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Cora Staunton: on form. INPHO/Donall Farmer
GAA

Ladies football round-up: Cork and Donegal set to face off

The outstanding performance of the weekend was provided by Mayo forward Cora Staunton, who scored 3-11 as Mayo hammered Tyrone 3-12 to 1-4.

CHAMPIONS CORK HAVE drawn against Donegal in the quarter-finals of the 2012 TG4 All-Ireland Ladies senior football championship.

The draw for the last eight has also thrown up a Dublin-Kerry clash while Bord Gáis Energy National League Division 1 champions Monaghan will tackle Mayo, who demolished Tyrone in Birr last Saturday.

The other quarter-final sees Connacht champions Galway up against neighbours Clare, who are fresh from a surprise victory over Meath.The Galway-Clare and Dublin-Kerry ties will be played next Saturday, August 18, with Monaghan v Mayo and Cork v Donegal fixed for Saturday, August 25.In last Saturday’s round 2 qualifiers, Mayo, Clare, Donegal and Kerry were victorious to join provincial champions Cork, Monaghan, Dublin and Galway in the quarter-finals.

The outstanding performance of the weekend was provided by Mayo forward Cora Staunton, who scored 3-11 as Mayo hammered Tyrone 3-12 to 1-4.

Staunton hit 3-5 from play and Mayo could even afford the luxury of 18 wides against hapless Tyrone – 12 of those in the second half alone.Carnacon star Staunton was on fire, hitting all of Mayo’s first half tally as the beaten Connacht finalists led by 1-7 to 1-3. Tyrone scored just a single point in the second half and 44 minutes elapsed before a player other than Staunton scored for Mayo, with Deirdre Doherty on target. The Mayo-Tyrone clash was the second game of a double-header at St Brendan’s Park in Birr.

Earlier, Naomi Carroll’s late point secured a 1-11 to 1-10 victory for Clare against beaten Leinster finalists Meath.Clare lost to Cork by eleven points in the Munster semi-final but hit back in spirited fashion to send the Royal County crashing out.And it was Carroll who sealed Clare’s passage to the quarter-finals with 55 seconds left on the clock.

Meanwhile, Kerry recovered from their Munster final defeat to Cork with a comprehensive 1-25 to 0-10 victory against Westmeath at MacDonagh Park, Nenagh. Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh scored 0-11 for the Kingdom while Lorraine Scanlon bagged the only goal of the game in the final minute.And at Kingspan Breffni Park in Cavan, Donegal stunned Kildare by 3-13 to 0-13.

Kildare had beaten 2010 and 2011 All-Ireland semi-finalists Laois on Bank Holiday Monday but came unstuck against Donegal, who were hammered by Monaghan in the Ulster final.Ciara D Shovlin scored two goals for Donegal, with Geraldine McLaughlin also on target.

Results

TG4 All-Ireland SFC round 2 qualifiers: Clare 1-11 Meath 1-10, Donegal 3-13 Kildare 0-13, Kerry 1-25 Westmeath 0-10, Mayo 3-12 Tyrone 1-4.

Fixtures

TG4 All-Ireland Ladies SFC quarter-finals – Times and venues TBC; Saturday August 18: Galway v Clare, Dublin v Kerry; Saturday August 25: Mayo v Monaghan, Cork v Donegal.

Talking Points: Galway v Cork, All-Ireland SHC semi-final

Jack O’Connor: “It was a year that took its toll and that was definitely a factor in my decision.”