Match Reports
Intermediate Championship Final
Crookedwood 2-11 Fr.Daltons 1-8
Saturday 29th September 2012 will be forever remembered by all in Crookedwood as we won our second ever Intermediate Championship.We came into the game as underdogs as Daltons had beaten us by five points in the first round,but we knew we had improved since that and we were a different proposition.Barry opened match scoring after two minutes as he punished a foul on Noel Yourell.Minutes later Noel doubled our lead with a great score.Indeed Noel's influence on this game became more evident as he was fouled again and Barry stepped up to put us three points up on six minutes.Daltons scored two points in a row before Ronan Scally chipped in with a great point after a nice run forward.A point from Mackey left it a one point game and a Daltons goal chance was cleared by Shane McGovern.Barry finished scoring for the half with another pointed free after being fouled himself. An inspirational block from Brian McLoughlin as Kieran Martin was about to drive the ball over the bar was a notable highlight of the first half.As the whistle blew for half time there was an indication that our lads meant business as they jogged off the field while our opponents trudged off as not much had went right for them.We lost Kieran Yourell at half time to a shoulder injury and his devastation and emotion rubbed off on all the lads in the dressing room and was another indication of our passion.Simon McCarthy replaced Kieran and the evergreen Johnny Orme replaced the hard working Richie Crowley at half time.
The second half started in the same vein as the first as Noel Yourell gathered a break from the throw in and set off on a run that was illegally halted and the resultant free was scored by Barry.However,a Daltons purple patch where they scored 1-2 turned the game in their favour,but it seemed to spur our lads into life as we pushed the tempo up a gear.A great run from McLoughlin led to another point for N.Yourell and shortly after sub Henry Reilly levelled the match with a point.Fr.Daltons went ahead again by a point but within thirty seconds we had the ball in the net.Shane's puckout found an unmarked Ed Nally,he in turn played the ball to Barry who turned as he collected and set off on a run,after drawing a defender Barry passed to Reilly and Henry passed to Johnny who lashed an unstoppable volley past Brian McCabe,a goal as good as has been seen in Cusack Park all year.Within minutes Kieran Brennan set up Johnny to score a good point from a tight angle and we were three to the good.Daltons replied with a free but this was cancelled by another Yourell point after a good pass from Johnny.With time almost up Barry shot over a brilliant inspirational point near the sidelind and we had our insurance point.The amount of added time was not announced and we were left nervously awaiting the final whistle.A Daltons run was halted by Reilly back on his own 21yd line and Mackey pointed the free in the hope of getting an equalising goal.There was a goal to come but it was Johnny who supplied it after Scall's long delivery fell into his hand and he booted the ball to the back of the net.Surely now we were safe and indeed we were as the final whistle sounded when Damien Grifferty halted another Daltons attack.Scenes of joy and jubilation followed for all and we were joined on the field by our loyal supporters and the victorious Crookedwood Camogie team who had started the day off in the best possible way by annexing the Junior Championship.After the on-pitch celebrations died down our captain Enda Murray (followed by the panel of players) climbed the Cusack Park steps where his mother,Patsy,presented him with the Adrian Murray Cup,which was named after his late father.This poignant moment and the captains speech was greeted with great joy and emotion as the hard work by the players,manager Noel Boyce and the backroom team was rewarded in the best way possible.Well done to everyone involved,especially the players who sacrificed so much during the year.But its not over yet and once the celebrations cool down we will be preparing for the Leinster Championship,and the Junior Championships for this year and last year.
Junior ‘A’ Championship
Crookedwood 3-14 Cullion 1-11
A strong second half performance ensured we ran out comfortable winners over a gutsy Cullion team on Thursday last. We got off to the best possible start when Kieran Brennan showed great forwards instinct and latched onto a loose ball and crashed it to the back of the net. Four pointed frees from Adam Mitchell and 1-1 from Seamus Savage had us level at half time on a scoreline of 2-5 to 1-8. The lads flew out of the blocks in the second half and points from play from Seamus, Kieran and J.J. Brennan and Kieran Yourell put us in a comfortable position. Adam kept the scoreboard ticking over from frees and J.J pounced for a well taken goal in the closing minutes to push us further clear. This was a decent performance from the lads to put us in confident mood as we face into our last game in the group versus Fr.Daltons on Tuesday next in Ballymore at 7:30. The fact that we held our opponents to three points in the second half and that seven of their eleven points came from play was a pleasing aspect of the game. We were also short a few regulars for this game and we hope to see them back togged out soon. Team: Alan O Mara, Henry Reilly, Enda Murray, Aaron Orme, Ronan Scally, Dara O Keefe, Edward Nally, Kieran Yourell (0-2), Brian McLoughlin (0-1), Kieran Brennan (1-1), Seamus Savage (1-3), Richie Crowley, J.J. Brennan (1-1), Adam Mitchell (0-6), Tomas Brennan. Subs: Conor Savage for Aaron Orme. Thanks to Jimmy Weldon for reffing the game and we would also like to thank Cullion for switching the game from Wednesday to Thursday to avoid a clash with our 5k run.
Intermediate Championship
Crookedwood 1-10 Ringtown 1-8
Qualification for this year’s semi-final (our fourth in four years) was achieved by virtue of a hard fought two point win over a tough, physical Ringtown team. Noel Yourell and Ger Brennan got us off to a great start with a point apiece from play but three points from Ringtown (two frees) put them into the lead. However, Barry brought us level with a pointed free. The advantage seemed to have swung in our favour when our opponents were reduced to fourteen but numerical advantage rarely matters in close games. Barry and Niall Kilcoyne traded points before Richie Crowley crashed the ball past Pat Burke after great work from Seamus Savage for the all important goal. Kilcoyne registered another point before the break to leave it Crookedwood 1-5 Ringtown 0-6.
The second half started in the same vein as the first with tackles flying in hard and fast. Ringtown edged closer with a pointed free before Barry pointed to placed balls to put us three ahead. It was turning into a battle between the free-takers as Barry and Colin Murtagh (two) traded points and we entered the final quarter two points to the good. Ger McGovern had to leave the field with a serious injury as two more frees from Barry put us four ahead with eight minutes left. However, our indiscipline in defence was severely punished as Ringtown goalie Pat Burke drove a 25-metre free into Shane McGovern’s top corner with four minutes left. A 65m award was sent sailing over the bar in the early minutes of injury time by Barry and it looked like we had done enough. Deep in injury time though a penetrating run by Kilcoyne was ended by a professional foul by Conor Hyland (who received a straight red for his efforts) thirty five metres from goal. The ref moved the ball up to the ‘21’ for more indiscipline and Pat Burke came forward once again to take the free. A Ringtown goal would have ended our championship at this stage but a combination of defenders kept the ball out and with a clearance the final whistle sounded much to the relief of all involved with The Wood. A speedy recovery is wished to Ger McGovern who sustained a serious injury in this game and also to Antoin Savage who played the full game despite getting injured early on.
We now face Ringtown in the semi-final on a date yet to be confirmed due to a three way play off to decide the other semi-final pairing. It is vital that all players attend training/games between now and then if we are to progress to the final. Training continues on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s at 7:30 in Crookedwood. Player’s will be informed of any changes to this schedule.
Team/Scorers: Shane McGovern, David Newman, Damien Grifferty, Enda Murray(c), Ronan Scally, Antoin Savage, Ger McGovern, Brian McLoughlin, Dara O Keefe ,Noel Yourell (0-1), Kevin Orme, Richie Crowley (1-0), Seamus Savage ,Ger Brennan (0-1),Barry O'Mara (0-8).Subs: Conor Hyland for Scally, Alan O’Mara for G.McGovern (injured), Johnny Orme for K.Orme, Edward Nally for O Keefe, Simon McCarthy for Yourell (injured).
Intermediate Championship
Crookedwood 2-12 Raharney 0-13
We ground out a good win in the championship against a tough Raharney team. Playing against the wind in the first half we led by four points at half time (1-5 to 0-4) and expected to push on from there. Kieran Yourell increased our lead to five with a good point before Raharney hit three unanswered points. A few good points steadied the ship and a goal from Johnny Orme put us eight ahead with seven minutes to go. Raharney piled on the pressure in the remaining minutes and were rewarded with three points from frees. Our final game in the championship is a must win game versus Ringtown in Cusack Park on Sunday 29th July. (Report to follow next week) Team/Scorers:S.McGovern,A.O'Mara,D.Grifferty,E.Murray(c),R.Scally,A.Savage,G.McGovern, B.McLoughlin (0-1), D O Keefe ,K.Yourell(0-1), K.Orme, R.Crowley (0-1), S.Savage(0-2),G.Brennan (0-1),B.O'Mara (1-6).Subs: David Newman for A.O’Mara, J Orme (1-0) for K.Yourell, Adam Mitchell for R.Crowley, Henry Reilly for G.McGovern (inj).
Intermediate Championship
Crookedwood 3-18 Cullion 2-8
We maintained our push for the semi-finals with a comfortable win over Cullion in the latest round of the intermediate. The hard work was done in the first half as we led by 3-10 to 1-5 at half time. We took our foot off the pedals in the second half but luckily our opponents couldn’t take advantage and we ran out easy winners, however there will be tougher games in the next two rounds with the Raharney game fixed for Monday 16th July in Cusack Park at half six. Team/Scorers:S.McGovern,A.O'Mara,D.Grifferty,E.Murray(c),R.Scally,A.Savage,E.Nally, B.McLoughlin ,G.McGovern ,N.Yourell(0-4),K.Orme, D O’Keefe(0-1),S.Savage(0-2),G.Brennan (1-2),B.O'Mara (2-9).Subs:K Yourell for E.Nally,,R.Crowley for Brennan, David Newman for A.O’Mara, Adam Mitchell for N.Yourell, Henry Reilly for G.McGovern (inj).
Senior League Division 2
Crookedwood 6-12 Delvin 1-14
The latest round of the league resulted in a good victory over a youthful Delvin team on Thursday last in St.Lomans. Delvin were short a number of regulars so we can’t read too much into this result. A hat-trick of Seamus Savage goals in the first half set us on the road to victory and two second half goals from Johnny Orme kept us well ahead. Another who impressed was Richie Crowley who finished with 1-2 to his name.
Team/scorers. S.McGovern,D.Newman, D.Grifferty,E.Murray(0-1),R.Scally, E.Nally, D O’Keefe, B.McLoughlin ,K.Yourell, N.Yourell (0-1), A.Mitchell (0-2), R.Crowley (1-2), J.Orme, (2-0), S.Savage(3-0), B.O'Mara(0-7).Subs: A.O’Mara for D.Newman, H.Reilly for N.Yourell, Tomas Brennan for S.Savage, JJ Brennan for R.Scally, for B.McLoughlin
Intermediate Championship
Crookedwood 3-27 Turin 2-6
We had to wait till round 4 of this yrs c/ship to record our 1st win, but it turned out to be an emphatic one. Our first goal after seven minutes from Ger Brennan after a good pass from Kevin Orme showed what was to come and shortly after Kevin tapped in a rebound from an Antoin Savage penalty for our second goal.We were well in control but failed to turn possession into scores and led by 2-6 to 0-5 at halftime. However, we flew out of the blocks at the start of the second half and had three points within the first two minutes.A Turin goal pegged us back but we replied with three points in as many minutes to assert our authority once more.However,another defensive lapse let Turin in for their second goal and a pointed free reduced the margin to six points.From there on we really took control and scored 1-15 without reply in the final 19 minutes.This was a great all round attacking display (our backs need to sharpen up) as all six starting forwards scored,with great individual displays from Barry O Mara who amassed eleven points,(including a sublime sideline cut),Brian McLoughlin (three points) and Noel Yourell who registered an impressive 1-6 from play.Team/Scorers: S.McGovern,A.O'Mara,D.Grifferty,E.Murray(c),R.Scally,A.Savage,E.Nally,B.McLoughlin (0-3),G.McGovern (0-1 '65),N.Yourell(1-6),K.Orme (1-1), S.McCarthy(0-2),S.Savage(0-2),G.Brennan(1-0),B.O'Mara(0-11,5f 1 s/line).Subs:D.O'Keefe for Scally,R.Crowley(0-1) for Brennan,K.Yourell for McCarthy,Adam Mitchell for S.Savage,C.Hyland for A.O Mara.
Junior League
Crookedwood 1-8 Clonkill 2-15
Clonkill made the short journey to Crookedwood in the latest round of Division 4 fixtures. Although we were well beaten in the end there was only a point separating the teams midway through the 2nd half. Some wayward shooting on our behalf and the concession of two soft goals led to defeat for us. However, the lads gave it their all and this will stand them well in the future.
Intermediate Championship
Crookedwood 1-10 Brownstown 0-13
It was honours even in round 3 of the championship played in damp conditions in Delvin on Tuesday 5th June. After playing against the slight breeze in the 1st half we were two points down at half time. Our opponents made the early running and led by three points early on. A sustained spell of pressure led to a Ger Brennan goal to draw us level and indeed we could’ve had another goal but for some staunch defending from Brownstown. We added three points to Brownstown's five to give a half time score of: The Wood 1-4, Brownstown 0-9. We started the 2nd half in determined mood and quickly registered a point. Brownstown replied in kind. Two points in a row brought us level and when the Brownstown captain received a straight red everything was in our favour. However, we failed to make the numerical advantage count. A two point lead was the best we could manage and in a tight game this was never going to be enough. In truth we created enough chances to win this game but failure to convert the majority of them proved our undoing. The concession of frees and sloppy marking in the middle third of the field did not help either, but in fairness to Brownstown, they never gave up even after the loss of their influential captain. The lads now face an uphill battle to make the semis and need to win the next four rounds to have any chance of qualifying. Full turnouts are required at training and challenge games from here on, anything less will result in an early exit from the championship. Team: Shane McGovern, Ger McGovern, Enda Murray, Alan O Mara, Ronan Scally, Damien Grifferty, Kevin Orme, Edward Nally, Antoin Savage, Seamus Savage, Brian McLoughlin, Noel Yourell, Barry O Mara, Ger Brennan, Richie Crowley. Subs used: Simon McCarthy for McLoughlin
Intermediate championship: Crookedwood 0-8 Clonkill 1-13
Round 2 of the championship ended in another defeat for us as we were beaten by an experienced Clonkill team in Cusack Park. We didn’t make enough use of the strong wind in the first half and only held a slender two point lead at half time. Clonkill went ahead early in the second half but scores were hard to come by in difficult conditions. With two minutes of normal time remaining only three points separated the sides but a strong finish yielded 1-2 for our opponents to record a flattering eight point victory. With no points from two games we need to work extremely hard to make the semi-finals. Team: Team: Shane McGovern, Ger McGovern, Enda Murray, David Newman, Ronan Scally, Kevin Orme, Seamus Savage, Edward Nally, Antoin Savage, Adam Mitchell, Brian McLoughlin, Barry O Mara, Emmet Feerick, Noel Yourell, Simon McCarthy Subs used: Ger Brennan for Simon McCarthy, Shane Collins for Feerick.
Intermediate championship: Crookedwood 1-9 Fr.Daltons 0-17
The 1st round of this years championship ended in defeat as a capable Daltons outfit put us to the sword.On what felt more like a winters evening than two days before Summer,swirling winds and intermittent drizzle didn't do much to dampen this keenly contested game.Playing with the breeze in the 1st half we didn't make much use of it and the deadly accurate Daltons free-taker punished every foul our defence committed (and we did commit alot) to give them a commanding 6 point lead at half time.With the wind at their backs for the second half Daltons looked set for a handy win.However, our lads gave as good as they got and but for some early attempts for goals when taking points would've been the better option we could've salvaged at least a draw from this game.Nonetheless the selectors have plenty to work with but every player needs to train and stand up and be counted if we are to achieve our goals,starting with the next round vs near neighbours Clonkill. Team: Shane McGovern, Ger McGovern, Enda Murray, Tommy Casserly, Ronan Scally, Damien Grifferty, Dara O Keefe, Kevin Orme, Ed Nally, Seamus Savage, Brian McLoughlin, Emmet Feerick, Johnny Orme, Noel Yourell, Barry O Mara.Subs used: Antoin Savage for Feerick, Simon McCarthy for Grifferty (injured), Shane Collins for Yourell, Aodan Boyhan for Casserly. (We all wish a speedy recovery to Damien Grifferty who received a nasty hand injury received in an off the ball incident).
Crookedwood 1-11 Na Fianna (Enfield) 0-10
On Tuesday last we made the short journey up to Enfield to play our final Leinster League game. With both teams out of contention to advance to the next phase one could be forgiven for expecting a tame affair. However, both teams gave their all and it was a close and exciting hours hurling. We held a slender lead at half time and hurled strong in the second half to record a four point win. Final score: Crookedwood 1-11 Enfield 0-10 Team: Alan O Mara, Ger McGovern, Enda Murray, Tommy Casserly, Ronan Scally, Damien Grifferty, Aodan Boyhan, Edward Nally, Simon McCarthy, Adam Mitchell, Brian McLoughlin, Barry O Mara, Richie Crowley, Shane Collins, Conor Savage.
Thanks to all the lads for travelling and a special word of congratulations to Conor Savage on his Senior debut.
Crookedwood 1-13 Cullion 0-6
Our Junior team took to the field on Thursday last in the rearranged Division 4 fixture in Crookedwood. We led from start to finish in this one and even though we struggled at times we ran out comfortable winners in the end. Adam Mitchell got us off the mark with a brace of points while Conor Savage added our third. Johnny Orme added three points to cancel Cullions three from frees and Alan O Mara gave us the perfect finish to the half with a well taken goal. H/T: C/Wood 1-6 Cullion 0-3
The second half continued in the same vein as the first and our two young midfielders came to the fore. Simon McCarthy picked off four points, Johnny added another while Dara O Keefe sent over a pair of points to round off a decent evenings work. The most pleasing aspects of the game were containing our opponents to one point from play while scoring 1-11 from play ourselves.
Panel: Ciaran McCabe, Ger McGovern, Enda Murray, Tommy Casserly, Ronan Scally, Damien Grifferty, Aodan Boyhan, Simon McCarthy (0-4), Dara O Keefe (0-2), Conor Savage (0-1), Adam Mitchell (0-2), Alan O Mara (1-0), Richie Crowley, Shane Collins, Johnny Orme (0-4) J.J. Brennan, Tomas Brennan, Lorcan Savage.
Crookedwood 1-10 St.Brigids 0-11
Last year’s Intermediate champions were the visitors to Crookedwood on Saturday evening last in round 2 of the Senior league (Division 2). We got off to the best possible start after 20 seconds when Damien Grifferty (who lined out at full forward due to injury) gathered a long delivery in despatched it to the net. However, that was as good as it got in the first half as our opponents took control of the game in the middle third of the field, limiting our forwards to scraps and putting our defence under immense pressure. The saints rattled over nine points and all we could offer in return were two points from placed balls converted by Johnny Orme and a good point from Noel Yourell. Indeed we could’ve been further behind at half time but for the uncharacteristic waywardness of the Brigids freetaker. H/T: C/Wood 1-3 St.Brigids 0-9
With the wind in our favour in the second half we set about reducing the deficit and Yourell duly obliged with a well taken point. A Johnny Orme free cut the gap to the minimum but our opponents replied in kind. Scores were still hard to come by and when we eventually drew level Brigids took the lead again almost immediately. Johnny brought us level again with a pointed free and Yourell put us one up with a great point from an impossible angle. Match scoring was finished with another pointed free from Johnny to seal a hard earned victory.
Panel: Barry O Mara, Ger McGovern, Enda Murray, Tommy Casserly, Ronan Scally, Micheal Savage, Aodan Boyhan, Emmet Feerick, Dara O Keefe, Shane Collins, Noel Yourell (0-3), Simon McCarthy, Richie Crowley, Damien Grifferty (1-0), Johnny Orme (0-7). Andy Boyhan, Brian McLoughlin, Lorcan Savage
Leinster league
Crookedwood 3-11 Avondale (Wicklow) 1-9
We had a good victory over Avondale in Round 2 of the Leinster league. The lads flew out of the blocks and we had registered 6 points (3 from Barry, and one each from Johnny, Seamus & Emmet) before our opponents got their 1st point from a free. Points from Dara O Keefe and Johnny Orme put us further ahead before Avondale capitalised on some lazy defending to pounce for the games 1st goal. Barry O Mara struck two pointed frees as did his Avondale counterpart in the latter stages of the 1st half and Adam Mitchell also raised a white flag to leave the half time score:
Crookedwood 0-11 Avondale 1-3.
The visitors drew first blood on the restart with a pointed free before a fortuitous goal from Emmet Feerick and an opportunist goal from Shane Collins (after a great block by Emmet) gave us a ten point lead. However, to Avondale’s credit they didn’t throw in the towel and rattled off five points in a row and gave us something to think about. We defended stoutly though and Shane Collins’ second goal in injury time sealed a good win for us. This was a good all round team performance with the forwards well on top in the first half, midfielders working tirelessly and a strong defence in the second half. Team/Scorers: Alan O Mara, Ger McGovern, Damien Grifferty, Tommy Casserly, Ronan Scally, Kevin Orme, Dara O Keefe (0-1), Edward Nally, Emmet Feerick (1-1) Seamus Savage (0-1) , Brian McLoughlin, Barry O Mara (0-5), Simon McCarthy , Adam Mitchell (0-1), Johnny Orme (0-2)
Subs: Shane Collins (2-0) for Mitchell, Andy Boyhan for McCarthy, Enda Murray for Casserly, Richie Crowley for Feerick, Tomās Brennan for McGovern.
Balinteer,Naomh Eoin 3- 14 Crookedwood 2-6
We came out second best to a well drilled, youthful, skilful Ballinteer team on the recent Bank Holiday Monday. Played in pleasant conditions in Marlay Park, South Dublin we were on the back foot from the outset as our opponents picked off some fine scores in the 1st half. However, we only trailed by three points at the interval and indeed we could’ve went in ahead at the break. On the change of ends though Balinteer took control and the concession of a soft goal put the game beyond reach. Even though we were forced to line out minus many regulars, Noel and the selectors were very pleased with several aspects of the game, the team spirit shown and with some fine individual performances. The management team thanks all players who made the journey on the day.
Team/Scorers: Shane McGovern, Ger McGovern, Damien Grifferty, Tommy Casserly, Alan O Mara, Ronan Scally, Dara O Keefe, Edward Nally, Noel Yourell (0-1) Simon McCarthy , Brian McLoughlin, Barry O Mara (0-4), Richie Crowley (1-1), Adam Mitchell, Johnny Orme (1-0)
Subs used: Shane Collins for Mitchell, Aaron Orme for McCarthy (inj)
Senior League Division 2
Crookedwood 0-12 Ringtown 0-11
2012 started off on a winning note after a hard fought one point win over near neighbours Ringtown on Saturday last. Played in good conditions we had the better of the exchanges in the 1st half, and aided by some staunch defending, we held a two point lead at the half time interval, with points from Ronan Scally, and two each from Simon McCarthy, Barry O Mara & Noel Yourell.
Half-time: Crookedwood 0-7 Ringtown 0-5
The second half was a stop-start affair in which we never got going at all. Both teams traded points with ours coming from Noel Yourell, Edward Nally and one each fromsubs Adam Mitchell, Henry Reilly and Brian McLoughlin. We held a three point advantage on full time but Ringtown rallied in the five plus minutes of injury time and indeed could’ve snatched a draw but our defence held firm to claim our first win of the year. It’s good to start the year with a victory but I’m sure the lads know there’s loads of work to do. The only downside was a serious leg injury to Ger Brennan, who we wish a speedy recovery to. Thanks to Ringtown for a good sporting game and to their officials for their help in attending to Ger when he was injured.
Team & Scorers: Shane McGovern, Ger McGovern, Ger Brennan, David Newman, Ronan Scally, (0-1) Kevin Orme , Dara O Keefe, Emmet Feerick, Seamus Savage, Simon McCarthy (0-2), Damien Grifferty, Kieran Yourell, Barry O Mara (0-2), Ed Nally (0-1) Noel Yourell (0-3) Subs used: Brian Mcloughlin (0-1) for McCarthy (inj), Adam Mitchell (0-1) for K.Yourell, Cian Cooney for Feerick, Henry Reilly (0-1) for G.Brennan (inj), Alan O Mara for B O Mara