Kildare ladies football upcoming fixtures/round up

Upcoming fixtures

Senior ladies league - round 4
Tues 1st May

Div 1 Balyna v St Laurences @ 7.45. Ref Jody Callan
Div 1 Eadestown v Leixlip @ 7.15. Ref Seanie Duane
Div 2 Carbury v Naas @ 10.45 (SUN 6th MAY). Ref Liam Herbert
Div 2 Ballykelly v Sarsfields @ 7.30. Ref Tom Smyth
Div 2 Castlemitchell v Maynooth @ 7.45. Ref Fran Bolger
Div 3 Suncroft v Clane @ 7.15. Ref Chris O Grady
Div 3 Robert Emmets v Kilcock @ 7. Ref Padraig Scully
Div 3 Na Fianna v Kilcullen @ 7. Ref Gerry Murphy
Div 4 Celbridge v Ballymore @ 7.15. Ref TBC
Div 4 Athgarvan v Moorefield @ 7.15. Ref TBC
Div 4 Round Towers v Athy @ 7. Ref TBC
Div 4 Monasterevin v Rheban @ 7. Ref TBC
Div 5 Rathangan v Milltown @ 7. Ref TBC
Div 5 Kill v Prosperous @ 7. Ref TBC
Div 5 Castledermot v Kildangan Nurney @ 7 (WEDS 2nd MAY). Ref TBC


U16 championship finals
Saturday 5th May

Div 1 shield final Celbridge v Maynooth. Time and Venue TBC
Div 1 final St Laurences v Balyna/Sarsfields Time and Venue TBC
Div 2 shield final Kill v Confey Time and Venue TBC
Div 2 final Naas v Kildangan Nurney/Na Fianna Time and Venue TBC
Div 3 final Milltown Rathangan v Eadestown Time and Venue TBC
Div 4 final St Brigids v Monasterevin in Kilcullen GAA at 6.30

Leinster Minor B FINAL
Sat 5th
In Sarsfields GAA - Kildare v Laois @ 1pm. Ref Colm McManus (Meath)

Match report round up

U16 Leinster championship Kildare 3-11 Longford 3-5

By Donal Fitzpatrick

On a windy afternoon in St. Laurences, Kildare u16s played Longford in the Leinster championship. Longford won the toss and played with the wind in 1st half. Kerri Harmon opened Longfords account by scoring a goal and a point. Kildare hit back with 2 fine points from Ellen Dowling and Niamh Mulhall. The strong wind had an effect on Kildare keeper Rochelle Kanes kick outs as it was not allowing her get any distance from them. As a result it put pressure on the Kildare back line of Laura Hannon, Emma Lyons, Grainne Lyons, Orla Moran and Sarah O’ Neill. Luckily for Kildare, Longford didn’t have their scoring boots on and kicked a total of 10 wides in 1st half. Longfords Claire Farrell and Ellie Collum added 2 more scores to increase their lead. Kildares midfield of Tara Hallinan and Chanice Corcoran linked up with their forwards well and as a result Ellen Dowling scored a lovely point followed by a goal from Rebecca Houlihane who slotted the ball passed Longfords keeper Shannon Woods. This levelled matters and the half time score was Kildare 1.03 Longford 1.03. Kildare started the 2nd half at a blistering pace and this time it was Longford to be on the receiving end of some great play by Kildare forwards. Winning the ball from Longfords keepers kick outs, Shauna Kendrick scored 1.01, Ellen Dowling scored 3 pts and Mikaela Mckenna scored 2 pts putting the Kildare girls into a commanding lead. Longford to their credit never gave up the fight, they moved the ball well up the pitch and Clair Farrell scored a lovely point to reduce the deficit. After another Longford attack they were awarded a penalty after a foul by a Kildare player for a push in the back. Kerri Harmon stepped up to take the spot kick but unfortunately for her she got too much under the ball and blasted it over the bar for a point. Straight from the kick out, Eimear Heaney won the ball and drove at the Kildare goal slotting the ball passed the out-stretched hand of Rochelle Kane. Kildare got back to grips on the game and went on to score 1.01 from Mckenna. Longfords last score came from the boot of Harmon after a mix up in Kildares defence. The ball somehow managed to squeeze between the keeper and the post. Kildare held on to record a 6 pt win. Best for Kildare were Grainne Lyons, Ellen Dowling, Mikaela Mckenna, Rebecca Houlihane, Shauna Kendrick and Niamh Mulhall. Special mention to Longfords keeper Shannon Woods, she kept her team in this game and pulled off some great saves.


Senior league
Division 2 Naas 3-11 Sarsfields 2-9
Naas continued their unbeaten start to the league with a hard fought win over local rivals in heavy conditions following a number of downpours in Naas on Tuesday. Both teams welcomed back a few of their regulars into their squads and served up an entertaining game for all to see. Early exchanges were tight as both teams tried for openings but it was the visitors who opened the scoring with a point from Roisin Byrne after good work from Elaine Dillon. At this stage it was the visitors who were dominating exchanges with Clare Fox driving them forward and who would have guessed this would be the only time they would lead. Naas began to get to the pace of the game and when Roisin Mellett won the ball in midfield she released a long ball into Aine Cummins who was unmarked and despite a great save from Jessica Whelan the ball broke free to Aine again and she made no mistake the second time to crash the ball to the net. Sarsfields responded immediately and it was Elaine Dillon who was on hand to score Sarsfields second point.  In typical fashion on how this game will go for the evening Naas then showed their spirit as a ball won by Aoife Trant played a ball to Shannon Doheny who carried the ball twenty meters before a quick one two with Aine Cummins before Shannon added the point. Sarsfields didn’t head the warning and soon all present witnessed the score of the match when Rachel Corrigan intercepted a long ball, towards Roisin Byrne, she transferred to Caroline Hill who found the speedy Shannon Doheny whose quick pass found Aine Cummins free and she crashed the ball to the back of the net for a second time.  Mid way through the first half and with the home team up by five points Sarsfields came back up the field and a long ball from Jessica Turner into the Naas area deceived all and ended up in the net. Naas then responded and some good interaction between Caroline Hill and Chloe Campbell released Sarah Callinan who beat Eimear Dempsey to the ball and added a point. The next attack was set up by the tireless Roisin Byrne who was fouled and Jessica Turner added the point from the resulting free. Elaine Dillion reduced the deficit to a single point when Elaine Hannon found her free on the right. The remaining five minutes of the first half saw Naas add four unanswered points from Sarah Callinan, Aoife Caufield, Shannon Doheny and Caroline Hill. Half time Naas 2:6 Sarsfields 1:4. Naas opened the second half brightly and continued their assault on the visitor’s goal, Aine Cummins and Shannon Doheny continued to torment their markers and it was the latter that opened the second half scoring with a point. Naas owned the ball for the next five minutes but wasted a number of opportunities before another break resulted in Chloe Campbell being fouled and Sarah Callinan added another point from the twenty meter line. Sarsfields called on their experience to work the ball down the field and when Caoimhe McConnell was fouled, Elaine Dillon raised another white flag. The game swung back to the home team and when Kim Turner was yellow carded for two heavy tackles in quick succession Sarah Callinan added a point from the free. Naas introduced Fiona Trant and Briona Hoban for Chloe Campbell and the tiring Aine Cummins. These changes were rewarded when Briona was on hand to add a point following some great defending from Niamh Hederman and Hilary Piggott.  Again Sarsfields came back up the field and it was county star Roisin Byrne was the catalyst for their fight back with two excellent taken points. Naas again worked the bell forward and again Sarah Callinan was on hand to point another free. Five minutes remaining and Sarsfields were back down the field again and when Emma Hannon was pulled back, Roisin Byrne scored a wonderful point from thirty meters on the wrong side of the pitch for a right footed player. The effort was telling on the Naas and the experience of the Sarsfields team was beginning to pull them back into the game. A loose pass in the Naas defence was pounced on by Rosin Byrne and she soon crashed the ball low past Aoife Hederman in the Naas goal to leave just three points between them. The next attack was going to be vital in determining the winner and so it proved when again Rachel Corrigan’s determination drove her forward to win a ball between two Sarsfields players and she passed to Caroline Hill who sprinted forward and beat the Sarsfields defence with a great shot and goal to secure the win for the home team. It was fitting that Sarsfields ended the scoring when again Roisin Byrne was on hand to pop over the final score of the night to leave the final score Naas 3:11 Sarsfields 2:8.
Well done to both teams in serving up such an entertaining game, Sarsfields were well served by Clare Fox especially in the first half, Elaine Dillon and the engine of the team Rosin Byrne. On the night Naas had plenty of stars, Aine Cummins was unstoppable in the first half, some great defending by Aoife Trant, Rachel Corrigan and the star of the night was Shannon Doheny.
Teams: Naas - Aoife Hederman, Hilary Piggott, Niamh Hederman, Sarah O’Hanlon, Rachel Corrigan, Aoife Trant, Mairead Murphy, Roisin Mellett, Caroline Hill (1:1), Shannon Doheny( 1:2), Aoife Caufield( 0:1), Leanne O’Rourke, Aine Cummins (1:1), (Briona Hoban  45mins 0:1), Sarah Callinan (0:5), Chloe Campbell (Fiona Trant 40 mins).
Sarsfields: Jessica Whelan, Eimear Dempsey, Caoimhe McConnell, Clionadh Ni Gogan, Clare Fox, Roisin Dempsey, Roisin Donohoe, Roisin Byrne( 1:5), Lydia Healy, Lauren Hoey, Kim Turner, Sadhabh McDonell, Jessica Turner (1:1), Elaine Dillon (0:3), Emma Hannon.

Division 3 Clane 2-11 Kilcullen 7-12
Kilcullen Ladies bounced back from a couple of disappointing defeats in their opening 2 games, to put in a brilliant and clinical performance away to Clane. The game was played as 13-a-side which really suited the Kilcullen forwards who flourished in the open spaces of a Clane pitch that was in brilliant condition considering the recent bad weather.   The first half was real end to end stuff, with Laura Gibson finding the net twice for the Ragettes, while at the other end Aoife Molyneaux pulled off a stunning save at the other end to deny Clane a goal of their own. This meant the Ragettes took a deserved 2-6 to 0-5 half-time lead. Clane came back strongly into the game in the first 10 minutes of the second half, and closed the gap to 4 points with Kilcullen leading by 2-10 to 1-9. However, after that the visitors attack took over. Ciara Pembroke put the Ragettes 7 points clear with a brilliantly taken goal, and Kilcullen never looked back from there.  Ciara went on to complete a hat-trick, while Laura Gibson scored another 2 goals.  Clare Kelly, Kayleigh Cogan and Jayne Peacocke all got some excellent scores too as the Ragettes went on to win by an amazing 7-12 to 2-11. It's hard to pick anyone out as best players as all 13 girls worked so hard for each other and played well, but Clare Mulrennan was oustanding in defence, Aoibheann Smyth worked tirelessly in midfield, while Ciara Pembroke and Laura Gibson were in lethal form in attack. Kilcullen Line-Up:  A.Molyneaux;  C.Mulrennan, K.Bell;  C.Kelly(capt), S.Maher, E.Vaughan;  C.Kelly(0-2), A.Smyth;  C.Pembroke(3-1), D.Smyth, K.Cogan(0-3);  J.Peacocke(0-4,2f), L.Gibson(4-2).

Division 3 Kilcock 2-14 Na Fianna: 2-4
The Kilcock Senior Ladies football team made it back to back league wins on Tuesday night last, the 24th of April, with a comprehensive ten point victory over Na Fianna in Kicock GAA. To say it was comprehensive though is probably being a bit kind to the hosts, who had to wait until the second half before they could stamp their authority on the game, while also been a bit unfair to the visitors who looked the better side in a tight first half. Kilcock manager Shane Stone had to make one change to the starting fifteen from the round one defeat of Kilcullen, with the injured Paige Byrne been replaced by the experienced Mary Tighe. Na Fianna for their part looked a well disciplined side and took to the field in large numbers for their warm up, well before the hosts. Though that may seem like a small factor, it reaped dividends for the Allenwood girls as they were the faster team out of the blocks and took the lead after only two minutes when their full forward Tara Higgins kicked a fine point from thirty yards. Kilcock took time to settle but got off the mark after some quick thinking from free-taker Grace White, who took the Na Fianna defence by surprise and played her first set piece short to Louise Keane who turned and slotted over from close range. White raised the white flag twice more in quick succession, one from a free and the other after her shot crashed off the crossbar and luckily bounced over. Kilcock were scrappy though and not their usual fluent selves, with many passes going astray all over the pitch. Na Fianna took advantage of this and scored their opening goal, after a bad mix up in the home defence handed their corner forward Chloe Smullen the easy task to blast home to an empty net. Kilcock were struggling at this stage and could not get out of their defence and were lucky not to concede a bizarre own goal when corner back Fiona Campion nearly put through her own net after a break down in communication with goalie Eimear Kelly. Na Fianna added another point, again from Higgins, before Kilcock enjoyed a purple patch of their own with Emma Robinson fisting a point and White getting a goal, when a point was on her mind, with what was her only ''bad'' free of the night which dropped short but was missed by the goalie and sneaked under the bar and into the net. They say though that you are at your most vulnerable just after scoring and this was the case for Kilcock, who let their opponents work the ball the full length of the field to score their second goal through midfielder Rebecca Donoghue. White levelled up just before the break with another free, this time raising the white flag. Kilcock trudged off the field at half time looking an unhappy team even though the sides were level at Kilcock 1:05 Na Fianna 2:02. But this was a good sign as it showed where this team has come and they no longer settle for the silly mistakes that were been made by the whole side throughout the first half. Stone himself looked none to happy but whatever he said to them at the interval would change the whole pattern of this contest. The new look midfield partnership of underage county stars Aisling O'Connor and Caoimhe Fagan, that looked lethargic in the opening half, showed they meant business right from the throw in of the second half when O'Connor tapped down to Fagan and from there the latter cut a path to goal and kicked a fine point to put the ladies from Branganstown into the lead, a lead they would not surrender for the duration of the game, Only extend. The accurate Louise Keane pointed almost straight away after some good work from fellow forwards Shanon Byrne and Emma Robinson. The next ten minutes were to become the Grace White show as she struck four unanswered points, (three frees) to put the girls in green and gold six points ahead. Then came the score that put the contest beyond any doubt, captain Shona Cagney started the move and fed centre forward Sheena Byrne who's shot rattled the crossbar only to fall into the waiting arms of Robinson, who calmly finished the ball to the net. Na Fianna did try and rally a bit and hit two points without reply, through Micaela McKenna and Smullen, before White, O'Connor and Fagan finished the scoring for the night with three well taken points to make the score Kilcock 2-14 Na Fianna 2-4. Stone rang the changes in the last few minutes, giving some of the younger panel members some valuable game-time experience. For the home side, goalie Eimear Kelly recovered well from the concession of two soft first half goals and pulled off a top drawer safe in the second period. The defence did not have its greatest night and struggled at times when Na Fianna were on top. Their passing out of defence will need to improve in the coming weeks but they did enjoy a better second half with Mary Tighe, Shona and Orla Cagney to the fore, with the latter moved to wing back to deal with the dangerous Na Fianna wing forward Micaela McKenna. In the middle of the park, O'Connor and Fagan grew into the game and dominated that sector of the field in the second half, while also contributing to the score board with some well taken points. All the forwards worked well, even when the chips were down, with Sheena Byrne carrying the ball well and laying the it off to girls in better positions to set up scores at crucial times. She seems to be revelling in her new position on the forty, with young Emma Maguire working non stop beside her, showing experience well beyond her years. Shanon Byrne, Emma Robinson and Louise Keane won their fair share of ball in the full forward line and took their scores when needed. But once again Grace White top scored, this time with 1:08 to her name as she pulled the strings in the forward line throughout. For Na Fianna, Tara Higgins and Chloe Smullen were a constant threat in the full forward line while Rebecca Donoghue can be happy with her display in midfield. Once again though they relied too much on star player Mikaela McKenna to try and make things happen and though she had a great first half, her second half was hampered after receiving a nasty bang to the head. The ten point win flatters Kilcock and Stone knows that improvements must be made and mistakes must be cut out if they are to keep up their 100% record away to Robert Emmets next week. Stone also knows though that his side will need to perform in both halves, something they have failed to do so far this year but the year is young and so is his team, and with some encouragement and positivity around this group of girls they can continue their winning ways. Kilcock Scorers- Grace White 1-8, Emma Robinson 1-1, Louise Keane 0-2, Caoimhe Fagan 0-2, Aisling O'Connor 0-1. Na Fianna Scorers - Chloe Smullen 1-1, Rebecca Donoghue 1-0, Tara Higgins 0-2, Micaela McKenna 0-1.

Division 5 Prosperous 4-5 Castledermot 5-11
Castledermot made it three wins from three against a never give up Prosperous side. The opening stages of the game was slow to get going but it was the visitors that got the opening score through Michaela Nolan and by half time Castledermot had put a 3 point gap between the sides. Knowing that they werent playing to their potential, Castledermot went on a scoring spree in the second half clocking up 4-7 following three quick goals scored by Prosperous in the opening stages of the second half. Best for Castledermot on the night were Michaela Nolan scoring an impressive 2-8, Shauna Doyle and Kim Kirwan. Scores came from Michaela Nolan 2-8, Shauna Doyle 1-1, Leah Byrne 1-0, Alesi Horan 1-0, Betsy 0-1, Louise Kirwan 0-1.

U14 championship
Division 4 Athy 5-3 Rathcoffey 1-4
Athy played host to Rathcoffey in round 3 of the U14 championship & it was the home side who secured the points. The 1st half was very closely contested with both sides registering good scores but it was Athy who led by at the half time mark.  Goals from Aibhlis Fleming & Rebecca Coughlan saw the home time lead 2-02 to 1-02 at half time. Athy held Rathcoffey to 2 points in the 2nd half with outstanding defensive displays from Caoimhe O'Rourke & Aoife Whelan. Athy went on to secure the points with 2 more goals from Eibhlis Fleming and then a late goal from Clodagh Mulhall. There were many excellent performances for Athy including that of Ailbhe King, who sustained a facial injury but bravely rejoined the side to see her team win out on a final scoreline of 5-03 to 1-04.

Division 3 Naas 3-12 Two Mile House 2-3
This third round match started in lively fashion in spite of the wet conditions. Naas opened the scoring with a goal from wing forward Molly Ryan; resulting from some fine passing movements among the Naas forwards. Two Mile House promptly replied with  a point while Niamh Bergin at midfield combined well with her half forwards to secure another point and Ciara Breslin at centre forward added a further point to extend the Naas lead. Two Mile House continued to contest every ball and were rewarded with a goal on the stroke of half time. Naas had opportunities to stretch their lead but narrowly missed on a few occasions. The teams were on equal terms at  1-3 each  at half time; after a  most exciting first half. Naas found their shooting boots in the second half and extended their lead courtesy of an early goal from Miriam Corrigan full forward as the centre field partnership of Niamh Bergin and Kate Coffey worked determinedly and distributed the ball to their forwards who utilised it very well resulting in further scores from Eve O Callaghan, Ciara Breslin, Sarah Kelly, Amy Carberry  Niamh Bergin and Kate Coffey. All the Naas forwards worked very well as a unit namely Mary Creaton who won a lot of breaking ball while   Laura Owens and Georgia Mc Holmes  keenly  competed and contributed to all the scores. Two Mile House battled very well and were awarded a penalty near the end of the game and they showed great spirit throughout the encounter .Naas were well served by a solid defence with Georgina Kelly in goals ably assisted by the ever diligent full back Grace Mc Entagart and the lively corner backs Kelly Perkins and Aoife Shaw. Amy Jones was her vigilant self in the half back line working hard as was the centre back Alison Walsh who all combined to produce a supreme team effort on the night Two Mile House also played very well as a unit particularly Tara Breen and Rachael Collins. Both teams contributed to a most entertaining match and should be very proud of their efforts on behalf of their respective clubs. Scorers: Naas Ciara Breslin 1-3, Molly Ryan 1-1, Miriam Corrigan 1-0, Niamh Bergin 0-3, Amy Carberry 0-2 Eve O Callaghan 0-1, Kate Coffey 0-1, Sarah Kelly 0-1