Two Pearses teams secure county final places
All four pre-match favourites picked up wins in the Roscommon LGFA intermediate and junior semi-finals over the weekend - but there was still plenty of heartstopping drama in what was a packed card full of excitement and tension.
In the Coachman’s Inn/Harry’s Restaurant Intermediate Championship, Pádraig Pearses continued their stellar season so far with a fifth win in five starts. But they were pushed to the wire by a Kilbride side that were unrecognisable from the team that struggled to arrest a long run of defeats across the 18 months up to the start of September.
When the two sides met in Kilbride in the round robin stages, Ollie Lennon set up his team to try and contain Pearses’ firepower and strike on the break, but now on the back of some excellent results in recent weeks, they travelled to Woodmount with much more ambition.
Nonetheless it was Pearses’ defence who dominated proceedings in the opening half, with Gráinne Lohan, Emma McGreal and Katie Malone performing well for the side that took an 0-8 to 0-3 lead into the dressing room.
In very mild conditions with no strong wing advantage for either team, Esme Halpin and Lorraine Kenny shot two points from play each for Pearses, while Kilbride didn’t score for the first 15 minutes until Fiona Tully got them off the mark.
The visitors completely transformed the game in the third quarter, however, opening up with a couple of Aisling Hanly points before Fiona Tully took advantage of a kind bounce of the ball to level up the game with a goal in the 37th minute.
A second goal, this time from Hanly, nudged Kilbride into a two-point lead but the game’s defining moment went Pearses’ way with 11 minutes to play. Kilbride goalkeeper Ciara Cronin made a huge save to block a Lorraine Kenny shot in a one-on-one situation but she couldn’t clear the ball without overcarrying and Laura Glennon found the net from the subsequent penalty.
Katelyn Keogh came off the bench to chip in with a crucial point for the winners but it was still heart-stopping stuff in the closing stages with Lily Finneran and Emma McGreal making crucial defensive stops to ensure the winners held out to prevail by 1-12 to 2-7.
In the other semi-final at Tarmonbarry, St. Barry’s had nine points to spare over St. Croan’s, 3-15 to 2-9. It was much more comfortable than that for the home side, however, as they hit the net twice in the space of 60 seconds midway through the first half to establish a strong lead that they never relinquished.
Edel Beirne (two) and Gaby Compton scored the St Barry's goals and they will now meet Pearses in the final on Saturday week.
The Leydon Brothers Junior Championship has been fiercely competitive over the past month and more but as the season progressed, Northern Harps and St. Mary’s have emerged as the strongest contenders and they deservedly secured their place on finals day in Ballyleague on Saturday week.
In the Junior C semi-finals, St. Dominic’s beat St. Ciarán's by 1-16 to 3-2 and they will meet Pádraig Pearses, who edged out Michael Glaveys by 3-10 to 3-9 in Ballinlough.
Katelyn Keogh hit the net twice to give wind-assisted Pearses an early eight-point lead, but two Vivienne Gannon goals for Glaveys pushed the home side back in front before late points from Keogh and Katie Canning ensured this knife-edge battle went the way of the Woodmount club.
The Junior C final is due to take place on Friday, October 10, with the venue and time to be confirmed.
Please see https://roscommonlgfa.ie/fixtures-2025 for all updated fixtures and results. Roscommon LGFA thanks Dermot Hughes Cars, Coachman’s Inn/Harry’s Restaurant, Leydon Brothers, Castlerea Vehicle Recycling and Family Care Practice for their generous sponsorship of the adult club championships in the county.