Féile joy for Mark’s girls

HISTORY was made by St Mark’s Under 15s when they became the first girls’ team since the club’s establishment to win the féile, and they did so in dramatic fashion on Sunday.

Coached by Aoife Doran and Michael O’Flaherty, St Mark’s stormed to the Dublin Division Five Camogie Féile title with a 3-2 to 1-2 victory over St Finian’s Swords in the final at the Trinity College Sports Grounds.

It was the free-taking ability of captain Zara Quirke that established a foothold in the decider for the Tallaght outfit, but their Swords counterparts relented and were hard to break down.

Yet, Quirke tallied 2-2, notching a score every time Finian’s seemed to gain momentum.

Across the weekend, it was Quirke’s dogged battling and excellent scoring ability that helped Mark’s through the competition and the midfielder was duly rewarded with the Player of the Game accolade for her final performance.

Her midfield partner Ava Sherwood also had a fantastic tournament, and she ended up in a fantastic battle with Keeva O’Donovan of Thomas Davis in the semi-finals.

Zara Quirke gets her shot away, as Naomi Hatch and Jodi Costello look on

St Mark’s hosted the group stage and semi-final of the féile at McGee Park, and managed to get results despite the poor weather.

After beating Na Fianna in the first round of the group stage, it came down to a fine margin for the amber blacks in the second round against Lucan Sarsfields, running out 1-2 to 1-1 victors.

The two wins qualified the Saints for a home semi-final, and they hosted Davis’, who came out of a three-way tie on the opposite side of the group, travelling from Kiltipper for the penultimate round.

Davis’ poured on the pressure, with O’Donovan and Sarah Moody very strong in midfield but Mark’s goalkeeper Lucia Dare kept their advances at bay for the most part.

Maria Berezhnaya was resolute in her defending and displayed an attacking threat from half back while Jodi Costello, Ashling Martin and Naomi Hatch battled throughout.

Grace Greene and Layla Murphy provided a lot of dynamism in attack when deployed, as Mark’s ran out 2-1 to 1-2 winners to secure a spot in the final.

This Under 15s team is the most successful juvenile team in the club, having won league and championship honours, in both football and camogie, in recent years.

Beating St Finian’s Swords in the final on Sunday added a prestigious féile medal to their already impressive haul of medals.

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