ULSTER CROWNED MASTERS CHAMPIONS!
Richard Bullick in Kiltoom
Armagh stalwart Sharon Reel won the Player of the Tournament award as Ulster were crowned the inaugural Masters interpro champions on an enjoyable afternoon of nostalgia laced with often feisty football in Kiltoom.
Having come out on top in all three round robin games, an Ulster panel containing six Armagh representatives battled back from six points down in the final against Munster and went on to claim a deserved victory by a six-point margin after extra-time.
St Patrick’s HS Keady teacher Orla Fox and former Armagh joint gaffer Jacqui Clarke (now McKendry) were part of the management team for Ulster, whose jerseys were sponsored by local business Fergal Duffy Electrical & Mechanical Engineering.
By nice coincidence, this tournament took place very close to the 20th anniversary of Clarke’s Armagh team – featuring all of the Orchard representatives in Kiltoom except Reel, who had been in Australia then – who won the 2005 All Ireland Junior final in Croke Park.
The weather couldn’t have been better throughout the day and that was no more than the Gaelic Masters Association deserved for their well-organised event which culminated in medals being presented to each member of the victorious squad.
The northern province coming out on top symbolically reasserted the dominance which Ulster established before the mainstream adult interpro tournament had, regrettably, been binned by the LGFA a number of years ago.
The long journey from these parts to south Roscommon was worthwhile for what these household names of yesteryear served up in the here and now never mind honouring who they have been over many years.
Driving down the western side of Lough Ree towards Athlone, the autumn leaves at varying stages of changing colour seemed metaphorically fitting, as did the faded sign on the side of the road pointing the way to the host St Brigid’s club.
Some of the players on view may also have been a little less sharp than in their prime, but the fitness levels and standard of football both impressed and the competitive edge was still much in evidence.
These women were winners in their heyday and it was apparent that desire to triumph hasn’t worn off for those who were donning the boots seriously for the first time in years or those still playing regularly at a good level of club football.
Carrickcruppen’s Reel and evergreen Grange great Dervla Mallon both remain leading lights for their respective clubs, while Orla Connolly is looking forward to a provincial campaign this autumn after helping Lissummon to an Armagh Junior title triumph in recent weeks.
However, former Armagh goalkeeper Denise Jordan hasn’t played competitive football for well over a decade while her Clann Eireann clubmate Rhona McKeever also hung up the boots a number of years ago.
Despite this diversity of recent playing profile across all teams, and the fact these squads didn’t have much training time together, they grew in cohesion as the day went on and the final was an absorbing battle between two well-matched and committed sides.
Of course, Ulster had a special cheat code in the shape of current county footballer Caroline O’Hanlon, but despite being up for a national All Star again next month, the Orchard ace was eligible for this Masters competition on age grounds having turned 40 last year.
Typical of her almost superhuman schedule, O’Hanlon had been playing netball in Lisburn the night before, leading her club Larkfield to a stunning 63-34 victory over NI Premier League champions Kingsway early in that sport’s new domestic season.
She sat out the opening game in Kiltoom as Ulster got off to a winning start against Connacht but featured for a brief cameo in the ill-tempered clash which followed against a Leinster side missing fellow multi-sport star Lindsay Peat.
Munster also began with two wins so their clash with Ulster in the third round of fixtures was a dress rehearsal for the final and the teams kept their powder dry a bit with former Cork forward Valerie Mulcahy and O’Hanlon sitting out the dead rubber.
Unsurprisingly, both women started the final though the legendary ex-Cork captain Juliet Murphy was unable to take the field at any stage of the tournament due to injury, which was a blow for Munster.
O’Hanlon put Ulster ahead with a free and added a nice point but Mulcahy brought Munster level with a couple of frees after Reel had been forced off for the rest of the half after taking blow to the throat.
A free for O’Hanlon brought Ulster level again after Munster had taken the lead for the first time but the southern province added three unanswered scores before the break and then grabbed a goal just after the resumption.
O’Hanlon converted a free and pointed from play before raising her sixth white flag of the final after the teams had traded points, paving the way for Ulster skipper Michaela Downey to grab an equalising goal from a ball dropped in by Cavan’s impressive Pamela McCabe.
Like Mallon, Tyrone great Gemma Begley had spent some time off the field but she put Ulster in front early in extra-time with a point, Derry native Victoria Mallett’s goal gave them breathing space and O’Hanlon rounded off the scoring with two more points, the last a free.
It was nice to see Juliet Murphy walk 30 yards to give former midfield adversary O’Hanlon a hug during the presentation ceremony and she was also chatting afterwards with fellow road bowler Dervla Mallon.
Last time this writer was down that direction, for Armagh’s All Ireland Under 16 B final win in July, the winning players were posing for trophy photos with their parents but here it was quite a few winning players with their children!
Dervla gave up county football in 2011 when starting a family and, as someone who has stayed very fit, was really relishing this tournament in advance just as she had so looked forward to last year’s inaugural Masters International Rules series against Australia.
There’s no doubt that Mallon has missed playing at the elite level with Armagh since stepping back, but it was lovely to watch this most modest of sportswomen smiling happily surrounded by her three daughters, the youngest of whom was proudly clutching the trophy.
Hopefully this Masters tournament will become a regular event, filling the gap left by the axing of the mainstream adult interpros, though it would be better if the LGFA’s frostiness towards the event thawed enough for them to at least acknowledge its existence.
There was no quarter given on the field, but last Saturday in Kiltoom was also an opportunity to rekindle friendships formed in interpro teams of the past and also on All Stars tours, which have also sadly been scrapped by the LGFA in recent times.
Based on the positive experience of those who took part this time, any future editions of this Masters interpro tournament should have no problem attracting willing participants and maybe even a few more big names who weren’t involved in this inaugural event.
Leaving to embark on the long journey north after an enjoyable afternoon, there was a moment of sadness when it came to my mind that former Armagh player Aoife Lennon – who died in a road accident last month – wouldn’t even have been old enough to be eligible.
The much-loved Derrynoose woman was taken far too soon, and one also spared a thought for another former Armagh player who died relatively young in recent years, Maura McArdle, who also represented Ulster in rugby back in the day. We have much to be thankful for.
