Kilcock (Kildare) 0-15
Baile Dubh Tire (Wexford) 1-9

By Daire Walsh

Grace White kicked six points at Coralstown/Kinnegad GAA on Saturday as Kilcock produced a strong second half performance to secure the AIB Leinster LGFA Junior Championship title at the expense of Baile Dubh Tire.

Despite being inseparable at the midway stage in the action, the Kildare champions outscored their Wexford opponents 0-11 to 1-5 on the restart to both claim the silverware on offer and also advance to a forthcoming AIB All-Ireland Junior Football Championship semi-final.

A star on the inter-county scene with both Kerry and Wexford in the past, the vastly-experienced Bernie Breen got Dubh Tire up and running in this contest with a pointed free in the third minute. Yet Emma Robinson swiftly responded for Kilcock at the opposite end of the pitch and while Leah Roban restored Dubh Tire’s one-point advantage, a fine effort by full-forward White had their Kildare counterparts back on level terms by the 10-minute mark.

Kilcock subsequently edged in front when Sarah Lavin split the posts at the end of a fine team move, but the Lilywhite outfit breathed a sigh of relief when a goal bound strike from Baile Dubh Tire midfielder Orlagh Kehoe rattled the woodwork on its way over the bar.

Robinson and Breen then proceeded to double their tallies inside the second-quarter and this ensured the sides were deadlocked at 0-4 apiece at the end of a lively opening period.

Kilcock did create daylight on the resumption when Aisling O’Connor (two), Eve Powderly and White all registered fine points, but after Leah Roban added to an earlier Lauren Roban single with a superb goal on the stroke of 40 minutes, parity was once again restored to the contest.

Even though further scores from White (two), player of the match Lavin and wing-back Rianna Cribbin helped Kilcock to reinforce their authority, Ciara Roban, Breen and Leah Roban all found the target during this busy juncture to leave Dubh Tire a single point adrift six minutes from the end of normal time.

However, Kilcock kept their composure and unanswered points by Lavin and White (two) meant that Breen’s stoppage-time free only served as a late consolation for the Slaneysiders.

Scorers – Kilcock: G White 0-6 (1f), S Lavin 0-3, E Robinson, A O’Connor 0-2 each, R Cribbin, E Powderly 0-1 each. Baile Dubh Tire: Leah Roban 1-2, B Breen 0-4 (4f), O Kehoe, C Roban, Lauren Roban 0-1 each.

KILCOCK: E Kelly; L Gibbons, A McGrath, A Morrow; R Cribbin, E Maguire, T McGonagle; S Byrne, S O’Sullivan; E Robinson, A O’Connor, S Lavin; E Powderly, G White, S Nolan.

BAILE DUBH TIRE: A Dunne; L O’Neill, GR O’Connor, K Doyle; H Lawless, L Fitzhenry, H Lee; O Kehoe, A O’Connor; Leah Roban, B Breen, C Fitzhenry; C Roban, Lauren Roban, A Morris. Subs: K Bowe for GR O’Connor (43), E Roban for Lauren Roban (45), E Kelly for A O’Connor (52), D Byrne for O’Neill (59).

Referee: Ian Culbert (Wicklow).

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