Boardsmill 3-5 Simonstown 1-8

They say hours 24 hours is along time in politics, but 48 hours can seem an eternity when a team is hurting from a resounding defeat. Boardsmill had no answer to a fantastic Simonstown display in the minor final on Monday 2nd May but their seniors refused to yield and carved out a battling win against a much fancied Navan outfit in Boardsmill on Wednesday evening.

It looked like, groundhog day all over again as Simonstown scored directly from the throw in with Kelly Marie Harris finding the back of the home net after 15 seconds. Another quick score from Ellie Lane left the home side wondering if this was going to  be a long and  difficult evening. Not to be outdone Laura Bagnall and Laura Griffin pointed for the home side before Niamh Donnelly got the visitors 2nd point on 14 minutes. 

Kim Garrigan is building a reputation as a goal poacher and she carried on from her exploits in the minor final with 2 quick goals between the 17th and 25th minutes. Sarah Bagnall was clearing up any loose ball that went into the Boardsmill half and with Laura Griffin  proving a handful on the  40 , Boardsmill took a stranglehold on the game . Another 16 year,  old Rachel Troy pointed for the  home team and they went in  at the half leading by 4 on a score line of 2.3 to 1.02. Boardsmill had nursed talisman Emma Troy through the first half at full forward and withdrew her after 10 minutes of the second half to be replaced by Helen Regan who has been making her way back to competitive action after a long lay off. 

Simonstown opened the 2nd half in impressive fashion , hemming the home  side inside their 40 for the first 5 minutes. An Ailbhe McHugh point was all they had to show for that pressure and it was with some relief that Boardsmill broke up field to see Laura Griffin point from a free on 36 minutes. Ellie Lane  also pointed from a free  for the visitors and the teams enthralled all present with a dogged fight for  supremacy as the 40th minute approached.  Then Garrigan struck for her third goal of the night. A Boardsmill attacking move seemed to have run out of options when the ball was finally worked out to Garrigan on the right hand side of the area. This 16 year old is nothing if not determined and her right boot did the rest. 

Griffin and Lane exchanged points to leave  6 points between the team on 50 minutes. To Simonstown's credit, they increased their work rate and recorded 3 further points through the boot of Donnelly and Harris (2 points). An injury on the stroke of full time resulted in 4 added minutes where the Boardsmill defence marshaled by Ciara Ashe and Aideen Guy held firm. Indeed a number of break away scoring opportunities were squandered in those dying minutes as fatigue finally caught up with the home team.

This was an enthralling contest with Simonstowns free flowing style held up by a really disciplined defensive performance from the Mill girls. Honours for the night will go to the 3 goal hero Kim Garrigan, but special mention for her minor colleagues Sarah Bagnall, Susan Kealey, Rachel Troy, Amy Troy  and  Niamh McEvoy who turned in resilient displays following a heavy defeat to the same opposition 2 days earlier. 

Katie Hackett also impressed with her work-rate at midfield. Simonstown were best served by Katie Bellew at full back while Kelly Marie Harris was a constant threat to the home defence. 

Boardsmill: E Murray N McEvoy C Murray , S Bagnall , M Hegarty C Ashe A Guy, S Kealey K Hackett L Bagnall (0.1) L Griffin (0.3) R Troy (0.1) K Garrigan (3.0)  E Troy A Troy  Subs H Regan 

Simonstown scorers: K M Harris 1.02, E Lane 0.3 N Donnelly 0.2 A McHugh 0.1

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