Ladies Senior League: Mullingar Shamrocks 3-6 Tyrrellspass 2-7

Pride of place this week goes to our senior ladies’ team who began their season with a superb two-point victory over Tyrrellspass in a fine game of football played in Springfield on Sunday evening. The wind-assisted Mullingar women dominated the first-half and went to the dressing rooms leading by 1-5 to 0-2. It could and should have been a more substantial lead as a number of wides spoiled an otherwise excellent first-half. Anna Jones opened the Shamrocks account when her superb long range shot dipped under the crossbar for a valuable goal. Three times Lisa Burke and Emma Morris combined for the latter to score fine points; on the fourth occasion, it was Anna Jones and Emma who combined for Emma’s fourth point. Emma Jones apart from dominating the mid-field exchanges also found time to score a fifth Shamrocks point.

Tyrrellspass dominated after the interval and over a ten-minute spell reduced the deficit to the minimum.  However, Shamrocks were not for turning and their superb work-rate was beginning to tell; a great bout of combined play ended with Emma Morris rocketing the ball to the net for the score of the day. Tyrrellspass responded with a point and then came the crucial score of the day. A foot block on Lazeu Skaite was punished by a penalty and Honor McNamara who had just joined the play as a substitute proved she didn’t need any time to adjust to the pace of the game as she slotted home the resultant penalty and secured a 3-5 to 1-5 lead for Shamrocks. At this stage of the game, Anna Jones raised her game to new levels of excellence and gave an exhibition of mid-field play as she roamed the field in search of the ball.  Tyrrellspass responded with 1-2 before Emma Morris secured the victory with the last score of the day-a point from a free, and concluded what was a great evening’s work for the former Westmeath player who scored 1-5, all but the last point from play.  

This was a superb team victory and a great start for new team manager Ciarán McKenna and his assistant Spike Fagan (Is there any end to this man’s dedication to the Shamrocks cause? At 2.00 pm he was in Abbotstown as a selector with the under-13 boys team and then made a quick exit to be in Springfield for the 5.00pm throw-in).

Mullingar Shamrocks: Lauren McCormack; Melek Fagan (Kirsty Dunne), Rachel Hannigan, Shona McNicholas; Tara Fagan, Niamh Spellman, Michelle Morris (Carla Gibney); Anna Jones (1-1) and Michelle Buckley; Áine Melody, Emma Morris (1-5), Faye Walsh (Charlene Brickland); Chloe Swarbrigg (Honor McNamara 1-0), Lisa Burke and Lazeu Skaite.