The Mayo camogie team battled hard in the heavy, humid conditions at Sligo’s Markievicz Park this afternoon but Cavan emerged decisive victors from this Camogie Leagues Division 4 semi-final, coming away with a 3-12 to 0-7 victory.

I didn’t see all of the opening half – I was toggling between Chrome tabs that had the two live streams from MacHale Park and Markievicz Park open – but even though they were in arrears by five points at the midway point, Mayo were at that stage far from out of it. Cavan, though, pulled away impressively after the break to win by fourteen points.

The Breffni County were on top in this contest from early on. Once Niamh Reilly had goaled for them early on they were always in front and that goal separated the teams at the first water break.

Orla Smith extended Cavan’s lead soon after but Erin Murray replied straight away with a fine effort from distance. When Ciara Delaney pointed soon after, the gap was down to two but a second Cavan goal, this one from Orla Smith, sent the Ulster team into the break five points ahead.

Cavan added three further points without reply on the resumption, taking an eight-point lead into the second water break. It was obvious then that this was a gap that wouldn’t be bridged.

Instead it was Cavan who upped the gas further from there to the finish. They bagged several nice points from play before Orla Smith, in stoppage time, saw her effort at a point drop in under the bar for Cavan’s third goal.

Cavan were clear winners in this one and, while today’s defeat shows Jimmy Lyons’ team the standard they need to aspire to, they’re also able to look back on what has been, all told, a very satisfactory return to inter-county camogie action for the county. While today wasn’t to be for them, this big-hearted team will surely have plenty of better days in the future.