AIB Ulster Club SFC semi-finals
Kilmacud Crokes (Dublin) 5-11 Castleisland Desmonds (Kerry) 1-5
Clann Éireann (Armagh) 1-9 Kilkerrin Clonberne (Galway)
FIRST-HALF goals from Aisling Madden and Ailish Morrissey paved the way for Kilkerrin-Clonberne to overcome Clann Éireann on their home ground in Lurgan and maintain their four-in-a-row ambitions.
The reigning Galway and Connacht title-holders built a 2-6 to 0-3 interval lead with a magnificent half-back line of Hannah Noone and Niamh Divilly, flanked by recently crowned Players’ Player of the Year Nicola Ward, providing a solid platform.
Kilkerrin-Clonberne never trailed and raced into a 0-4 to 0-1 lead inside the opening quarter with Eva Noone, Nicola Ward, Chloe Miskell and 2024 All-Star Olivia Divilly (free) all finding the target.
Niamh Henderson kicked Clann Éireann’s sole reply and though the Ulster standard-bearers suffered a setback when Niamh Coleman spent 10 minutes in the sin-bin, Greg McGonigle’s team moved to within a point through back-to-back Niamh Murray scores.
Kilkerrin-Clonberne delivered the first major blow on 19 minutes when a trademark driving run from Nicola Ward set Aisling Madden free into open country and she finished low with conviction to the Clann Éireann net.
That began a match-defining run of 2-2 without reply before the break from Kilkerrin-Clonberne as a brilliant individual goal from Ailish Morrissey followed in the 29th minute, while Ward and Madden added further points.
The winners’ lead reached a high of 10 points with a Morrissey point straight after the restart, but a resurgent Clann Éireann battled back valiantly with Meabh McCambridge and Murray points cutting the deficit.
The Armagh club showed admirable resilience and closed to within six points when Murray, their best performer on the day, tucked away a 39th-minute penalty to leave it 2-8 to 1-5.
But Kilkerrin-Clonberne held firm with Miskell, Eva Noone and Olivia Divilly (free) cancelling out efforts from Niamh Coleman and the excellent Murray who finished with 1-6.
Kilkerrin-Clonberne march on to a mouth-watering final with Kilmacud Crokes at Croke Park on Saturday week — a repeat of their epic semi-final in 2023 that went to extra-time.
Niamh Cotter struck an excellent haul of 2-4 at Pairc de Burca as Crokes reached their first senior decider with an impressive 5-11 to 1-5 victory over Castleisland Desmonds.
Amy Conroy, Michelle Davoren and Mia Jennings were also amongst the goals on a day when Crokes overcame a brace of semi-final defeats in the past two seasons.
AIB Ulster Club IFC semi-finals
Mullahoran (Cavan) 1-12 Bennekenny/Tinryland (Carlow) 4-6
Annaghadown (Galway) 1-12 O’Donovan Rossa (Cork) 1-9
BENNEKENNY/TINRYLAND produced a strong display against Ulster champions Mullahoran at Kingspan Breffni Park to book their place in the intermediate final.
It was no more than the Carlow side deserved. From the start they were on top and, try as they might, Mullahoran just couldn’t compete with them.
Despite the concession of three first-half goals, Mullahoran rallied and were level going in at the break.
Just one minute had elapsed when Bennekerry/Tinryland found the back of the net when Cliodhna Ní Shé supplied the pass and Lauren Dwyer scored.
Aishling Sheridan replied with a free for Mullahoran before a point from Orla Woods and a goal from Sinead Hayden extended the Carlow side’s lead to six in the sixth minute.
Geraldine Sheridan pulled a goal back for Mullahoran in the 13th minute and the gap was just one four minutes later when Hayden grabbed her second goal in the 18th minute with a stunning strike.
But Mullahoran staged a comeback with Emilia Mussi scoring a fantastic point. Three pointed frees from the boot of Sheridan drew the Cavan side level in the 26th minute at 3-1 to 1-7.
Mullahoran squandered chances at the beginning of the second half to take the lead. They were to rue those missed opportunities when in the space of a minute Bennekenny/Tinryland scored 1-1, with Elaine Ware finding the back of the net for her side’s fourth.
Points from Ní Shé (free) and Maeve O’Neill saw them extend their advantage to six points midway through the second half.
Sheridan scored two frees and a superb point from play left three between them in the 54th minute but Ní Shé replied with an excellent point from play to edge them ahead by four.
Sheridan cut the deficit to three again in the 60th minute but Bennekenny/Tyryland held on for a famous win.
A strong second half performance saw 2016 champions Annaghdown reach the AIB All-Ireland IFC club final after a hard-fought 1-12 to 1-9 win over reigning champions O’Donovan Rossa at Cregg pitch in Annaghdown.
Left half back Bronagh Quinn struck a goal three minutes into the second half for the Galway champions and it proved the decisive score as her side held on for a memorable win.
AIB Ulster Club IFC semi-finals
Downings (Donegal) 1-7 Kilcock (Kildare) 0-7
Coolera Strandhill (Sligo) 1-5 Mungret, St Paul’s (Limerick) 0-8 (Mungret St. Paul’s win 3-1 on frees after extra-time)
NA Dúnaibh are through to the All-Ireland junior final after a battling effort on home soil just about held off the challenge of Kilcock.
In the end, it was captain Sinead McBride’s golden goal at the midpoint of the first half that ultimately settled matters.
Barney Curran’s side also owes a real debt of gratitude to goalkeeper Charlie Shevlin, who twice denied the Kildare outfit with stunning blocks.
Matters were deadlocked at the break at 1-3 to 0-6 but with Kilcock only scoring once after the restart, Na Dúnaibh’s extra guile and know-how was enough to see them through.
Mungret St. Paul’s qualified for their first ever AIB All-Ireland junior football final after claiming a dramatic 3-1 victory on frees after a thrilling draw over 80-plus minutes.
Played at Kilcoyne Park, in Tubbercurry, the Sligo and Connacht champions kicked a last gasp score to tie the game after extra-time. The heroics before that belonged to Clare Coughlan of Mungret St. Paul’s, who scored seven minutes into stoppage time to force another twenty.
This game was a pulsating contest which Coolera Strandhill thought they had won when they struck the only goal of the game on 57 minutes from the impressive Orna Murphy.
