Ballinamere-Durrow promoted to top flight after super second half display

BALLINAMERE-Durrow took a very significant step forward when they won promotion to the Offaly Ladies Football Senior Championship on Sunday.

Glenisk LGFA Intermediate Championship final

Ballinamere/Durrow 3-18

St Broughan’s 1-8

A super second half performance saw them record a decisive victory over St Broughan's when they coimpeted in the Intermediate Championship final at Clara's Bretland Park on Sunday.

It was an excellent display by Ballinamere-Durrow and they were delighted to reach the top flight, just twelve years after a ladies football club was formed.

The victory was not as clearcut as the final scoreline suggests. That 3-18 to 1-8 score does not show how competitive St Broughan's were in the first half and how hard they pushed Ballinamere-Durrow. However, the winners were brilliant in the second half, playing great attacking football and going on a scoring rampage.

It was a great turnaround by Ballinamere-Durrow who had lost to St Broughan's in the group stages but were flying on the day here – Saorah Doyle came off the bench to score 1-5 in the second half and that was decisive as Ballinamere-Durrow upped the ante all over the field.

St Broughan's played well in the first half and gave Ballinamere-Durrow plenty of food for thought. Kym Furey was their star player in the first half, scoring five points, four from play.

Ballinamere-Durrow made a dream start with a Meadhbh O'Brien goal after three minutes but St Broughan's responded very well. They got five points in a row, including three from Furey, to lead by 0-5 to 1-1 after thirteen minutes.

In a very open, exciting first half, Aoife Healy got in for a goal to put St Broughan's 1-5 to 1-3 ahead after twenty minutes but B-D regained the lead when Emma Hand scored a 23rd minute goal. That helped Ballinamere-Durrow to a 2-5 to 1-6 half time lead and they took off in the second half, restricting St Broughan's to just two points.

St Broughan's actually got the first point from Aoife Healy but it soon became clear that this was not going to be their day. Ballinamere-Durrow took them on at pace and got on top in every sector. The floodgates duly opened as they scored 1-13 without reply from the 34th to 58th minutes. It was some football with Saorah Doyle getting the goal from a penalty after she was taken down in the 54th minute.

Ballinamere-Durrow continued to drive forward relentlessly and got three further points before Vicky Carey ended Sst Broughan's long drought with the final action of the afternoon.

The scorers

Ballinamere/Durrow: Saorah Doyle 1-5 (1-0 pen, 1f), Emma Hand 1-2 (1f), Faith McDermott 0-4, Sarah Walsh 0-3, Meadhbh O’Brien 1-0, Niamh Lydon 0-2, Trasa Bracken and Roisín Mealiffe 0-1 each.

St Broughan’s: Kym Furey 0-5 (1f), Aoife Healy 1-1, Heather McCabe-Comerford and Vicky Carey 0-1 each.

The teams

Ballinamere/Durrow: Una O’Brien; Chloe Buggy, Roisín O’Brien, Jane Maher; Niamh Bracken, Shauna Slattery, Grace McNally; Roisín Mealiffe, Sarah Walsh; Meadhbh O’Brien, Emma Hand, Niamh Lydon; Faith McDermott, Laura Mealiffe, Trasa Bracken. Subs: Saorah Doyle for L Mealiffe (half-time), Brooke McDermott for McNally (34 min), Meave Green for T Bracken (42 min), Claire Leonard for R O’Brien.

St Broughan’s: Sarah Dunne; Sarah Murphy, Teresa Bennett, Jade Curry; Ciara Milner, Catherine Bennett, Chloe Mulholland; Aoibheann McAndrew, Sinead Byrne; Oonagh Killeen, Aoife Carey, Heather McCabe-Comerford; Aoife Connolly, Kym Furey, Aoife Healy. Subs: Vicky Carey for Mulholland (29 min), Roisín Dempsey for Connolly (49 min).

Referee – Eamon O’Connor (Ballycommon).