This article is from page 72 of the 2011-09-20 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 72 JPG
Banner Ladies 4-19 – Burren Gaels 0-06 at Corofin
THE BANNER Ladies grip on Clare ladies football strengthened even further on Saturday when capturing their fourth successive Under 18A crown. Titles in all grades from Under 14 to senior this year is made all the more impressive when considering that many players on show here were instrumental in more than one of those championships wins. Eva O’Dea, Grainne Nolan, Niamh O’Brien, Aoife Keane and Emma Neylon have taken laurels at Under 14, Féile, Under 16, Minor and Senior while Eve Copley, Orlaith Martin and Emma Kavanagh did likewise except for Senior grade.
With such championship winning knowhow surging through their side, they were red hot favourites for another historic honour and while Burren Gaels made the Banner fight for every inch in the first half, a dipping ball on the 13th minute from the Banner’s Rebecca Culligan found the net from which the Northerners never recovered and the Banner went on to claim their fourth successive Minor A title.
Difficult weather conditions dampened the flow of the game from the outset but fighting a headwind, the Banner had registered five points from four of the six forwards, Eva O’Dea’s opener, Sister Niamh’s two points from frees, Orlaith Lynch and Karen Roche all picked off points before the Gaels Niamh Considine put one up on the board. The indomitable Niamh O’Dea tacked on another two points, one from a free and as the Burren Gaels found their flow, they put some nice passages of play together down the left wing inspired by captain Fiona Loughman at centre-back, Joanne Howley at wing-back, Niamh Considine at centre-forward, midfielder Roisin Howley, and forwards Katie Connole and Niamh Carrucan, they all registered consecutive scores except for one interjection by Banner poacher Orlaith Lynch. At twenty five min- utes gone, The Banner still hadn’t really pulled away from the Gaels, protecting a two point cushion and it was all to play for. Captain Aoife Martin and Rebecca Culligan played impeccably at midfield to snuff out any further incursions into Banner territory and after Niamh O’Dea had pointed again, Rebecca Culligan’s 30 metre shot scraped the underside of the cross-bar, surprising custodian Kanisha Flanagan and bringing a ray of sunshine to the Banner side just as Damien Fox sent the teams in for their half time rest in the middle of a terrible squall.
The Banner Ladies defence had weathered some heavy pressure in the first half and the half back line in particular Niamh Walsh, Aoibheann Malone and Sinead O’Keeffe did very well with a lot of ball coming in on the breeze. Another sign of dominance in the first half came in the confidence from senior championship winning captain Laurie Ryan when the lines parted as she steamrolled a path from one 20 metre line to the other on a number of occasions.
The game restarted with the wind behind the Banner and they maximised the advantage to the limit. O’Dea opened her second half tally with a pointed free but time and again her distribution to corner-forwards Orlaith Lynch and Karen Roche caused havoc for Amy O’Brien, Niamh Tierney and Amy Cassidy in the Burren Gaels full back line. In a frantic third quarter, Lynch would point and rocket in two goals and then Roche would goal and point three time from play. With no real response, O’Dea controlled the proceedings in the Burren Gaels half and added a further three points to her tally. The Banner’s Aoibheann Malone had her hands full with Roisin Howley but was never more than an arms length away and rarely leaked a ball into full backline Niamh Cahill, Helen Hehir and Laurie Ryan. Malone was to cap a great performance with the last point of the game.
Several of the Banner lineout had two and three previous Minor A titles in the bag and the experience of this proved too much for any team in division one. Ryan, O’Dea, Hehir, N. Cahill, Walsh, O’Shea, Martin and K. Cahill will all move on after three years service at this grade and are already established senior players. They, including Culligan, now get ready for their participation in the Munster Clubs first round meeting with Cappawhite of Tipperary on October 1. They leave Culligan, Roche, Lynch, E O’Dea, Malone, Nolan, Keane, to form the core of a great minor panel into next year and with Emma Neylon, Elaine Casey (injured), Eve Copley, Niamh O’Brien, Shauna O’Connor, Orlaith Martin and Emma Kavanagh all subbing for the game, they bring their experience in 2012.
Banner
Orla Hennessy, Laurie Ryan, Niamh Cahill, Helen Hehir, Sinead O’Keeffe, Katie Cahill, NiamhWalsh,Aoife Martin (Capt), Rebecca Culligan, Eva O’Dea, Niamh O’Dea, Grainne Nolan, Karen Roche,Aoife Keane, Orlaith Lynch, Suzie O’Shea, Shauna O’Connor, Niamh O’Brien, Eve Copley,Aoibheann Malone, Emma Neylon, Orlaith Martin, Emma Kavanagh, Meghan Fitzgerald.
Management
JJ O’Dea, Louise Henchy,Alan Copley.
Burren Gaels
Kanisha Flanagan,Amy O’Brien, NiamhTierney,Amy Cassidy, Caolinn McCormack, Fiona Loughman (Capt), Joanne Howley, Kayleigh McCormack, Roisin Howley, Megan Byrne, Niamh Considine, Katie Connole, Niamh Carrucan,Amy Moloney, Lisa O’Brien. Roisin Kelly, Leanne Lafferty, Shannon McCormack, Sarah O’Gorman, Ella Barrett.
Management
Anthony Geraghty, David Flanagan, Patsy Carrucan, Deirdre Jordan, Mark Mulqueeny.
Referee
Damien Fox (WolfeTones)