Glaveys ladies lose out in rounders final
The Michael Glaveys team that were defeated by Kevin’s in the 2023 All-Ireland intermediate ladies’ rounders final. Back row (l-r): Breda Bailey, Gretta Davis, Linda Rogan, Kat Bailey, Janet Flanagan, Aine Scally. Front row (l-r): Fiona Raftery, Anna Gallagher, Sharon Carty, Laura Conway, Anna-Marie Trindle, Amiee Goulding.
One disastrous inning was the defining feature of the Michael Glaveys team’s loss against Dublin side, Kevin’s, in the All-Ireland intermediate ladies’ rounders final in Kinnegad on Saturday week last.
It came in just the second inning of the match and, by the end, the West Roscommon ladies would be faced with a metaphorical mountain to climb if they were to have any hope of catching their opponents. Alas, they were unable to do so and, consequently, their All-Ireland dreams were dashed long before the end.
The Glaveys ladies had qualified for the final on the back of an eight-game winning streak, having beaten all the opponents they’d faced since June. However, their most recent defeat before the run began had been at the hands of Kevin’s.
The Dublin outfit won the coin toss and put Michael Glaveys in to bat. The first inning was a tight affair, with nerves on display from both sides. Kevin’s knocked out Glaveys for 0. The Roscommon ladies almost did the same, but for some inexact fielding, which allowed Kevin’s to notch up two runs.
The tight play continued at the start of the second with Michael Glaveys, once again, failing to score. However, it was at this point that a combination of big hits from the Kevin’s ladies, combined with some mistakes in the field by Glaveys, led to a startling run of scores for the Dublin team. By the time they were eventually out, Kevin’s had scored an amazing 13 points and now led the contest 15-0.
In previous years, finals were played over seven innings but, following a rule change in the off-season, knockout games in the intermediate and junior championships were kept at the same five inning length as has always been the case in the league matches. Thus, Michael Glaveys would have to try and haul in their 15-point deficit in just three remaining innings.
The next inning saw an improvement from Glaveys. Firstly, they finally got on the scoreboard thanks to Fiona Raftery and Anna Gallagher who both completed the circuit of the bases. They also showed what they were capable of in the field by holding Kevin’s to an identical score of two.
However, it was too little too late and when the fourth inning went to Kevin’s by 8-1, with Gretta Davis running in Michael Glaveys’ final score, the writing was on the wall. With Glaveys not adding to their total in the top of the fifth, the game was declared at that point, with Kevin’s the winners on a final score of 25-3.
While it wasn’t to be for Glaveys, they can take comfort from their impressive form throughout the summer, topping the league table at the end of the round robin and in their impressive semi-final victory over Glynn-Barntown.
Hopefully, in 2024, they can take the final step and win the championship.
Linda Rogan (captain), Gretta Davis, Breda Bailey, Fiona Raftery, Anna Gallagher, Kat Bailey, Amiee Goulding, Anna-Marie Trindle, Sharon Carty. Subs: Áine Scally for Trindle, Laura Conway for Raftery, Janet Flanagan for Carty.
