LGF Div.1 Mullingar Shamrocks 3-17 The Downs 2-5

The final score indicates a most comprehensive victory for Mullingar Shamrocks and so it was but there was little indication that this might be the end-result in the early stages of the game. The Downs were totally dominant in the opening quarter and carved open the Shamrocks defence on a number of occasions. They also dominated the individual exchanges and the broken play. However, they failed  to transform this dominance into scores by some poor shooting but the Shamrocks defenders never stopped applying the pressure also. As a result after ten minutes of control The Downs had only a single Ellen Taite point to show for their efforts. Gradually the Shamrocks women began to dominate and points from Gemma Kerrigan and Emma Morris secured a lead that was never relinquished. Carole Finch continued her form of the Gerrycastle match and was winning ball, laying it off and creating scoring opportunities. Áine Melody forced a good save from The Downs keeper and was fouled when she collected the rebound. Anna Jones tucked away the resultant penalty and Clara Thornton added a fine long range point(1-3 to 0-2) Ellen Taite had her second point but midfielders Anna Jones and Gemma Kerrigan combined to send Karen Hegarty through for Shamrocks second goal. Before the final whistle Karen had compiled a personal total of 1-7. Emma Morris pointed, Clara Thornton and Carole Finch combined to set-up Karen Hegarty for her first point before Karen showed some individual flair to land her second point of the half. Ellen Tate scored her third and at the interval Mullingar Shamrocks held a 2-6 to 0-3 lead.

In the opening 5 minutes of the second half some great passages of combined play ended with three Shamrocks points from Karen Hegarty (0-2) and Emma Morris who is quickly returning to her best form. Ellen Tate scored her fourth point of the evening and Leanne Duncan goaled to restore some semblance of balance to the scoreboard (2-9 to 1-4). Shamrocks added eight more points (Karen Hegarty 0-3 including a rare left footed effort, Emma Morris 0-2 and single efforts by Gemma Kerrigan, Carole Finch and Clara Thornton) before the final whistle. The point scoring sequence was interrupted by a second Leeanne Duncan goal before Anna Jones had the final score and her second goal, a great individual effort that ended with an unstoppable shot blasted to the net by the industrious midfielder.  

Mullingar Shamrocks: Lavinia Lauvaiskaite; Melek Fagan, Chloe Swarbrigg, Lorna Morris (Shóna McNicholas): Niamh Kennedy (Susanna Buckley), Niamh Spellman, Tara Fagan;  Gemma Kerrigan (0-2) and Anna Jones (2-0) [Carla Gibney]; Casey McDermott (Sofie Hegarty),  Emma Morris (0-5), Áine Melody (Michelle Buckley) ; Clara Thornton (0-2) [Sarah Gegohegan], Karen Hegarty (1-7), Carole Finch (0-1) [Faye Walsh].