Saturday 16th October 2021
Cotslandwick, St Albans
Referee: Beano, London
Éire Óg Oxford took home their first Glo-Herts League title on Saturday, defeating a historic St. Colmcilles side, their first title loss in six years. Behind by a point at half-time, the Oxford side outscored the St. Albans team during an outstanding third quarter to bring home the trophy.
Éire Óg were the first on the scoreboard with a point from Aisling Dennehy a few minutes into the first half. St. Colmcilles were quick to retaliate with a goal and a point, followed by another score from Éire Óg.
A fantastic run down the pitch from Rathcoole woman Aisling Dennehy led to a chance on goal from Niamh McHugh, saved by the St Colmcilles keeper but tapped in by a defiant Dennehy to put a goal on the Éire Óg score sheet. A third point from St. Colmcilles saw the St Albans side in the lead at the half time whistle.
Half time score Éire Óg Oxford 1-02 St. Colmcilles 1-03
Éire Óg took off to a flying start in the third quarter. Despite a heroic dive by the St Colmcilles keeper, a penalty saw Claire Davies put another Éire Óg goal in the net. Niamh Donnellan had a storming run from defence to put another goal on the score sheet. Points from Niamh McHugh, Aisling Dennehy and Claire Davies all contributed to the Oxford side storming ahead of their experienced counterparts. Éire Óg keeper Anna Lawes remained steady in goals and pulled off some comfortable saves with strong support from Sarah Walsh, Lisa Culleton and Aisling Hastings in the backline.
St. Colmcilles pulled their defences back and started to regain ground in the final quarter. A further two goals and 3 points meant the Oxford side were starting to look in trouble. Stoic effort from captain Steph Slevin meant that the Éire Óg side were able to keep up resilience until the final whistle blew. A historic win for the Oxford side, their first Glo-Herts title win. Thank you to St. Colmcilles for a well fought and competitive game.
Final score Éire Óg Oxford 4-08 St. Colmcilles 3-05
Player of the Match: Niamh Donnellan
Éire Óg: Anna Lawes, Niamh Donnellan, Sarah Walsh, Lisa Culleton (Vice Captain), Aisling Hastings, Christine Quinlan, Steph Slevin (captain), Claire Davies, Niamh McHugh (Vice Captain), Bryony Robinson, Aisling Dennehy, Lisa Kehoe, Charlotte Nicholls, Cáitlin McManus, Aisling Hubert, Rachel Keane. Subs/Injuries: Aisling Curtis, Bridget Johnson, Niamh Coll, Sarah Culleton, Steph Macdonald, Zöe Devlin
Management: Deborah Cuddy, Eamon Devlin, Jason Culleton
Scores: Niamh Donnellan (1-00) Claire Davies (1-02) Niamh McHugh (0-01) Aisling Dennehy (1-05) Lisa Kehoe (1-00)
