Milltown ladies cruise into senior final as Loman's await
Milltown 2-13 The Downs 0-3
Milltown put themselves within 60 minutes of winning the Westmeath LGFA Senior Championship for the first time since 2023 as they dispatched The Downs in their semi-final at Ballynacargy GAA last Sunday afternoon.
A fine return of 1-5 from Sarah Dillon, combined with some creative play from Gráinne Byrne, helped Tom Dillon’s side to win with 16 points to spare. For The Downs, it was simply too much of an ask to overturn a wounded animal in beaten 2024 finalists Milltown.
Aided by the strong wind, Milltown built up a half-time lead of 1-7 to 0-1. The goal was scored by Sarah Dillon, who claimed a kickout and returned the ball with interest back over the head of Downs goalkeeper Shauna Conneely. The ball hit the crossbar and, unfortunately for Conneely, it went into the net off her legs.
The second Milltown goal came when an angled shot from replacement Kate Whyte, aiming for a point, found the net off the far post. Overall, it was a convincing win for the girls in green as they march on to the final.
Milltown will meet St Loman's in the final after the Mullingar side's 3-11 to 0-6 win over St Mary's Rochfortbridge, also played in Ballynacargy GAA last Sunday.
Caoimhe Kilmurray hit 1-3 in a stellar performance as the defending champions set up a repeat of last year's decider. The other goals came from Evie Kilmurray (helping St Loman's into a 1-9 to 0-1 lead at half-time) and substitute Aileen Duffy.
Ciarán Kilmurray's side had too much for a St Mary’s team who finished the game with only 13 players as Fiona Coyle and Emma Collins were both shown yellow cards near the end.
Scorers – Milltown: S Dillon 1-5, K Whyte 1-1, G Byrne (1f), C Dillon 0-3 each, R Dillon 0-1. The Downs: F Walsh 0-2 (1f), K Heffernan 0-1
Milltown - Karen Walsh; Emma Ballesty, Aoife Kenny, Gemma Keena; Louise Kiernan, Kelly Boyce-Jordan, Rachel Dillon; Leanne Slevin, Tracey Dillon; Orlaith Sheerin, Gráinne Byrne, Laura Kiernan; Clodagh Dillon, Sinéad Slevin, Sarah Dillon. Subs used: Kate Whyte for S Slevin (h-t), Emma Murtagh for L Slevin (58), Lia Heduvan for S Dillon (60+1), Katie Gilligan for C Dillon (60+3).
The Downs - Shauna Conneely; Aisling Egerton, Lauren Guilfoyle, Aoife Rowan; Gemma Faulkner, Amy Dagg, Rebecca Mullooly; Niamh Nolan, Francesca Walsh; Olivia Glynn, Katie Heffernan, Niamh Rowan; Beth McGuire, Sheila McGrath, Britney McNamee. Subs used: Megan Dowdall for Glynn (h-t), Emily McNamee for Egerton (h-t), Annie Corcoran-McDonald for McGuire (42), Ciara Dolan for Mullooly (46), Michelle Bohan for McNamee (46).
Referee - Des McEnery (Garrycastle).