Resilient Limerick Ladies score vital win over Cork in Munster senior 'B' championship

LIMERICK Ladies footballers made it two wins from three in the group stages of the TG4 Munster LGFA senior 'B' football championship when recording an impressive 2-12 to 0-10 victory over Cork at Naomh Abán GAA Grounds in Ballyvourney, Co Cork on Saturday evening.

Home side Cork led the game in the early stages, but it was holders Limerick who were in front at half-time, 1-6 to 0-7, thanks to a goal from Róisin Ambrose shortly before the break.

Limerick were never caught in the second half and the visitors led by six points at the three quarter way stage of the contest.

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A well-taken goal from Rebecca Delee with 10 minutes remaining then sealed the victory for Limerick who now advance to the Munster LGFA senior 'B' football final in Mallow in two weeks' time.

“We had a long journey down on a hot day, but Cork didn't let us hit the ground running. However, once we settled down after half-time, we had the game under control and never left it drift away from us,” was how joint-manager Seán Kiely expressed his satisfaction with Limerick's ladies footballers reaching a second successive Munster Senior 'B' championship final.

Once his charges recovered from an edgy, error-strewn start to move into a lead they never lost with a goal three minutes before the break, Limerick imposed their dominance over Cork's second side with increasing authority before a second goal ten minutes from time ended the tie as a contest.

Limerick's reward is not only a chance to retain their title in a fortnight's time but also to gain revenge against opponents Clare for their defeat to a last gasp goal in the opening round of the group stages.

However, of even greater importance is the increasing confidence they have shown in their performance as a team before they began their campaign for the season's main objective, the All-Ireland Junior title which they have been edged out of in the closing stages over the past few years.

Cork tore into the game right from the throw-in, piling forward in numbers to pressure any chance of their opponents forcing the turnovers and, after Rachel O'Regan got them off the mark with a point, Ashley Ferris and Síofra Patwell popped up to put their side three points to the good.

However, the course of play changed significantly when Limerick found the shape of their kick-out and, once they moved into the opposing half, their running game drew fouls which Deborah Murphy punished twice either side also adding a point from play.

However, Cork were back in front when Síófra Patwell sent over a free at the other end. However, the visitors were still in the ascendant and took the lead for the first time when Tara Geoghegan struck on the turn from close range just after Róisín Ambrose skinned through the challenges in a 60-metre solo only to see her shot skim just over the cross bar.

However, their shape wavered after that, allowing the Rebels to drive up the centre and regain the advantage, with Ferris and O'Regan pointing from close range. Indeed, it could have been greater had Sophie Hennessy spread herself across her goal to close off Aoife Hurley's shot from close range.

Coming up to the break, Limerick rediscovered their focus and their persistence of their running game paid off when Ambrose bore in from the left to pass and collect the return for a clinical goal beneath Caoimhe Moore's diving attempt to save.

Geoghegan then followed up to put three points between the sides before O'Regan's reply in added time narrowed Limerick's advantage to 1-6 to 0-7.

An exchange of frees between Murphy and Patwell opened the second half. However, that was when the visitors took over and, despite their waves of attack not being immediately reflected on the scoreboard, Cork's prospects began to dim when points from Geoghegan, Orla Ryan and a Murphy pair of scores stretched Limerick's lead to six by the three-quarter mark.

Cork's hopes were all but extinguished when Karen O'Leary soloed across the face of the large square before offloading to Rebecca Delee to bury in the net.

Skipper Grace Ó Murchú, on her home pitch, raised a cheer when she interrupted Limerick's run with a score for the home side but, after she was followed by Holly Quirke's free and O'Regan blasting her shot off the crossbar, the visitors ended any further attempts at eating into the deficit before Grace Mullane fisted over the game's final score from the tightest of angles.

SCORERS: LIMERICK: Deborah Murphy 0-6 (3 frees), Róisín Ambrose 1-1, Tara Geoghegan 0-3, Rebecca Delee 1-0, Orla Ryan, Grace Mullane 0-1 each; CORK: Rachel O'Regan, Síofra Patwell (2 frees) 0-3 each, Ashleigh Ferris 0-2, Grace Ní Mhurchú, Holly Quirke (free) 0-1 each.

LIMERICK: Sophie Hennessy; Sarah Dillon, Yvonne Lee, Emma Kennedy; Maedhbh McNamara, Lucy O'Brien, Grace Lee; Róisín Ambrose, Orla Ryan; Caoimhe McGrath, Georgia Keane, Karen O'Leary; Cathy Mee, Tara Geoghegan, Deborah Murphy. SUBS: Rebecca Delee for Georgia Keane (half-time), Ellie Woulfe for Grace Lee (38 minutes), Andrea O'Sullivan for Maedhbh McNamara (45 minutes), Grace Mullane for Tara Geoghegan (50 minutes), Róisín Browne for Sarah Dillon (55 minutes), Éadaoin Crowe for Orla Ryan (55 minutes), Aoife Morrissey for Róisín Ambrose (55 minutes), Carol Bateman for Sophie Hennessy (56 minutes), Joanne McGuire for Lucy O'Brien (56 minutes), Ciara Hynes for Emma Kennedy (56 minutes), Lauren Ryan for Cathy Mee (59 minutes).

CORK: Caoimhe Moore; Amy McKennedy, Caoimhe Heffernan, Rebecca Sheehan; Ruth Shanley, Emma Cooney, Emma Murphy; Aoife McTaggart, Kate O'Donovan; Aisling Moloney, Grace Ní Mhurchú, Ashley Ferris; Síofra Patwell, Aoife Hurley, Rachel O'Regan. SUBS: Gráinne Cowhig for Caoimhe Moore (35 minutes), Ava McCarthy for Aisling Moloney (38 minutes), Holly Quirke for Síofra Patwell (39 minutes), Molly Fitzgerald for Aoife Hurley (39 minutes), Molly O'Sullivan for Amy McKennedy (55 minutes), Niamh Kennedy for Rebecca Sheehan (55 minutes), Ellen Murphy for Aoife McTaggart (55 minutes).

REFEREE: John Purcell (Kerry).