Kilkenny came out on top against Tipperary once more as Dicksboro chiselled out a 3-2 to 1-1 victory over Éire Óg, Nenagh to claim the Corn Uí Phuirséil as Féile na Gael Division 1 champions at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick writes Daragh Ó Conchúir.
The opening half was a very tight affair as the teams felt each other out early on and it took 10 minutes to break the deadlock via a Maeve Coffey point for Éire Óg.
Critically, Dicksboro possessed a strong goal threat throughout and Aisling Morrissey pounced on a breaking ball to register their initial three-pointer.
That gave them a 1-0 to 0-1 half-time lead and they improved their situation further when Niamh Mulrooney goaled soon after the resumption. Ciara O’Shea was very prominent in the Boro defence and Éire Óg could not get the breakthrough they needed.
Gráinne Hennessy put the Noresiders firmly in the driving seat with a third goal although Nenagh did strike for a late goal courtesy of Leah Sheedy.
The Division 2 title went to East Waterford side Galltír, who were too strong for Portaferry of Down and prevailed on a 5-5 to 0-3 scoreline in the Gaelic Grounds. Goals from Aoife Fitzgerald and Emer Walsh, who struck twice, helped them into a 3-1 to 0-2 interval lead.
Despite the excellence of the Portaferry goalkeeper, Galltír continued to make ground and goals from Ann Corcoran and Emer Edwards completed their fairytale day.
In the Division 3 final, Raharney (Westmeath) came from behind to account for Ballinteer St John’s (Dublin), 2-3 to 1-2 in Mungret. Ballinteer led at the interval by a point but Raharney scored two goals to edge an exciting contest.
The Division 4 decider was the opening game played at the headquarters of Limerick GAA but it wasn’t a memorable one for the host county as Na Piarsaigh were unable hold out Tipperary champions Ballina, despite the magnificence of their netminder. It finished 4-3 to 0-2 in Ballina’s favour.
The Division 5 final, played in Mungret, pitted two Clare sides against each other and it was Kilmaley that came out on top against Éire Óg by 3-3 to 0-2. There were four points between them at half time but Kilmaley struck two goals after the resumption to seal it.
