Champs cruise to another big win in Leitrim SFC

​Six in a row Leitrim county champions Glencar Manorhamilton claimed a facile win over a very much below-par Ballinamore Sean O’Heslins in Sunday's one-sided Leitrim Ladies senior football championship game at Boggaun.

Glencar Manor are cutting a wide path through the competition so far, beating Drumkeerin by 19 points and St Joseph’s by 25 and Ballinamore, who travelled to Boggaun on the back of an impressive win over St Mary’s, had no answer to the champions.

Ballinamore started the game in a determined mood and certainly put it up to the home side in the early stages when they slightly shaded the proceedings. But once Glencar Manor settled into the game, Ballinamore seemed to lose their shape as the champions dominated on both kickouts.

Ballinamore played impressively in the opening seven minutes, Lucy Murphy putting them in front on three minutes. Glencar Manor levelled five minutes later when Muireann Devaney punished a foul on Leah Fox from a free.

Two minutes later, Manor grabbed the lead when Leah Fox fired to the net after the visitor's defence conceded a turnover, giving Niamh Donohoe no chance between her posts.

Sophie Devaney increased Manor's lead on the 12-minute mark, with Roisin McHugh hitting back with a free for Ballinamore after Laura O'Dowd was fouled as she bore down on goal for what would have been a goal chance as the champions began to turn the screw.

Over the next 13 minutes, Glencar Manor took complete control when they held Ballinamore scoreless and added a further 1-7 to their tally. Leah Fox fired home her second goal after another Ballinamore defensive error and added two points, while Aoife Gilmartin chipped in with three points, of which one was a clear-cut goal chance, with Dearbhla Rooney and Muireann Devaney also scoring a point apiece.

Ballinamore, who had scored for thirteen minutes, got the scoreboard ticking again in their favour when Roisin McHugh converted her second free on the 26-minute mark after Lucy Murphy had been fouled.

After that, Glencar Manor pulled further ahead when they added four unanswered points to their tally before the break, with Grace Devaney firing twice over the Ballinamore crossbar while Lauren Devaney and Leah Fox also split the visitors' uprights to give North Leitrim a very comfortable 2 – 13 to 0 – 3 interval lead.

In the opening six minutes following the restart, Glencar Manor increased their advantage over Ballinamore to nine points margin, with Leah Fox, Nessa Fox and Grace Devaney all getting a minor score each in this period.

Lucy Murphy opened Ballinamore's second-half account when she fired over a point for her side on the 40-minute mark. Following that, Glencar Manor remained solidly in control and extended their lead further in the following three minutes with Nessa Fox, Lauren Devaney and Aoife Gilmartin all registering a point each.

Roisin McHugh hit back with a 44th-minute Ballinamore point when finishing off a good attacking move by her side who at this stage were finding it very difficult to penetrate Glencar Manor's solid defensive structures.

Defences at both ends were very much on top in the final sixteen minutes of this one-sided game, as Glencar Manor only managed to notch up two scores in this period while Ballinamore just got one score.

In the closing scoring action of the game Glencar Manor's Aoife Gilmartin and Sophie Devaney fired over a point each for their side while near the end Roisin McHugh closed the scoring in the game when replying with a point for Ballinamore, who suffered a disappointing for them twenty-one point's defeat when the final whistle was sounded.

GLENCAR MANORHAMILTON

Scorers: Leah Fox 2-4; Aoife Gilmartin 0-5; Grace Devaney 0-3; Muireann Devaney, Sophie Devaney, Lauren Devaney & Nessa Fox 0-2 each; Dearbhla Rooney 0-1

Team: Niamh Loughlin; Lauren Devaney, Mellissa Hewitt, Sarah Mulvaney Kelly; Rebecca Rooney, Emma McLaughlin, Chloe Rooney; Dearbhla Rooney, Anna Devaney; Grace Devaney, Leah Fox, Aoife Gilmartin, Sophie Devaney, Muireann Devaney, Nessa Fox. Subs: Emma Fox, Amy Malone & Molly Gilligan for N Fox R Rooney & L Fox (51)

BALLINAMORE SEAN O’HESLINS

Scorers: Lucy Murphy & Roisin McHugh (2f) 0-3 each

Team: Niamh Donohoe; Grainne Prior, Ella Van Der Lan, Ciara McGoldrick; Mollie Murphy, Deborah McGourty, Sinead Martin; Megan McGovern, Laura O'Dowd; Emma Honeyman, Lucy Murphy, Laura Maguire; Aoibhinn McGoldrick, Roisin McHugh, Aoife O'Donohoe. Subs: Laoise Moran for Martin (26); Grace Brennan for McGovern (48)

Referee: Eugene McHale