interval, the Taghmon-Camross players probably wouldn’t have believed you if you told them that they would only score four more times, but still win the game.
Yet, it was the nature of their scores which Davidstown-Courtnacuddy simply could not match. After Michelle Carty’s early point, Taghmon-Camross went on to score three majors as they broke Davidstown-Courtnacuddy hearts.
Emma Clarke fed Ciara Banville for the second of the game before that order was reversed five minutes later as Clarke expertly placed into the bottom right corner.
O’Shea, Roche and Jade Power kept Davidstown-Courtnacuddy’s end of the scoreboard ticking before the fourth Taghmon-Camross goal pushed the game out of their reach.
Maher’s handpass picked out Ciara Banville who beat one defender and finished with precision into the left corner to enhance the Taghmon-Camross lead (4-4 to 1-8).
It was a case of too little, too late, when Davidstown-Courtnacuddy found their second goal, with Carrie Power blasting into the roof of the net with less than five minutes remaining.
Taghmon-Camross survived any late scares to edge out Davidstown-Courtnacuddy by two points and take home the trophy.
Taghmon-Camross: Emma Kelly; Rebecca Banville, Mairéad Nolan, Clodagh Dee; Niamh Lacey, Annie O’Gorman (capt.), Caitlin Nash; Clodagh Dunne, Aoibhinn Butler; Michelle Carty (0-2), Ciara Banville (22), Molly Redican; Emma Clarke (1-0), Katelyn Maher (1-0), Aileen Winters. Subs. - Annabelle Dunlop-Doyle for Lacey (31), Rebecca Rowe for Winters (39), Katie Flynn for Clarke (54), also Alannah Lacey, Brona Curran, Anna Kelly.
Davidstown-Courtnacuddy: Ava O’Connor; Ellie Jevens, Amy McGrath, Hollie Kelly; Kate Mai McCabe, Coley Furlong (capt.), Anna Jevens; Annalise Crean, Mairéad Crean; Eimear O’Shea (0-4), Carrie Power (2-0), Jade Power (0-1); Anna Roche (0-3), Katie Roche, Niamh Rooney. Subs. - Donna Delahunty for Rooney (43), also Lucy Egan, Beth Murphy, Nadine Power, Martha Dunne, Nora McGinty, Beth Roche.
Referee: Jack Stafford (Clongeen).