Colaiste Bhaile Chláir finish in a blaze of glory to claim schools cup

Colaiste Bhaile Chláir 7-9

Scoil Mhuire, Trim 2-7

ANYTHING can happen in ladies football – big leads mean nothing – and that certainly proved true when Colaiste Bhaile Chláir overcame an eight-point half-time deficit to win this All-Ireland Post Primary Schools Senior ‘C’ final in Kinnegad on Saturday in the most spectacular of fashions.

Kicking six unanswered points in the third quarter, Colaiste Bhaile Chláir then followed this up with six unanswered goals in a crazy 10-minute period, with Niamh Moran (2), substitute Shauna Brennan (2), player of the match Kate Slevin and Eimear Mitchell providing the six majors.

Colaiste Bhaile Chláir, fielding without the injured Andrea Trill, had trailed by 2-7 to 1-2 at the break – Moran netting the first goal of her hat-trick – and it appeared they were in for a severe beating themselves as Scoil Mhuire pressed hard for further scores in the third quarter.

However, wayward shooting and poor decision-making by Scoil Mhuire, and some fine shot stopping by Colaiste Bhaile Chláir’s Ava Murray, saw the Meath college leave no less than 3-3 behind them – scores, which if taken, would surely have landed them the title.

However, Colaiste Bhaile Chláir never lost heart and points from Mitchell (2), Brennan, Sinead Donovan, Kaitlin Kearney and Chellene Trill reduced the gap to two points with just over 10 minutes remaining and, all of a sudden, Sarah Conneally’s charges were back in with a shout.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.