Shield success for St Anne’s

ANNE’S Senior Ladies clinched the Junior K Shield in a nail-biting final on Wednesday, the match would be an incredibly close affair with ultimately only three points separating the teams at the final whistle with the scoreline reading 4-4 to 1-10 in favour of St Annes with a dramatic late penalty sealing the Shield in Bohernabreena.

A key component of the club’s victory was the depth of the squad with the team being able to call upon quality players from the Under -15 and -16 squads to help bolster an already strong side.

St Annes started quickly and scored the first two scores of the game to get themselves off on the right foot.

Fingal Ravens however would not be turned over easily and showed why they were slight favourites heading into the fixture.

The teams went tit for tat with one another and nothing could separate them at the break heading into the tunnel with St Annes scoring 1-4 to Ravens 0-7.

Fingal Ravens would begin to put their stamp on the game in the second half and manage a five point lead for themselves.

This would have been expanded on further had it not been for the outstanding performance of St Annes goalkeeper Robyn Hempenstall who ensured her team stayed in the game with a series of excellent saves.

Her teammates repaid her efforts when Laragh Fogarty scored a goal that closed the gap on Fingal and brought St Annes back into the game.

The spirit of St Annes refused to be broken and through sheer grit and determination the girls clawed their way back into the match drawing themselves level with just a minute of regular time left on the clock.

Now with nothing to separate the teams, five minutes of injury time was announced with everything still to play for.

It would be St Annes who would come out on top after Lynn Murphy was brought down in the box for a penalty to be awarded.

Leah Kirwan stepped up to the spot and despite the pressure slotted home the ball to score her third goal of the night and ensure that St Annes found themselves in the front seat with only moments left in the match.

They would hold on to their lead and secure the win with a three point margin with captain Grace Mahon being presented the trophy at the end of the game.

While the Junior D ladies fell just short in their final against Na Fianna, losing by two points, it was a day of double celebration for the club as the Junior Hurlers were also crowned champions in their final.

Celebrations for St. Anne’s went long into the night, marking a fitting end to a memorable championship.