Our Senior Ladies went down 0-15 to 1-7 in the opening CPL fixture in Kinawley at the weekend. After a tight opening half Belcoo seized the initiative coming to the interval but in the second half the experienced Kinawley side took a stranglehold on proceeding to record an opening game success.
The games opening quarter was closely fought, the sides traded 7 points with neither side getting two ahead. Keelan Murphy kicked a free before Eve Barrett levelled. Murphy fired over from play after a strong run with Elaine Maguire doing likewise. Murphy & Maguire knocked over frees before Rion McKenna edged the home side in front. Kinawley 0-4 v 0-3 Belcoo.A 19th minute injury to Keelan Murphy halted proceedings for a few minutes. When the game restarted Caoimhe Hamilton kicked a free to edge Kinawley two ahead but Belcoo had a purple patch hitting three points in as many minutes. Elaine Maguire (free), Eve Barrett and a great Michelle Cullen score put the O’Rahilly’s ahead for the first time. Aine McGovern tied the contest coming to half time but by the interval Belcoo led by four. A surging Sinead Barrett run and clever through ball sent Scarlett O’Connor in for a point. Belcoo worked a goal after Ciara Parker, Michelle Cullen and Stephanie Maguire combined to send Elaine Maguire through one on one and she fired a low driven shot to the net. Kinawley 0-6 v 1-7 BelcooKinawley dominated the third quarter pinned Belcoo back. While the O’Rahilly’s struggled to get any meaningful time on the ball, they were defending well and forced a number of wides from the hosts. Points however were scored by Megan Murphy (33mins), Lean Doonan (39), Kayleigh Magee (40), Rion McKenna (43), Corinne Breen (45) as Kinawley moved into the lead, 0-11 v 1-7.Belcoo stemmed the flow for 5 minutes and worked upfield but failed in front of goals seeing 3 efforts go wide when trailing by one at the time. Substitute Orla Leonard (51) edged the home side two in front. Corinne Breen (54 & 56) made it a two score game. A lung bursting run from Belcoo’s Cara Gray seen her strike the post at the death before Chloe McManus registered the games last score.For Belcoo they’d have learned plenty as their first touch let them down on several occasions in the second period. On the day, they were best served by the hard working Sam Martin & Michelle Cullen.
Team (15 a side). Riona Keaney, Eimear Gray, Lorna McEniry, Kelly Connolly, Cara Gray, Leona McNulty, Stephanie Maguire, Sinead Barrett, Seana Feeley, Eve Barrett (0-2), Michelle Cullen (0-1), Sam Martin, Scarlett O’Connor (0-1), Elaine Maguire (1-3, 2 frees), Ciara Parker. Subs Ciara McGuinness & Crona Higgins. Unused: Mikayla Maguire & Amy Hynes.
