Lidl Ladies National Football League
Division Four Group A round one
Antrim 1-13 Fermanagh 1-6
ORLAITH Prenter hit nine points as Antrim made a winning start to their Division Four campaign with victory over Fermanagh in Davitt Park yesterday.
With the breeze at their backs for the first half, Emma Kelly’s side led 1-9 to 1-2 at the break and although the sides shared the second-half’s eight points, the foundation for this win was built in the opening 30.
It was an exhibition of shooting from Moneyglass girl Prenter from both play – she hit six – and the dead ball.
A brace from her in the opening couple of minutes gave Antrim a 0-2 to no score lead but Fermanagh’s first attack saw Laura Grew put the ball past Anna McCann into the back of the net to put the visitors in front.
Prenter levelled the game (free) before she put them one ahead, again through a free, but a Danielle Maguire free tied the game for James Daly’s side at 0-4 to 1-1.
Another brace of points from Prenter – hers and Antrim’s fifth and sixth of the day – put the home side two in front although Roisin O’Reilly (free) made it a one-point game.
That was to be as close as they would get as Aoife Taggart’s 18th-minute goal signalled the start of 1-5 without reply, Fermanagh not helped by the 18th-minute sin-binning of Cadhla Bogue.
Taggart followed her goal up with a point as Lara Dahunsi and Prenter raised white flags for a seven-point interval lead.
Bronagh Devlin and Prenter (free) extended Antrim’s lead out to nine points after the resumption.
Fermanagh ended 25 minutes without a score with a Maguire free but Dahunsi replied and Prenter’s class shone with yet another fine point.
Antrim were down to 14 between those two scores when Anna Mulholland was sin-binned, as was Aisling O’Brien for Fermanagh.
The Saffrons also lost Caitlin Taggart seven minutes from time and with the numerical advantage, Fermanagh finished with three more points, all frees converted by Maguire, but it was Antrim who were comfortably ahead to win by seven.
IN Division Two, Armagh kept up their blistering early pace with a 1-13 to 1-3 win against Ulster rivals Monaghan in Middletown.
The win leaves the Orchard girls top on scoring difference with three wins from three, though Tipperary matched their points tally as they beat Roscommon by 0-6 to 0-4.
Cavan required Aisling Gilsenan’s late heroics to secure a 2-8 to 3-4 win against Westmeath, while Tyrone were narrow losers, 3-8 to 3-7 against Laois.
In Division Three, Down grabbed another crucial three points to go fourth in the table. They beat Wexford by 0-8 to 1-4 in Enniscorthy and join the Model girls on six points, with Kildare and Louth both maintaining their 100 per cent records with wins over Clare and Sligo respectively.
RESULTS/FIXTURES
Division One round three
Kerry 2-10 Donegal 1-11
Waterford 2-9 Mayo 0-13
Monday, February 6: Meath v Galway; Páirc Tailteann, 1.15pm – live on TG4
Cork v Dublin; Páirc Uí Rinn, 3pm – live on TG4
Division Two round three
Armagh 1-13 Monaghan 1-3
Cavan 2-8 Westmeath 3-4
Laois 3-8 Tyrone 3-7
Tipperary 0-6 Roscommon 0-4
Division Three round three
Longford 2-10 Offaly 1-10
Kildare 0-9 Clare 0-7
Louth 2-10 Sligo 2-9
Down 0-8 Wexford 1-4
Division Four Group A round one
Antrim 1-13 Fermanagh 1-6
Carlow 5-9 London 1-4
