Photo: RTÉ
In swelteringly hot conditions at MacHale Park this afternoon, the Mayo ladies lost out narrowly to Galway in the Connacht LGFA senior football final. The contest was close from start to finish, with Galway claiming the game’s final two scores to win by two points, 0-17 to 1-12.
Defending champions Galway led for most of the game but the home team never let them open up too big a gap. Galway got the first three scores and then stretched their lead to four points at one stage but the gap was back to two by half-time, at which point the champions led by 0-9 to 0-7.
Galway pushed their lead back out to four points again after the break but then Fiona Doherty bagged the game’s only goal (video here) and soon after Sinead Cafferkey pointed to square the contest up with time running out.
Coming down to the wire, however, it was the defending champions who held their nerve better. Two late points from them confirmed Galway as Connacht champions for the sixth time in the last seven years.
All’s not lost for the Mayo ladies, though, as they now progress to the round-robin phase of the All-Ireland championship. They’ll be in Group 4 where they’re likely to come up once more against Dublin (assuming the Dubs win Leinster) and Cavan.
Hard luck to the ladies on today’s result and the best of luck to them in the championship from here on.
Match reports on today’s provincial decider – LGFA, Mayo Advertiser.
There was quite a disappointing attendance at yesterday’s game – considering it was on home ground – and given the fine days out our ladies team have given us in the past. Glad to see it acknowledged here as ever WJ.
It was a fine entertaining game and fast-paced game too though very disappointing ultimately for our women. Galway were just that little bit better throughout and opened us up alarmingly at times in their attack.
I don’t know how they managed to get through 60 minutes in that heat, I couldn’t even cope with sitting in it 🙂
Poor crowd surely. Galway were by far the better team but yet if mayo didn’t miss such easy frees they would have won it. Ref was very much on galways side.