Easy final victory for Banner Ladies

Banner  4-27

Newmarket-on-Fergus  1-8

THE Division 1 Clare league final was a very one-sided affair. The paltry attendance at the game in the Banner GAA Grounds reflected that the result was a foregone conclusion before a ball was thrown in.
Any doubters of this would have been well and truly discredited after just five minutes, when the Ennis side had amassed a 1-4 to 0-0 lead. Laura McMahon then scored an opening point for Newmarket but the score was emphatically rebuffed less than a minute later through an Aoibheann Malone goal for the Banner Ladies.
The Ennis side dominated affairs throughout and were winners of their third title in-a-row at this grade. However, it is a very poor reflection of the state of the ladies’ game in Clare when a team can be so dominant in a county final to such an extent that the game is over within 10 minutes. At that stage, the Banner Ladies led by 2-7 to 0-1.
The Banner Ladies led 4-16 to 0-2 at half-time and should have been further ahead but for a magnificent goal-keeping display from the Newmarket netminder, Rachael Kelliher.
Were it not for Kelliher, who brought off some sensational saves, the scoreline would have looked much worse.
However, the Banner Ladies were sublime, especially star player Aoibheann Malone, who produced a magnificent display of precise passing and score-taking. Niamh O’Dea, Niamh Keane, Naomi Carroll and Sinéad Quinn were others to stand out for the winners, for whom Louise Henchy, Niamh Cavanagh and Orlaith Lynch also had good games. Karen Roche was also a very effective substitute for the injured Susan Higgins.
All in all, it was not a final to cherish but the Banner Ladies will celebrate their win as oft before, being the best team in the county by a very far margin.

Banner Ladies: Emma O’Driscoll; Eva O’Dea, Laurie Ryan, Niamh Cavanagh (capt); Orlaith Lynch, Louise Woods, Sinéad Quinn; Niamh Keane, Louise Henchy (1-3); Naomi Carroll (0-6), Niamh O’Dea (1-8), Gráinne Nolan (0-2); Aoibheann Malone (1-3), Sue Higgins (0-1), Aoife Keane (1-1).
Subs: Karen Roche (0-2) and Rebecca Culligan (0-1).