TUAM/OUGHTERARD COLTS 6 MU BARNHALL 15

Tuam/Oughterard Colts supporters formed a guard of honour as they cheered their team onto the Shay Murtagh Park pitch in Saturday's All Ireland Ladies Junior Cup final. It was a fitting touch for a team who brought their supporters on a memorable journey the last three months but ultimately it wasn't to be as MU Barnhall defended their title in a tight battle in Mullingar.

The Western outfit have taken to ladies junior rugby with ease, reaching an All Ireland Final in only their second season in existence. Leading at the break and dominating the second half, they came up just short as the Kildare outfit finished strong to run out 15-6 winners. It was a cruel ending to what has been a fantastic campaign by this very young Tuam/Oughterard Colts side.

After a 45-7 quarter-final victory over Skibereen, they followed it up with a 38-12 triumph over UL Bohemians 2nd XV to become the first ever Connacht team to reach the final. On Saturday last, a huge travelling support arrived in Mullingar RFC in the hope they could go one step further and they started the brighter taking a third minute lead.

Eabha Nic Dhonnacha slotted over a penalty to give her side a 3-0 lead but MU Barnhall showed why they were the reigning champions with a flowing move inside the Colts '22 leading to Lauren Patterson getting over in the corner for the game's opening try.

A Tuam/Oughterard sinbinning in the 20th minute didn't thwart Tuam/Oughterard's attempt to get a try of their own as Rachel Forkan came close to breaching the Leinster sides try-line in the 25th minute but it wasnt to be as the Barnhall defence stayed strong and forced a knock on.

The Colts did take a slender lead to the break when Éabha Nic Dhonnacha once more converted a penalty to give her side a 6-5 half-time lead.

Tuam/Oughterard picked up where they left off at the start of the second half as they dominated the opening twenty minutes but despite all their possession, they could not convert it to scores as the Barnhall defence remained immense. The Connacht Champions efforts weren't helped with mounting injuries which saw Nia Lydon, captain SJ Fox, vice captain Niam Corless and Abigail Gibbons all forced off. Gibbons's injury in the 72nd minute resulted in a ten minute delay in play while she was attended to and eventually stretchered off.

Although the second half lacked scores, you could not take your eyes off it as the game hung in the balance. Tuam/Oughterard Colts continued their search for a try but despite numerous chances, it was proving elusive. Then as the clock struck the 76th minute, MU Barnhall were given a glorious opportunity to retake the lead with a penalty in front of the posts.

Ciara Faulkner made no mistake as she converted the first score of the second half to give her side an 8-6 lead. With scores proving hard to come by and the clock ticking down, this was a massive score. It got better for the Leinster champions as they put the result beyond doubt when a driving maul into the corner ended with Rebecca Francis powering over. Faulkner, from a difficult angle, brilliantly converted before the referee blew the final whistle on a captivating final.

Having led for so long and playing most of the rugby, it was a cruel way for this very young Tuam/Oughterard Colts side to lose. They should be nothing but proud of the monumental effort they put in not just last Saturday but over the tournament as a whole. The buzz they created the last few weeks was unbelievable and they should be incredibly proud of their effort and performances. The future is very exciting indeed.

Well done and thank you to all the players and management team-Owen Lydon, Norman Tierney, Ken O'Grady, Martin Irons, Barry Ruane and Natalie Fox- for what has been a memorable and fantastic journey. We can't wait for more big days like this.

MU BARNHALL:
A. Gleeson; A. Casey; C. Faulkner; S. Farrell; L. Patterson; Ó. Murray; N. Jaime Bouquet; H. Lowney; E. Kiernan; R. Francis; A. Fraser; A. Howick; S. Haughian; P. Isaac; K. Dylan. REPLACEMENTS: E. Byrne; N. Quinn; A. Rushton; B. Fagans Merrigan; S. Leach; E. Fitzgerald; E. Tarrant; M. Gorman.

TUAM/OUGHTERARD COLTS:
H. Clarke; N. Lydon; E. Nic Dhonnacha; A. Burns; D. Lukasik; E. Burns; R. Forkan; N. Corless; SJ Fox; H. Daly; A. Gibbons; G. Hahessy; A. Lydon; B. Gleeson; K. Tierney. REPLACEMENTS: R. O'Dea; K. Creavan; F. Ní Bhraonain; A. O'Callaghan; A. Ní Ghibne; C. O'Grady; S. Quinn; K. Burns.

REFEREE: Mark Hynes.