Ladies Football All-Ireland Sevens
EMYVALE were crowned All-Ireland Senior Sevens champions for a third time in their history at the LGFA annual competition at Naomh Mearnóg and St Sylvesters GAA clubs in Dublin at the weekend.
The Monaghan side tore defending champions The Banner from Clare, who were bidding for three titles in-a-row, apart in the final winning 10-6 to 1-10, avenging last year’s final defeat.
They saw off their familiar foes Donaghmoyne in the semi-final by the narrowest of margins, 4-4 to 3-6, beforehand; that victory no doubt a bit of sweet revenge following their Monaghan county final loss less than a week earlier.
With current and former Farney county players in the team including the McAnespie sisters – captain Aoife, Ciara, Eimear and Aisling, McNally sisters Grainne and Therese, and Nicola Fahy, Emyvale are made for the fast and furious style of play that sevens football brings and with two previous titles in 2009 and 2015 and final appearances in 2016 and last year.
They stormed through their group games with victories over fellow Ulster sides Bryansford, who lost the Shield final after extra-time to Claregalway, and Glenelly as well as Dublin’s Clontarf in which they racked up 30 goals and 24 points.
Next up was Clare side Corofin as they despatched them 8-10 to 2-3 to set up that all Monaghan semi-final against Donaghmoyne in what turned out to be a tense and tight affair.
The final was more open with Ciara McAnespie hitting half of her side’s 10 majors, including two in the first half as they led 5-4 to 1-5 at the break; Grainne McNally grabbing a brace of goals also and Fahy the other.
Yvonne Nolan got The Banner’s only goal of the half just before the whistle.
Emyvale did not let up in the second period and 3-1 withouth in a three-minute spell ensured there was no way back for the defending champions, Ciara McAnespie completing her hat-trick and adding another for good measure.
Her scoring spree was momentarily halted but she added a fifth before the game was out with Alex Mulligan moving their goal tally into double figures late on.
The tournament attracts 70 teams participating across three levels – senior, intermediate and junior, with a Championship and Shield competition to be played for in each grade, and is one of the highlights in the ladies football calendar with many teams staying on in the capital to attend Ladies Finals Day the following day.
There was more success for Ulster with Monaghan side O’Neill Shamrocks clinching the Intermediate Shield with victory over John Mitchells of Liverpool 5-4 to 1-8 while the junior shield went to Donegal’s Naomh Columba who beat Dubin side Ballyboughal 5-9 to 3-7 in the decider.
And for the second year running, St Ergnat’s Moneyglass were the All-Ireland Under 14 Sevens Cup winners after they successfully defended their title in Kilmacud on Saturday with a 6-2 to 1-5 win over Kilcullen in the final. Castleblayney defeated Omagh St Enda’s 3-5 to 2-3 in the all Ulster Under 14 Plate final.
