LGAA Preview Sexton, O’Driscoll win LGAA awards

By Pierce O’Reilly

The New York Ladies GAA announced this week that Monaghan’s Sheila Sexton and Kerry’s Maureen O’Driscoll were chosen as players for the month for May.

Sexton has kept her side alive in practically every game the Farney girls have played. Her ability to find the net and her pace and accuracy make her a worthy recipient.

Midfielder O’Driscoll is the powerhouse around the middle for the Kingdom. Her distribution and ball-winning ability as well as her scoring prowess is rarely equaled on any other team in New York.

The April players of the month recipients were Sue Bennett for Cavan and Caroline Kelly for Donegal.

LGAA PRO Pauline Boylan confirmed that the games, which were postponed last weekend due to poor weather, would be rescheduled for later in the summer.

Previews

Saturday

Connaughton Semis

Donegal vs. Fermanagh

6 p.m., at Van Cortlandt Park

Donegal will have Aoife Gibson and Mary Ann McMunn at midfield for this tie, and with Caroline Kelly and Marie Cassels up front, they’ll be hoping for a final berth. This is Fermanagh’s last chance to redeem themselves. Pauline Boylan and the two imports will have to be at their best. Will they be enough?

Louis O’Hehir Cup

Monaghan vs. Rockland

12:30 p.m., at Rockland

The Ulster women will find it easier getting back to their winning ways following their trashing by Mayo two weeks ago.

Norma McCarthy and Karen Kelly will try their best to rally their teammates. If they get help from farther out in the field, they should have little difficulty in pushing the new kids on the block to one side. Rockland will improve in the future. Sunday will bring little solace.

Connaughton Semi

Kerry vs. Stamford

2 p.m., at Rockland

Kerry and Donegal look like the favorites to reach the final, but it won’t be easy for either side. The Kingdom are improving all the time and may yet pull off a major upset. On Sunday they should be good enough to push Stamford to one side. Anne Holland, Mags Dineen and Maureen O’Driscoll will have too much class for a learning Connecticut side that needs another few seasons to compete at the top.

Louis O’Hehir Cup

Cavan vs. Mayo

3:30 p.m., at Rockland

The Westerners are not happy campers following the Anne Kearney Cup Final throttling by the Breffini girls. Two new imports and the return of Ellen McGreal will bolster their hopes, however. The Cavan women are never easy to topple. Rosie O’Reilly, Sue Bennett and Justine Clifford will be digging deep on Sunday. If they continue to work as hard and as efficiently as they did the last time they met, Mayo may be singing the blues again on Sunday evening.