All-Ireland Ladies Junior Football Championship Final
Antrim 1-9 Wicklow 2-17
ANTRIM Ladies suffered an 11-point defeat to a dominant Wicklow outfit in Sunday’s All-Ireland Junior Football Championship final at Croke Park.
The Garden County lost last year’s decider to Fermanagh and they made amends with a devastating display of pace and power as they ran out convincing winners over a gallant Antrim side.
The platform for Wicklow’s success was built during a fantastic start and the Garden County could have been further clear at the break.
Meadbh Deeney hit their opening point after four minutes and it was soon followed by another from Clodagh Fox.
With Antrim struggling to create chances, Wicklow dominated the early exchanges and moved three ahead with Deeney hit her second point before Catherine Dempsey fired over the bar rather than shooting for goal.
Sarah Jane Winders lifts the West County Hotel Cup
A free and then a point from play from Maire Kealy had Wicklow 0-6 to no score ahead, but Antrim finally got off the mark on 12 minutes when Gráinne McLaughlin clipped the ball over the bar.
Wicklow’s composure in front of the posts appeared to desert them midway through the half as they hit half a dozen wides including a very poor miss from Kealy when she was one-on-one with Anna McCann on 15 minutes.
McLaughlin got her side’s second point when she hit a great point under serious pressure from the Wicklow defence.
Yet, around one minute later, the ball was over the bar at the other end with Dempsey landing her second before Fox moved Wicklow 0-8 to 0-2 ahead.
Antrim engineered their third point when Cathy Carey played a ’45 short to McLaughlin and the Glenavy attacker split the posts with four minutes of the half remaining.
Wicklow went into the break with a seven-point advantage following points from corner-forwards Fox and Kealy and they struck for their first goal inside the first minute of the second half.
Fox, who was named Player-of-the-Match, smashed the ball into the roof of the net and Rioghna McGettigan fired over the bar moments later as the Leinster side pulled 1-11 to 0-3 ahead.
McLaughlin blasted a shot narrowly wide of the Wicklow goal before Maeve Blaney cleared a shot off the line at the other end when Dempsey looked certain to score.
Deeney and Carey (free) exchanged scores before Antrim were awarded a penalty for a foul on Michelle Magee.
However, McLaughlin’s shot flew over rather than under the crossbar and Antrim had to settle for point. Yet, Emma Kelly’s side took confidence from it and began getting their reward on the scoreboard.
A superb point from midfielder Ciara Brown followed back-to-back Wicklow points from Laurie Ahern and Dempsey.
Grainne McLaughlin celebrates scoring a goal 
An unanswered burst of 1-2 from the Saffrons hinted at a late revival as Carey converted a free and McLaughlin landed another from play.
The impressive McLaughlin bagged Antrim’s only goal when her low shot at goal took a touch off the heel of Sarah Jane Winders and it was enough to deceive Linda Dempsey.
Unfortunately for Antrim, Wicklow responded in kind when Deeney bundled the ball over the line after Anna McCann had made a great save to deny Fox on 53 minutes.
Things went from bad to worse for Antrim when substitute Orla Corr was sin-binned and Wicklow closed the game with points from Sinead McGettigan and Deeney while a Carey converted a free with the last kick of the game for the luckless Saffrons.
ANTRIM: A McCann; D Coleman, A McFarland, N McIntosh; A Tubridy, M Hanna, M Blaney; E Ferran, C Brown (0-1); N Enright, C Carey (0-3, 0-3fs), G McLaughlin (1-5, 0-1f); A Taggart, M Magee, C Taggart.
Subs: O Corr for Hanna (36), T Mellon for C Taggart (36), E Morgan for A Taggart (44), M O’Neill for Enright (54), N Webb (58)
WICKLOW: L Dempsey; M Healy, SJ Winders, L Dunne; L Fuserardi, A Conroy, A Gillen; N McGettigan, S Delahunt; L Ahern (0-1), C Dempsey (0-5), R McGettigan (0-1); C Fox (1-3), M Deeney (1-3), M Kealy (0-3, 0-1f).
Subs: S McGettigan (0-1) for R McGettigan (37), K Hennessy for Gillen (42), E Parke for Kealy (54), P Faulkner for Dunne (58).
REFEREE: B Redmond (Wexford).
