Cork maintained their stranglehold at the top of the Lidl National Football League Division 1 standings with a memorable 0-8 to 1-4 Croke Park victory over Dublin on Saturday night.
With cancellations of matches happening right around the country, Galway kept pace with Ephie Fitzgerald’s side following their 3-12 to 4-5 win over Donegal, where a Tracey Leonard hat-trick was critical for the westerners in Letterkenny.
Nicole Gordon hit two goals for Donegal, while Amy Boyle Carr and Geraldine McLaughlin also found the net, but Maxi Curran’s side fell short of last year’s Lidl league finalists.
For Cork it was Orla Finn who did most of the damage once again, and her five points meant Carla Rowe’s second-half penalty was not enough to rescue Mick Bohan’s TG4 All-Ireland champions.
In Division 2 of the Lidl NFL Tyrone defeated Clare in the Saturday night fixture, where Gerry Moane’s side claimed a 3-7 to 1-7 victory, while Bridgetta Lynch’s goal early in the second half secured a 1-13 to 0-9 win for Meath against Monaghan.
In the same competition, Kerry maintained the only 100 per cent record in the division as they held on to claim a 2-12 to 2-10 win against Armagh after the Kingdom had led by seven points at the interval.
Aoife McCoy and Blaithin Mackin goaled late on for the Ulster side but the Munster side had just enough in reserve to claim their third win and sole leadership at the top of the standings.
All four games in Division 3 fell foul to the weather, but in Division 4 there were wins for Louth, Offaly and Leitrim.
The Connacht outfit were the most comprehensive winners with Muireann Devanney’s late strike putting the seal on a big 7-10 to 0-2 victory in Ballinamore.
Offaly did the damage in their first half against Derry at Owenbeg. The visitors were 2-4 to 0-5 ahead at the break before they cruised to a 3-8 to 0-8 success.
The other game was much more competitive with Louth coming out on the right side of a 2-10 to 1-9 scoreline in Cooley.
RESULTS
8th February 2020
Lidl Ladies NFL Division 1 - Round 3
Dublin 1-4 Cork 0-8
Lidl Ladies NFL Division 2 - Round 3
Tyrone 3-7 Clare 1-7
9th February 2020
Lidl Ladies NFL Division 1 - Round 3
Donegal 4-5 Galway 3-12
Tipperary P-P Westmeath
Mayo P-P Waterford
Lidl Ladies NFL Division 2 - Round 3
Meath 1-13 Monaghan 0-9
Kerry 2-12 Armagh 2-10
Cavan P-P Wexford
Lidl Ladies NFL Division 3 - Round 3
Laois P-P Longford
Fermanagh P-P Roscommon
Kildare P-P Wicklow
Sligo P-P Down
Lidl Ladies NFL Division 4 - Round 3
Louth 2-10 Limerick 1-9
Leitrim 7-10 Antrim 0-2
Derry 0-8 Offaly 3-8
Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile
