All-Ireland Ladies U-16 B Final
Waterford 2-9 Roscommon 3-5
The Roscommon U-16 ladies team suffered All-Ireland Final heartbreak when they were agonisingly defeated by a one-point margin by Waterford in Nenagh last night (Wednesday).
After being ten points down at one stage in the first half Roscommon produced a gallant performance after the interval to reduce their deficit to a single point in injury-time, but try as they might they couldn’t muster the all-important equaliser.
Waterford exploded out of the blocks and were 1-3 to no reply up within five minutes with their goal coming from the impressive Kaiesha Tobin.
A shell-shocked Roscommon did settle into it and after a succession of scoreable wides Sinead Farrell opened their account in the 16th minute from a free.
However a slick Waterford side soon struck again and after corner-forward Hannah Power fisted to the net in the 19th minute, Roscommon soon found themselves 2-5 to 0-1 down.
Despite that grim scoreline Roscommon were competing quite well but couldn’t translate their possession into scores, that was until corner-forward Sarah Scally found the net twice within three minutes to offer her side a glimmer of hope at the interval.
It was 2-7 to 2-1 at the break.
After Waterford went seven points ahead within seconds of the restart, Roscommon took the initiative and points from Aoife Gavin, Farrell and Louise Brady reduced the arrears to four. Roscommon were now in the ascendancy.
After missing a number of goal chances the goal they needed to resurrect their challenge duly arrived two minutes from time from Niamh Shanagher.
In a frantic finale the sides exchanged points through Farrell for Roscommon and Tobin for Waterford, and while Roscommon piled on late pressure, the equaliser proved elusive, and it was Waterford who were triumphant at the final whistle.
What an effort from a heartbroken and gallant Roscommon.
Roscommon: R. Cox; R. Gallagher, S. Dowd, A. Curley; C. O’Dowd, R. Wynne, E. McNally; M. McHugh, H. Payne; A. Gavin, S. Farrell, C. Corcoran; S. Scally, N. Shanagher, N. Fleming.
