Mayo advanced to the Ladies All-Ireland Senior Football Championship quarter-finals with a fine win over Laois at Hasting MacHale Park.

From start to finish Mayo dominated proceedings and could’ve won by more. They hit a few goal chances wide while Laois goalkeeper Naoimi Luttrell thwarted them on a number of occasions. 

Laois now face into a relegation play-off to avoid dropping back down to the Intermediate Championship for next year.

The game was delayed for a number of months as both teams returned to the dressing room in protest after the National Anthem. 

Sinead Cafferky kicked the opening score of the game inside the first minute. Ciara Needham fired over a lovely point minutes later before Saoirse Delaney brought a fine save out of Laois keeper Luttrell in the fourth minute.

Mayo kept the scoreboard ticking over. Points from Cafferky, Eilis Ronayne, Sinead Walsh and Shauna Howley (free) saw them open up a seven point lead in the 12th minute.

Laois got their first score of the game in the 13th minute when Mo Nerney pointed a free. Anna Healy followed that up with a neat point. In the 20th minute Mayo had restored their seven point advantage with points from Walsh and Cafferky.

Donie Brennan’s side struggled to contain Mayo but got a third point through Ellen Healy in the 23rd minute. Three minutes later the Connacht side extended the lead to nine points when Walsh found the back of the net with a fine finish.

Before half-time another Nerney free left her side trailing by eight going in at the break - 1-09 to 0-04.

Laois found themselves behind by 12 points in the 38th minute; Clodagh McManamon with the pass for Walsh and she grabbed her side’s second goal of the game. She followed that up with two points to extend the lead to 14 points in the 41st minute. Walsh was superb throughout for her side.

Nerney fired over a free in the 43rd minute; it was Laois’ first score of the second half. Eva Galvin followed up with a point but that was cancelled out by a lovely point from Shauna Howley.

Credit to Laois they battled hard but Mayo were just too good for them. Walsh and Howley kicked over excellent scores near the end for Michael Moyes’ side while Laura Brennan kept her goal intact with a fine save from Nerney in the 58th minute.

Lisa Cafferky scored their goal as Mayo kickstarted Group A of the TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship with a big victory over Tipperary.

The hosts made the best of a strong wind in the first-half at MacHale Park in Castlebar, to bounce back following their Connacht final defeat against Galway last time out.

Mayo started fast and reeled off 1-3 after Tipperary’s Marie Creedon landed the opener within seconds of the throw-in. Michael Moyles’ side found the net just eight minutes in when full-forward Tara Needham slipped a beautiful hand pass into Lisa Cafferky, who calmly rolled it into the net.

Mayo continued to impress, with Sinéad Walsh and Tara Needham kicking over some lovely scores in the first half. But Emma Morrissey had just scored her second free of the afternoon when Mayo almost conceded a goal, with Creedon on target for a point instead, after a misplaced kickout.

The home side responded when Tara Needham kicked two great points before half-time while Shauna Howley added another after a lovely team move. Tipperary spurned another good goal chance with Morrissey’s blasted effort finishing wide of the goalposts.

Facing into the wind with a 1-10 to 0-4 lead at the start of the second half, Mayo’s attack slowed. The home team hit a number of wides but retained enough possession to keep their opponents at bay.

Morrissey was still leading the charge up front for Tipperary, hitting their only point from play in the second half. Mayo manager Moyles was able to run his bench as his team adopted a more conservative approach in the testing conditions.

A late save by Lauren Fitzpatrick denied Lisa Cafferky a second goal, and a 66th finish from Niamh Martin was a minor consolation as the visitors began with a difficult defeat.