Ballyboden take 8 in a row

  • Jan 07,2008
Ballyboden St. Endas 1-12 Naomh Mearnog/St. Sylvestors 1-10 by Declan Drake

Ballyboden St. Endas ladies team recorded their 8th consecutive Dublin Ladies Senior Football Championship title success under the Parnell Park Floodlights on Friday night at the expense of a gallant Naomh Mearnog/St Sylvestors side who last year won the Intermediate Championship and went all the way to the All Ireland Final. On a perfect night for football the attendence were treated to a fine contest between two well matched sides with an array of current and past county players on show. 3 times in the opening half the sides were on level terms the last of those at 1-3 to 0-6, the goal a finely executed effort from Boden corner forward Edel Drury on 17 mins after Louise Kellys ball picked her out.

By the time the half time break was signalled by refereee Keith Tighe Boden enjoyed a one point lead 1-5 to 0-7. Sinead Aherne an all star in her time was enjoying her evening as was her fellow corner forward Katie Slattery for the Portmarnock/Malahide ladies in their all white strip. On the other side of the equation Boden skipper Louise Kelly was exerting her inflluence on proceedings both as a scorer and creator of chances. The second half saw the sides continue their fine battle. Sinead Aherne was to get the better of Boden net minder Suzanne Hughes in the second period on 41 mins for her sides goal to keep her team believing that they could actually end the reign of their southside opponents. Hughes as has been the case so often for her team was enjoying a strong performance having produced a couple of excellent stops. Having conceeded that goal Boden showed just why they are a champion team as they responded with a hatrick of scores of the boots of Fiona Corcoran, Edel Drury who finished with 1-2 and Karen Hopkins.

While Mearnog/Sylvestors continued to work hard and put the Boden defence under pressure the experience of players such as Martina Farell Joanne O Sullivan and further out the field in the shape of Fiona Corcorcan was to prove invaluable. The final few mins were tense with both sides spurning good opportunities to achieve the same aim of being county champions for 2007 and earning the right to represent Dublin in the Leinster Club championship. At the end of it all it was Bodens night once again as they had the crucial couple of point advantage to secure the win. Former Dublin All Star Angie Mc Nally enjoyed a managerial success in the intermediate decider when her Ballinteer St. Johns/Naomh Olaf side beat St. Brigids. It was a real family affair as her dad Paddy was a selector on the team and her sister Deirdre played at corner back.