Ballykelly ladies off to flying start
August 16, 2010
Sandra Prendergast being closely shadowed by the St Laurances rearguard in the first round of the Junior A Championship in Old Grange during the week
Old Grange
Ballykelly 4 - 12
St Laurence's 2 - 3
Helped by 1 - 7 from Niamh Sinnott, Ballykelly Ladies got their Junior A Championship off to a fine start with this win over St Laurence's at Old Grange in perfect conditions.
The Ladies set their stall out early scoring 1 - 2 without reply in the opening quarter. The goal came after fifty seconds. Despite Larries winning possession from the throw-in, Sandra Prendergast mopped up the breaking ball to release Mags McGillycuddy on one of her trademark runs to blast to the net.
Sinnott popped up with the points, firstly on three minutes, after good link-up play with Anne-Marie Fitzgerald down the left and then after fifteen, when Roisin O'Connell and Caoimhe Harrison combined to set her up to point off her right.
Larries got their first point after seventeen minutes from a free to narrow the gap, but Ballykelly stepped up the pace again and rattled over six unanswered points in ten minutes.
O'Connell started the surge after good linking with McGillycuddy, before Sinnott pointed a 13m free after Denise Callanan was fouled to make it 1-4 to 0-1 after twenty-one minutes. Amy Lawlor and McGillycuddy combined on twenty-four to set up Harrison for a cracking score. Ballykelly could have been further in front at this time, were it not for a tremendous save by the Larries goalkeeper, who went full stretch to deny McGillycuddy.
Sinnott pointed another 13m free and then saw the Kerry woman take flight again to score after Fitzgerald and O'Connell had exchanged passes on twenty-seven.
Mags returned the favour two minutes later, laying off to O'Connell to point off her right after good work by Joanne Kelly.
Leading 1-8 to 0-1 approaching half-time, Ballykelly allowed Larries back into the game. County centre-fielder Louise Keatley took off on a 40m run, before spotting the unmarked Doireann Deay 10 metres out and she wasted no time in blasting low to Anita Dunne's net. They seized the kick-out too, worked a 20m free, which Keatley pointed to leave the half-time score at 1 - 8 to 1 -2.
Some straight talking at half-time from Pat Hickey, took a while to come to fruition on the pitch in the 2 nd half, as it wasn't until Fitzgerald burst through from the right-wing to point after eight minutes, that we saw a decent attempt at goals. Half-time subs Gemma Bannon for Denise Callanan and Laura Coe for Joanne Kelly finding it tough to get to grips with the game.
Fitzgerald's point was followed moments later by great link-up play between O'Connell and Sinnott. Roisin picked up the break in the middle and ran direct for goal, before spotting Niamh off her right shoulder. She played a lovely weighted hand-pass to Sinnott, who without breaking stride sent a fierce dipping shot over the keeper and into the top corner. Ballykelly lead 2 - 9 to 1 - 2 and seemed to be cruising.
However, credit the Larries who came roaring back. Exerting a lot of physicality in their play, the Old Grange crew led by Louise Keatley rattled off 1 - 1 in sixty seconds. The goal after thirteen minutes saw Keatley run 40m with the ball unchallenged before leaving Anita Dunne with no chance and just six points between the sides with over a quarter to go.
But that was as good as it got for the Larries. Ballykelly began to exert themselves again. Mags McGillycuddy & Sinead Melia kept tabs on Keatley, while the backs of Sandra Prendergast, Ger Stafford, Mary-Kate Callanan, Sharon Melia and Amy Lawlor snuffed out whatever came their way.
They hit their own purple patch and in the last ten minutes scored 2 - 3 to wrap up the points. Firstly, O'Connell and Fitzgerald were involved in good build-up play before O'Connell launched a high-ball into sub Laura Coe, who then turned and blasted to the net. Sinnott followed up immediately with a 13m free. She added further to & rounded off her tally on twenty-nine and thirty. Firstly, when O'Connell found her 20 metres out on the right after a great clearance from Callanan and then another 13m free after she was fouled.
The icing was added to the cake, when O'Connell found the newly-graduated Garda Bannon who subsequently cleared a road block to fire to the net with her right foot from 10 metres out on the left, to leave the final score at Ballykelly 4 - 12 St Laurence's 2 - 3.
Ballykelly Scorers:
Niamh Sinnott 1 - 7 (3 frees); Mags McGillycuddy 1 - 1; Laura Coe 1 - 0; Gemma Bannon 1 - 0; Roisin O'Connell 0 - 2; Caoimhe Harrison 0 - 1; Anne-Marie Fitzgerald 0 - 1
Ballykelly now host Naas in Round 2, next Tuesday August 17 in Stephen O'Rourke Memorial Park. A win for the Ladies would see them close in on a place in the final, but Naas will be tough opposition and looking to bounce back from their 3 - 8 to 2 - 6 defeat against Clane.
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