Castlepollard withstand late Delvin rally to secure honours

Castlepollard 1-13, Delvin 1-8

Castlepollard withstood a late barrage of Delvin goal attempts to secure the Division 2 title in front of hundreds of supporters in scorching conditions at Cusack Park on Sunday morning.

An evenly contested encounter swung in Castlepollard’s favour thanks to a fortuitous first-half goal from distance and the class of key players Lauryn Sheridan and Rebecca Ward, who combined for 1-10 of their side's overall tally.

Delvin, who trailed by five points at the interval (1-5 to 0-3), were slow to settle, scoring just three points before the break, but, inspired by Áine Newman, they matched Castlepollard score for score in the second half, creating several goal chances but just falling short.

Played in 23-degree heat, referee Jim Bob Baker allowed a water break in each half to help players hydrated and take a deserved rest.

Castlepollard struck first through Lauryn Sheridan, who added a second point from play after three minutes following a turnover from the Delvin puck-out.

Sheridan soon added her third, this time from 40 yards out off her left side, after which Delvin assigned Áine Newman to mark her, recognising the danger she posed early on.

Linda Clune opened Delvin’s account at 10 minutes played after her free deflected over off the hurl’ of goalkeeper Caoimhe McCormack.

Sheridan, with a powerful strike, converted a free from just inside her opponent’s half for her fourth score of the match. After the water break, Aoife Gaffney received possession in a tight position, worked herself into space and clipped over.

Rebecca Ward then enjoyed a slice of fortune when her strike from distance on the right drifted into the top corner beyond the outstretched hurl of Deirdre Barry, who was also battling the sun.

It stretched the lead to five, a deficit Delvin would spend the remainder of the game trying to claw back.

A couple of minutes before the break, Áine Newman charged through the centre, evaded three Castlepollard defenders and split the posts with a flick of the wrist from her right.

Castlepollard responded after a pull on Ward’s jersey saw Sheridan convert another free, leaving the half-time score at 1-5 to 0-3.

Ward began an outstanding personal second-half display in style, bursting through the centre before sending over an excellent point.

Sheridan then added a free and a 45 before Ward stretched the lead to nine.

That looked to have settled the contest, but a free from Niamh Horan got Delvin back on the scoreboard. A major breakthrough arrived when Olivia Kelleghan beat her marker through on goal before firing low to the left of the goalkeeper to reduce the deficit to five.

A missed 45’ from Sheridan was followed by Janette Greville, who clipped over to add her name to the scoresheet. Ward then tagged on another point after another excellent run.

Niamh Horan added her second free of the half before Áine Newman sent a free from around the 65-metre line soaring over the bar to reignite Delvin’s challenge. Newman quickly followed with another free to leave just four between the sides with five minutes of normal time remaining.

Delvin pushed for goals, with Ciara Fitzsimons striking the crossbar before Caoimhe McCormack saved from Kelleghan and was awarded a free after a loose ball.

Rebecca Ward then found first-half substitute Izzy O’Neill in space to take an easy point. Delvin’s search for a goal continued and Ciara Fitzsimons looked to rattle the net, but play was brought back for an earlier foul on Kelleghan, much to the frustration of the Delvin players and supporters.

The game eventually fizzled out, with Áine Newman adding another excellent point from play from around the 65-metre line in the closing moments.

Castlepollard’s first-half dominance and quick start to the second half ultimately proved enough to secure the title, but Delvin remained firmly in contention throughout the closing quarter and battled until the final whistle.

Scorers - Castlepollard: Lauryn Sheridan 0-7 (0-3f, 0-1 45’), Rebecca Ward 1-3, Izzy O’Neill 0-2, Janette Greville 0-1.

Delvin: Áine Newman 0-4 (0-2f), Olivia Kelleghan 1-0, Niamh Horan 0-2, Linda Clune 0-1 (0-1f), Aoife Gaffney 0-1.

Castlepollard: Caoimhe McCormack, Ariana Hayden, Laura Kilcoyne, Jennie Kiernan, Kayla Kennedy, Ella Reilly, Amy Higgins, Rebecca Ward, Emma Lancaster, Emma Kilcoyne, Janette Greville, Emma Gilchrist, Jemma Maybury, Lauryn Sheridan, Shauna Briody.

Subs: Izzy O’Neill for A. Higgins, Louise Nea for E. Kilcoyne, Emma O’Hara for S. Briody.

Delvin: Deirdre Barry, Jessica Cullen, Catherine Fallon, Ruth Fitzsimons, Ciara Higgins, Áine Newman, Ella Barry, Lauren Forde, Anjali Gopalakrishnan, Linda Clune, Niamh Horan, Aoife Gaffney, Emily Farrelly, Olivia Kelleghan, Ciara Fitzsimons.

Subs: Carla Gaffney for L. Clune, Grace McCormack for A. Gopalakrishnan, Sarah Li for J. Cullen, Elaine Farrelly for C. Higgins.

Referee: Jim Bob Baker (Cullion).