Our Junior Ladies faced off against Middleton in their Junior A County championship round robin series in the park today.

On a perfect day for football Bantry started well and were on the scoreboard within three minutes courtesy of a well taken Sarah Bishop point.

Middleton however replied instantly and from the resulting kick out worked the ball up the field to score a fine goal.

Both teams were giving it everything in warm conditions and Bantry were back in control after a cracking goal from Mairead Dullea on six minutes which was followed by a Sarah Bishop pointed free on nine minutes and when Mairead Dullea bagged her second goal in the 12th minute Bantry were in the driving seat.

Middleton however kept pressing forward and their efforts were rewarded with four unanswered points and when they goaled on the stroke of half time this game was really in the melting pot with Middleton leading at half time on a scoreline of 2.5 to 2.2.

Bantry again started the second half brightly with a Mairead Dullea point but Middleton were in the ascendancy rattling off three points and when a speculative high ball was excellently palmed out from under the crossbar by Bantry keeper Seadhna o Sullivan in the sixteenth minute the ball fell to a Middleton player who was deemed to have been hauled down by the referee who awarded a penalty and a yellow card for the Bantry keeper.Substitute goalkeeper Mary o Shea was unable to stop the resulting penalty and the girls in blue were now facing an uphill battle to get a result out of this game.

Bantry now pressed forward and were also defending well with Cliodhna o Shea,Kate McCarthy and Laura o Sullivan to the fore.The midfield partnership of Eve Murphy and Emma Spillane were working tirelessly to drive the Bantry girls forward and a pointed Sarah Bishop free in the 24th minute gave them a glimmer of hope especially when Middleton were now reduced to thirteen players following a second yellow card.A point from Middleton in the twenty sixth minute left Bantry with it all to do and try as they might Middleton had now dropped everyone behind the ball and were defending like their lives depended on it.

A fine point from Aoife Kingston in the thirty second minute proved to be a mere consolation score for Bantry as the clock ran out and Middleton emerged victorious on a scoreline of 3.8 to 2.6 in what was a highly intense and enjoyable game of football.

Scorers for Bantry

Mairead Dullea 2.1

Sarah Bishop 0.3(2 frees)

Caitlin o Mahony 0.1

Aoife Kingston 0.1