“Quality over quantity” was the title of the Westport Senior Ladies’ story this weekend. 

We travelled to Gort RFC after the pitch in Ballinasloe was deemed unplayable, with a bare 14 woman panel for our 4th consecutive week with a fixture, to play a well stocked Southeast Galway Warriors squad of 19 players. 

A special mention / moment of the match came in the first 5 minutes of the game where an SEG player made a break from close to the halfway line, for what looked to be a certain early score on the wing - and the ever reliable Aine O Connor made the decision that this was not to be. In an incredible solo effort, with a few running on her heels in support, she made a last ditch tackle just shy of the line, and we regained possession. 

With a few changes made shortly before the whistle, the visitors took a bit of time to settle into their newly structured team. SEG were quick to capitalize and got over the line twice in the first 25 minutes, with Westport trailing 14-0 to the home team.

The girls in blue remained unshaken as they gathered themselves to hit back with 2 more tries by Saoirse Kelly and Ursula Sammon shortly before the break, closing the gap to just 2 points as the halftime whistle went, 14-12. 

Westport were the first to score in the 2nd half with Saoirse Kelly finding the line again, right under the posts to make conversion easy takings for Aine O Connor. We were up 14-19. Heart rates on the sideline were elevated as SEG equalized with about 25 minutes to go. Additionally, Westport went down to 13 players as one of the team took the hit from multiple disciplinary infractions and spent 10 minutes on the sideline. At this stage, it was honestly anyone’s game. We were back to 14 players shortly, and then SEG faced a similar fate and went down to 13 women as we visited their 5 metre line. 

As bodies and minds began to tire, it was Saoirse Ludden who weaved her way through the defence to get the try she had been entitled to for the entire match; with no one on the opposition able to come within a breath of her once she was past them. Aine converted, and we were up 19-26.

SEG were not finished with us just yet, and came back thick and fast to retake possession from their own restart and get over the line to the far left of the posts in the dying minutes of the game. They didn’t make the conversion, and Westport played a strong defence to deny them the score they needed to beat us. 

FT: 24-26

Well done to everyone today, it was a real nail biter. Thanks so much to the opposition who facilitated us so well, and to the referee.

Try scorers: Saoirse Kelly (2), Ursula Sammon and Saoirse Ludden. 
Conversions by Aine O Connor (3).

Westport Player of the Match / Hardest Worker: Jessie Troy

1/13. Ursula Sammon (VC)
2. Shauna Marley
3. Sarah Geraghty
4. Rita Coyne
5. Aisling Calvey
6. Jessie Troy
7. Megan Pattinson
9. Muireann Cawley  ( Captain) 
10/22. Saoirse Kelly
11. Aine O Connor
12. Virginia Conway
14. Saoirse Ludden
15. Darwyn O Halloran
16. Rachel Gibbons