AIG DUBLIN FEILE FINAL DIV 7 MATCH REPORT
AIG DUBLIN FEILE DIVISION SEVEN FINAL
CUALA ‘B’………………………….. 2-2
CASTLEKNOCK ‘B’……………….. 0-1
By Daire Walsh
Goals in each half by Sadie Bennett and Kerrie Begley helped Cuala ‘B’ to claim the AIG Dublin Feile Division Seven title at O’Toole Park on Sunday afternoon.
In spite of a game effort from Castleknock ‘B’, the Dalkey outfit – captained on the day by Sarah O’Hagan – prevailed with seven points to spare. Louisa Kirkwood and Ella Buckley also produced strong displays to keep Castleknock at bay until the end of the proceedings.
Courtesy of consecutive victories over Trinity Gaels, Thomas Davis ‘B’ and Clontarf ‘B’ on Saturday, Cuala finished at the summit of Group B. As a result, they progressed to a semi-final encounter against Raheny ‘B’ – who were runners-up to Castleknock on the opposite side of Division Seven.
In their last-four showdown at Thomastown, Cuala recorded a four-point success – 0-8 to 1-1 – to advance to the final.
While they couldn’t be separated from Raheny in their Group A meeting (1-4 apiece), wins at the expense of O’Dwyers (2-2 to 0-3) and Naomh Olaf ‘B’ (4-2 to 3-2) afforded Castleknock a place in the knockout stages of the competition.
They were made to work for their place in the decider by Trinity Gaels, but a hard-earned 1-5 to 2-1 triumph at Bremore Park set them up for a showpiece event in the Crumlin venue. Although Cuala were on top of possession during the early exchanges, Castleknock posed a considerable threat in attack.
When referee Jonny Jackson awarded a close-range free to her side in the fifth-minute, Ailbhe Geraghty was presented with an ideal opportunity to break the deadlock. However, her subsequent effort on goal was deflected away from the target, much to the relief of the Cuala faithful.
At the opposite end, Ella Geary provided the Dalkey girls with a direct option on the edge of the square. She fired narrowly past the post on the stroke of 10 minutes, before Doireann Ni Bhraonain finally edged them in front with the aid of the woodwork.
This was supplemented by Kirkwood’s pointed free, as Cuala looked to create some distance between themselves and their Somerton Park counterparts. While Castleknock played with great discipline in defence, they found themselves staring into a five-point interval deficit (1-2 to 0-0).
A speculative long-distance strike from Sadie Bennett towards the end of the half slipped through the grasp of Castleknock custodian Saoirse Behan for the opening goal of the game.
This ensured Cuala were in control of their own destiny when the action resumed, and yet still wary of a potential Castleknock backlash. There was certainly no faulting the perseverance of ‘Knock, who were led superbly on the day by Molly McCarthy.
Though there radar was off for much of the action, they continued to search for scores as the second period developed. They simply couldn’t rein in the challenge of Cuala, however, and the outcome was ultimately placed beyond doubt on the half-hour mark.
After Behan had denied Annalivia Hayes at the end of an earlier move, Begley found the roof of the net to secure the second goal of the tie. There was enough time for Castleknock to open their account through the hard-working Aoife Byrne, but Cuala were not to be denied a much-deserved win.
Scorers – Cuala ‘B’: Sadie Bennett, Kerrie Begley 1-0 each, Louisa Kirkwood (f), Doireann Ni Bhraonain 0-1 each. Castleknock ‘B’: Aoife Byrne 0-1.
CUALA ‘B’: Aoife Ni Drisceoil, Abbie McDonnell, Daisy Gavigan, Doireann Dalton, Zoe Hall, Roisin Houlihan, Aisling Quinn, Louisa Kirkwood, Doireann Ni Bhraonain, Sarah O’Hagan, Lauren O’Callaghan, Sadie Bennett, Ella Buckley, Ailbhe Ni Chroidheain, Iseult McGrath, Lucy McCullough, Annalivia Hayes, Cara Dunne, Siofra Ni Dhonnchu, Kerrie Begley, Ella Geary, Poppy Carr Healy.
CASTLEKNOCK ‘B’: Saoirse Behan, Abby Tiernan, Caoimhe O Flanagain, Ruth Linnane, Sarah McMenamin, Molly McCarthy, Emma Byrne, Abigail Behan, Roisin Brady, Gara Williams, Ailbhe Geraghty, Maria Power, Aoife Byrne, Casey McMahon, Eabha Connor, Ciara Sawyer, Marianne Brady, Avril Doherty, Alison Callinan, Ella Kennedy.
Referee: Jonny Jackson (Thomas Davis).