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Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Magic minors best over West’
By Anthony Hennigan
MAYO 3-10 WESTMEATH 1-05
SPECTATORS were fooled by the positive start of Westmeath, as Mayo barnstormed their way to All-Ireland honours last Saturday – and did so in some style too.
The Green and Red, beaten by Cork in last year’s final, were scoreless and five points in arrears after seven minutes, and although they rallied to level by the 14th minute, it wasn’t long before they relied on the bravery of Clodagh McManamon to prevent a second Westmeath goal.
The midfielder threw herself in front of Aoife O’Brien’s close range effort but despite that intervention, Mayo would still trail by two points into deepest first half injury time. Amazingly, however, the Connacht representatives outscored Westmeath by 2-8 to 0-1 between then and full-time in a brilliant display of workmanship and skill.
Mayo had got off to the worse possible start; three minutes hadn’t fully elapsed when Westmeath wing-back Kelly Boyce Jordan ventured forward and lobbed in a speculative shot from distance that skidded off the greasy surface and past goalkeeper Elaine Murphy into the Mayo net.
Points followed from Ciara Blundell and Megan Brick, a free, to leave Westmeath, first time All-Ireland minor finalists, firmly in the ascendancy before a Carol Hegarty point finally got Mayo up and running on the scoreboard. Hegarty, the captain, then joined forces with Avril Kilkelly to set-up Ciara Carroll for a well-taken goal and when Sinead Cafferky kicked her first point of the day, the game was all-square at 1-2 apiece with one quarter played.
The game had been scoreless for 14 minutes and Westmeath for 21, by the time Bronagh Beglan nudged the Maroons back in front on 28 minutes and she soon doubled her side’s lead from a placed ball as the clock counted down on the half.
There was still time, however, for one further crucial piece of action as a foot trip by Westmeath ‘keeper Christine Warberton presented Avril Kilkelly the chance to punish from the penalty spot, and the Westport girl made no mistake, burying the ball into the bottom left corner.
Mayo now lead for the first time, 2-2 to 1-4, but it took Westmeath all of 30 seconds of the second half to equalise via a Megan Brick free. Remarkably, however, that was the Leinster side’s last score of the game, as Mayo set about affirming their authority.
With Aileen Gilroy now on the pitch – the Republic of Ireland soccer international took up station at midfield having replaced injured wing-back Grace Kelly shortly before halftime – and Sinead Cafferky moved into the full-forward line, Mayo made a match-winning surge during the third quarter, when Westmeath were without the sin-binned Kelly Boyce Jordan.
Converted frees by Carol Hegarty and Avril Kilkelly, and a brace of points by Cafferky preceded a 49th minute goal by Hegarty, as the Mayo wing-forward reacted quickest to Kilkelly’s point attempt rebounding off a post. Sinead Cafferky would also have shaken the net but for a superb save by Warberton.
3-6 to 1-5 behind, Westmeath were barely able to escape across the halfway line. When they did, ace attacker Ciara Blundell hadn’t an inch of space to work in such was the tenacity of her marker, Ciara Hanahoe. In an effort to address the imbalance, Westmeath management opted to move full-back and captain Aoife Brady to midfield.
This, though, only left further gaps for Mayo forwards to exploit, and points by Aileen Gilroy, Carol Hegarty, Sinead Cafferky, a free, and Avril Kilkelly rounded off an exceptional day’s work for last year’s beaten finalists.
SCORERS – Mayo: Carol Hegarty 1-3 (0-1f), Avil Kilkelly 1-2 (1-0p, 1f), Sinead Cafferky 0-4 (1f), Ciara Carroll 1-0, Aileen Gilroy 0-1. Westmeath: Kelly Boyce Jordan 1-0, Bronagh Beglan (1f) and Megan Brick (2f) 0-2 each, Ciara Blundell 0-1.
MAYO: Elaine Murphy; Emma Lowther, Mary Naughton, Linda Walsh; Ciara Hanahoe, Amy Bell, Grace Kelly; Clodagh McManamon, Ciara McManamon; Carol Hegarty (c), Sinead Cafferky, Tracey Hall; Avril Kilkelly, Leona Ryder, Ciara Carroll. Subs: Aileen Gilroy (for Kelly 25-inj), Rebecca Conway (for Carroll 43), Amy Hopkins (for Hall 53-inj), Aine Charlton (for Walsh 57), Mary Catherine Walsh (for Ryder 60).
WESTMEATH: Christine Warberton; Avril Corbet, Aoife Brady (c), Ciara Brannock; Kelly Boyce Jordan, Teanna Watts, Katie Dunne; Aoife O’Brien, Karen Hegarty; Bronagh Beglan, Megan Brock, Ciara Blundell; Nicole Feery, Sheila Kelly, Ciara Scally. Subs: Laura Kiernan (for Feery 42), Meadbh Flynn and Sinead Boyce (for Watts and Brannock 60).
Referee: Terence McShea (Donegal).
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