Nine points adrift at 30 minutes, after struggling second best against a far superior team, St. Leo's staged a remarkable reinvention to retain their Leinster Schools JFC A title at Vicarstown on Tuesday.

And it was remarkable, given their abysmal early showing to go 0-6 to 2-8 by the interval, and it could have been more serious had senior player Kym Furey not inexplicably shot wide in the 18th minute, and the same player failed to hold another delivery in front of goal moments later.

The Carlow team's delivery rested on some gritty resistance by Ciara Moore and Orlagh Moran; the latter resuming at No. 6 to play a significant role in victory; her two blocks in the final two minutes highly contributory when St. Leo's were just a point ahead.

From a one-way opening half, the game produced a frenetic finish with the Dublin Road girls only hitting the front for the first time in the 49th minute when MVP Lauren Dwyer found the net after introductory play by 12 year old Roisin Byrne and Roisin Lacey.

And it was top girl Lauren who ended St. Mary's bid for their senior final failure to the Carlow school when she got onto the end of an Avril Kelly-Amanda Kinsella-Ciera Callinan to hammer the unclaimed ball to the Edenderry rigging just two minutes later.

The winners - with five of the team which defeated St. Mary's to win the school's fifth successive provincial title – limped through the first half, albeit against a light breeze. The Offaly girls went ahead with three points in four minutes with Kelly and Dwyer (two frees) drawing level by the ninth minute but it was the Carlow team's last score for 12 minutes as 'Mary's played with a delicate touch.

They scored 1-3 to take the reins with their opening goal from Karen Cummins but a dreadful defensive blunder, and their second goal was again because of hesitant defence when Kym Furey too a Catherine O'Malley pass to stroke a low shot to the net.

However, few reckoned with, one the wind, and two that St. Leo's could only improve, and when an unjustified free (many of the decisions were, to put it mildly, puzzling with far too may throw balls for want of decision) went in a Carlow direction from Moran Amanda Kinsella planted the ball in the Edenderry net six minutes into the half with Dwyer returning the ball over their bar a minute later.

The tussle intensified, and after Kinsella missed an open goal Dwyer, Roisin Byrne - who grew in confidence in the second half – Michelle Nolan and Ciera Callinan forced equality.

The heat was on, but Cummins freed St. Mary's ahead before Dwyer posted her two goals to scupper St. Mary hopes of revenge for their senior defeat; they scoreless from the 30th to the 46th minutes.

The Offaly girls - who won the title in '07 and played six of their senior team - fought well in the final ten minutes and it took Moore, Moran and Callinan all they could do to stifle Furey, Cummins and Megan Moore who threatened to snatch a late winner.

With Jane Moore and Callinan paired in the middle for the second half - with the latter playing a superb second half – Orlagh Moore underpinning the defence it was left to Nolan, Kehoe and especially Dwyer to lead a far sharper attack which in the end baffled the otherwise very comfortable defence which sauntered through the first half, restricting the winners to just one first half wide; that figure rising to nine in the latter period, although they conceded 25 of the 44 frees, many of doubtful award.

- PAUL DONAGHY in Vicarstown