TULLYSARAN’S All-Ireland dreams came to an end when Scariff-Ogonnelloe beat them in the junior semi-final at the weekend.
The Clare outfit proved too powerful, claiming a 6-22 to 0-5 victory with Mairéad Scanlon leading the way.
Scanlon ended the game with 12 points to her name while Rachel Minogue hit a late hat-trick of goals to put the gloss on an impressive performance.
Scanlon fired three early points and Scariff were four clear when captain Aisling Corbett was forced to pull off a good save.
The Banner girls were unerring in their shooting and Aoife Power added another brace of points before Colette McSorley finally got the Armagh side off the mark from a free after 15 minutes, and she soon cut the deficit to seven with another pointed free. Further points from Sarah O’Donnell, Scanlon and Power saw Scariff go in 0-16 to 0-3 to the good at half-time.
Tullysaran boss Paul Monahan had a tough task at the interval but would have been pleased to see his side registering the first score of the second half, another McSorley free.
McSorley then went for goal from a free but Corbett was up to the task once more and after 43 minutes, O’Donnell grabbed her first goal and she hit a second two minutes later.
Sheedy and Minogue followed suit with further green flags before Siobhan Mackle struck for Tullysaran’s only score from play and when Minogue pounced for two injury-time goals the cherry was put on the Scariff cake.
The Munster champion will now take on Johnstownbridge of Kildare after they overcame Roscommon’s Athleague 0-11 to 0-08 Siobhán Hurley led the way as she hit three points but Niamh Farrell and Kelley Hopkins helped their side back into the game. The sides went into the break level on a scoreline of 0-5 apiece.
Two points after the restart from Farrell moved Athleague ahead. Farrell set up an exciting finish when she pointed in the closing moments to make it a two-point game but the Kildare side held on to seal a spot in the final.
