Mayo battled hard against Meath in this afternoon’s LGFA NFL semi-final at St Tiernach’s Park in Clones but ultimately they were undone by the Royals’ second half surge. A very strong third quarter from the All-Ireland champions saw them wipe out a three-point half-time deficit, hitting 2-5 without reply to seize control of the game and they won by six at the finish.

I didn’t get to see the game as I was on my way to Healy Park for the men’s match but I followed the action the best I could.

There was a stiff wind blowing up in Omagh and that was obviously a significant factor in Clones too. Aided by the strong breeze, Mayo went in 0-10 to 0-7 in front at half-time. The question then was whether or not they’d be able to withstand whatever Meath would throw at them after the break.

That 2-5 fusillade, sadly from our perspective, provided the response to that. To their credit, though, Michael Moyles’ charges never gave up, with Lisa Cafferkey bagging a goal and Ciara Needham a point, as the gap was pared back to just three points.

That ultimately was as good as it got. Meath steadied themselves over the final quarter and they were well-deserved six-points winners at the finish. Match report from Ladies Football website is here.

There was better news for the county’s camogie team as they decisively overcame Tyrone in their Camogie League Division 4 meeting played at Tooreen today. Mayo won that one by 4-6 to 0-2 to qualify for the Division 4 final against Wicklow next month. Match report from Mayo Camogie is here.