Lurgan take spoils as Crescent endure tough breaks

Kate Russell All-Ireland Schoolgirls Championships Lurgan College claimed the Kate Russell All-Ireland Schoolgirls title for the second time in three years with a perfect 100% record in Kilkenny today. The Ulster school, driven on by new Irish U18 captain Hannah Grieve and Barr sisters Serena and Bethany, administered first-day thrashings to Leinster representatives Mount Anville (4-1) and Connacht’s Coláiste Iognáid (5-0) on day one.

They continued in that vein by dismantling Munster hopefuls Crescent Comprehensive 4-0, before edging out nearest rivals Kilkenny College 2-0 in the decisive game. For a young Crescent side, it was a frustrating tournament that ended with a fourth-placed finish. Irish U18 Emma Duncan scored the only goal of the game as Kilkenny beat them 1-0. But Crescent kept their interest in the title intact as Sarah Woods’ stunning deflection, against the run of play, gave them a 2-1 win over Coláiste Iognáid. Gretta Gormley’s short corner bullet earlier cancelled out Clodagh Moloney’s penalty stroke for Crescent. The defeat to Lurgan on day two ended those hopes, before they were undone by an unfortunate late own goal in the fight for third place against Mount Anville, losing 4-3. Moloney kept them in touch at 2-1 down on the 25-minute mark from a penalty corner before repeating the dose for an equaliser. Another set-piece yielded a goal for Nicole Power but the Leinster champions fought back to take the spoils. Munster Senior B Schoolgirls Cup final Regina Mundi 1 (Alex Duboy) Sacred Heart Clonakilty 2 (Darerca O’Sullivan, Claire Sexton) Sacred Heart Clonakilty ended years of hurt by finally winning the Senior B cup having lost the last three finals, breaking the hearts of a Regina Mundi side contesting their first senior final in two decades. Clon went in front during the first half in abysmal conditions at Harlequin Park when Darerca O’Sullivan’s shot squeaked underneath the city school’s goalkeeper’s pads. Regina were making most of the running through inspirational captain Katie O’Mara, Judy and Louise Mills and Ali O’Shea, and they found a way through in the second half, Alex Duboy finishing well to the corner to level it up.

A combative Clon outfit were playing mostly on the break at this stage and regained the lead in such fashion with a remarkable goal from Claire Sexton. She outpaced the Regina defence to pick up a clearance in a seemingly harmless position on the left near halfway, but her speed took her all the way to the endline and she dragged the ball back infield to leave the covering defenders for dead before blasting an unstoppable shot to the far corner. Controversy reigned thereafter as Regina forced the ball home from a corner breakdown for an equaliser, but the ball was deemed to have hit an attacking foot en route to goal and a free out was given. Regina pummelled the Clon circle in search of an equaliser in the dying stages, but the girls from the west held out. Munster Junior Schoolboys Cup final Ashton 3 (Simon Wolfe 2, Simon Dring) Villiers 0 Simon Says goals win games, or at least they do for Ashton as they completed a senior and junior cup double. Their Munster representatives namesakes did the damage, Simon Wolfe finishing high to the keeper’s glove side after being put clean through on 10 mintues. Wolfe cranked up his trademark short corner bullet for 2-0 in the second half after an initial drag-flick was saved, before Simon Dring sealed it with a cracker. The Munster U16 man cut in from the right when 10 minutes remaining and beat two players en route to the circle, riding one more tackle before reversing to the top right corner.