Mayo ladies overcome plucky Leitrim in Connacht championship opener
Mayo’s Erin Murray in action against Leitrim’s Eimear Quigley during the TG4 LGFA Connacht Football Championship Round 1 at Swinford Amenity Park this afternoon. Picture: David Farrell Photography
It was not without a scare at the end but Mayo defeated Leitrim 2-11 to 1-11 in their opening game of the Connacht LGFA Senior Championship this afternoon in Swinford.
The visitors, playing Mayo in their first encounter in the senior championship since 2009. gave as good as they got and were they more accurate in front of the posts and goalmouth, it could very well have been a different story. Thirteen wides for the Leitrim ladies, however, would prove to be their undoing.
Once again, Sinead Walsh was the star of the show for Mayo, scoring 1-4 and also played a part in Mayo's opening goal just before half-time, teeing up Saoirse Lally for a tidy finish.
Leading 1-8 to 0-4 at the break but against the wind in the second half, Mayo's lead was cut to four seven minutes into the second half and it could have been more had Leah Fox not shot wide of the goal.
Walsh punished them on 41 minutes for Mayo's second goal and Annie Gough had a chance to get third when her MacHale Rovers teammate Walsh was fouled, but Gough sent her penalty over the bar to make it 2-10 to 0-8 with seven minutes remaining.
Mayo scored only one more point from here as Leitrim reeled Liam McHale's side in, with Muireann Devaney scoring 1-2 and Fox hitting over a superb score. Leitrim had goals chances to level it but Laura O'Dowd and Ailbhe Clancy both fluffed their lines as Mayo secured the win. The green and red will now have a two week break before their next game away to Galway.
