Deadly Bailieborough have just too much for battling Carrick-on-Shannon CS in Lidl All-Ireland PPS Semi-Final

A devastatingly impressive Bailieborough CS had just too much power and craft for a battling Carrick on Shannon Community School side in Wednesday’s Lidl LGFA All-Ireland PPS Junior B Semi-Final in the splendid Louis Leonard Memorial Park in Donagh Co Fermanagh as the Cavan girls stamped their class on proceedings.

Up against a Bailieborough team featuring ten players who will see action with their school’s Senior team in next week’s Senior B Semi-Final, Carrick CS never stopped battling and kept battling to the end but the Cavan school had just too much class in too many positions to bring off a shock.

At one stage, Carrick cut a 12 point halftime deficit back to just seven when playing against the wind in the second half. But that shook Bailieborough out of the lethargy they had been in after halftime and they added three further goals before the finish to stamp their authority on this encounter.

Peter Nyland’s team fought as if their lives depended on it but with the lightning pace of Ella McPhillips in midfield mirrored by that of dangerous full-forward Abby Reilly, Bailieborough had an answer to most of the questions Carrick posed of them.

And when Carrick did cause problems, Bailieborough acted quickly - the impressive Chloe Connellan caused the Cavan school huge problems in the first half but Bailieborough quickly took action, placing their captain and talis-woman Gia McCabe in front of the Kilmore player to negate the impact she was having on the contest.

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Carrick fought tremendously hard but the overall strength of Bailieborough was too much as they had attacking strengths coming from every sector of the field while they shut down a strong Carrick attack for the most part.

The scale of the defeat is, no doubt, disheartening for Carrick CS but they went down with their heads held high, battling right to the end and there is no dishonour in losing to a very strong and impressive Bailieborough, some of whom I’d imagine we will see in a Cavan Senior jersey in the very near future.

Bailieborough were intent on laying down an early message and they did just that, Ella McPhillips gathering the break from a throw-in before surging forward, playing a one-two and hammering an unstoppable shot to the Carrick net after just 19 seconds of action.

The Carrick-on-Shannon CS team who contested the Lidl LGFA All-Ireland PPS Junior B Semi-Final Picture: Willie Donnellan

Gia McCabe quickly followed with a point but Carrick lifted themselves when Lucie Maye’s long range shot came off the woodwork and Chloe Connellan was on hand to finish from close range after just two minutes.

Bailieborough’s response was emphatic as they reeled off six unanswered points over the next ten minutes - Ellie Reilly (2), Lelia Cooney, Abby Reilly (2) and Gia McCabe all landed points, two of which could have been goals as they broke through tackles.

Ceili Mollahan made a good save to deny McCabe a goal but when Carrick intercepted, they produced two wonderful accurate long passes from Maye and Ornaith Guckian to release Connellan for a point that might well have been a goal with a little bit of luck after 14 minutes.

Abby Reilly, very impressive for Bailieborough, and Connellan swapped points, the Carrick player sidestepping two defenders to point. Lelia Cooney hit a point after a great high catch but good work from Sadhbh O’Dowd and Connellan set up Eiblin Guckian for a point after 21 minutes, leaving Carrick six points in arrears.

That changed a minute later when Chloe Curran was taken down and Bailieborough awarded a penalty that Abby Reilly expertly converted. McPhillips, Cooney and Reilly all added points before the break as Carrick trailed 2-12 to 1-3 at the halftime break.

Cooney opened the second half scoring for Bailieborough but Carrick started a defiant rearguard action against the wind - a high ball into Ornaith Guckian saw the corner-forward smothered but Chloe Connellan arrived to pop the ball over. Lucie Maye put a free wide before Alannah McKiernan converted a placed-ball after Connellan was fouled, a jersey pull that might have resulted in a yellow card on another day.

The Bailieborough CS team who won the Lidl LGFA All-Ireland PPS Junior B Semi-Final Picture: Willie Donnellan

Ceili Mollahan made a good save from a Chloe Curran shot and Carrick broke downfield, Ornaith Guckian putting a shot off the post before being fouled on the scramble for the ball, McKiernan firing home the resulting penalty after seven minutes of the second half.

Lucie Maye converted a free after a foul on Mabel Keane while Eibhlin Guckian’s long range daisy-cutter flew narrowly wide.

Bailieborough took note and after Abby Reilly fired over when a goal was on, the full-forward produced a wonderful run and a rocket of a finish to the Carrick net on 43 minutes. McPhillips and Reilly (free) added points before McPhillips fisted home a fourth goal for the Cavan side on 49 minutes.

Evie Hill and Maye swapped points but the deadly McPhillips wasn’t finished, soloing in virtually half the field to score her team’s fifth goal, the first shot cannoning off the woodwork but the midfielder made no mistake from the rebound.

Reilly completed her team’s scoring with Lucie Maye and Alannah McKiernan both scoring points late on as Carrick CS’s journey came to an end.

CARRICK-ON-SHANNON CS

Scorers: Chloe Connellan 1-3; Alannah McKiernan 1-2, 1-1f; Lucie Maye 0-3, 2f; Eibhlin Guckian 0-1

Team: Ceili Mollohan, Jane Hanrahan, Beibhinn Flynn, Sadhbh O’Dowd, Edie Keane, Isibeal Dowd, Lily McWeeney, Eibhlinn Guckian, Katie O’Brien, Alannah McKiernan, Caragh Guckian, Mabel Keane, Chloe Connellan, Lucie Maye, Ornaith Guckian

BAILIEBOROUGH CS

Scorers: Abby Reilly 2-7, 1-2f; Ella McPhillips 3-2; Lelia Cooney 0-4; Gia McCabe & Ellie Reilly 0-2 each; Evie Hill 0-1

Team: Margaret Smith, Kayla Lambe, Aoife Rogers, Asha Connolly, Anna Clarke, Erelle O’Sullivan, Lelia Kierans, Evie Hill, Ellie McPhillips, Sophie Holland, Gia McCabe, Ellie Reilly, Chloe Curran, Abby Reilly, Lelia Cooney. Subs: Emily Martin for Curran (48); Maisie Rose Smith & Kaitlyn Monaghan for Lambe & Kierans (56); Chloe Crosbie & Cait Galligan for E Reilly & O’Sullivan (59)

Referee: Philip Conway (Armagh)