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The Arabian Celts Ladies teams were the toast of home celebrations at Bahrain RFC over the weekend during another hugely successful Bahrain Gaelic Games.
A record number of 56 Gaelic football teams from all around the Gulf descended on the Rugby Club on Friday for the opening round of the 2014/2015 Sperrin Middle East League, with the Arabian Celts fielding six teams of their own across all competitions, their highest representation ever.
Things didn’t quite go to plan for the girls in the opening rounds of the Ladies Senior Cup as old rivals Qatar A took full advantage of their slow start to capture a two-point victory in game one and then a couple of goals against the run of play gave Abu Dhabi C the win in game two.
Those results saw the Celts enter the Plate competition and so the tactical decision was taken to reserve their energy during the third and final group game against reigning league champions and overwhelming favourites Abu Dhabi A.
The plate semi-final brought them up against a strong Dubai B outfit but the girls produced a magnificent all-round display and executed the game-plan to a tee to secure a well-deserved victory.
Ten hours on from their opening match of the day, the Celts took to the field against former Senior League champions and heavy favourites Sharjah Gaels and, cheered on by some vocal home support, they picked up from where they left in the semi-final.
A couple of first-half goals from Alana McConalogue and Aisling Kinsella proved vital to the result but it was a monumental defensive effort from the whole team in the second half that saw Sharjah register only a single score and set off some great celebrations come the final whistle.
Meanwhile, in the Ladies Junior Cup, the Arabian Celts Ladies Legends team, 75 per cent of whom were playing their first-ever game of Gaelic football, were beaten by a far more experienced Abu Dhabi Junior A outfit in match one and then, despite a much-improved performance, lost out to Dubai D.
The Junior Shield decider saw the Legends face off against Abu Dhabi Junior B and, despite trailing by five points approaching the final whistle, two killer goals from Sinead Horan turned the game around and the girls held on for a thrilling victory.
