A goal from substitute Maeve O’Neill proved crucial as Carlow claimed the Lidl Ladies Division 4 title for the first time ever at Grant Heating St. Brendan’s Park in Birr. 

With the game evenly poised at six points apiece O’Neill got onto the end of a pass from another substitute Sinead Hayden and shot low to the net in the 54th minute.

It was a poor first half of football. Both sides had chances at the start to open the scoring but hit a number of wides. Limerick opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a fine point from the boot of Meadhbh MacNamara.

Limerick played with the aid of a strong wind in the first half. Their second point was a free from Deborah Murphy while a fine point from Iris Kennelly put the Treaty County ahead by three points in the 13th minute.

Carlow were struggling to get scores with Limerick’s defence doing well. The strong wind was a hindrance at times for Limerick. 

A free from Cliodhna Ní Shé in the 25th minute was Carlow’s first score of the first half. They failed to add to that as Limerick went in at the break in front by two points - 0-03 to 0-01.

As the rain lashed down at the beginning of the second half Carlow drew level. Ní Shé scored her second free of the game in the 31st minute and one minute later she was accurate again from the deadball to level matters.

Twice in the early exchanges of the second half Carlow tried for a goal but Limerick’s defence was alert. 

Carlow took the lead for the first time in the 39th minute with a good point from Róisín Bailey, Rachel Sawyer followed up with a fine effort to put two between the sides seconds later.

After going nearly 30 minutes without a score Limerick cut the gap to one in the 42nd minute when Kennelly kicked over an excellent point; she dummied two defenders before firing over the bar.

Carlow thought they’d grabbed a goal in the 44th minute; a well-struck free from Ní Shé ended up in the back of the net after eluding everyone but it was ruled out for a square ball.

MacNamara scored her second point of the game in the 47th minute to draw the sides level for the second time. One minute later Ní Shé scored her first point from play to edge Carlow back in front.

Limerick had a chance to draw level again in the 50th minute but Murphy’s free was caught on the line. Minutes later Karen O’Leary had a chance to score Limerick’s sixth point but kicked it straight into the hands of Carlow keeper Nicole Hanley. 

Those missed chances proved costly for Limerick in the 54th minute when Carlow scored the only goal of the game. Two substitutes combined when Sinead Hayden set-up O’Neill and she finished to the net.

Carlow captain Ruth Bermingham sealed the win with a point near the end.