Fabulous first as Blackwater girls crowned champions

Irish Independent

08-05-2025

The St. Brigid's girls got their competition under way on home soil with a strong performance in a 4-2 to 0-2 win against Oulart-The Ballagh.
They took top spot in the group with an equally impressive performance when seeing off St. Ibar's/Shelmalier by 2-3 to 0-2 in the second outing.
The semi-final saw Blackwater forced to dig deep against a gutsy and talented Gorey side, with a 0-3 to 0-2 result showing just how closely matched the sides were on the night.
A rematch with neighbours St. Ibar's/Shelmalier was in store in the final, with the hosts emerging with a 2-2 to 1-1 victory to take a first-ever top-tier title.
Blackwater squad: Josie O'Brien, Áine Cashe, Amber Clarke, Ruby Cullen, Florence Stedman, Eirinn Gahan, Siena Dillane, Hazel Sinnott, Kate Jones, Ellen O'Leary, Sarah Lacey, Sophie Ruttledge, Ciara Broderick, Mia Wright, Anna Roche, Zoey Barrett, Sinéad Cashe, Hannah Kershaw, Stevie Clarke, Maisy O'Leary, Lily Kelly, Jocelyn Cashe, Ziva Burrows, Saoirse Walsh, Brónagh Cullen, Kate Power. Management: Mag O'Leary, Dolores Ruttledge, Eimear Whelan, Vin Roche, Sinéad Cullen, Dave Redmond, Leonie Grant, Clodagh Whelan.
Tara Rocks are Wexford's representatives coming out of Division 1 after a string of positive results against Craanford-Monaseed, Ferns St. Aidan's, Glynn-Barntown and St. Mary's (Rosslare).
They began their campaign against hosts Craanford-Monaseed and while they were given a tough game by their Gorey District rivals, Tara Rocks came out on top with a 1-3 to 1-0 victory.
They went on to keep a clean sheet in their second round-robin game, edging past Ferns St. Aidan's by 1-2 to nil to take top spot in the group.
A trip to Killurin didn't hold any fear for Tara Rocks, who put in a superb performance to defeat their hosts by 2-1 to 1-0.
That meant a meeting with St. Mary's (Rosslare) in the decider and it was probably their biggest test of the competition, with the north county side emerging with a hard-earned title after a 1-3 to 0-4 win.
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Tara Rocks squad: Ali Higgins, Hannah Sweetman-McDonald, Aoibheann O'Brien, Robyn Bolton, Niamh Ní Luasaigh, Grace Kavanagh, Holly Jones, Estelle Byrne, Aoibheann Kinsella, Sinéad McGonigle, Aoife Murphy, Faye Mulhall, Sophie Caulfield, Ciara Kavanagh, Grace Walker, Carla Sheriff, Heather Considine, Róise Cooper, Ciara Kinsella, Taye Regan. Management: Anthony Byrne, Darren Mulhall, Ian Walker, Pat Jones, Niall Kavanagh, Helen Higgins.
Continuing the theme of perfection to success, St. Patrick's are the next Féíle representatives after defeating Monageer-Boolavogue, Ballygarrett, Buffers Alley, Oylegate-Glenbrien and Rathgarogue-Cushinstown on their way to the Division 2 crown.
A tough contest against Monageer-Boolavogue was the ideal way to get off the mark and the Camolin-based side did it, winning by 3-3 to 2-1. When Ballygarrett were defeated by 6-3 to 1-1 in the next round of fixtures, confidence was sky high.
Buffers Alley were the last side defeated in the group stages, by 2-10 to nil. That set up a semi-final with Oylegate-Glenbrien and it proved to be a real battle, with St. Patrick's edging it by 1-2 to 0-3.
Rathgarogue-Cushinstown were always going to be a tough nut to crack in the decider but, in a tense and tight game, St. Pat's took a 1-1 to nil win, with Erin Fitzpatrick netting from Annie Blake's assist and Millie Dolphin adding the point to claim the title.
St. Patrick's squad: Katie Dolphin, Daryl O'Sullivan, Ellie Murphy, Lily McCann, Chloe Carton, Ruby Roche, Kaitlyn O'Sullivan, Millie Dolphin (capt.), Sarah Bailey, Isabelle Furney, Sophie Dolphin, Annie Blake, Erin Roche, Erin Fitzpatrick, Ruby Cousins, Evelyn Higgins, Méabh Higgins, Ellie Shaw-Byrne, Dervla Sweetman, Martha Waugh, Holly Browne. Management: Liam Fitzpatrick, Mary Murphy, Darragh Roche.
St. Anne's battling spirit was to the fore on more than one occasion as they defeated Cluain Abbain Gaels, Bunclody and Ballyhogue on their way to the Division 3 title. The Rathangan club were really made to fight for their place in the knockout stages, winning a tough battle against the Gaels by 4-0 to 0-1 to get the ball rolling.
A reversal against St. James' (2-1 to 1-2) left them with work to do but a 3-2 to 2-1 win against Bunclody was enough to see them top the group.
Ballyhogue were held scoreless in a 0-2 to nil win in a tight semi-final clash in Páirc Charman. St. Anne's were ahead early with Maria Gilbane (1-2) and Arwen O'Connor (1-0) on the scoresheet as they led Bunclody by 2-2 to 1-0 at half-time in the decider.
They needed Sarah Buggy to make two fantastic saves and the hard-working Katie Martin to come to the fore in the second-half as a superb defensive effort saw them prevail to be Wexford's fourth representatives, winning by 2-2 to 2-0.
St. Anne's squad: Sarah Buggy, Anna Martin, Lucy Cornille, Beth Arnold, Evelyn Gilbane, Caoimhe Doyle (joint-capt.), Lillie Purcell, Katie Martin, Sadye Moran, Freya Barry, Maria Gilbane (joint-capt.), Emma Sinnott, Arwen O'Connor, Harriet Bolger, Kiera Foulis-Kelly, Ruby Moore, Tara Brennan, Lucy O'Brien, Alannah Colfer, Isla Barry, Ciara Doyle, Tara Redmond, Saoirse Drumm, Sophia Ryan, Olivia Barry. Management: Gillian Murphy, Redmond Barry, Tríona Doyle, John Buggy.
Division 4 champions Castletown-Liam Mellows were unbeaten against Kilmore, Davidstown-Courtnacuddy, Cloughbawn and Fethard on their way to success. It all started with a hard-earned draw against Kilmore (0-4 to 1-1) before the champs had a strong 3-3 to 0-1 win against Davidstown-Courtnacuddy.
When they edged Cloughbawn in the final round-robin game by 1-1 to 0-1, top spot was secured. Castletown-Liam Mellows were too strong for Fethard in a 4-4 to nil victory in the last four, setting up a rematch in the final against Cloughbawn that they won by 1-3 to 1-0.
Castletown-Liam Mellows squad: Ellie Byrne, Kayla Coade-Flynn, Cara Cullen, Seóna Cullen (GK), Ellen Dixon (joint-capt.), Sophia Finn, Bláithín Fitzpatrick, Katie Hughes (joint-capt.), Caoimhe Jordan, Kayleigh Kavanagh, Mary Jane Morris, Doireann O'Keeffe, Éabha O'Shaughnessy, Alison Kelly, Lexi Kavanagh, Millie Morris, Grace Redmond, Kate Kavanagh, Naoise Dempsey, Jessica Blackwell, Sophie Hughes, Deirbhle Fitzpatrick. Management: Elaine Coade, Parish Flynn, Dara Cullen, Áine Cullen.