Leitrim Ladies Notes-

Leitrim Ladies Notes:

[b]Champions:[/b]
Congratulations to Dromahair ladies who captured the Junior B Champiomship title on Sunday week last with a great display to defeat Sean O?Heslins in Drumshanbo. The Ballinamore club came bouncing back on Saturday last as they defeated neighbours Aughnasheelin in the 9 a Side Under 16 Final.

[b]Connacht Club Championship: [/b]
Our Junior and Senior Club champions bowed out of the Connacht Club Championship at the semi final stage over the past week. Glencar Manor led by a point at the halfway stage of their game against Cill Chomain of Mayo on Sunday week in Drumkeerin but playing against the wind in the second half they could not prevent the Mayo team from progressing. On Saturday last Aughawillan travelled to Kiltoom to take on St Brigids of Roscommon in the senior semi final. Unfortunately in the end they were defeated by three points on a scoreline of 3-7 to 3-4.

[b]Division 3 League: [/b]
Dromahair and Sean O?Heslins meet again on Sunday next when the Division 3 league title will be decided. See fixtures for details.

[b]Division 2 League: [/b]
Wins for Annaduff over Bornacoola and Glencar Manor against Ballinaglera on Sunday last have left both teams facing a crucial league game next Sunday. A win for Glencar Manor will qualify them for the final against St Joseph?s but an Annaduff win will mean a further round of games to be completed with a possible playoff in prospect.

[b]Division 1 League: [/b]
Kiltubrid enjoyed a 5-8 to 1-10 win over Mohill in a playoff game on Sunday morning last. This now qualifies them for a semi final meeting with Cloone with the winners meeting Aughawillan in the final.

[b]Intermediate B Championship: [/b]
St Josephs and Glencar Manor have qualified for the final with the date to be arranged.

[b]Under 16 Championship: [/b]
Three of the four semi finalists have now been confirmed as St Josephs, Kiltubrid, Aughawillan. The fourth place will be taken by the winners of the Glencar Manor and St Marys game to be played next Saturday at 1.00pm in Manorhamilton.

[b]All Ireland Final:[/b]
In the end Sligo proved to be the superior team on the day as Leitrim could not reproduce the form that took them to Croke Park. However this has still been a successful year for the ladies team. The first objective of promotion to Division 2 of the National League in May was achieved by qualifying for the League Final. Despite the one point loss to Clare in the final, the team lifted itself to new heights and achieved their second objective of collecting the Connacht title late in July. The third objective of qualifying for the All Ireland Final was also achieved and great credit is due to all of the players, management and County board officials who left no stone unturned during the year. The experience of playing in the final will undoubtedly give a great advantage to all for next years campaign. Playing in the final is not just about a game as there we so many side issues to be addressed and dealt with. Thanks to all of the players for their excellent representation on behalf of their county all over the weekend. The day was also very special for ten lucky under 12 players who played at half time during the finals, and hopefully some of them will get a chance to represent Leitrim on the national stage again in the future. Thanks to the clubs for their help in the sale of match tickets. A special word of thanks to the thousands of Leitrim supporters who travelled to Croke Park for the game and for their great support before, during and after the game. Despite the heartbreak of the loss, the players will all have special memories of the weekend, but in particular they will remember the fantastic receptionÓgiven to them from the supporters both in the Cusack and Hogan Stand after the game. Speaking to a number of supporters after the game this was also a special moment for them, and they felt nothing but pride in their players that gave them a great journey this year. Thanks to all of our sponsors who helped in no small way towards the financial cost of the weekend. We hope that this is only the start of more rewarding days ahead.

[b]All Ireland Sevens: [/b]
Well done to Dromahair and Aughawillan who represented Leitrim in the Junior and Senior annual sevens competition at Naomh MearnÓg on the day before the All Ireland. Dromahair also played in the under 14 sevens on the same day.

[b]All Star Nominations: [/b]
Unfortunately there was great disappointment on Friday as Leitrim?s achievement in reaching the finals of the three competitions they took part in was not taken into consideration when the All Star Nominations for 2006 were announced. While the task of nominating a final list is always difficult, and accepting that the senior counties will get the majority of nominations, it is usual that teams that reach the final stages of competitions have some representation on the final list, and Leitrim seem to be the only county to lose out. Best of luck to Sligo?s goalkeeper, Katrina Connolly on her third successive nomination and this should be third time lucky for Katrina.

 

 

18-Oct-06 by Patricia Bohan