Ballymacarbry (Waterford) 1-09
Kilkerrin-Clonberne (Galway) 0-18
The Big Match coverage comes with thanks to George Corbett Skoda.
Galway’s Kilkerrin-Clonberne are All-Ireland ladies’ football champions for the third year in a row, as they saw off a late Ballymacarbry fightback to secure the title.
Eva and Lynsey Noone starred as did Chloe Miskell, on a historic day for Willie Ward’s side.
Ballymacarbry were appearing in the decider for the first time since 1998, and two 15-year-olds, Summer Peters and Ruby Browne were trusted to lead the charge from the offset.
Kilkerrin-Clonberne were 14-point victors over Ballymac last year at Fraher Field, but they knew they would have to be at their brilliant best to secure a third successive Dolores Tyrrell Memorial Cup.
Olivia Divilly picked out Chloe Miskell for the opening score after two minutes, before Ballymacarbry had even touched the ball - as the reigning champions looked to flex their muscle.
Karen McGrath then combined with Clare Walsh and the latter won a free, which was duly converted by Kellyann Hogan for the ten-time All-Ireland champions’ first ever score in Croke Park.
In the next passage of play, that was duly cancelled out by a great run and score from Eva Noone as the game was played in an open expansion fashion during the opening exchanges.
Captain Aileen Wall led by example and the bright Clare Walsh then shrugged off her marker to draw the sides level for the second time on six minutes.
Lauren Fitzpatrick then came to the rescue of Ballymac to deny Eva Noone the game’s opening green flag, closing down the attacker bravely at the near post. Noone then notched her third point soon after when found in space on the edge of the area as the early intensity began to plateau.
Ill-discipline began to creep in on the part of the Munster champions, and Olivia Divilly was on hand to punish them once more to move the Connacht champions into a three-point lead midway through the opening half.
Noone and Divilly toyed with the Ballymacarbry defence soon afterward, and it was Divilly on hand to move Kilkerrin-Clonberne four ahead, and few could argue that it wasn’t deserved.
Lauren Fitzpatrick and Maeve Ryan then had to be sharp to deny Chloe Miskell, but it mattered little as Nicola Ward then skipped past three players before splitting the posts to add her name to the scorers’ list. A slip was then punished just seconds later as an error from Karen McGrath was capitalised upon, with Lynsey Noone on target.
A seven-point gap soon opened when the excellent Eva Noone notched her fourth score on 25 minutes having combined with Miskell, while Ballymacarbry were now 19 minutes without a score - and badly in need of some inspiration.
Nicola Ward then drove forward and picked out Lynsey Noone for her second score, and one began to sense that this game was good as over before the half-time whistle had blown, as the Ballymac defence was being opened up at will.
Clare Walsh won a free which was converted by Kellyann Hogan for the Deise side’s first score in 24 minutes, but Lynsey Noone’s third from play wasn’t long cancelling it out as Kilkerrin-Clonberne led by 0-11 to 0-3 at the break.
Lynsey Noone notched another score after a lengthy spell of possession for the champions to reaffirm their dominance, and Eva Noone kicked her fifth score afterward to bring the Noone tally to nine and Kilkerrin’s to 13.
Chloe Miskell had a chance to secure the game’s opening goal on 40 minutes but opted to tap over for her second point to extend the advantage ti eleven.
Galway goalkeeper Lisa Murphy had a quiet evening but sprung into action to deny Karen McGrath a much-needed goal, and the champions once again oozed class as they worked the ball down the field and Miskell split the posts once more with her right boot.
The game was effectively over entering the final quarter but Ballymacarbry did their utmost to restore pride, though those attempts were once again thwarted when Chloe Miskell profited from a superb slalom from Olivia Divilly to make it 0-16 to 0-3.
Miskell couldn’t miss in the second half as the Waterford side lost their shape and she duly knocked over her fifth point, while Mike Guiry’s side were yet to register in the second period.
Out of nowhere though, they suddenly mustered 1-02 in a matter of seconds on the 48-minute mark. Aileen Wall curled over a fine point off her right boot, before Clare Walsh was on hand to knock in the game’s opening goal after Lisa Murphy had saved well from Karen McGrath. Kellyann Hogan then kicked over her third as the Waterford side temporarily flirted with the idea of the mother of all comebacks.
Still, they were nine points down - and were facing a side that hadn’t lost a game since 2019. Aileen Wall picked out the onrushing Brid McMaugh for her first of the day before the outstanding Eva Noone responded with her sixth.
Kellyann Hogan knocked over her fourth and fifth points with two close-range frees to reduce arrears to seven, before Brid McMaugh knocked over her second to make it six - but time proved the bitter enemy of Ballymac amid their late flourish.
The final klaxon sounded to give way to jubilant scenes - Ballymacarbry fought valiantly, but the champions were worthy of that accolade, as their dominance of the club scene continues.
Ballymacarbry: Lauren Fitzpatrick; Gretta Nugent, Michelle McGrath, Maeve Ryan; Karen McGrath, Louise Ryan, Brid McMaugh; Kellyann Hogan, Aoife Barron; Aileen Wall, Summer Peters, Muireann Boyce; Sadhbh Hallinan, Clare Walsh, Ruby Browne
Subs: Grace Carrigan for Muireann Boyce (HT); Michelle Ryan for Aoife Barron (42); Orla Barron for Maeve Ryan (55)
Scorers: Kellyann Hogan (0-05; 0-04f); Clare Walsh (1-01); Brid McMaugh (0-02); Aileen Wall (0-01)
Kilkerrin-Clonberne: Lisa Murphy; Chloe Costello, Sarah Gormally, Claire Dunleavy; Katelyn Mee, Nicola Ward, Lisa Finnegan; Siobhan Divilly, Hannah Noone; Olivia Divilly, Louise Ward, Lynsey Noone; Eva Noone, Chloe Miskell, Niamh Divilly
Subs: Maeve Flanagan for Sarah Gormally (44); Aisling Madden for Niamh Divilly (55); Caitlin Boyle for Lisa Finnegan (58); Caoimhe Boyle for Eva Noone (58)
Scorers: Eva Noone (0-06); Chloe Miskell (0-05); Lynsey Noone (0-04); Olivia Divilly (0-02); Nicola Ward (0-01)
Referee: Maggie Farrelly (Cavan)
The Big Match coverage comes with thanks to George Corbett Skoda.
