Westport school wins first provincial title in over two decades

Sacred Heart School, Westport 2-9

Claregalway College 1-9

By John Coyle

A brilliant performance by Sacred Heart School saw the Westport outfit secure a first Connaught A title since 2000 at Swinford Amenity Park on Tuesday.

This was a victory a long time in the making. Five years ago, manager Brian Regan steered the team to a C title and a year later a B title followed.

The Premier competition has been a tougher nut to crack. Sacred Heart School experienced defeat to the same opposition at the same stage in January 2020 before covid interrupted schooling and sport in schools.

This year, the team and management were determined to reach the provincial peak. The outpouring of emotion at the final whistle was a culmination of mental and physical exertion over the last months.

Like so many of the battles between these two schools, this proved to be of the ding-dong variety. Electing to play with the aid of a strong wind in the first half, SHS went about setting a target for Claregalway to chase down. When Niamh O’Malley drove through and clipped over a beautiful point with barely a minute on the clock, this seemed like a good strategy. However, further scores seemed to be at a premium, with the Claregalway goalkeeper making a string of great saves to keep the green flag lying flat on the ground. With ten minutes on the clock, Claregalway had levelled matters and the wind wasn't bringing the dividends that Westport desired.

The next five minutes to the water break would prove crucial, as Sacred Heart started to move through the gears and make their dominance count. Aoife Staunton played a clever quick free and Sorcha McCarney finished superbly to the corner of the net bringing the crowd to life. At this point, Claregalway were pinned in and a point apiece from Aoife Staunton and Katie Chambers left Sacred Heart ahead by 1-3 to 0-1 at the water break. When Laura Moran split the posts immediately after the resumption of play, it looked like the scores would start racking up. Fionnuala Mclaughlin had begun to torment the Claregalway defence, and Claregalway’s county star Kate Slevin was systematically shut down by the outstanding Sarah Mulroy.

However, Claregalway were not Connaught champions without good reason, and they opened up the Westport defence with a great move to score a major and bring the difference back to three points. Further points from the increasingly influential Aoife Staunton and substitute Saoirse Byrne left Westport five points up approaching half time but again Claregalway pegged them back with two well taken points leaving the gap at three points at break.

In the crowd, there may have been a consensus that the gap should have been greater and a three-point lead against a strong wind might not be enough. In a five-minute spell just after half time, Claregalway kicked three points and those fears seemed legitimate for Westport. Hannah Sheehy steadied the ship with a well taken point to push Westport in front before Claregalway equalised again.

Then, though, came the pivotal moment of this game. A lovely, sweeping move from inside their own half where no fewer than eight Sacred Heart players touched the ball, culminated in Aoife Staunton playing a beautiful chipped kick pass over the Claregalway defence. Saoirse Byrne needed no invitation, brilliantly wrongfooting the keeper and finishing into the corner. The roof of the stand, tested somewhat by Storm Barra last week was pushed to the limits by the rising decibel levels from the Sacred Heart crowd. Katie Chambers added another score before the water break to leave the Mayo side four points up. The final quarter was a low-scoring one, Saoirse Byrne grabbing the final Westport score. Claregalway tagged on two scores to bring it to a single score game but couldn’t pierce the exceptional defensive effort the Sacred Heart team to grab the goal they needed to force extra time. An aerial bombardment saw several very good saves made by goalkeeper Mae Murray and the Galway outfit were forced into pot-shots, which didn’t bring the desired result.

The final whistle saw the Mayo outfit reach the promised land of a Connaught A title, their first since 1999. Every year of that gap could be felt in the raw emotion at the end. Captain Laura Moran lifted the cup, a Christmas gift delivered early.

Sacred Heart School: Mae Murray; Eimear Geraghty, Saoirse Kelly, Katie O’Grady; Ava Kelly, Beth Hoban, Sarah Mulroy; Sorcha McCarney, Laura Moran (Capt); Fionnuala McLaughlin, Niamh O’Malley, Aoife Staunton; Ciara Joyce, Rachel Twohig, Katie Chambers.

Subs used: Saoirse Byrne (for R. Twohig), Hannah Sheehy (for C. Joyce), Ava Palasz (for N. O’Malley), Ria Cafferkey (for L. Moran)