GALWEGIANS OUTGUNNED OLD Belvedere at home to claim the scalp of one of the Energia Women’s All-Ireland League’s ‘big four’.

Jarrad Butler’s Blue Belles made it three wins in four rounds with a brilliant 38-26 bonus-point triumph over Belvedere. Centre Orla Dixon crossed twice to take her season’s haul to five tries.

These sides produced a hugely entertaining nine-try thriller in Glenina, ‘Wegians – who are to fifth in the table – laying down a marker with a 21-5 half-time scoreline.

Belvo’s returning winger Clare Gorman ran in her eighth and ninth tries of the campaign, but ‘Wegians always had the answers with tighthead Jessica Loftus joining three of the backs in crossing the whitewash.

Eimear Considine was UL Bohemians’ super-sub at Blackrock, breaking a tackle to run in a last-gasp try at Stradbrook. Nicole Cronin’s conversion from straight in front sealed a 17-16 victory.

It was two tries apiece up to that point, captain Chloe Pearse and Alana McInerney touching down for Bohs. ‘Rock replied through Tess Meade and Laura Feely, with a second Lisa Mullen penalty putting them in a winning position.

Suttonians ended a three-match losing run with an excellent 38-6 success at home to Wicklow. They had three tries in each half, including braces from Molly Fitzgerald and newly-capped Ireland prop Mary Healy.

Railway Union racked up 11 tries to defeat Cooke 63-0 and move to the summit. Aoife Doyle (2) and Ailsa Hughes returned from international duty with well-taken scores in Belfast.

Amanda McQuade’s early intercept effort set Railway on their way, with versatile forward Deirdre Roberts rampaging through from 45 metres out and Molly Scuffil-McCabe – who featured at fullback – ghosting through to set up Doyle’s first try of the evening.

Ireland hooker Neve Jones was also on the scoresheet at Ballincollig, where she helped Malone to a 33-19 bonus-point win. Ella Durkan’s move to centre was a successful one, her strong defensive display and handful of conversions proving crucial for Jamie McMullan’s side.

Malone sandwiched in three tries in a 10-minute spell leading up to the interval, Emma Jordan breaking past two defenders and evading a third to run in a classy opening seven-pointer under the posts.

Durkan and captain Peita McAlister both sent through well-weighted kicks for Holly Brannigan and Anna Stanfield to touch down, but Ballincollig roared back with tries from Sarah O’Donovan and electric scrum-half Gemma Lane.

Lane charged home from halfway after catching the visitors out with a quick tap, closing the gap to 19-12. Ballincollig exerted more pressure approaching the hour mark, but a levelling try eluded them.

Instead, Malone showed how clinical they can be in the 22, nice hands from McAlister and the centres sending full-back Brannigan over in the 65th minute.

Durkan converted impressively and also added the extras to Jones’ 73rd-minute try, as the talented 22-year-old front-rower plunged over from a close-in ruck.

Fiona Hayes’ charges hit back when Meaghan Kenny’s lovely offload out of a tackle sent replacement Clare Coombes over to the left of the posts. Kelly Griffin converted but the closing stages were scoreless.

Weekend results

BALLINCOLLIG 19 MALONE 33, Tanner Park
Ballincollig – Tries: Sarah O’Donovan, Gemma Lane, Clare Coombes; Cons: Kelly Griffin 2
Malone – Tries: Emma Jordan, Holly Brannigan 2, Anna Stanfield, Neve Jones; Cons: Holly Brannigan, Ella Durkan 3

BALLINCOLLIG: Lauren Fahey; Michelle Stafford, Heather Kennedy, Mona Fehily, Ora Creedon; Kelly Griffin, Gemma Lane; Naoise Murray, Clodagh Walsh (capt), Roisin Ormond, Eimear Perryman, Gillian Coombes, Katelyn Fleming, Niamh O’Regan, Meaghan Kenny.
Replacements: Clare Coombes, Alix Cunneen, Gerda Coyne, Sarah O’Donovan, Laurileigh Baker, Olivia Hay Mulvihill, Ellen O’Keeffe.

MALONE: Holly Brannigan; Anna Stanfield, Emma Jordan, Ella Durkan, Erin Jones; Peita McAlister (capt), Shirelle Wilson; Sarah Murphy, Neve Jones, Chrissie McKee, Hannah Beattie, Rebecca Smyth, Ashleigh Currie, Chloe McIlwaine, Lauren Maginnes.
Replacements: Niamh McCloskey, Donna McGovern.

BLACKROCK COLLEGE 16 UL BOHEMIANS 17, Stradbrook
Blackrock College – Tries: Tess Meade, Laura Feely; Pens: Lisa Mullen 2
UL Bohemians – Tries: Chloe Pearse, Alana McInerney, Eimear Considine; Con: Nicole Cronin

BLACKROCK COLLEGE: Valerie Power; Maggie Boylan, Michelle Claffey (capt), Jackie Shiels, Kate Cullen; Lisa Mullen, Niamh Griffin; Laura Feely, Emma Hooban, Christy Haney, Mairead Holohan, Eimear Corri, Caoimhe Molloy, Tess Meade, Casey O’Brien.
Replacements: Meadhbh O’Callaghan, Niamh Tester, Hannah Hodges, Roisin McWey, Caoimhe O’Callaghan, Laura Delaney.

UL BOHEMIANS: Aoife Corey; Alana McInerney, Stephanie Nunan, Rachel Allen, Aoibhinn O’Loughlin; Nicole Cronin, Muirne Wall; Chloe Pearse (capt), Kate Sheehan, Eilis Cahill, Claire Bennett, Eva McCormack, Sarah Garrett, Clodagh O’Halloran, Sarah Quin.
Replacements: Lily Brady, Michelle Ring, Claire O’Brien, Ciara O’Halloran, Eimear Considine, Abbie Salter-Townshend.

COOKE 0 RAILWAY UNION 63, Shaw’s Bridge
Railway Union – Tries: Amanda McQuade, Molly Scuffil McCabe, Aoife Doyle 2, Deirdre Roberts 2, Molly Boyne, Siobhan McCarthy, Stephanie Carroll, Kate McCarthy, Ailsa Hughes; Cons: Nikki Caughey 3, Hazel Simmons

COOKE: Dolores Hughes; Georgia Boyce, Lucy Thompson, Coral Lapsley, Tamzin Boyce; Amanda Morton, Teah Maguire; Ilse van Staden, Megan Simpson, Aishling O’Connell (capt), Caolinn McCormack, Sorcha Mac Laimhin, Katie Hetherington, Naomi McCord, Helen McGhee.
Replacements: Fiona McCaughan, Delyth Cook, Claire Johnston, Beth Cregan.

RAILWAY UNION: Molly Scuffil McCabe; Stephanie Carroll, Aoife Doyle, Niamh Byrne (capt), Ava Ryder; Nikki Caughey, Ailsa Hughes; Amanda McQuade, Deirdre Roberts, Megan Collis, Aoife McDermott, Siobhan McCarthy, Keelin Brady, Kate McCarthy, Molly Boyne.
Replacements: Aimee Clarke, Claire Byrne, Sonia McDermott, Hazel Simmons, Emer O’Mahony.

GALWEGIANS 38 OLD BELVEDERE 26, Crowley Park
Galwegians – Tries: Megan Walsh, Orla Dixon 2, Jessica Loftus, Mairead Coyne; Cons: Emma Keane 5; Pen: Emma Keane
Old Belvedere –Tries: Clare Gorman 2, Katie Layde, Lesley Ring; Cons: Jemma Farrell 3

GALWEGIANS: Mairead Coyne; Casie O’Connell, Megan Walsh, Orla Dixon, Saskia Morrissey; Emma Keane, Darwyn O’Halloran; Elizabeth McNicholas, Ruby Lynch, Jessica Loftus, Niamh O’Grady, Grace Browne Moran, Fiona Scally, Lisa-Marie Murphy, Dearbhla Canty.
Replacements: Nolwenn Dubois, Hannah Coen, Sabina Egan, Celia Killilea, Ursula Sammon, Maria Gorham, Ines Delgado.

OLD BELVEDERE: Aine Donnelly; Clare Gorman, Elise O’Byrne-White, Ailbhe Dowling, Vanessa Hullon; Jemma Farrell (capt), Kathryn Dane; Alice O’Dowd, Rachel Murphy, Vic Dabanovich O’Mahony, Elaine Anthony, Jan Carroll, Clodagh Dunne, Lesley Ring, Oonagh Hynes.
Replacements: Melissa Hayden, Ciara O’Dwyer, Ivanna Dempsey, Niamh O’Dowd, Katie Layde, Alannah O’Carroll, Hannah Heskin.

SUTTONIANS 38 WICKLOW 6, JJ McDowell Memorial Grounds
Suttonians – Tries: Catherine Martin, Penalty try, Molly Fitzgerald 2, Mary Healy 2; Cons: Jessica Kelleher 2, Pen try con, Nicole Carroll
Wicklow – Pens: Beth Roberts 2

SUTTONIANS: Sophie Gibney; Molly Fitzgerald, Jessica Kelleher, Catherine Martin, Jools Aungier; Nicole Carroll, Lauren Farrell McCabe (capt); Katie Grant Duggan, Aoife Brennan, Mary Healy, Brenda Barr, Aislinn Layde, Lena Kibler, Carrie O’Keeffe, Katie Reel.
Replacements: Megan Cullen, Ciara Farrell, Catherine Gavin, Shannen Price.

WICKLOW: Meagan Parkinson; Sue Brady, Aoibhin Stone, Sarah Gleeson, Tammy Breen; Beth Roberts, Erin McConnell (co-capt); Amy O’Neill (co-capt), Noelle Ward, Lauren Barry, Ciara Brennan, Shauna Soady, Emma Curran, Emily Ryan, Niamh Ni Dhroma.
Replacements: Robyn Mullen, Niamh O’Leary, Maya McDevitt, Caitlin Griffey, Nicola Schmidt, Nicole Humby, Naoise O’Reilly.