Munster post-primary schools senior ladies football final
St Mary’s Midleton (Cork) 0-14 Cashel Community School (Tipperary) 1-7
Eoghan Cormican, Irish Examiner
A historic double for St Mary’s Midleton as they added to last week's Munster junior final win when coming out on top in yesterday’s Munster post-primary senior ladies football decider.
This fully deserved four-point victory delivered a first Munster Senior A title for St Mary’s, yesterday’s result capping a remarkable period of provincial dominance for the Midleton college.
Indeed, for goalkeeper Shauna Cashman, the corner-back pair of Amelia Cooper and Emily Brenner, the forward trio of Lainey O’Sullivan, Bríanna Smith, and Ava McAuliffe, and subs Aimee Savage and Kate O’Sullivan, these eight players hold the rather unique distinction of having played in and won two Munster finals – senior and junior – in the space of eight days.
Smith, who kicked 2-2 in last week’s Munster Junior A final win over IS Killorglin, was equally influential here, sending over four frees and one from play. A number of those frees she won herself, the Cashel defence struggling to deal with Smith’s nimble and fleet-footed nature.
Top of the class, though, for St Mary’s was captain and centre-back Dara Kiniry and stylish midfielder Rachel Leahy. Both got forward to land a pair of points, but their imprint on proceedings was evident more in the middle third where they controlled the play and instigated a number of attacks.
Midleton, who led from pillar to post, were 0-7 to 0-4 ahead at the break, corner-forward Áine Hallahan contributing three points from play. That interval lead should have been greater as the East Cork college tallied six first half wides, while a Rachel Quirke goal effort came back off the post.
Cashel, mind you, did have three successive goal chances of their own right after Quirke tested the sturdiness of the post, Grace Moloney, Lily Fahie, and Anna Murphy denied in that order by the crossbar, goalkeeper Cashman, and a spot of last-ditch defending.
Midleton’s lead doubled to six midway through the second half and while Cashel subs Ellie Butler and Fiona Tuohy landed 1-1 on 50 and 52 minutes to narrow the gap to two, 0-12 to 1-7, the Tipperary students were not able to get any closer to their opponents.
Kaitlin and Bríanna Smith kicked the insurance scores to seal a Midleton Munster double, the St Mary's students now looking forward to All-Ireland junior and senior semi-final dates against double Connacht champions Sacred Heart Westport in the coming weeks.
Scorers for St Mary’s Midleton: B Smith (0-5, 0-4 frees); Á Hallahan (0-3); D Kiniry, R Leahy (0-2 each); K Smith, A McAuliffe (0-1 each).
Scorers for Cashel Community School: F Tuohy (1-0); A Mazzola (0-2); E Horgan, A Murphy, A Gayson Molloy, L Fahie, E Butler (0-1 each).
St Mary’s Midleton: S Cashman; E Brenner, S McAllister, A Cooper; R Keane, D Kiniry, G Rooney; K Smith, R Leahy; A McCarthy, B Smith, L O’Sullivan; Á Hallahan, R Quirke, A McAuliffe.
Subs: A Savage for McCarthy (27 mins); K O’Sullivan for McAuliffe (55, inj).
Cashel Community School: C Casey; E O’Dwyer, L O’Connor, L Kavanagh; L Gilmartin, G Moloney, E Horgan; E McCarthy, A Gayson Molloy; A Mazzola, K Downey, A Murphy; A Fahie, A Gilmartin, L Fahie.
Subs: F Tuohy for A Gilmartin (36 mins); L Blair for L Gilmartin (40); E Butler for L Fahie (48).
Referee: S Mulvihill (Kerry).
