Single Code Shield Green wi for Davis U15 ladies
NICOLE Phillips and Morgane Berigan both contributed a hat-trick of goals at Ballystrahan on Saturday afternoon as Thomas Davis secured the Dublin U15 ladies football Single Code Shield Green title with an emphatic 9-10 to 1-4 triumph against St Margaret’s, reports Daire Walsh.
This was the latest success story in what has been a year of significant highs for the Tallaght underage outfit.
Back on April 23 at St Anne’s Park, Davis were crowned Dublin Division Two Feile champions with a 0-10 to 0-2 final win over Raheny. This was followed just under two months later by their exploits in the Leinster Regional Feile Division Two showpiece, when the Kiltipper Road girls came away with a 2-4 to 1-5 victory at the expense of Celbridge.
Although several months have passed since the latter, Davis remained in a positive frame of mind for their trip to St Margaret’s GAA last weekend. Both teams were forced to contend with difficult weather conditions and it was perhaps unsurprising that it was the hosts who broke the deadlock with an early point.
Nevertheless, an extremely gifted Davis side subsequently came to the terms with the task at hand and firmly established their authority with a succession of fine scores. The impressive Keelin Galvin and Cara Dalton both rattled the net as the visitors laid down a marker for what was to come.
The aforementioned Berigan also registered a brace of goals and while Margaret’s did find the range again before the opening period had reached a conclusion, Davis brought a convincing 4-4 to 0-3 cushion into the second half.
The conditions had become substantially better on the resumption and this worked to the advantage of the attack-minded Davis. Supplementing a two-point salvo from Jessica Kenny, Sophie Palmer and Phillips raised white flags to ensure the scoreboard kept ticking over.
Despite Margaret’s firing back with a goal of their own, the combined forces of Grace Leigh, Emma Lowth and Alex Giglione kept their attack on a tight leash throughout. Davis were determined to finish the tie in style and with Phillips and Berigan adding their third majors in the closing moments, they managed to do just that.
Remarkably, the Thomas Davis U15s will have a chance to pick up a fourth piece of silverware for 2022 when they welcome Na Fianna to Kiltipper Road on Saturday for an U15 Shield Division Two final (throw-in 1.30pm).