Ulster Intermediate Club Championship Final: Emmet Og (Monaghan) 3-9 Kinawley (Fermanagh) 3-8
ELLEN McCarron hit a sublime injury time winning point as Emmet Og edged Kinawley to win a first ever provincial title in an exciting intermediate final at Drumlane on Sunday.
For the second time in three years Kinawley fell to final day heartache despite a late valiant effort to that saw the sides locked at 3-8 each with just minutes remaining before player-of-the-final McCarron sent over the winner.
The sides were level at the break, 2-4 apiece, with Shauna Melanaphy finding the back of the net right on half-time to get back on level terms. The Fermanagh champions had made the perfect start registering 1-1 inside the first three minutes, Melanaphy’s point followed by a goal from corner forward Aine McManus. However, two minutes later, 15-year-old Fearne Monaghan had Emmet Og right back in it when she raised the green flag and McCarron levelled matters shortly after. McManus and Chloe McBride exchanged points before Emmet Og took the lead for the first time in the game through Ellen Leonard and on 25 minutes they stretched it out to four, 2-3 to 1-2, when Laura Boylan grabbed a second major for Emmet Og after some good groundwork from McCarron. Joanne Doonan and McCarron traded points before 1-1 right at the end of the half through a Roisin O’Reilly point from a free, the first of the game, and that Melanaphy goal parried over the line left it all to play for after the resumption.
Midfielder Joanne Doonan put Kinawley in front again but three in-a-row for the Monaghan champions, two of those from McCarron put three between them and when McBride scored Emmet Og’s third goal in the 21st minute they led 3-8 to 2-7. A Doonan free put a goal between them before two minutes from time a Kinawley penalty, dispatched to the back of the net by Doonan, had the game level 3-8 apiece. But up stepped McCarron, saving the best for her six points for last, to seal victory for Emmet Og and provincial silverware and set up an All-Ireland Intermediate semi-final against British champions, Edinburgh’s Dunedin Connollys.
Emmet Og: D Morgan; R Hughes, A McQuaid, K Nolan, N Rooney, C McBride (1-1), M Monaghan; M McCarville (0-1), E Daly; E Leonard (0-1), E McCarron (0-6), A Newell; F Monaghan (1-0), B Tierney,
L Boylan (1-0)
Kinawley: D Owens; E Keenan, E Murphy, C Breen; D Furey, C Murphy (capt), D Maguire (0-1); J Donnan (1- 3, 1-0pen 0-1f), R O’Reilly (0-1f); L Maguire, M Murphy, L Murphy; K Magee, S Melanaphy (1-1), A McManus (1-1)
Subs: N McManus (0-1) for M Murphy
Referee: J Dixon (Derry)
Ulster Junior Club Championship Final: Trillick (Tyrone) 0-6 Lavey (Cavan) 0-4
TRILLICK edged a low scoring affair to land a first ever Ulster junior title in Killyclogher on Saturday afternoon.
The Tyrone girls came into the contest as hot favourites after their free scoring displays in the campaign to date but in the end were thankful to get over the winning line as the Cavan champions pushed them all the way in difficult weather conditions. Both sides missed a number of opportunities with the woodwork denying them and Lavey also missing a first half penalty.
Emma Brennan was first to test the woodwork as her effort rattled the crossbar after just 15 seconds and within two minutes her teammate Dearbhaile Gallagher also struck the post. Lavey, playing into the wind, opened the scoring through Emma Plunkett but this was immediately cancelled out by a Cathleen Kelly free. A further 13 minutes passed before Fiona Owens edged Trillick in front but then Lavey were awarded a penalty on 26 minutes. However, Rachael Jordan saw her effort hit the outside of the post and wide while on the stroke of half-time Catriona Smith levelled matters to leave the sides all square at 0-2 apiece.
Two points from Emma Brennan inside the opening 10 minutes of the second half moved Trillick in front but again Lavey responded with a Rachel Jordan brace on 43 and 49 minutes. Between both those points though Lavey lost Siobhan Jordan to a red card. Brennan with another free had Trillick back in front and Owens with a fine score put them two clear.
Lavey threw everything at Trillick and almost found the net when a free from Rachael Jordan dropped down off the inside of the post and onto the back of a Trillick defender but away to safety as Trillick held on to set up an All-Ireland semi-final encounter against Cork and Munster champions Glanmire.
Trillick captain and player-of-the-final Cathy Donnelly was delighted to see them come out on top after a close battle as they now look forward to an All-Ireland semi-final.
“We knew from the start this was going to be a tough game and Lavey were a decent side. We knew it was going to be hard work. It was very difficult out there today, not only because of the conditions but because they were so good at closing us in and defending,” she said.
“It’s an All-Ireland semi-final but for us it’s another game. From the start of the year we took it one match at a time,and it’s just another game for us and hopefully we can do something with it this year and progress on.”
Lavey: E Smith; H Ni Aodha, A Reilly, M McBreen; N Sheridan, C O’Reilly, S Jordan; S Cusack, S O’Reilly; E Plunkett (0-1), C Smith (0-1), A Clarke; C Donohoe (capt), R Jordan (0-2, 1f), H Jordan-Murrin
Subs: M Hughes for Clarke (19min), K Kelly for Plunkett (43min), S Monaghan for Jordan Murrin (54min)
Trillick: M Barrett; K Murphy, N Kelly, D McCarney; A McCaughey, C Donnelly (capt), O McSorley; E Brennan (0-3, 2f), G McGuinness; C Brogan, D Gallagher, E Gray; F Owens (0-2, 1f), A Seaney, C Kelly (0-1).
Subs: L McCarney for C Kelly
Referee: S Coyle (Donegal)
