Goals key as Mourneabbey retain ladies title

Mourneabbey 3-9 St Val’s 0-9: Two first-half goals powered Mourneabbey to a second successive Cork ladies senior football crown at Carrigaline last night.

Having trailed by seven points at half-time in last Saturday’s drawn encounter, Mourneabbey were in no mood to hand their opponents such a generous start in this replay and were led only once over the 60 minutes.

Five clear after 18 minutes, the gap was stretched to nine points early in the second period. While St Val’s, led by Vera Foley, Briege Corkery and Ciara McCarthy, never threw in the towel, the outcome was in no doubt from a long way out. Indeed, after Brid O’Sullivan pilfered Mourneabbey’s third goal on 36 minutes to propel the North Cork outfit 3-6 to 0-6 clear, the reigning champions were content to sit on their lead. In the remaining 24 minutes, they added just three points, from Doireann O’Sullivan (0-1 free), Sile O’Callaghan and Emma Forde.