Mayo sides win two cups at SFAI Inter-League National Finals
THERE was double delight for Mayo at the SFAI Inter-League national finals in Kilkenny this afternoon with the Mayo Under 16 girls and Under 13 boys crowned cup champions.
Mayo had five teams on duty - four girls and one boys, which is an incredible endorsement for the underage game in the county, but there was to be no joy for the girls' Under 12, 13 and 15 teams in their respective finals.
The Under 16 girls enjoyed a 2-1 win over Kerry and given their ascendency throughout the whole game, it was a well deserved win.
Kayla Doherty opened the scoring with a nice finish into the bottom corner, and she was provider for the second when her exquisitely struck corner was put home by Isobel Philips.
In between, Kerry's biggest threat, Katie Foster, had equalised with a first-time strike that was very much against the run of play.
Mayo opened the second half looking to press their advantage. Kerry kept looking for that goal to level matters too but it remained scoreless for the half as Mayo ran out 2-1 winners.
Before that match concluded the Under 13 boys had started celebrating with their cup on an adjoining pitch having seen off the challenge of neighbours Galway 1-nil.
The pacey Mark Leonard got the game's only goal in the first half with a powerful strike, and there could have been more with a score ruled offside and another shot hitting the crossbar.
All the Mayo players produced some fantastic play and as Galway piled on the pressure to get the goal they needed, 'keeper Ryan Nolan was outstanding. He went on to be named man of the match.
Mayo saw a late chance to seal it go wide after Galway failed to clear their lines, but it didn't matter as they stuck to their task to take their win.
The Mayo Under 12 girls were next up in the shield final where they lost out by a single goal, 1-0, to Waterford.
Mayo started brightly with lots of early pressure, and the game was all even at the break. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be their day, losing by a solitary score.
The evening kick-offs saw Mayo's Under 15 girls facing off against Carlow in their shield final, with their Under 13 counterparts taking on MGL South in the bowl.
The Under 13s trailed 2-0 at half-time, the two goals coming from the same MGL boot who proved a busy handful. That was confirmed with a late-on hat-trick as the early signals of intent were realised.
Mayo, after going behind, upped it a gear to try and find an equaliser and had some very bright spells, but MGL emerged as convincing winners.
A battling Under 15 team were defeated by Carlow 1-0, the first-half goal being a superb strike.
Lots of ball landed in the opposition half as 'keeper Aoife Meaney's kick-outs cannoned up the field, and Emma Higgins was a particular thorn in the Carlow defence, but they stood stern to everything thrown at them by a quality Mayo side to earn a deserved win.