Meath Ladies Senior Football Championship – Final
Sun 10th Aug Seneschalstown 3-18 St. Ultan’s 0-9
Caption:
The Seneschalstown players who were on duty for the Meath Senior Ladies final (from left) were: back – Grainne Nulty, Adelle Carolan, Sarah Wogan, Laura Carey, Annette O’Connell, Louise Byrne, Eimear O’Carroll, Edel McGrane, Philomena Sheridan, Ruth Lynch, Emma Jane Morten, Mary Sheridan; front – Celine Quinn, Elaine Dillon, Sally Ann Carolan, Debbie Mangan, Louise McKeever, Dearbhla O’Carroll, Orla Sheridan, Fiona Mahon, Linda Quinn, Sarah Heery.
Meath Ladies Senior Football Championship – Final
Sun 10th Aug Seneschalstown 3-18 St. Ultan’s 0-9
Caption:
The Seneschalstown players who were on duty for the Meath Senior Ladies final (from left) were: back – Grainne Nulty, Adelle Carolan, Sarah Wogan, Laura Carey, Annette O’Connell, Louise Byrne, Eimear O’Carroll, Edel McGrane, Philomena Sheridan, Ruth Lynch, Emma Jane Morten, Mary Sheridan; front – Celine Quinn, Elaine Dillon, Sally Ann Carolan, Debbie Mangan, Louise McKeever, Dearbhla O’Carroll, Orla Sheridan, Fiona Mahon, Linda Quinn, Sarah Heery.
Seneschalstown won the Meath Ladies SFC title again with a comprehensive victory over St. Ultan’s at Simonstown on Sunday.
Played in glorious sunshine, the top decider for the Co. Board was seven minutes behind schedule when referee Patsy Burke eventually threw the ball in and play was halted for a further four minutes immediately after the resumption.
That delay was due to an injury which St. Ultan’s wing-back Valerie Newman sustained, but it was left to the team coach, Barney O’Rourke, to obtain the
stretcher from the clubhouse.
The game was preceded by a minute’s silence to the memory of the late Colum Cromwell, a Simonstown clubman.
DETERMINATION
St. Ultan’s battled with great determination for the most part, although Katie O’Brien was fortunate to remain on the pitch following an exchange with Seneschalstown’s Elaine Dillon at the end of the first-quarter.
The red card was warranted, but neither the referee nor his umpires appeared to witness the incident.
That opening quarter was as good as it got for St. Ultan’s as they battled back to parity following a tentative opening during which Seneschalstown missed a load of goals.
St. Ultan’s ‘keeper Ann Marie Ball was one reason as was poor finishing, especially from Mary Sheridan.
Ball’s first real test arrived in the seventh minute when she produced a double save from Sheridan and soon after repeated the feat which kept her side in contention.
The game opened at a blistering pace as Seneschalstown’s Adelle Carolan and Katie O’Brien traded points inside 50 seconds.
Solid defensive play from Valerie Newman and Elaine Lynch kept Seneschalstown at bay until Sally Ann Carolan made an opening for Mary Sheridan’s first point from play.
Fiona Mahon opened her account in the 11th minute and then Mary Sheridan burst through, but hit over for a 0-4 to 0-1 margin.
St. Ultan’s dug deep and Cora Bennett pointed from play before a brace from Katie O’Brien drew the sides level (0-4 apiece) at the end of that opening quarter.
Elaine Lynch was handed the task of marking Mary Sheridan and she coped adequately until three minutes from the interval when the full-forward burst through again. This time she found the net for a 1-7 to 0-4 lead.
The turning point came a minute later when Dillon broke up a promising St. Ultan’s attack and as her side countered Adelle Carolan sent over at the other end. Further points from Mary Sheridan and Sally Ann Carolan gave the winners a 1-10 to 0-4 interval advantage.
Kate O’Brien joined Geraldine Doherty at midfield for the second-half, but it only got worse for St. Ultan’s as they lost Valerie Newman inside a minute.
Seneschalstown struck third-quarter goals from Adelle Carolan and Mary Sheridan which was no more than they deserved.
The challenge facing Seneschalstown now is to make some progress in the provincial competition while St. Ultan’s can look forward to 2004 as they possess a team with plenty of promise.
Seneschalstown – Louise Byrne; Elaine Dillon, Philomena Sheridan, Dearbhla O’Carroll; Debbie Mangan, Louise McKeever, Orla Sheridan; Edel McGrane, Grainne Nulty (0-2); Eimear O’Carroll (0-1), Fiona Mahon (0-4), Sally Ann Carolan (0-1), Adelle Carolan (1-5), Mary Sheridan (2-4), Annette O’Connell. Subs – Sarah Wogan (0-1) for Carolan, Ruth Lynch for O’Connell, Celine Quinn for Dillon, Laura Carey, Linda Quinn, Emma Jane Morten, Sarah Heery, Geraldine Gordon.
St. Ultan’s – Ann Marie Ball; Mary Coyne, Mary O’Brien, Tara Newman; Valerie Newman, Elaine Lynch, Karen Healy; Geraldine Doherty, Cathy Coyne; Cora Bennett (0-1), Shauna Bennett, Claire Coyne; Katie O’Brien (0-4), Nuala O’Brien, Elaine Duffy (0-4). Subs – Michelle Bennett for K. Healy, K. Healy for Newman, J. Healy for N. O’Brien, Barbara Burke, Caroline Costello, Lisa Mulroe.
Referee – Patsy Burke (Blackhall Gaels).
