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S Furlong, C Barrett, K Murphy & E Kelly & Dublin Ladies Reach Leinster Final - Wed, 8 Jul 2009

Well done to Sorcha Furlong, Colleen Barrett, Katie Murphy & Elaine Kelly who were part of the Dublin Senior Ladies Leinster Championship Semi-Final win over Meath.

The first outing for the Leinster champions, and the sharpest of starts -- a Sinead Ahern goal inside the opening 30 seconds at the town end. It sent Dublin on their way to a 5-6 to 1-8 provincial semi-final victory and a meeting with Kildare in the Leinster final. Meath had some good pockets. They missed some chances, as did the Dubs, but Meath didn't possess Dublin's threat in attack. Full-forward, Ahern, was so often first to the ball. Her twisting and turning caused many a problem in the Royal Court.

Lyndsey Peat was making her Championship debut for the Jackies. She's a top basketballer, and it showed. And while Meath did construct a parcel of openings, the likes of Maria Kavanagh and Sorcha Furlong closed many avenues. In charge of the home side was a man who knows his Dublin football onions, Brendan Dardis. He's one of the most experienced managers in Ladies football. Conceding five goals was too high a price to pay. "You just can't concede five goals in any Championship match.

You just can't do it," reflected Brendan. There were a couple of hundred watching the action. At the start of the second half they were joined by the Blues Brothers -- the Waterford footballers who were playing Meath on the same bill. At half-time, the Dubs were ahead by 3-3 to 1-4. Peat, who showed impressive energy, drilled in the second goal in the 11th minute, while her precise pass allowed Niamh Hurley to smash in the third in the 27th minute. Dublin almost had another goal in the eighth minute when a lovely move involving Mary Nevin, Ahern and Peat concluded with Louise McKeever saving brilliantly from Kim Flood. Grainne Nulty was doing well in the engine room for the hosts. And Elaine Duffy squeezed in a charming 14th-minute goal following a pass from Jenny Rispin.

It was Lyndsey Davey who knocked over the last point of the first period, but six minutes into the restart, she was carried off on a stretcher after falling awkwardly on the stand side. On the big, wide pitch, the Dubs kept probing for openings, and they looked as fit at the close as they did at the start, a tribute to their fitness trainer, Jim Kilty, who was looking on from the dug-out. In a novel spin of the wheel, Dardis brought goalkeeper, McKeever, out the field with 10 minutes left. But by then they were chasing a nine-point deficit. Hurley tucked in her second goal on 53 minutes. Full-back, Noelle Comyn, was then sin-binned, but it didn't cause a ripple to Dublin's composure. Three minutes from time, the wonderful Nevin arrowed in the fifth goal. It was a deserved reward for her toil over the hour. Mary had kicked a prince of a point in the opening period. "We got the result. That's what these matches are all about," summed up Dublin boss, Gerry McGill.

Dublin: C O'Connor (Naomh Mearnóg); A Cluxton (Parnells), N Comyn (Ballyboden St Enda's), M Kavanagh (Round Tower's Clondalkin); C Barrett (St Brigid's), S Furlong (St Brigid's), L Kidd (Naomh Peregrine); L Peat (Parnells, 1-0), N McEvoy (Parnells); M Nevin (Na Fianna, 1-1), E Kelly (St Brigid's, 0-2), K Flood (Clanna Gael Fontenoy); N Hurley ( Fingallians, 2-1), S Ahern (St Sylvester's, 1-1), L Davey ( (Skerries Harps, 0-1). Subs: A McGuinness (Fingallians) for McEvoy (ht). N Hyland (Ballyboden St Enda's) for Davey (Inj,36); C Murphy (Foxrock Cabinteely) for Kelly (59); C O'Connor (Clontarf) for Hurley (66).

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