RAILWAY UNION, OLD Belvedere and UL Bohemians lead the way at the top of the Energia Women’s All-Ireland League with maximum points after two rounds.
UL Bohs prop and captain Chloe Pearse led by example with two tries in a 43-7 bonus point win at Galwegians. It was a productive day for their front row, with tighthead Fiona Reidy also touching down and hooker Kate Sheehan the player-of-the-match.
Connacht’s Ursula Sammon, who impressed during the recent Interprovincial Championship, raced through for an early try for Galwegians. That came in response to Eilis Cahill’s fourth-minute opener for the visitors.
However, Niamh Briggs’ Bohs side began to dominate play, Reidy restoring their lead before winger Alana McInerney collected a loose ball, embarked on a super run down the right wing and duly registered try number three at the posts.
Pearse put her name to the bonus point score – making it 26-7 at half-time – and shrugged off a slew of defenders for her second try, adding to an Eva McCormack effort, which was followed by Nicole’s fourth and final conversion.
Aoife Corey came up from full-back to run in Bohs’ seventh try in the final minutes. A much closer contest awaits next Saturday when Briggs’ charges host Belvedere who made it two wins out of two by overcoming Malone 57-12.
‘Belvo ran in nine tries, doing most of the damage in a first half which ended 40-0 in their favour. Winger Laura Carty helped herself to a hat-trick and out-half Hannah Tyrrell scored a try and kicked five conversions, taking her early-season haul to 31 points.
At Park Avenue, Railway Union ran riot in their first home game to teach Wicklow another tough lesson in their All-Ireland League apprenticeship.
John Cronin’s side, boosted by a number of returning international and provincial players, secured a staggering 142-0 victory over the top-flight newcomers.
Railway were many levels about their very inexperienced opponents, scoring a total of 24 tries. Scrum half Ailsa Hughes notched a hat-trick, while strong-running centres Katie Heffernan and Maggie MacKinnon scored seven between them.
Long-striding Ireland second row Aoife McDermott was another player that Wicklow struggled to cope with. She made plenty of metres and scored three tries of her own.
Cooke bounced back from losing in Limerick to beat Ballincollig 24-10 at Shaw’s Bridge. Front row duo Ilse van Staden and Aishling O’Connell both got amongst the tries, and versatile forward Naomi McCord grabbed her second of the campaign.
With young flanker Katie Hetherington also crossing, the Cookies had the bonus point in the bag before Jayne Pennefather and Katelyn Fleming collected a couple of consolation scores for the Cork outfit.
Blackrock College returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion, serving up a 50-0 beating to Suttonians. Ireland back rower Hannah O’Connor starred with a 20-point contribution made up of two tries and five conversions.
There were braces too for Mairead Holohan and returning Ireland Sevens international Anna Doyle. Two more players who came up through the Ireland Under-19 Sevens pathway, Aoibheann Reilly and Eimear Corri, had a try each.
ROUND 2 RESULTS:
GALWEGIANS 7 UL BOHEMIANS 43, Crowley Park
Scorers: Galwegians: Try: Ursula Sammon; Con: Darwyn O’Halloran.
UL Bohemians: Tries: Eilis Cahill, Fiona Reidy, Alana McInerney, Chloe Pearse (2), Eva McCormack, Aoife Corey; Cons: Nicole Cronin (4)
GALWEGIANS: Mairead Coyne; Rhiann Heery, Megan Walsh, Ursula Sammon, Laoise McGonagle; Saskia Morrissey, Darwyn O’Halloran; Jessica Loftus, Kiara Irwin, Ellen Connolly, Sabina Egan, Niamh O’Grady, Emily Gavin, Lisa-Marie Murphy, Dearbhla Canty. Replacements: Rebecca Dunne, Ruby Lynch, Celia Killilea, Lea Turner, Casie O’Connell, Ines Delgado, Chloe McCrann, Camille Lassalle.
UL BOHEMIANS: Aoife Corey; Aoife Bowman Grangel, Stephanie Nunan, Rachel Allen, Alana McInerney; Nicole Cronin, Courtney Duhig, Chloe Pearse (capt), Kate Sheehan, Fiona Reidy, Claire Bennett, Aaliyah Te Pou, Sarah Garrett, Edel Murphy, Sarah Quin. Replacements: Lily Brady, Eilis Cahill, Laura Delaney, Eva McCormack, Michelle Ring, Muirne Wall, Laura Stritch.
COOKE 24 BALLINCOLLIG 10, Shaw’s Bridge
Scorers: Cooke: Tries: Katie Hetherington, Ilse van Staden, Aishling O’Connell, Naomi McCord; Cons: Amanda Morton (2)
Ballincollig: Tries: Jayne Pennefather, Katelyn Fleming
COOKE: Teah Maguire; Georgia Boyce, Claire Johnston, Dolores Hughes, Tamzin Boyce; Amanda Morton, Hannah Kilgore; Ilse van Staden, Beth Cregan, Aishling O’Connell (capt), Sorcha Mac Laimhin, Naomi McCord, Katie Hetherington, Lesley Megarity, Helen McGhee. Replacements: Fiona McCaughan, Katie Kerr, Caolinn McCormack, India Daley, Hannah Allen, Eimear McQuillan.
BALLINCOLLIG: Lauren Fahey; Alison Kelly, Jayne Pennefather, Mona Fehily, Michelle Stafford; Kelly Griffin, Gemma Lane; Alix Cunneen, Clodagh Walsh (capt), Clare Coombes, Sarah O’Donovan, Gillian Coombes, Eimear Perryman, Katelyn Fleming, Eimear Minihane. Replacements: Roisin Ormond, Naoise Murray, Laurileigh Baker, Kira Fitzgerald, Olivia Hay Mulvihill, Christine Arthurs, Gerda Coyne.
OLD BELVEDERE 57 MALONE 12, Ollie Campbell Park
Scorers: Old Belvedere: Tries: Laura Carty (3), Hannah Tyrrell, Jemma Farrell, Elise O’Byrne-White, Vic Dabanovich O’Mahony, Katie Whelan, Clare Gorman; Cons: Hannah Tyrrell (5), Jemma Farrell
Malone: Tries: Sarah Murphy (2); Con: Alexa Grudgings
OLD BELVEDERE: Grace Miller; Laura Carty, Elise O’Byrne-White, Ailbhe Dowling, Clare Gorman; Hannah Tyrrell, Jemma Farrell; Alice O’Dowd, Rachel Murphy, Vic Dabanovich O’Mahony, Jan Carroll, Clodagh Dunne, Ivanna Dempsey, Erin King, Jenny Murphy (capt). Replacements: Melissa Hayden, Emma Buckley, Ciara O’Dwyer, Katie Whelan.
MALONE: Holly Brannigan; Anna Stanfield, Sophie Armstrong, Peita McAlister (capt), Fern Wilson; Alexa Grudgings, Rachael McIlroy; Sarah Murphy, Neve Jones, Niamh McCloskey, Jasmine Ward, Hannah Beattie, Rebecca Smyth, Shirelle Wilson, Lauren Maginnes. Replacements: Ashleigh Currie, Aoife Cahill, Emma Taylor, Erin Jones, Cara O’Neill, Jill Stephens, Ella Durkan.
RAILWAY UNION 142 WICKLOW 0, Park Avenue
Scorers: Railway Union: Tries: Ailsa Hughes (3), Katie Heffernan (4), Niamh Byrne (2), Aoife McDermott (3), Stephanie Carroll, Maggie MacKinnon (3), Katie O’Dwyer, Claire Boles, Anna McGann (2), Lisa Callan, Aoife O’Shaughnessy, Grainne O’Loughlin, Amanda McQuade; Cons: Nikki Caughey (11)
Wicklow: n/a
RAILWAY UNION: Aoife O’Shaughnessy; Stephanie Carroll, Maggie MacKinnon, Katie Heffernan, Niamh Byrne (capt); Nikki Caughey, Ailsa Hughes; Grainne O’Loughlin, Chloe Blackmore, Katie O’Dwyer, Aoife McDermott, Siobhan McCarthy, Emma Murphy, Anna McGann, Claire Boles. Replacements: Lisa Callan, Keelin Brady, Christine Coffey, Grace Moore, Erin Coll, Alex McGuinness, Megan Collis, Amanda McQuade.
WICKLOW: Ella Roberts; Aoibhin Stone, Vicky Elmes Kinlan, Sarah Gleeson, Tamara Breen; Beth Roberts, Erin McConnell (co-capt); Niamh O’Leary, Amy O’Neill (co-capt), Lauren Barry, Ciara Brennan, Shauna Soady, Karen Douglas, Emily Ryan, Jessica Schmidt. Replacements: Amy Barry, Kathy Byrne, Laura Newsome, Nicola Schmidt, Katherine Ward, Naoise O’Reilly, Emer Staunton.
SUTTONIANS 0 BLACKROCK COLLEGE 50, JJ McDowell Memorial Grounds
Scorers: Suttonians: –
Blackrock College: Tries: Mairead Holohan (2), Anna Doyle (2), Hannah O’Connor (2), Aoibheann Reilly, Eimear Corri; Cons: Hannah O’Connor (5)
SUTTONIANS: Kate Farrell McCabe; Sophie Gibney, Catherine Martin, Jools Aungier, Megan Cullen; Catherine Galvin, Lauren Farrell McCabe; Julia Bauer, Julia O’Connor, Katie Grant Duggan, Brendan Barr, Aislinn Layde, Louise Catinot, Carrie O’Keeffe, Aifric O’Brien. Replacements: Aoife Brennan, Sophie Brennan, Roisin O’Driscoll, Jessica Kelleher, Lena Kibler, Nicole Carroll, Emily McKeown.
BLACKROCK COLLEGE: Maggie Boylan; Anna Doyle, Katie Fitzhenry, Michelle Claffey (capt), Natasja Behan; Jackie Shiels, Aoibheann Reilly; Aoife Moore, Emma Hooban, Caoimhe Molloy, Mairead Holohan, Anna Potterton, Aoife Wafer, Maeve Og O’Leary, Hannah O’Connor. Replacements: Niamh Tester, Christy Haney, Aoife Browne, Meadbh Scally, Niamh Griffin, Meabh Deely, Eimear Corri.