Dominant St Anne’s storm to Championship crown

A RAMPANT St Anne’s, led by the brilliance of Emily Fogarty, were full value for their 4-15 to 2-4 win over Lucan Sarsfields in the Junior 4A Championship Final at 12th Lock on Sunday.

Those early nerves, which led to a couple of wides at both ends, dissipated when Kerry O’Neill struck over a point for the Bohernabreena outfit a couple of minutes into the match.

Anne’s heaped the pressure on with Emily Fogarty splitting the posts twice in succession from a 45 and free respectively.

Lucan were no pushovers either and utilised the pace of Erica O’Reilly to make inroads.

It was a foul on O’Reilly that led to Lucan’s opening score- a pointed free from Emma Morris.

By the water break, the travelling side were 0-5 to 0-1 ahead after another Fogarty point from a placed ball and O’Neill clipping the sliotar over.

In the second quarter, Fogarty really came into her own from dead-ball, striking over three 45s and a brace of frees to push Anne’s even further ahead.

By the half-time interval, they were leading 1-11 to 0-1 after Aisling Pyke pointed and Bridin Carey blasted the ball under the crossbar from a close-range free.

Lucan used the break to regroup and came out fighting.

Led from midfield by Cara Ware, the hosts did enjoy some success in retaining possession, but were caught on the backfoot by three very impressive counter-attacking moves.

Ellen Barnes goaled from close range while Fogarty and Pyke found the net either side of a Lucan point from Cliodhna Ni Bhuachalla.

In the middle of the swath of goals, Emma Morris did respond in kind for Sarsfields, but her side had been totally outgunned, 4-11 to 1-2, by the water-break.

Fogarty brought her personal tally to 1-9 as O’Neill and co-captain Sadhbh Peelo-Stassin (2) pushed their side even further out of reach of a young and dogged Lucan team.

Ni Bhuachalla had swapped from centre-back to centre-forward and hit a further 1-1 before the final whistle, but it was merely a consolation at that late stage in the match.

Afterwards, St Anne’s competitor Shona O’Connor was awarded the Player of the Match accolade for her high fielding and strong running that established the necessary platform for her side’s attack from midfield.