There was big Laois involvement and success as the Ladies football Higher Education competitions concluded over the weekend.
The showpiece event was the O’Connor Cup (Division 1) final and while there were no Laois players on the pitch, there was plenty of involvement just off it.
DCU defeated UCC in the final by 2-16 to 1-14 and two Laois men were on the winning side.
Ballyfin’s Stephen Duff is the manager while Arles-Kilcruise’s David Conway was on the management team.
On the way to the final, DCU defeated TUD in the semi final who had Steven Hoary from St Conleth’s listed as part of their management team.
In the Division 3 Lynch Cup, St Joseph’s Emily Lacey was on the UCC team who won the final after extra time against MTU Cork.
We had previously reported that MTU had won but in fact, Lacey was on the winning side and was named player of the match.
The Moynihan Cup (Division 4) final was also played on Saturday where ATU Sligo took on Mary Immaculate College.
In a 1-10 to 1-8 victory, Timahoe’s Orla Hennessy excelled and was named player of the match.
It was an emotional victory for Orla and her teammates as it came just days after ATU Sligo student and member of the football team, Ella O’Neill, was laid to rest in her home county of Waterford after dying suddenly last weekend.
After the final whistle, her brother Darragh and sister Aoife, who wore Ella’s ATU team jersey while watching the game, joined the players for the postmatch team photo.
Niamh Phelan of St Brigid’s had also competed in that competition but her SETU Waterford side were beaten in the semi final.
In the Lagan Cup (Division 6), DCU 6 beat Ulster University 2 in the final. DCU had Emma Hickey from St Brigid’s involved.
On Friday night, there were four Laois players involved in the Donaghy Cup (Division 5) final.
Maynooth took on University of Limerick with Timahoe’s Heather Bennett, Shanahoe’s Isabel Finlay, Ballyroan’s Rachel Fitzgerald and Niamh Crosby of St Joseph’s in action.
The game went to extra time and the side could still not be separated as it finished 2-11 to 1-14.
The game was decided by free kicks but unfortunately the Laois girls came out on the losing side – 3-2.
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