Kepak Junior C Championship (Group 2)

Simonstown Gaels 3 -14

Donaghmore Ashbourne 1 - 08

Our Junior ladies made their way to Navan for their 2nd group match against Simonstown Gaels, only to come away with a difficult defeat considering there was only 1 point separating both teams at half time.

The first half of this match saw the scoreline level on three occasions as every ball was contested fiercely by both teams. The hosts opened the scoring with a point in the 1st minute, closely followed by a neat point from Lucy Butler in the 3rd minute. Not content with this, Butler added to her tally when she found the back of the Simonstown's net in the 5th min after a scramble in the square. The home team retaliated and were promptly rewarded with a number of scores.

As the game went on, we saw some fine displays of football from the Donaghmore Ashbourne ladies as they forced turnovers and worked the ball well with some good running and patience from midfielders Alice McGrath and Shannon Condon. Emma Gallagher was a strong presence in the half back line and consistently tackled Simonstown's advances. We registered a further 2 points courtesy of Shannon Condon and Orla Shortt but Simonstown saw out the first half with 2 further points in the 27th & 28th min to leave the scoreline 1-3 to 1-4 after 30 mins of intense battling.

The 2nd half saw the hosts immediately demonstrate their intent with a goal and 2 points in the first 5mins. Rebecca Condon split the posts in the 7th min but the home team responded with another 3 points to further extend their lead. Our full forward line Lauren Wilkie, Lucy Butler and Katie Gorman put in a solid performance as they continually pressed on Simonstown's defence. Sarah Jane Behan was introduced early in the 2nd half as a replacement for the injured Orla Shortt and made her presence known in the full forward line. We registered a hatrick of points between the 18th and 22nd minute from Ciara O Sullivan, Lucy Butler and Shannon Condon but this merely dented the scoreline as the home team continued to push forward and take their scoring opportunities. Siobhan Brady worked tirelessly in the half-forward line and dropped seamlessly into defense when needed.

Despite their numerical disadvantage our ladies carried the fight to the opposition with a notable performance from half-back Sammy McCoy. Our full- back trio Emily Holmes, Katelyn Brady, Sinead Synnott and keeper Lola Gore stood strong and pulled off some super blocks but ultimately Simonstown's determination paved the way for them to take a full share of the spoils.

Team: Lola Gore, Emily Holmes, Katelyn Brady, Sinead Synnott, Emma Gallagher, Sammy McCoy, Ciara O' Sullivan (0-1), Shannon Condon (0-2), Alice McGrath, Rebecca Condon (0-1), Orla Shortt (0-2), Siobhan Brady, Lauren Wilkie, Lucy Butler (1-02), Katie Gorman, Sarah-Jane Behan