Match Report – Leinster C Championship Final 28th July 2021
Louth U16 ladies secured an impressive victory in the Final of the Leinster U16 C Championship last Wednesday evening, 28th July. The match took place in Ballymore Eustace GAA, Co Kildare – a neutral venue for the Louth and Kilkenny teams to have their clash.
It was Kilkenny that secured the first score of the evening with a well-taken point however, Louth’s Órlaith Carolan was quick to respond with a on-target kick placing the ball out of reach of Kilkenny’s goalie and into the back of the net for Louth’s first goal of the night.
Kilkenny scored another 2 points, but a swift goal from Louth’s Shauna Lynch put Louth 3 points ahead.
Despite a goal being scored by Kilkenny, Louth stretched their lead during the first half of the match with another goal from Órlaith Carolan, a goal from Mischa Rooney and a goal from Lucy Watters.
Ably assisted by Ava McNally, Lucy White and Izzy Meehan, the Louth forwards hammered 8 points over the bar in this first half – 4 scored by Mischa Rooney (who went on to deservedly win the Player of the Match award), 2 scored by Katelyn Murphy, 1 each scored by Shauna Lynch and Órlaith Carolan.
Louth’s defence was very strong throughout the match despite being hugely tested at the start of the 2nd half when the Louth team was reduced to 13 players for ten minutes. Kilkenny found their feet and the Kilkenny scores started to mount up with 3 goals and 4 points being scored during the 3rd quarter.
However, Louth’s Tara Kelly, Hazel Malone and Abigael Martin stood strong in the back row and together with Amy Everitt, Chloe McCarragher and Hannah Leech, the esteemed Louth Captain, the Louth defence posed a real challenge for Kilkenny. Niamh McGeough, the Louth Goalie, was outstanding during the entire match – making crucial saves to keep her team in the lead.
Despite Kilkenny scoring 4 points in the last quarter, Louth’s substitutes (Aoife Clarke, Ella Flanagan, Aisling Maguire, Molly Murphy, Karina Corcoran and Ellie Smyth) brought fresh energy into the match with important scores from Aisling Maguire (1 goal, 2 points) and Katelyn Murphy (1 point) to stretch Louth’s lead.
The outstanding performance of the Louth Team secured the Leinster Championship Cup for the wee county and left the Team Manager, Bryan Lynch, along with mentors Claire Byrne, Darren Clarke, Deirdre Ryan, Sylvia Smyth and Alice Turley, jumping for joy.
Final score: Louth 6-11, Kilkenny 4-11
