BALLYMUN KICKHAMS and Innisfails hosted the best that Dublin junior football has to offer on Sunday as four championship finals took place in less than ideal playing conditions.

As per usual, Finals Day provided its fair share of thrills and spills, tears and joy with the odd shock thrown in for good measure.

The Blue Riband tie was the Junior 'A' Final between St Mark's and Raheny 'A', with the Tallaght side edging home by 3-5 to 2-6 in an absorbing encounter. Having led by 2-1 to 0-3 at half-time thanks largely to goals by Aisling McCormack and player of the game, Selina Conlon, Mark's managed to hang on despite a comeback from league winners, Raheny.

With Louise Shanley and Jackie Elbert goaling for the northside team on the resumption, ably abetted by Ciara Burgess' tour-de-force at centre-forward, it was a nailbiting conclusion. But Lynda O'Donohue managed to settled Marks' nerves with the insurance point and sent her team-mates into raptures.

Manager Gerry O'Donohue was gracious in victory. "It was a splendid game and could've gone either way. Fair play to Raheny who never gave up. We're just delighted to have hung on."

For Raheny's captain, Aoife Farrell, there was great pride to be taken from their performance despite the obvious disappointment. "We fought back at them but it just wasn't to be. Fair play to St Mark's."

In the Junior 'C' final, St Maur's got the better of St Anne's in another evenly fought contest. The Rush side got off to a flyer and led by eight points at half-time with goals coming from Bernie Drum and Emma Sweetman.

Sinéad Deegan, Aisling Delap and Shelly Coleman helped Anne's back into the game after the break but Gemma Thorne's goal and player of the game, Eadaoin McGuinness' domination of midfield was enough to see Maur's prevail by 3-9 to 2-7. Manager Craig Mulligan was delighted: "We've shown great improvement every year and I'm so proud of the girls."

For St. Anne's mentor John Delap it was a day for looking at the positives "It was a close enough match. We're a bit down but Maur's are a good side and it's no disgrace losing to them."

The Junior 'E' final will have to be replayed as Ballyboden Wanderers and Raheny 'B' drew 3-3 to 0-12 with the highlight being a virtuoso display by Raheny's Sarah Craufield, who amassed nine points of her side's total. The replay has been provisionally set for tomorrow week.

It was raining goals in the Junior 'D' final as Lucan Sarsfields' second team eventually got the better of an excellent Clann Mhuire side in Balgriffin by 7-9 to 2-10.

Clann raced into an early two-point lead but were pegged back by Leanne Behan's goal. Unperturbed by that, the Naul side continued to dominate and led by 1-8 to 1-2 after 20 minutes. It was then that the turning point of the game arrived when 48-year-old Anne O'Shaughnessy, mother of Dublin defender Stephen, pulled off a sublime save to inspire her side.

Lucan never looked back from that point on and were indebted to their midfield pairing of Ellen Downes and Niamh Nolan who provided the platform for their incessant attacks in the second half.

Fourteen-year-old Amy Martin was introduced along with Imelda Smith near the end and it was fitting that Smith notched Lucan's final goal in what was a memorable day for manager Tom Casserly.

"It was a very competitive game and there's no way that the scoreboard does justice to Clann Mhuire's performance. I'm just delighted with all the girls for the dedication they've shown all year."

Despite his huge disappointments of Saturday, Dublin defender Paul Casey presented the girls with their medals.

- Ronn Mac Lochlainn