February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Mike Fitzpatrick
Cavan 0-14, Leitrim 0-7
Cavan reigned supreme at Gaelic Park on Sunday by regaining the Annie Kearney Ladies Cup from the holders, Leitrim.
Having lost the final match last year, the Cavan girls went home Sunday afternoon happy with the silverware.
Cavan were rumored to have lost their way a little this season, and many of the followers of ladies football in New York fancied a Leitrim victory on the day.
It was not to be.
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Cavan opened the stronger side by far, with Catherine McAteer and Gillian Bennett striking some fine scores to give the Breffni girls an early lead.
Leitrim began to take shape and hit a couple of points, thanks to some fine play from Eibhlish Dineen and Maureen O’Driscoll, but the Cavan forward line fired back with Gillian Bennett striking another couple, and Karen Shalvey adding her name to the scoresheet.
Reasonably close throughout the first half, Leitrim fought Cavan every step of the way, and equalled them in attack on many occasions.
Leading by a couple of points at the interval, Cavan seemed on form to surge ahead and recapture the cup from their rivals.
Dineen hit in another score for Leitrim right after the break to suggest that her side clearly meant business to bring the game to within a point.
After that, however, it was all Cavan.
The consistent Rosie O’Reilly banged in her first score of the afternoon, and swiftly followed up with another two efforts to give Cavan a seemingly healthy lead. Bennett added another two, and it was Cavan in cruise control.
Dineen managed to snatch one back for Leitrim, but it was too little too late.
The Breffni girls moved forward at every opportunity, and the forward line of McAteer, Karen Shalvey and Gillian Bennett worked well enough together to cause the sound Leitrim backline enough problems to clinch the trophy back for another year.
Cavan: Sharon Levins, Siobhan Neville, Olive Lynch, Kathleen Hickey, Louise Fox, Olive Wilson, Pauline Coleman, Justine Clifford, Caroline O’Sullivan, Liz McVeigh, Mary Maguire, Rosie O’Reilly (0-3), Gillian Bennett (0-5), Catherine McAteer (0-4), Karen Shalvey (0-1), Sub Mary Ann Connaughton (0-1)
Leitrim: Deirdre Maher, Kathleen Hickey, Ann Holland, Trish Donnelly, Debbie Murphy, Collette McElligott (0-1), Mags Dineen, Julie Enright, Ann Marie McMunn, Pat Meade (0-1), Claire Treacy, Maureen O’Driscoll (0-2), Eibhlish Dineen (0-3), Mairead Curley, Joanne Hoeninger. Player of the game: Gillian Bennett (Cavan).