Hope win latest battle of the Liverpool Gaelic teams

With many of the girls from both teams having played on the same side for the past couple of months, this match was always going to be an interesting one!  The two teams had previously combined to form the North-West Region, winnning the first ever Railway Cup, and the British Universities AllStars squad heavily featured players from both Hope and JMU.  Today, however, all this was forgotten as the two teams faced up to each other as rivals once again!

After a quick 'photoshoot' with a photographer from 'JMUWorld' (see http://cwis.livjm/ac.uk and the photos below), the JMU girls arrived at Hope Park in the sweltering heat, a vast difference in weather conditions from the last time the two teams met!  Both teams were suffering from a reduction in players due to coursework deadlines, so it was agreed to play 13-a-side instead of the usual 15.

The game started well, with Liverpool Hope taking the lead early into the game.  JMU pulled back to even the score with some good play by Donna Ferguson and Fiona McCarney, and went on to take the lead.  Playing conditions were difficult in the extreme heat (we moan when it is cold and rainy, and we still moan when it is hot and sunny!!), and the rugby pitch the game was played on was hard and uneven, making it hard to solo and the bounce of the ball uncertain.

Hope reclaimed the lead and stayed always a little too far in front for JMU to reach.  Despite some good scoring by Rosie Molloy, and excellent defending by Claire McCullagh and Aisling Devlin, the Hope girls were always able to put just enough scores on the board to stay ahead.  Aisling Devlin managed to apply enough pressure on the Hope forwards to make them miss a number of opportunities, and Laura Hewitt in goals made some excellent saves, proving that she has really matured in that position this season.  With tempers starting to fray slightly towards the end of the game, and the players dying for a drink of water (or something a little stronger perhaps), everyone was glad to hear the final whistle to end what is likely to be the last match of the season for both teams.

The match finished 4-10 to 2-6 in Hope's favour.

I would like to thank the Hope girls for their hospitality after the game, and say a big thank you to all the JMU girls that turned out for the match (what with all the revision and coursework deadlines to meet!).  Well done to the girls that made it to the Brookhouse for a few drinks, and then onto the Union, although by then most of us were fading!

It is sad to have to write the last report of the season but we can feel proud of our achievements this season.  Semi-finalists in the British Championships, some players also being Winners of the Railway Cup and AllStars, we should be pleased that all the hard work at training (and yes it IS hard work with Niall making us run up all those hills!) has paid off and we have enjoyed some success.  We may not have any more football left but we still have the Sports Dinner on the 7th May, where the annual awards will be presented.  This will be another opportunity for us to show the university that Gaelic Football is alive and well in Liverpool, and try to make them recognise what we have achieved!

(Caroline Digby)

Here are the photos taken before the Varsity game: