by Jamie Dowling

Abbotstown played host to this year’s junior ladies and junior mixed rounders All-Ireland finals on Saturday, with Carrickmacross Emmets of Monaghan clinching the ladies title and Kilmeena winning the mixed title.

The day proved to be a memorable one for Carrickmacross and Kilmeena who clinched their first All-Ireland title at this grade, with both teams only in their second year at this level.

The games proved dramatic as both games went down to the wire, with Carrickmacross winning in extra innings, and Kilmeena winning right at the death against Connacht counter parts in the form of Galway Rapparees.

The first final down for decision pitted Carrickmacross and Castletown of Liam Mellows of Wexford which provided fireworks throughout the game.

Carrick’s Laura Hughes and Aisling Ginnity produced stunning performances leading their side to victory after stunning work from Hughes as short stop and Ginitty on second base combining to getting multiple outs throughout.

Castletown put in a fantastic effort in the club’s first ever All-Ireland final in the sport. The game was nip and tuck all the way through, and it was hard calling a winner coming down the stretch.

The Wexford side had a chance to win the game only needing one from their final inning to be crowned champions, but Carrick had different ideas and they forced extra time which meant two extra innings.

Louise Byrne’s brilliant shot proved crucial in extra time, with Carrick pulling away in the last inning with Laura Hughes getting the last catch of the final sending the title up north to Monaghan.

The mixed final between Kilmeena of Mayo and The Galway Rapparees had a lot to live up to after the cracking ladies final beforehand and it delivered.

Like the ladies match it went all the way and it too was very hard to call a winner throughout the game.

After an edgy start from both teams, the final soon came alive with a homerun from Kilmeena’s Aidan Connaughton seizing the initiative for the Mayo side putting them into a 6-1 lead.

The Galway side responded well to the homerun and came back into the game and gave something for Kilmeena to think about.

Going into the last inning, Kilmeena led 7-6, which wasn’t a comfortable lead whatsoever and in the back of their minds was their loss to their opponents earlier in the year.

Galway’s Ronan McGarvey kept his side in it with a brilliant shot bringing the Galway side into the lead all of a sudden, for the first time since the first inning and the score was now 9-7.

Kilmeena knew what they had to do, score three and they would become All-Ireland champions. It went down to the wire, but Kilmeena got over the line only just to be crowned All-Ireland Junior Mixed rounders champions for the first time.

The finals started off a huge month for the sport and if these finals have anything to go by, the upcoming action is unmissable.

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