Weekly News September 18th 2011
Post date: Sep 18, 2011 9:04:09 PM
All Ireland Football Champions !
Tipperary minor footballers secured their place in GAA history last Sunday by recording a sensational win in dramatic circumstances in the All Ireland Football Final in Croke Park – Tipperary’s first in over seven decades. The hotly fancied Dubs who played with their customary swagger looked to have all the aces at half time. However, they did not count on Tipperary’s resilience. This team has faced and overcome challenges all year long and today was no different. The introduction of Colman Kennedy & Philip Quirke at half time made all the difference as both players added a new dimension to the Premier side. Indeed it was Kennedy who had the ball in the Dublin net with just minutes to go for the defining score that rocked Dublin and ensured victory for David Power’s heroes. It was a great lesson to all aspiring sportsmen – stay in the game and the chances will come. This was especially dear to us in Ballina GAA as one of our finest – Steven O’Brien – was a big part of the team all year playing at centre field and he put in a huge second half to keep Tipp in it. Well done Tipp, well done Steven !
Michael Quinlivan celebrates Tipperary's All Ireland win.
U10 Camogie Blitz
The U10 girls took part in a well-contested U10 blitz last Saturday morning in Ballina in very blustery conditions. This was the first year that the club put up a trophy and it added to the sense of drama in each of the matches. There were 6 teams in total, Ballina had two teams along with Cappamore, Sixmilebridge, Monaleen & Borrisoleigh. After 2 keenly contested matches, Ballina found themselves in the A final against Cappamore of Limerick. On a wet day first time hurling was always going to win the day and two first half goals was enough to see off a spirited challenge from Cappamore. It was a great day’s hurling for all concerned and captain Aoife Graham accepted the trophy from sponsor Alan McEvoy of Livewire Business Management. Ballina had many heroes on the day but Hazel McMahon must get a special mention for her energetic & skillful display. At times it appeared that there was more than one Hazel on the pitch – she was everywhere and carried the fight to the opposition in every game. Well done to the U14 girls and to their coaches for such a fine display and securing the U10 "double" !
The U10 Ballina Camogie team who won the recent Livewire Business Management U10 Camogie blitz in Ballina recently.
U14 Blitz
Ballina’s U14s brought the curtain down on their season when they played in Clooney/Quin’s annual U14 hurling tournament on Saturday last. The tournament was an opportunity to take on opposition from other counties and the boys rose to the challenge winning all of their round robin matches, with victories over Moycullen and Liam Mellows from Galway as well as the host club. The matches were played in difficult windy conditions but were very competitive and Ballina qualified for the final where they again met Moycullen. Playing with a strong breeze in the first half, Ballina opened up a six point lead but this was brought back to three when Moycullen scored from a penalty with the last puck of the half. At the end of a hard fought second half, Ballina led by two points going into injury time but Moycullen won a free from which they scored a goal, snatching victory in the dying seconds. Despite the disappointment of losing the final, Ballina have the consolation that they played some of their best hurling of the year which included impressive performances from members of the U12 panel who provided great back-up for what was a long day’s hurling.
The U14 squad who took part in the Clooney Quinn blitz recently