Ballygarvan 3-5 Milford 0-9 

BALLYGARVAN may have had five points to spare at the finish in this SE Systems senior championship clash in Castle Road, but Milford will rue their wides tally of nine over an hour where Ballygarvan were a lot more economical hitting no wides in a game that was there for the taking to the finish. 

At times it was sloppy, the stop start nature of proceedings never allowed the game to flow with play stopped on numerous occasions from minor injuries whilst the decision to have the water breaks on the 20th minute of both half and no on the quarter was also strange.

Two Isobel O’Regan first half goals on eight and 19 minutes as she collected long Catriona Kelly delivery’s helped Ballygarvan hold a 2-2 to 0-5 half time advantage. O’Regan also had contributed their two first half points. 

Milford, with Aisling Thompson, Sarah Sexton and Sarah Sheehan prominent, fought for every ball and they showed huge determination as they withstood a lot of Ballygarvan pressure including a penalty save by Thompson from Catriona Kelly after O’Regan was fouled en route to goal and with Rebecca Finn and Thompson finding the range, they were well in the contest.

Laura Stack and Catriona Kelly swapped early second half points but a determined Milford hit the next two from Finn and Thompson to cut the lead to a point as we entered the final quarter. Battling furiously for every ball and applying huge pressure, Milford won two frees but twice they wasted their chance of drawing level with erratic shooting.

Ballygarvan were granted a life line when Tara Crowley finished to the net after Catriona Kelly had delivered a long ball to the inside line.

Saoirse Mc Carthy pointed to bring it back to three points but finishing stronger Ballygarvan added two to endured their passage to a meeting next weekend with Killeagh.

Scorers for Ballygarvan : I O’Regan 2-3, T Crowley 1-0, C Kelly 0-2(f’).

Milford: A Thompson 0-4 (0-1f), R Finn 0-3(f’s) L Stack , S Mc Carthy 0-1 each.

BALLYGARVAN: S Ahern; S Lyons, S Wynne, L Murphy; C O’Leary, E O’Regan, S J Brady; M Buckley, M Kelleher; C O’Sullivan, C Kelly, T Crowley; N Lyons, I O’Regan, A Finnegan.

Subs: R Crowley for N Lyons, (h/t), M O’Donovan for M Kelleher (45), S Quilligan for A Finnegan (63.

MILFORD: E Goggin; C Buckley, K Galvin, A Galvin; S Sexton, T Fitzgibbon, O Lenihan; N O’Connor, A Thompson; E O’Gorman, R Finn, S Sheehan; M Fitzgibbon, L Stack, C Murphy.

Sub: Y Stack for K Galvin (inj 27).

Referee: John Horgan (Gleann Na Laoi).