Clonakilty GAA Club Notes
11 a-side
The finals of the 11-a-side tournament were played on Saturday night last under lights in Ahamilla and provided some wonderful entertainment for the large attendance. Beginning at 6.15 with the Plate Final, four finals were played with the grand final for the the ‘Mick Finn Shield’ taking place last, and what a cracker it turned out to be.
The Plate Final rested between Liam Lyons’s team and Sean Nagle’s team. Level at half time, the game went right down to the wire and it took a last-gasp fisted point from veteran Kenneth Meade to give Nagle’s team a 1-5 to 1-4 victory.
In the 5th/6th play-off Mark Griffin did the job as captain when he scored a vital second-half goal and then brought off a last-second block as his team beat Dave O’Regan’s by 1-2 to 0-3.
The 3rd/4th play-off saw Kevin Sutton’s team and Tony Anglin’s team heading for a penalty shoot-out, tied 0-4 to 1-1, until Seán Quirke popped up with a great goal to win it for Sutton’s, 1-4 to 1-1.
The grand final was a marvellous contest with a depleted Donal Lyons’s side looking in trouble most of the way against a flying Michael Finn’s. With youngsters Thomas Clancy, Stephen Sheehy and Kevin Cormican holding sway Finn’s led by 0-4 to 0-2 at the break and when they stretched the lead to four, they looked certain winners. But in the end experience and craft triumphed over youth and dash as Eoin O’Mahony goaled to cut the lead to a single point and Padraig Griffin opened his shoulders to show real heart and class. The flying Thomas Clancy stretched the lead to two but back came Griffin with two smashing points to level it all up. Minutes from time Barry O’Mahony became the hero for Lyons’s team when he kicked the winning point. It finished 1-5 to 0-7 and it was a great occasion for the O’Mahony clan with father/son combination, Eoin and Barry, starring on the winning side and grandfather Mick a selector. Mick was also a selector on last year’s winning side and is already hot favourite for coach of the year come next December. Other selectors on the winning side were Pius Lyons, Jer McCarthy and Jim Murphy, while the winning team contained Donal Lyons (Capt.), Padraig Griffin, Eoin O’Mahony, Barry O’Mahony, Alan O’Sullivan, Conor Murray, Eamon Harte, Eamon Walsh, Edwin Fleming, John O’Donovan, Mike Harrington, Denis Harrington, Alan White, Conor Holly, Paudie Aherne, Marcel Nally, Gareth Boohig, Scott Sheehan, Denis Coleman.
Over 140 players took part in the 20 games during the tournament over the three weekends and full marks to chief organisers Aidan ‘Carhew’ McCarthy and Michael ‘Casey’ O’Donovan. At a very pleasant function afterwards all prizes were presented to the winners. Player of the Tournament went to Padraig Griffin, Young Player of the Tournament went to Gearóid Barry and Veteran Player of the Tournament went to new senior manager, Seán Cowhig.
Tadhg Crowley Cup
With the fun out of the way, the serious action begins this weekend when the senior footballers take on Valley Rovers in the first round of the Tadhgo Crowley Cup in Ahamilla at 2.30 p.m. This is an unique clash, the senior county champions of 2009 against the premier intermediate champions of 2009 to begin the 2010 season. Support would be appreciated.
u.21 Footballl
The u.21 challenge game against Russell Rovers was cancelled because the opposition couldn’t travel and this week the team is scheduled to play Canovee in a challenge on Thursday night in Ahamilla.
Club Lotto
The Lotto numbers for Saturday 30th January were 4,8,28 and 31 and there was no winner of the jackpot of €3,400. Lucky Dip winners were Pat O’Sullivan, Ballymacwilliam; Liam Cahill, Templebryan; Pat Davis, Skibbereen; Siobhán O’Brien, The Miles; A. Coleman, Kilgarriffe; Mary Hayes, Rowry Bridge. Jackpot for next week is €3,600.
03 Feb 2010 02:40 by TL