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www.ladiesgaelic.ie | SPRING 2022 | 51 School Focus LIDL PPS By Ger McCarthy T omás Mac a t'Saoir and Emma Farmer guided the Midleton school to a richly deserved All- Ireland PPS senior A success. A young panel blessed with quality players was captained by Cork senior Dara Kiniry. The St Mary's panel also included another inter-county senior in Rachel Leahy and 2022 All-Ireland minor camogie winner Aoife Healy. The depth of the Midleton's school's panel was needed to safely negotiate a difficult Munster campaign before seeing off Cashel in the provincial decider. Sacred Heart of Westport were overcome in the penultimate round of the All-Ireland senior A competition prior to facing Moate Community School from Westmeath. As expected, this year's PPS senior A final proved a tight affair with Moate leading 0-4 to 0-3 at the interval. St. Mary's third-quarter burst saw the eventual champions move three points ahead, 0-8 to 0-5, prior to substitute Ava McAuliffe writing her name into the history books. McAuliffe netted the only goal of the All-Ireland final to solidify St. Mary's 1-12 to 0-7 triumph. Áine Hallahan top scored for St. Mary's with 0-5, Rachel Leahy added 0-3, McAuliffe finished with her all-important goal, Aoife Healy kicked two points, with Brianna and ST MARY'S FROM MIDLETON VICTORIOUS IN LIDL PPS SENIOR A FINAL Ger McCarthy is a former LGFA National local journalist of the year and author of a new book entitled Cork LGFA Game of My Life published by Hero Books Kaitlin Smith adding a point apiece. Cork senior footballer and school captain Dara Kiniry lifted the trophy on her school's behalf and was thrilled to share the experience with a panel of footballers that have been together since entering first year. "Lifting an All-Ireland trophy is an amazing feeling and everything you could ever dream of," Dara Kiniry said. "Everyone on the panel has been putting in really hard graft for the last few years to be honest. There is a group of about five or six sixth years that have been playing together since first year and worked our way all the way up the ranks. It is all due to our clubs and the hard work they have been putting in on the ground. "Moate Community School really put it up to us and we survived a few near misses in the first half. I had to stop one shot on the goal-line which is not what you want to be doing. Moate were a great side but we got over the line in the end.