Saints Beat Scholars

ST Brigids Senior Ladies 2 – 6; All Saints Ballymena 2 – 7.
In describing a late night game of whist, the late great John McGather talked of “missed tricks and stifled yawns”. He was writing about a card game in a Leitrim farmhouse one long Christmas night. Let your correspondent tell you, Gentle Reader, that at the YMCA Knightsbridge at 7.39 p.m. on Sunday the 9th of April there were certainly no “stifled yawns” as this game reached its nail-biting conclusion. There were some missed tricks [perhaps on the coach’s part tactically] and more missed scores. Midway through the second half, the home side had turned a I – 3 to 2 – 1 deficit into a four point lead; and despite having the majority of possession, some wasteful shooting and opposition doggedness allowed victory to slip from St Brigids grasp. With the final shot of the match, All Saints sealed a one-point victory.
The opening salvo of this enthralling game saw a Camomile McCullagh point and one from Ciara Loughran, met by a goal from the visitors. Aoife MacSherry, operating along side the ever – reliable Sarah McGuckian in midfield, popped one over with her trusty [and, dare I report, well –tied] left boot. The half ended when the Ballymena side put another past the elder Curran Girl in goal and a timely replying goal from Ciara for the sides to go in with just one point between them.
Although only behind by the narrowest of margins some tweaking of the line-up was called for. Orla Montague was pulled back to the middle in an attempt to consolidate that area and at first the ploy seemed to work. Caoimhe rattled the net and further points from Aoife Montague and Catherine Mullan put the City girls in the driving seat.
The ever increasing gap between the mid field and forward line could only be filled by surging runs from the half forwards rather than calculated and connecting play. This, coupled with All Saints simpler and more effective play, allowed them to claw their way back into the game. They scored 5 unanswered points. Aoife MacSherry tried to pull things back, but when St Brigids lost possession in their own half with only seconds remaining on the clock, the North Antrim side put the game beyond reach with a final score.
Bitter disappointment was felt by all in the Leafy Suburb, but it was felt most by the 20-squad members. No one can deny, not least your correspondent, that the girls gave their all.
Perhaps the lyricist Jerome Kern can offer some timely advice: “Pick yourself up, dust yourself down and start all over again”