St Anne’s Claim Munster Schools Girls Senior And Junior Cup Double

It was an action-packed day in the Munster Schools Girls Senior and Junior Cups as St Anne’s Community College from Killaloe, Co. Clare emerged with a well deserved double triumph.

St Anne’s recorded a comfortable 50-0 win over Coláiste Íde Dingle in the Junior Cup final before the Clare school dispatched Ardscoil Mhuire 17-5 in a hard-fought Senior Cup decider.

Coláiste Íde Dingle 0 – 50 St Anne’s Community College – Junior Cup

In the Junior Cup final, St Anne’s had too much for competition debutants Coláiste Íde Dingle who to their credit, had a fairytale season in reaching the decider.

In the earlier Junior Cup match, St Anne’s raced into a quick 10-0 lead after early tries from Mia Hennelly and Tuathla Ryan.

The Kerry outfit grew into the game but the wet conditions saw a number of handling errors occur which stemmed their momentum.

Towards the end of the first half St Anne’s landed a quick two-fire sucker punch as out-half Charlie Dillon crossed for her side’s third try before Lucy Pearl showed great acceleration and pace to cross next to the posts.

St. Anne’s celebrate their Junior Cup win ©INPHO

Dillon landed the conversion to give St Anne’s a 22-0 lead at the break.

12 minutes into the second half, St Anne’s went over for their fifth try through Dillon and the out-half converted her own score to extend the lead to 29-0.

Lauren Dowling then got on the scoresheet for St Anne’s after she powered over from a penalty 5m out. Dillon converted well again to give her side a 36-0 lead.

Sheila Ni Laoire Nic Aodh of Coláiste Íde
©INPHO

Hennelly then completed her hattrick with two more tries which were converted by Dillon to give St Anne’s a 50-0 win and the Junior Cup.

Coláiste Íde Dingle: Katie Ní Cholgain, Alana Ní Shuilleabhain, Roisín Ní Dhonnchaidh, Cáit Ní Laoire Nic Aodh, Georgina Ní Chiarnain, Sheila Ní Laoire Nic Aodh, Caoilinn Ní Laoire; Lauren Brett, Shauna Ní Neill, Lillian Ní Loinsigh, Sophia Seymour, Lucy Nic Chárthiagh, Lauren Ní Leamhna, Derville Ní Lionsigh, Annie Ní Raghailligh.

Replacements: Aoibhinn Ní Aodh Ní Riain, Mallaidh Ní Bheolain, Olivia Urbanska.

St Anne’s: Aoife Coleman, Emer Gilmartin, Lucy Pearl, Mia Hennelly, Sophie O’Neill, Charlie Dillon, Grace Dillon; Amy Lynch, Ciara Bigot, Emily Darcy, Muireann Houlihan, Isobel Quinn, Clodagh Ryan, Lauren Dowling, Tuathla Ryan.

Replacements: Ellie Hennelly, Amber Herbik, Ava Donnelly, Meg Mulcahy, Evie Hass, Louise Fahy, Hannah O’Shaughnessy, Hollie Keogh, Paige Keogh, Lily Power.

Referee: David Carroll.

Ardscoil Mhuire 5 – 17 St Anne’s Community College – Senior Cup

Ardscoil Mhuire produced a strong start as they went through a lot of phases in the St Anne’s half but they couldn’t get that crucial early score.

Instead it was St Anne’s who dominated possession and territory for the remainder of the half aided by a strong wind blowing from the Sunday’s Well end of the ground.

They made their possession count when Amy Reilly powered over from a 5m tap and go opportunity. The conversion was wide as St Anne’s took a 5-0 lead.

The remainder of the half saw plenty of defending from Ardscoil Mhuire and they almost held on but Ellen O’Shaughnessy crossed in the corner to give her side a 10-0 lead going into the half-time interval.

Ardscoil Mhuire’s Kelsey Reeves ©INPHO

The first score of the second half was going to be crucial and it went the way of St Anne’s when with 15 minutes of the second half played, Rebecca Rogers sniped over from the base of a ruck which was converted by Emily Byrne to give St Anne’s a 17-0 lead.

Ardscoil Mhuire got a deserved try when Kelsey Reeves crossed in the corner after some pressure deep in the St Anne’s 22 but Grace McInerney’s conversion attempt just fell short of the posts.

With less than 10 minutes remaining, the Limerick school couldn’t produce a grandstand finish as St Anne’s played out the rest of the game in the middle of the field as they secured the Senior Cup title and a historic day for the Clare school.

Ardscoil Mhuire: Lucia Te Pou, Alex Carew, Grace McInerney, Katie Hehir, Chelsea O’Connell, Hannah Hehir, Bebhinn McInerney; Abbi Flanagan, Amber Foley, Katie Ryan, Ayla Kelly, Rachel Laffan, Nadine Noonan, Grace Hayes, Kelsey Reeves.

Replacements: Aisling Coffey, Ava Collins, Elvan Dilmac, Jodie Griffin, Amy Long, Lauren Bailey, Emma Griffin.

St Anne’s: Zoe Loughran, Ellen O’Shuaghnessy, Anna Hanly, Fionnuala O’Rahilly, Sarah McNamara, Emily Byrne, Rebecca Rogers; Alice Walsh, Edie Reynolds, Amy Reilly, Roisín Mockler, Ellie McEvoy, Alannah O’Donovan, Hayley Byrnes, Karen O’Mahony.

Replacements: Ciara Fitzgibbon, Jessica Duggan, Patricia McWey, Natasha Crotty, Hannah Beck, Aoibhe Slevin, Sarah McEvoy, Alana McKeogh, Poppy McNamara, Caoimhe Maguire.

Referee: John Moynihan