Second-half revival sees Ballyfin ladies footballers claim Division 3 league honours

Ballyfin 1-9 The Heath 0-8
Laois LGFA Division 3 Final

The Ballyfin ladies footballers put in an impressive second-half display to claim the Division 3 league title at The Heath’s expense in Portarlington this afternoon.

They had trailed by five points and had yet to even get a score as the game approached half time.

But two late points in that opening half closed the gap to three at the break and they reeled The Heath in throughout the second half with a goal from sub Sophie Connolly a crucial score in a hard-fought game.

The Heath had a lot of possession and chances in the opening quarter but after five wides and a handful dropped short they eventually opened the scoring in the 11th minute with a point from Lisa Keane.

Emily Dowling doubled their advantage moments later and then Laura Whelan put them three up in the 13th minute.

An Ashling Fitzpatrick free stretched that to four in the 20th minute and then Fitzpatrick and Dowling combined well for Fitzpatrick to make it 0-5 to 0-0 in the 26th minute.

Ballyfin finally got off the mark with a Chloe Scanlon free two minutes before half time and Eva Culliton added another shortly afterwards to make it 0-5 to 0-2 at the break.

Ballyfin almost had a goal early in the second half only to be denied by a good Rachel Cross save but it was a two-point game when Scanlon ran through the centre and pointed.

Ashling Fitzpatrick cancelled that out with a serious score from play and Alice Keane then restored The Heath’s four-point lead.

But two frees in a row from Scanlon – both after fouls on the dangerous Rachel Walshe – had it back to 0-7 to 0-5 entering the final quarter.

And it was here that game’s biggest moment arrived – Ballyfin’s goal from Sophie Connolly that went in off the cross bar.

That put Ballyfin into the lead for the first time and two points from Sinead O’Rourke, one from Connolly and another from Scanlon had Ballyfin five clear as the full-time approached.

The Heath pulled one point back but it wasn’t enough and Ballyfin held on.

SCORERS – Ballyfin: Chloe Scanlon 0-5 (four frees), Sophie Connolly 1-1, Niamh O’Rourke 0-2, Eva Culliton (free) 0-1 The Heath: Ashling Fitzpatrick 0-4 (one free), Lisa Keane 0-1, Alice Keane 0-1, Emily Dowling 0-1, Laura Whelan 0-1,

BALLYFIN: Ella Dunphy; Rena Duff, Cathy Hogan, Emma Kealy; Orlaith Meade, Aine O’Rourke, Rachel Wheeler; Niamh O’Rourke, Sinead O’Rourke; Eva Culliton, Rachel Walshe, Chloe Scanlon; Orla Horgan, Edel Finn, Michelle Lynch. Subs: Sophie Connolly for Horgan (45), Maeve Carroll for Meade (50)

THE HEATH: Rachel Cross; Niamh Whelan, Nacola Nerney, Sheena Moore; Sarah Gorman, Rachel Redmond, Chloe Conroy; Anna Lalor, Lauren Whelan; Lisa Keane, Ashling Fitzpatrick, Alice Keane; Grace Salmon, Emily Dowling, Louise Cody. Subs: Niamh Hyland for Cody (45), Sinead Finnegan for Moore (58), Alice O’Donoghue for Dowling (58)

SEE ALSO – O’Moore Park to hold Laois GAA’s first in-person county board meeting in 18 months

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source https://www.laoistoday.ie/2021/08/02/second-half-revival-sees-ballyfin-ladies-footballers-claim-division-3-league-honours/