Top-billing this week has to go to Kildress Ladies Minors who earlier this evening brought home the Grade II Minor League title after their 3-16 to 3-7 win over Ardboe at Edendork. Three weeks ago Kildress fell by 4-10 to 4-7 to the same opposition in a spectacular Championship match and this evening’s game yet again produced another outstanding hour’s entertainment, very well refereed by Brian McCallion.
Kildress started the game the better and built up a four-point lead that could have been greater before a quite stunning goal brought The Rossas right back into it. Just when it was needed however, up stepped Katie Rose Muldoon for an equally stunning goal for Kildress to help them secure a five-point lead by half-time, 1-8 to 1-3. In the second-half Kildress again started the better and when the irrepressible Eilis Keenan raced through for yet another spectacular goal, The Tones went nine points ahead. But Ardboe, as always, were relentless and in the space of two minutes fired in the 2-1 that brought the game back to two points. With things very much in the fire, Kildress were the team that again took control, defending very well and picking off the points that allowed Emma Gillen’s late goal to really put a shine on things.
This finishes a great campaign by our Minors, and their managers Cathy Connolly, Imelda Muldoon and Sean McCrory, who have brought great distraction and delight to our Parish in these testing times. And it puts the tin hat on things for us to win a competition that’s sponsored by ‘our own’ McAleer & Rushe and presented on the night by equally ‘our own’ Donna McCrory, Tyrone Ladies County Chair!
Kildress: Sinead Hagan | Sian Tracy, Chloe McGowan, Ella Foster | Alana McNamee, Aoife O’Connor, Ciara Small | Chloe Tracy (0-3), Ellen McGurk (0-1) | Shannon O’Connor (0-1), Eilis Keenan (1-6), Emma Gillen (1-0) | Katie Rose Muldoon (1-1), Caitlin Murphy (0-1), Leah McCrory (0-3) | Ella Rose McNamee, Madison Mulgrew, Carla Leadon, Caitlin Brannigan, Charlotte Heagney, Aimee Nugent, Annie McKenna
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Outsize win or not, Kildress were full value for this 5-22 to 1-8 LCC GROUP Junior Championship win over Urney, after a match played in perfect conditions in the equally-perfect setting of Ballinamullen earlier today. We don’t think The Tones have ever previously put up a score like this in a Championship match and such was their dominance all over the field that the game was over well before the first water-break, by which time Kildress led by 3-5 to 0-2. Ten different Kildress players eventually got onto the score-sheet, but none more effectively than Matty McGuigan who rattled up 2-7, 2-5 of it from play, whilst Shea Murphy, Stephen Loughran and Caolan McNamee shared 3-8 between them.
Nothing ever really got going for Urney in this one, as even the breaking balls seemed to fall for Kildress, who also barely kicked a wide over the hour. By half-time Kildress were 4-9 to 1-4 ahead and when they continued on to kick the first seven scores of the second half, any intensity in the game just fizzled out. In Jonny Connolly, Dean McNally and Stephen McGurk Kildress had a strong and very effective half-back line whilst Des Treacy just continued to throw back the years. Sterner tests will lie ahead for Kildress as this game, which Fergal Ward refereed quietly and efficiently, never really got going as a contest.
Kildress: | Gerard Grimes | Aaron Loughran, Callum Holland, Marty Loughran | Jonny Connolly, Dean McNally, Stephen McGurk | Enda McAleer (0-1), Shea Murphy (1-4) | Stephen Loughran (1-2), Des Treacy, Conor Quinn (0-1) | Philip Lennon (0-2), Caolan McNamee (1-2), Matty McGuigan (2-5) | Corey Holland (0-1), Pauric Lagan, Adam Connolly (0-1), Eoin Brannigan (0-1)
