Skryne travelled to Bective for this championship fixture on Wednesday evening 22nd August and came away with a comprehensive win over the home side. The weather was ideal for the game with the pitch also in top class condition setting the scene for a good game of football.
Skryne were first into the action, however they saw their first attempt go left of the uprights on the 2nd minute and this was followed by three further wides by the Tara side in as many minutes. We had to wait until the 7th minute before we saw the first score of the evening coming from the boot of Skryne centre forward Colleen Jordan from a placed ball 25mtrs from the Bective uprights. The Tara side were now piling on the pressure but were not taking advantage of their possession when they sent three further attempts wide of the uprights in the next few minutes bringing their tally of wides to seven at the 11th minute stage.
The 12th minute saw Roisin Gryson custodian of the Skryne goal pick out Saoirse McGrath with a well placed kickout. Saoirse went on one of her trade mark runs leaving her opponents trailing in her wake before she found Colleen Jordan with a well timed pass. The Skryne centre forward made no mistake when she split the opposition uprights to tag on another point for theTara side. The next score for theTara ladies was almost a mirror image of the previous with Rosin Gryson, Saoirse McGrath and Colleen Jordan linking up, however, this time Colleen finished to the back of the Bective net to create some space between the sides.
The Skryne rear guard were standing resolute against any incursion by the Bective attack with Orla Cragie putting in her usual strong performance added to by full back Niamh Lynch and Deidre Kennedy in the half back line. The Taraside sent their next two attempts wide of the posts before Bective saw their first scoring attempt sail wide of the posts on the 17th minute, followed by another missed opportunity for the home side a minute later.
Skryne were now dominant throughout the field and their next move saw midfielder Eimear Finnerty pick out Saoirse McGrath with a well timed pass who in turn found corner forward Eimear Clarke. Eimear popped her attempt over the Bective crossbar to stretch the visitors lead on the 20th minute. The home side responded on the 22nd minute when they converted a free kick to register their first score of the evening in the form of a point. Bective were now making some in roads through the Skryne defence when they won another free kick on the 24th minute which they duly converted to tag on their second point of the half.
The 23rd minute saw another Saoirse McGrath and Eimear Clarke link up and the result was another point for theTara side to put them in strong position at the break on a scoreline:
Skryne 1 – 4. Bective 0 – 2.
The second half started with Skryne hitting the opening score on the 31st minute with an Eimear Finnerty point form play, followed a minute later with a Colleen Jordan point from play to stretch the Tara sides lead. The visitors next struck two wides before they further stretched their lead when Melanie Kirwan had an excellent point from play on the 36th minute.
It has to be said the Tara side were making very hard work of it and still were not making full use of their dominance, when we saw them hit a further two wides in the 37th / 38th minutes. However, all this changed from the 41st minute when we saw the Skryne machine move up into top gear when Colleen Jordan took an excellent pass from Eimear Finnerty and she rattled the back of the Bective net to send her side well on their way. TheTara side were back on the scoreboard a minute later when the ever dependable half forward Melanie Kirwan sent one over the home side’s crossbar to create more daylight between the sides.
Skryne again had the ball in the back of the Bective net on 43rd minute from the boot of the elusive corner forward Eimear Clarke when she took a well directed pass from substitute Sinead O’Kane. County player and Skryne centre half Colleen Jordan was showing her class when she put one between the uprights following on a pass from Melanie Kirwan and she followed minutes later when she again found the back of the home sides net putting the result beyond all doubt on the 48th minute.
The provider of the pass that made the previous score for the Tara side, Melanie Kirwan next put the ball past the Bective keeper to maintain the Skryne onslaught in the 51st minute before Bective missed an opportunity to register their first score of the half when their attempt went right of the uprights.
The dying minutes saw Saoirse McGrath for Skryne set up corner back Onagh Morley for a point before Saoirse who made many of her sides scores throughout the evening fittingly took the final score of the game in the form of a point to leave the final score;
Skryne 5 – 11. Bective 0 – 2.
Skryne Team – Roisin Gryson; Onagh Morley{0 – 1}, Niamh Lynch, Aoife Swan; Megan O’Brien, Orla Cragie, Deidre Kennedy; Catriona Keoghan, Eimear Finnerty{0 – 1}; Melanie Kirwan{1 – 2}, Colleen Jordan{3 – 4}, Saoirse McGrath{0 – 1}; Eimear Clarke{1 – 2}, Michelle Whelan, Eimear O’Brien, Sub – Sinead O’Kane for Eimear O’Brien.
