Ballinrobe Community School 5-13
St Mary’s Macroom 0-4
OISIN McGOVERN REPORTS
Ballinrobe Community School won their first All-Ireland Ladies Post-Primary Schools title since 1995 with a stunning victory over St Mary’s of Macroom in the junior C final at University of Limerick.
A haul of 4-8 from Hollymount and Mayo stars Kate Brennan and Emma Stagg, player of the match with 2-5, were the highlights of an awesome display from Ballinrobe, whose victory was never in doubt.
St Mary’s worked hard but were held to a solitary point from play.
Despite going a point down from a first-minute Cora Delaney point, Ballinrobe Community School completely dominated the game.
By the eleventh minute, the South Mayo school had a 0-3 to 0-1 lead. Inspired by a barnstorming display from team captain Kate Brennan, Ballinrobe CS gained another advantage when St Mary’s wing-forward Orla O’Brien was yellow-carded in the 12th minute. Ballinrobe scored 2-1 in that time, with the goals coming within a minute of each other.
Kate Brennan got the first when she drove it low into the corner after being fed by Emily Jennings. Jennings turned executioner a minute later with a jaw dropping shot that flew into the top left corner from roughly 20 yards out.
Ballinrobe’s superb half-back line snuffed out the few attacks that St Mary’s Macroom managed to conjure before half-time.
All Ireland winning Mayo U14 captain Emma Stagg contributed two points before the break and was influential from play while Brennan, Jennings and Ali Hughes all had a point each.
Siun Cronin of St Marys in action against Elannah Keane of Ballinrobe Community School during the Lidl All-Ireland Post Primary School Junior C Championship final.(Photo: Matt Browne/Sportsfile)
The Munster champions trailed 2-5 to 0-2 at half-time after Róisín Ní Liatháin kicked a free late into injury time.
The second half brought even more shock and awe for St Mary’s, who were rattled by early goals from Brennan and Stagg. Ní Liatháin replied with a pair of frees either side of an Ursula Shaughnessy point, by which time St Mary’s hopes had all but vanished.
Ballinrobe continued to dominate throughout the field, hitting seven points without reply before substitute Isabella Hughes lobbed in their final goal near the end.
Scorers - Ballinrobe Community School: E Stagg 2-5 (1 free), K Brennan 2-3 (1 free), E Jennings 1-1, I Hughes 1-0, U Shaughnessy 0-2, A Hughes, R Burke 0-1 each.
St Mary’s Macroom: R Ní Liatháin 0-3 (3 frees) C Delaney 0-1.
Ballinrobe Community School: K Hughes; S Vahey, A Warde, E Shaughnessy; L Tiernan, K Brennan (capt.), R Gallagher; A Hughes, R Burke; M O’Donnell, E Jennings, S Varley; E Keane, E Stagg, U Shaughnessy. Subs: A Reilly for Varley (20), T Boyle for Shaughnessy (44), I Hughes for Keane (52), K Yates for Gallagher (54), C O’Brien for A Hughes (56).
St Mary’s Macroom: E Deasy; S Cronin, C Murray, H O’Shea; S Kelleher, Cara O’Brien, R Prendeville; S Mora, Kate Downey; R Ní Liatháin, E McMahon, Orla O’Brien; M Murphy (capt.), L Desmond, C Delaney. Subs: Cliona O’Brien for Downey (HT), G Duarte for Cronin (HT), Orlaith O’Brien for McMahon (41), P Murphy for Prendeville (46), C Lehane for Delaney (53)
Ref: S Mulvihill (Kerry).
