The Liverpool Wolfe Tones GAA emerged victorious from an enthralling 7-aside blitz competition on Saturday at a blustery Wavertee. Six sides took to the field of play to compete for the Roswick Construction 7-aside trophy and were split into two groups. In group 1 there were the Wolfe Tones Gaa Liverpool, Oisín C.L.G. Manchester 2 and St Lawrences GAA Club Manchester while in group 2 there included John Mitchels Gaa Liverpool, Oisin Gaa 1 and Liverpool Hope. The format of the competition was that the group winners emerged into the semi-finals while teams who finished second and third would play out for the chance to progress.
Group 1 kicked off with an emphatic win for the Wolfe Tones over Oisins 2 and this was followed with the former recording a win over St.Lawrences. The group was finished off with a fantastic game between Oisins 2 and St.Lawrences' Siobhán Ni Ceallaigh and Brenda Rice excelling in this in this Manchester derby for the girls in yellow and purple.
The group finished as follows;
1. Wolfe Tones Gaa Hurling
2. St.Lawrences
3. Oisins 2
Group 2 was a lot tighter with all three teams vying for first position. The first game saw John Mitchels overcome a spirited Liverpool Hope team in a high-scoring game. The next game was a great game of football, as two-evenly matched teams in Oisins 1 winning on a score-line of 3-05 to 2-04. In the final game Mitchels proved two strong for Oisins.
The group finished as follows;
1. John mitchels
2. Oisins 1
3. Hope
QFs
Oisins 1 had to play their counterparts in the first quarter-final and emerged winners.
Liverpool Hope finally managed to hit the target and eased past St.Lawrences.
SFs
Oisins 1 v Liverpool Wolfe Tones
This was a fascinating game with the Wolfe Tones well in command, however a spirited comeback with a brace of goals kept the game in the balance. The Tones held on for a comfortable victory in the end.
Hope v John Mitchels
The experience of the Mitchels proved decisive for this win. Another major factor was that the Hope ladies are down for a fixture tomorrow so they did not have a huge pick.
Final
Wolfe Tones 2-07 v 1-09 John Mitchels
The final came down to the two Liverpool clubs and what a final it was. It had great points, fantastic goals but the most enjoyable thing was the sheer die-hard fighting spirit from all the girls on show. The two teams went point-for-point and toe-to-toe in this pulsating game. Great scores from Tracey O'Hara and Brenda Barr for the Tones were replicated likewise by Lisa McSweeney and Shona MagConghail for the Mitchels. Indeed the two players who lit up the competition for their scores and fighting values were O'Hara and McSweeney; they were simply a joy to a watch. It was O'Hara's long run from deep in her own defence that put the Tones up by a point with a minute to go. In injury time the Mitchels had a chance to equalise from a 13m free however knowing that a draw would not be good enough because of the 45m rule, had to go for a goal which resulted in the ball being beat back. This win for the Wolfe Tones caps a great season for the ladies, resulting in the ladies getting their fourth trophy of the season. The trophy was proudly held aloft by captain Patricia Moyna after it being presented from sponsors Roswick Construction.
John Mitchels :Tessa Marie Cadden, Colleen Gaffney, Karen Plunkett, Danielle Farrell, Niamh Nic Giolla Bhride, Lisa Mc Sweeney, Joanne McDevitt and Shona Mag Congail.
Liverpool Wolfe Tones : Kitty Murray; Ruby McCarron, Janette Maguire, Tracey O’Hara, Nikki Lavery, Brenda Barr, Carmel Hackett, Aoife Jacob, Patricia Moyna, Orla McHugh, Orlagh O'Hare, Niamh O'Connor
