Dunboyne win All-Ireland title

For entertainment and excitement and even drama, the Ladies All-Ireland Club IFC final at Parnell Park in Dublin today was the place to be as Dunboyne edged out Kinsale by 2-13 to 2-12 in a thriller.

Aoife Thompson had Dunboyne on the scoreboard in the second minute as the game started at a high tempo. Both teams had chances that were wasted subsequently before Emma Duggan rifled to the net from Fiona O'Neill's flick.

Dunboyne were enjoying a brief period of dominance, but that ended dramatically when Kinsale blitzed the Meath women with an unanswered 1-4 in a rich four-minute spell.

Sadhbh O'Leary got the goal following a good move that left Dunvboyne reeling. A rampant Kinsale side added points through Orla Finn (two), Faye Ahern and O'Leary, but Dunboyne found a response with points from Vikki Wall and Thompsopn (both frees).

That didn't deter Kinsale and they sounded another warning when Finn dispossed Julie Kavanagh and embraked on a solo raid only to have her close-range shot saved by Alison O'Sullivan.

However, Finn's point increased Kinsale's lead while at the other end Sinead Hackett was dragged down and Thompson converted the resultant free.

Kinsale weren't too concerned and just countered with an Ellen Murphy point and a superb Finn goal that should have completely deflated Dunboyne, but it didn't.

The teams slugged it out in the closing stages of the half with Aoife Keating adding another Kinsale point and Dunboyne fighting back to parity (2-7 each) at the interval with Fiona O'Neill (two) and Duggan sending over and Wall powering to the roof of the Kinsale net.

Poor Dunboyne finishing was costly early in the second-half with four wides and three points a paltry return for a period of domination with Duggan, Wall and Hackett on target.

Kinsale stayed in touch with points from O'Leary and Keating before Finn converted a free towards the end of the third-quarter to restore parity at 2-10 each.

The final quarter saw the teams level twice more as O'Neill and Thompson traded points with Finn (free) and O'Leary before Dee Blayney hit what proved to be the winnign score with about seven minutes remaining.

Julie Kavanagh won possession for Dunboyne and released Thompson who found Blayney for the crucial score.