LGFA Leinster club final: Kilmacud Crokes (Dublin) 4-14 Eadestown (Kildare) 0-3
Michelle Davoren helped herself to an outstanding haul of 2-3 at Glenisk O’Connor Park on Sunday as Dublin’s Kilmacud Crokes secured their third AIB Leinster LGFA Senior Club Championship title in succession with a commanding victory over Eadestown.
There was just over 30 seconds gone on the clock when Crokes bagged their first goal of this contest, Eabha Rutledge rattling the net from close-range following excellent build-up play from Amy Conroy and Michelle Davoren.
The latter subsequently raised a green flag in the third minute after her namesake, Galway captain Ailbhe Davoren, had fisted the ball over the bar. Crokes then continued to exert their authority in clinical style.
After she had joined Niamh Cotter (free), Kate Murray and Aoife Kane in registering unanswered points, Michelle Davoren rolled home her second goal of the action on the stroke of 10 minutes.
The Davoren double act pushed forward either side of the first-quarter mark as Ailbhe and Michelle (two) found the range to create even more daylight between themselves and the Kildare champions. Wing back Murray also chipped in with her second point of the game. Even though Eadestown finally opened their account through Siobhán O’Sullivan’s 25th-minute free, a similar effort from Cotter at the opposite end ensured Kilmacud brought a 3-10 to 0-1 cushion into the interval.
Despite the introduction of four substitutes after the resumption, Crokes maintained their foothold on this game. In between points by Rutledge and Ailbhe Davoren, a speculative shot by midfielder Grace Kos dropped into the net for a fourth goal on 36 minutes.
Eadestown were without the services of inter-county triumvirate Grace Clifford, Aoife Clifford and Ruth Sargent for this game – Sargent was a late withdrawal through injury – but they eventually added their second score of the action when substitute Misha Magee expertly split the posts from a tight right-hand angle in the 53rd minute.
Their teenage full-forward Abaigh Cahill also converted a free in the closing stages, but with Ailbhe Davoren and substitute Doireann Egan slotting over points before it, Kilmacud breezed over the line and into a forthcoming All-Ireland senior club championship semi-final.
KILMACUD CROKES: D Gower; N Carr, E Sweeney, P Greene; A Kane (0-1), M Lamb, K Murray (0-2); G Kos (1-0), L Magee; N Cotter (0-2, 2f), A Davoren (0-4), L Kane; A Conroy, M Davoren (2-3), E Rutledge (1-1, 0-1f).
Subs: A Jones for Sweeney, S O’Donoghue for Lamb, C Moran for Cotter, D Egan (0-1) for Conroy (all h-t), A Bedford for Kos (42 mins).
EADESTOWN: A Jebb; A Ní Raghllaigh, D Tierney, AM Logue; A Mernagh, A Kelly, MA Ryan; S O’Sullivan (0-1, f), L Byrne; A Hynes, G Kenneally, J Harney; T Bedford, A Cahill (0-1, f), S Carroll.
Subs: K Harney for Kelly (40 mins), K Murphy for Carroll (42), M Magee (0-1) for Bedford (49).
Referee: Barry Redmond (Wexford).
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