DRP dominate Junior ‘A’ decider
Sligo LGFA Connacht Gold Junior ‘A’ C’ship Final Drumcliffe-Rosses Pt Shamrock Gaels 2-14 0-5
DRUMCLIFFE-Rosses Point were the dominant force in last Saturday’s Sligo LGFA Connacht Gold Junior ‘A’ Championship final as they defeated Shamrock Gaels by 15 points, 2-14 to 0-5, at Kent Park.
Breeze-assisted in the first-half, the winners’ excellent forwards made Shamrock Gaels pay in the opening period and it was one-way traffic at half-time as Drumcliffe-Rosses Point led by 12 points, 1-10 to 0-1.
Keela Scanlon scored the Drumcliffe-Rosses Point goal after 14 minutes from Maeve Casserly’s intelligent assist.
Shamrock Gaels’ only score of the first-half was a 29th minute point by Naomh Quinn and they also had Ellie McDermott sent to the sin bin.
The beaten finalists were left to rue a missed goal opportunity as Aoife Morrisroe’s work led to an off target shot from Orlaith Scanlon.
The game’s one-sided pattern continued in the second-half.
WELL DONE: Sligo LGFA Player of the Match Sinead Regan, is presented with her award by Sligo LGFA chairperson Raymond Carden.
Drumcliffe-Rosses Point, whose team captain Michelle McNamara was yellow-carded in the second period, netted a second goal in the 44th minute when Maeve Casserly flicked the ball to the net after a free from Rianne Smith dropped short in the Shamrock Gaels goalmouth.
The main scorers for DrumcliffeRosses Point were Maeve Casserly,
SILVERWARE: Drumcliffe-Rosses Point captain Michelle McNamara, is handed the Junior ‘A’ Cup by Sligo LGFA chairperson Raymond Carden.
Keela Scanlon and Rianne Smith and Sinead Regan, who was chosen as Sligo LGFA’s Player of the Match. Shamrock Gaels substitute Makayla McLoughlin scored 0-3 in the second-half.
Tommy Oates, the DrumcliffeRosses Point manager, was pleased with the outcome. He said: “For some of these players it has been their fourth final since 2017 and, up until now, it has been heartache all the way. “We felt this year that our players had more experience and that we could give this championship a good run.”
He added: “We also have had some young Minor teams through so this victory has been coming for some time.”
Sligo LGFA Player of the Match: Sinead Regan
Drumcliffe-Rosses Point: Roisin
Grennan, Avril Clancy, Aimee Oates, Jayne McCormack, Isabella Henry, Michelle McNamara, Lorraine Oates, Denise Regan (0-1), Caoimhe Connor, Rianne Smith (0-3, 2f), Sinead Regan (0-3), Oda Carty, Meave Casserly (1-2, 1f), Katie Maguire (0-2), Keela Scanlon (1-2)
Subs used: Aoife McLaughlin (0-1), Rachel Quigley, Aisling Ewing, Eimear Colreavy, Alannah Gallagher
Shamrock Gaels: Mairead Tuohy, Hannah Willis, Siobhan Brennan, Ellie McDermott, Louise Merrick, Isobel Clark, Ciara Gilligan, Aoife Morrisroe, Ruby Clark, Erin Mullaney, Jade Lyons, Celli Ferguson (0-1), Naomh Quinn (0-1), Catherine Tuohy, Orlaith Scanlon
Subs used: Makayla McLoughlin (0-3, 2f), Rachel Boyd, Leanne Galvin, Jane Benson Referee: Jacqui Mulligan
A BRILLIANT opening 15 minutes, when they established a 1-9 to 0-1 advantage, set up Naomh Eoin for their 13-point defeat of 14-man Coolera-Strandhill, 2-23 to 2-10, in this high-scoring Sligo Senior Hurling Championship semi-final against Coolera-Strandhill last Saturday.
This result at the Sligo GAA Centre of Excellence means that Naomh Eoin have qualified for a fifth successive final and for the third year running they’ll be up against Easkey, the current champions.
The midfield combination of Gerard O’Kelly-Lynch, who scored
1-5 from play, and Darragh Cawley worked a treat for Naomh Eoin.
But Naomh Eoin’s joy was tempered by a first-half arm injury sustained by Paul Kilcoyne, who was withdrawn at half-time.
Mindful of the Coolera-Strandhill threat based on their meeting in the round-robin phase – a game at Kent Park in August that yielded 44 scores and saw Coolera-Strandhill ahead at one stage – Naomh Eoin wanted to start well at Scarden. They did just that, with Gerard O’Kelly-Lynch among their pointscorers and Ed Mullane finding the net. Shane Brenan’s 18th minute goal provided a brief respite for Coolera-Strandhill, whose best player was Kieran Prior.
Brenan’s goal was one of five scores that Coolera-Strandhill got in that first-half, with Naomh Eoin holding a 10-point interval lead,
1-14 to 1-4. Paul Kilcoyne landed two long-range scores in the first-half, with Tony O’Kelly-Lynch and Darragh Cawley also on target.
A second booking for Kevin
Banks before half-time meant that Coolera-Strandhill would be heading into the second-half with 14 players, although Naomh Eoin had their own worries when Paul Kilcoyne was forced off, although Ryan Feehily was an excellent substitute to bring on. Coolera-Strandhill started the second-half with fierce purpose and 1-1 from Kieran Prior, who goaled from a free, cut the deficit to six points. Despite some shaky moments, Naomh Eoin were on course for victory after two key scores – a huge pointed free by Tony O’Kelly-Lynch and a well-taken goal by his brother, Gerard.
Naomh Eoin: Kevan Brennan, Arthur Wall, Cathal Jordan, Donal Keaveny, Fergal O’Kelly-Lynch (0-1), Niall Feehily, Donal Fidgeon (0-1), Gerard O’KellyLynch (1-5), Darragh Cawley (0-4), Paul Kilcoyne (0-2), Tony O’Kelly-Lynch (0-5, 3f), Paul O’Brien (0-3), Liam O’KellyLynch (0-1), Edwin Mullane (1-0), Evan Davey, Joe Carroll 0-1
Subs used: Ryan Feehily, Ethan Scully, Evan Davey, Darragh Feehily Coolera-Strandhill: Luke Comerford, James O’Connor, Colm Scanlon, Ross O’Carroll, Niall Cadden, Marc Harkin, David Joyce, Kevin Banks, Conor Gillen, John Cosgrove, Eddie O’Donoghue (0-3), Kieran Prior (1-6, 1-5f), Richard Harkin, Larry Cadden (0-1), Shane Brenan (1-0)
Subs used: Colm Parke, Cormac Henehan, Colm Ryan, Andrew Lynch Referee: Michael Connolly