Skryne Ladies travelled away on Friday evening 18th May to take on Balivor in their home ground in this Junior B League League fixture. The evening was dull and overcast with rain threatening at any moment and a slight breeze in evidence. Skryne played with the wind at their back in the opening half but as already stated this was not significant. The ball was thrown up at 7.30pm and the Balivor Ladies had the first opportunity to score when they were awarded a free kick. However, they saw this opportunity sail wide of the posts in the 1st minute of the half. Skryne launched the next attack but saw their effort miss the target on the 2nd minute and this was followed by another Skryne wide a minute later. The 4th and 5th minutes saw the Tara Ladies register a further two wides when they were trying to score from near impossible angles. Skryne were starting to get on top of their opponents at this early stage but still had nothing to show for their dominance. All this changed on the 9th minute when Skryne midfielder Aishling Bowens came running through from the centre to put the ball between the opposition uprights to register her side’s first score. The Tara side were now making better us of their possession when Colleen Jordan made one of her customary runs through the opponents back line to rattle the back of the Balivor net to put some space between the sides on the 12th minute. The blues hit two further wides on the 13th and 14th minutes and Balivor struck a wide of their own on the 15th minute.
The play was patchy with Skryne putting together some good passing moves and some not so good. The 16th minute saw one of the good ones when centre forward Colleen Jordan got on the end of a long delivery from Annie Ryan and again found the back of the Balivor net to register her second goal thus far. The gulf in class between the sides was becoming all too apparent with the opposition struggling to stay in touch at the mid way stage of the opening half. The 18th and 19th minutes saw the Tara side hit a further two wides. Balivor were trying hard to stay in touch and the 20th minute saw them hit the target for their first point and their first score of the evening to narrow the gap very slightly. This seemed to breathe some life back into Balivor when they struck a further point from play a minute later and the 23rd minute saw the Skryne keeper Roisin Gryson forced into a point blank save on her goal line. The 24th minute saw Skryne strike another wide to bring their tally of wides to nine at this stage in the game.
We were now in the dying moments of the half when Skryne half forward Saoirse McGrath spotted full forward Michelle Whelan run into space. Saoirse found Michelle with a long delivery into the opponent’s goal mouth which Michelle duly converted to register a further goal for the Taraside. The scoring for the half was completed by the Skryne centrfield player Aishling Bowens when she struck for a point on the 29th minute and she followed this with a goal on the 30th minute to leave the scores at the break: Skryne 4 – 2. Balivor 0 – 2.
The second half started with Skryne determined to maintain their momentum and this they did when centre forward Colleen Jordan pointed from a placed ball in the 31st minute, followed two minutes later with a goal from full forward Michelle Whelan to push the Tara side almost beyond reach. The rain clouds were now gathering for Balivor both literally and metaphorically as they were now in real trouble. The 35th minute saw another Skryne wide before Colleen Jordan the Meath forward made a run through from centrefield to get her hat trick of goals when she blasted another ball into the Balivor net to put another nail in the opposition’s coffin, on the 38th minute. It was becoming all too easy for the Tara Ladies who were dominating in all sectors at this stage. Their backline were breaking down any incursion by the opposition raiders into their territory with Deidre Kennedy, Niamh O’Brien and Orla Cragie particularly impressive. Further misery was heaped on the home sides evening when Skryne centerfielder Aishling Bowens had another point from play followed by a goal from Melanie Kirwan, the visitors half forward on the 42nd minute. The Skryne machine was now operating at full throttle when full forward Michelle Whelan was through on goal looking for her hat trick. The Balivor keeper pulled off a point blank save on her goal line to deny Michelle on this occasion… The 45th minute saw another converted free kick from Colleen Jordan when she put the ball between the uprights. The Skryne rearguard was still standing resolute against any Balivor attack denying them any room to profit from.
The closing minutes totally belonged to Skryne who were scoring almost at will when centerfielder Annie Ryan popped one over the bar from play on the 50th minute which was responded to by Balivor a minute later when they struck a point from play. This was to prove to be their only score of the second half. The game was closed out with further points from the visitors with Colleen Jordan, Eimear Clarke and Michelle Whelan adding points to leave the final score: Skryne 7 – 9. Balivor 0 – 3
Team: Roisin Gryson; Una Morley, Deidre Kennedy, Aoife Swan; Eimear Finnerty, Orla Cragie, Niamh O’Brien; Aishling Bowens{1 – 3}, Annie Ryan{0 – 1}; Melanie Kirwan{1 – 0}, Colleen Jordan{3 – 3}, Saoirse McGrath; Megan O’Brien, Michelle Whelan{2 – 1}, Eimear Clarke{0 – 1}. Subs – Niamh Lynch for Una Morley{half time}.
