Pointed start

Cliftonville Ladies 1-1 Shelbourne

The spoils were shared at the end of an entertaining Avenir Sports All-Island Cup opener between Cliftonville Ladies and Shelbourne this afternoon.

The Solitude showdown represented the Reds’ first outing of the season and, up against a Shels side whose domestic Premier Division campaign began earlier this month, that slight difference in match sharpness arguably told early on as the visitors claimed the lead through Jemma Quinn.

Cliftonville hit back, however, with Marissa Callaghan slamming in a leveller before half-time which, despite both teams’ best efforts to further impress upon the scoreline, proved the final goal of a lively Group B encounter.