AIB Ulster Club Ladies’ SFC final
Clann Eireann (Armagh) 2-17 Lurgan (Cavan) 2-8
CLANN Eireann became just the fourth side to achieve back-to-back Ulster Club senior ladies’ football titles with victory over Cavan opponents Lurgan in O’Neill’s Healy Park, Omagh.
The Armagh champions proved too strong for Lurgan, but the first-time finalists battled to the very end and despite the defeat will look back on a remarkable campaign.
They were playing catch-up as Clann Eireann made the perfect start and with less than eight minutes on the clock they were seven points ahead – Niamh Murray with four points, Cassie Henderson who was a late replacement to the starting line-up for Gregory McGonigle’s side, with two and Tiarna Grimes the other.
An Aoife Brady free in the 12th minute saw Lurgan register their first score of the final but at the other end, Clann Eireann added to their tally through Murray, Eimear McConaghy and Niamh Coleman to make it 0-10 to 0-1 after 23 minutes.
Ciara Tolan replied for Lurgan and then they gave their supporters something to cheer about when Emma Tolan’s long-range effort found the back of the net and Clann Eireann’s lead was halved, 0-10 to 1-2 with five minutes of the half remaining.
However, they all but cancelled it out with Grimes and Henderson on target once more either side of losing Aoibhinn Donohue to the sin-bin in the 27th minute and at half-time, the champions were in control 0-12 to 1-2.
Clann Eireann captain Niamh Henderson raised a white flag within the first minute of the restart and almost immediately she fired to the back of the net to push their lead out to 1-13 to 1-2.
Brady, from a free and from play, brought Lurgan’s tally to 1-4 and as the sides traded points, Murray and Grimes for Clann Eireann and Catherine Dolan and Lurgan captain Eimear Corcoran for Lurgan, the advantage remained at nine to the champions.
McConaghy’s 49th-minute goal for Clann Eireann all but sealed the win but Lurgan to their credit did not throw in the towel, Brady with another pair of points and Emma Tolan with a late consolation goal in the 60th minute reducing it to seven, 2-15 to 2-8 before Murray, who finished with seven points, and Towe had the final say as Clann Eireann joined Donaghmoyne, St Eunan’s, Letterkenny and Monaghan Harps on the list of teams to retain their title.
Clann Eireann will now face Kilkeerin-Clonberne of Galway, who won the Connacht championship, in the All-Ireland quarter-finals.
