Fairgreen Shopping Centre Ladies Gaelic Football Championship: Mullingar Shamrocks 2-7 The Downs 0-13.

Although both teams were already safely through to the knock-out stages of the championship, the security did not prevent the teams from providing an absorbing contest in Springfield on Thursday evening.

The Downs began strongly and registered four points before the ever-dangerous Emma Morris scythed through The Downs defence and pointed for Shamrocks. At this stage Lucy Power , Holly (0-2) and Megan Dowdall had points on the board for The Downs. Beth McGuire added a point before Emma Morris began a move that was continued by Holly McCormack whose pass released Karen Hegarty who shot to the net from a tight angle. Lucy Power pointed but an Emma Morris pointed free and a great individual point from Karen Hegarty levelled the match (1-3 to 0-6). Two points from Beth McGuire secured an interval lead for the visitors.

Holly Dowdall and Beth McGuire pointed after the interval to extend the lead but a great Holly McCormack goal inspired a Shamrocks recovery. Melek Fagan contributed handsomely to this score with Emma Morris providing the pass that sent Holly through on goal. Karen Hegarty added a point almost immediately and the sides were level. An Emma Morris pointed frees in the fifteenth minute secured a Shamrocks lead for the first time. Susanna Buckley added to the lead with a wonderful team point that involved several players and began when Lauren McCormack fielded high from a free awarded to the The Downs following a brilliant piece of defending (2-6 to 0-10). Points by Sheila McGrath and B McNamee levelled the match once again before a second McGrath point sent The Downs into the lead. A great pointed free from Emma Morris equalised and Emma was unlucky with the final shot of the evening when her long range free dropped just short before Mick Gordon blew the final whistle with the sides level at 2-7 to 0-13.

The foundation for this fine result by an understrength Shamrocks team was laid in defence where Lauren McCormack was in superb from in goal and her contribution included a great penalty stop in the first half and a superb second half save at a crucial stage of the game. The way Lauren dealt with the routine business of goalkeeping provided great assurance for a defence in which the Fagan cousins, the Spellman sisters, Annemarie O’Reilly and Jenna Kelly were outstanding and were well supported by the work rate of midfielders Laura Whitelaw and Máiread Newman. The forwards were led superbly by Emma Morris and Karen Hegarty with Michela O’Connor, Susanna Buckley, Holly McCormack, Mia Gilligan and Jasmin Haugh always prominent. And when Karen Hegarty was forced through illness to leave the pitch for some minutes she was replaced by the very promising Jagoda Bartosiewicz who made her senior championship debut for Mullingar Shamrocks.

Mullingar Shamrocks: Lauren McCormack, Melek Fagan, Niamh Spellman, Annemarie O’Reilly, Cliodhna Spellman Tara Fagan, Jenna Kelly; Mairead Newman, Laura Whitelaw; Michaela O’Connor, Emma Morris (0-4), Susanna Buckley (0-1), Mia Gilligan, Karen Hegarty (1-2) [Jagoda Bartosiewicz], Holly McCormack (1-0).

Fógra: Best wishes to Sophie Hegarty, one of the great workers on behalf of the club and a member of our senior team who is the latest player to suffer the dreaded cruciate knee injury. The unfairness of it all.