ALLIANZ CUMANN NA MBUNSCOL REPORT MONDAY 19TH DECEMBER
Post date: Dec 18, 2011 2:40:55 PM
HAPPY CHRISTMAS
Tipperary Cumann na mBunscol would like to wish all schools a Happy Christmas and Peaceful New Year. Best of luck in 2012! Thanks to all the teachers and pupils who contributed reports to this column during 2011. Míle buíochas.
REPORTER OF THE WEEK
Daniel Ryan 6th Class Scoil Mochaomhog Naofa.
The following are reports sent in by schools on their recent County Football Final appearances:
RATHKEEVIN EDGE BALLINA IN RIP ROARING CONTEST
On a cold winters day we were fortunate that the field in the Ragg held up well enough for the under 13 Roinn D final between Rathkeevin and Ballina. It wasn’t a day for the free flowing football that a neutral would have wanted but both sides contested a thrilling encounter. When the game started neither team could gain control and battled the conditions as much as one another. It took the bones of 8mins before the first score of the match. When the ball fell for Seán Cotter around the middle of the park he broke away to put over the first point of the game. You would think it would have settled Rathkeevin but it seemed to drive on Ballina who quickly got into their stride. Their reaction was testament to their attitude on the day. A long ball in which caused difficulty for the Rathkeevin defence, ended up landing to their corner forward who took on our defenders. It ended with two men on the ground and the referee pointing toward the spot. The boy who stepped up for Ballina made no mistake and gave Matthew Brophy no chance with a precise spot kick to the bottom left hand corner of the net. Rathkeevin knew they had a battle on their hands and so often has been the case this year they stepped up to the mark. The weather and commitment of both teams ensured that it was a hard physical battle. Both teams contesting every ball meant that neither could get time on it. The first half had few chances for either side with defences on top but ended with a key goal for Rathkeevin which proved a vital turning point in the match. Great work by Daniel Foley down the left hand touchline where he just about kept in a long ball played down to him. He cut inside and fed Óisín Napier who dropped a ball into the back post. Jack Moloney contested it well and the result was it dropped into the stride of Seán Cotter who supplied a great strike to the roof of the net. Some great running and effort from Daniel Keane meant we were a constant threat in the first half even though the scores didn’t happen as of yet. Coming into half time Rathkeevin had the slight lead of 1-1 to 1-0. The start of the second half was similar to that of the first with both sides almost cancelling each other out. But Rathkeevin again got the edge 5 or so minutes in when a loose ball fell to the feet of Óisín Napier who showed his natural soccer skills with a first time shot from the ground which reached the top corner of the back post. Any other team may have folded but Ballina kept fighting for every ball. The next ten minutes tested Rathkeevin more than any other team had all year. Ballina kept coming at us with intent in every attack. Some great blocking from Michael Cleary, Tiernan Ó Ceallaigh and the rest of the Rathkeevin team made sure that our lead was kept intact. Knowing that the constant pressure could get to us we decided that attack was our best form of defence. With our captain Jack Harney constantly driving others on this positive attitude was further proven when Diarmuid Mulcahy, who had been playing as our defensive midfielder, latched onto a loose ball and used all of his skill and experience to rattle the Ballina net with a fine strike. In the closing moments the momentum was with Rathkeevin but Ballina gave us a reminder of their threat with a fine score of their own. A lovely strike straight between the posts that set up a nervy ending. Rathkeevin now relied on their talented forwards such Jack Moloney, Brian Ó Dea and Robert Flaherty to relieve the pressure from our defence. Eventually the final score of the match killed the game off and on a day that cut short free flowing football it was a great reminder of the talent on show when Seán Cotter capped a great game with a sublime point. It started with a Ballina attack, a dangerous ball in that was intercepted by Michael Cleary. Keeping his composure he picked out a Rathkeevin midfielder. After three one two’s in the midfield area the ball was sweetly struck into the chest of Cotter who took on his man. From a huge distance a cleanly hit strike found its way straight between the posts. The whistle went soon after with a score of 4-2 to 1-2 showing the tight nature of the game. Joy for Rathkeevin who had lost in last year’s final but a fantastic attempt from a very talented Ballina side who I’m sure will be back again in the near future. Final Score: Rathkeevin N.S. 4-2 Ballina N.S. 2-1. Rathkeevin : Mathew Brophy, Michael Cleary, Jack Harney (c), Tiernan Ó Ceallaigh, Diarmuid Mulcahy, Daniel Foley, Óisín Napier, Jack Moloney, Daniel Keane, Séan Cotter.
YOUNG CLERIHAN HEROES CLAIM COUNTY TITLE BY AODAN WRENN
Friday 25th of November 2011 was a special day for Clerihan N.S. It was the day of the County Under 11 B Football Final. Clerihan N.S faced off against Gaelscoil Durlas in the County Final showdown, in Moyle Rovers GAA pitch. The referee was Willie Barrett from Ardfinnan. The young Clerihan lads were relaxed going into the game and were eagerly anticipating the challenge that lay ahead. They had trained extremely hard and were very focussed on what they had to do. Willie Barrett threw the ball in at 2pm. The game was on. Clerihan settled early and got into the rhythm of the game from the off. They were playing against the strong breeze in the first half. Gaelscoil Durlas played some good football in the first ten minutes and Clerihan had a lot of defending to do. The Clerihan backs were defending exceptionally well and constantly broke up the Gaelscoil attacks. The Clerihan midfield began to get on top. Cian Mullane and Tim Norris scored goals for Clerihan close to half time to put them in command. Riain Quigley and Callum Meagher scored a point each during the first period. The score at the interval was Clerihan 2-2 Gaelscoil Durlas 0-2. Clerihan knew that they had the wind in the second half but they were determined not to get complacent. There was still 15 minutes of hard work to be done before the County Title could be claimed. Gaelscoil Durlas came roaring back in the second half with great spirit and desire. They also demonstrated huge levels of skill to get level within 8 minutes. It was now 2-2 to 1-5. Clerihan were beginning to tire after putting so much effort into the first half playing against the wind. Gaelscoil were now in control and it looked like they were ready to claim the title. Clerihan were falling apart, until the outstanding Callum Meagher got himself into the position to rifle an unstoppable shot to the net to put Clerihan back in front. Both teams scored 2 points each after this as the game approached its nail-biting climax. Jack Fitzpatrick netted an outstanding goal for Clerihan two minutes from time to put them 6 points up. Clerihan looked home and hosed after this, but there was to be another twist in the tail. Gaelscoil Durlas went straight down the pitch and scored a wonderful goal to put 3 points between them again. As we approached the final whistle Gaelscoil worked the ball skilfully into another goal-scoring position. As they approached the Clerihan goal one of their forwards took a shot that was expertly blocked down by Riain Quigley. The ball broke to another Gaelscoil forward and he unleashed a rocket of a shot towards the goal. The Clerihan management and fans had their hearts in the mouths as the ball flew towards its target. If it went in the game would go to extra time. However Clerihan goalkeeper Eoin O'Loughlin pulled off the save of the century to keep out a shot that had looked unstoppable. It was a heroic piece of goalkeeping from the young 4th class net-minder. The save will be remembered for a very long time by all who witnessed it, and was a piece of goalkeeping that would grace any football occasion. Less than a minute later Willie Barrett blew the full time whistle. Clerihan were the 2011 Under 11 B Football County Champions! The final score was Clerihan N.S 4-4 Gaelscoil Durlas 2-7. It was a masterpiece of a game. It was so exciting with the play going from end to end. It was one of the best games of football you are likely to see, at that age group. It was a great win for Clerihan N.S. The team had been dealt two major blows in the week leading up to the Final. Two of the team's best players, from 5th class, became ill during the week and both had to miss the big match. However the lads who did get to play were determined to win it for the two boys who were missing. It is the fourth year in a row that Clerihan has won a County Football title. Four in a row for Clerihan! An interesting statistic about those 4 County Final successes is that Clerihan scored four goals in each final! 4-4 in the 2008 Under 11 C Final. 4-2 in the 2009 Under 11 Final. 4-7 in the 2010 Under 13 D Final. 4-4 in the 2011 Under 11 B Final. That is very consistent and is a credit to the confidence of the players in question. They have taken their chances when they were presented to them. Captain Fantastic Riain Quigley accepted the County Championship Trophy on behalf of his team mates. It was a proud moment for his family as his brother Cathal, a member of this year’s All Ireland Minor football winning Tipperary panel, had been captain of the Clerihan team in 2004 when they won the County Under 13 E football Championship. Well done to Riain, to all the players and all the members of the panel. Everyone played their part. Each and every one of them has done their parents, family, school and community proud. It was a proud moment for School Principal John Walsh to see the school capture another County Title. The work John puts in is incredible and it's great to see his hard work rewarded. Congratulations to all involved.
Hard luck to Gaelscoil Durlas. You put in a great performance and you will all be back next year challenging for Under 13 honours.Thanks to Moyle Rovers for allowing us use their pitch, and to Willie Barrett for refereeing the game in his usual exemplary manner. Finally thanks to the parents and supporters who followed us throughout the year. The parents in Clerihan are brilliant. The management team of John Walsh, Padraig Fahey and I really appreciate the help and support they give us.The Clerihan heroes of 2011 lined out as follows: Eoin O'Loughlin, Oisin Casey, Aiden Maher, Callum Meagher, Riain Quigley, Cian Mullane, Time Norris, Josh King, Ben Caffrey. Jack Fitzpatrick, Evan Mullins, Tom Houze. Panel members who missed the game due to sickness: Jack O'Rourke, Damien Cahill.
Historic win for Scoil Mochaomhog Naofa By Daniel Ryan 6th Class Scoil Mochaomhog Naofa
It was Wednesday 23rd November as we boarded the bus for Clonmel to play in the U/13c Football County Final against the Gaelscoil, Clonmel. There was plenty of excitement and a few nerves in the dressing room beforehand; we wanted to make our school and our coach, Mr. Mc McCullagh proud by taking home the Shield. The referee, Brian White blew the whistle at 12.30pm and the match took off at a very fast pace with Jack Fallon taking the Gaelscoil’s defence by surprise when he kicked the ball over the bar and registered a point in the 1st minute of the match. Daniel Ryan (1-1) and James Dillon (1-0) were the other scorers in the 1st half. The half time score was 2-2 to 0-1 in our favour with the wind at our back. Fuelled by oranges and Jaffa cakes, we raced onto the field for the second half. Everything happened so fast and with the wind against us, the score changed to 2-3 to 1-2 with David O’ Donnell scoring a point and the Gaelscoil scoring a goal and a point. With the gap closing on us, we stepped it up a gear with James Dillon, Rory Darmody and Darren Flood all scoring goals and James Dillon finishing off the match with another 2 points. The final score was 5-4 to 1-3 and we had done it!! All our supporters erupted and spilled onto the field to congratulate the team and Mr. Mc McCullagh. The Gaelscoil, Clonmel put up a terrific fight and gave us a great match. The best players on the day for Gaelscoil were Ryan Lamb, Patrick Merchant and Jack O’ Donnell. Thanks to all the pupils, teachers and parents of Scoil Mochaomhog Naofa who made the journey to Clonmel to cheer on our team. Thanks also to Paddy Moore for his valuable coaching every Tuesday since September. Our team was P.J Tunstal (Goalie, Cpt.) Michael Murphy, David Ryan (Full back line), Sean Mockler, Michael Maher (Half back line), Daniel Ryan, Mark Heffernan, Jack Fallon (midfield), David O Donnell, James Dillon (half forwards), Darren Flood, Rory Darmody (full forwards). Subs used: Diarmaid Maher, Conor Cummins, Sean O Meara, Declan Ryan, Brian Long. Bill Hackett, Maria Lanigan, Jessica Hayes, Evan Coughlan, Pat Hackett, Max Hackett, Noel Lyons, Joseph Dee, Steven Callinan.
MOYCARKEY NS SEIZE THE DAY
It was the day of the U-11 Football County Final. This was contested between two strong teams, Ardfinnan N.S. and Moycarkey N.S. The final took place at the Moyle Rovers GAA pitch on a wet and blustery day. The game threw in and Ardfinnan set the pace with 3 early points. Two of the points were scored due to loose marking by Moycarkey. Moycarkey finally got a score on the board thanks to a Rhys Shelly point who took his score well after a lovely pass from Brian O' Callaghan. Ardfinnan responded with a point from close range. This was followed by another point by Rhys Shelly who scored a free after a good pass from Stephen Fitzpatrick. Ardfinnan had lots of possession and lots of chances to score but were denied by some great defensive work from Colin Hartigan, Dylan Shaw and Kyle Shelly. There was some great teamwork between Brian O' Callaghan, Kyle Shelly and Rhys Shelly as Rhys scored another point to leave only a point between the teams. Ardfinnan's goalie sent a long ball to midfield where they scored a magnificent point from distance. Moycarkey fought back hard and Rhys Shelly, after winning a free, then took it himself to put it over the bar. However, late into the first half, Daniel Brown passed a great ball to Rhys Shelly who raced through the opposition defence to score a great goal. The teams went in at half time with Moycarkey 2 points ahead on a scoreline of Moycarkey N.S. 1-4 Ardfinnan 0-5. The second half began with Moycarkey having a mighty breeze against them. Ardfinnan scored first with another lovely point. Ardfinnan were very determined and when a long ball was sent down the pitch it was caught brilliantly which in turn lead to some great team work that ended in a fantastic goal. Ardfinnan were piling on the pressure now but Dylan Stapleton worked tirelessly in the Moycarkey goal. There was some great defending by Kieran Carew who got out in front of his man and passed it to Dean O' Brien who in turn laid it off to John Coffey. John was pushed to the ground and the free was quickly taken by Kyle Shelly who set up his brother Rhys who blasted it into the back of the net. Ardfinnan rallied almost immediately with another fine goal. Moycarkey did not drop the heads and never gave up but time was running out for them. Ardfinnan kept piling on the pressure but excellent displays from Kyle Shelly and Dylan Stapleton kept the ball out of the Moycarkey net. Moycarkey were 2 points down with the clock ticking away. Then, just a few moments later, Seán Kavanagh passed the ball to John Coffey who kicked it dangerously into the air. Rhys Shelly grabbed the ball and wasted no time in smashing it into the back of the net. Moycarkey were now a point up and did not want to lose their lead. Ardfinnan attacked and attacked but the men from Moycarkey were not to be denied and everyone put in a heroic defensive performance and at the final whistle Moycarkey had held on to win 3-4 to 2-6. Well done to both teams, their mentors and schools for their sportsmanship and a special thank you to the referee too! Moycarkey Team: Dylan Stapleton, Colin Hartigan, Daniel Brown, Dylan Shaw, Stephen Fitzpatrick, Kieran Carew, Kyle Shelly, Rhys Shelly (capt), Brian O' Callaghan, Dean O' Brien, John Coffey and Sean Kavanagh.
ST. ISIDORES MAKE HISTORY; THREE IN A ROW
History was made in St. Isidore’s N.S, Boherlahan in November when the children brought home three Cumann na mBunscol football county titles: U11 Boys, U11 Girls and the U13 Girls. The children’s sheer hard work, commitment and determination, combined with skill and “never say die”attitude, brought glory to our school. The U-11 boys contested in two blitz style competitions which were held in Durlas Óg. Having successfully defeated Rahealty, Lisnamrock and Templetouhy on day one, they went on to defeat Mount Bruis and Birdhill thus qualifying for the final against Corville, Roscrea. At half time, two goals down, things did not look promising; however the children dug deep and with total teamwork and commitment they emerged victorious by one point. So began the first of three in a row.
Our next step on the journey to success began in the Ragg when our U-13 girls competed in a four match blitz. They played Moyne, Holycross, Two Mile Borris and Loughmore. Having been successful in all four games, the girls qualified to play in the county final against St. Joseph’s, Tipperary Town, in Clonmel. After losing the toss they had to play against the wind in the first half. The girls fought hard and had a cushion of 13 points at half time. With St. Joseph’s battling strong our girls had to muster all their skill and strength to secure victory. The final score was 8-2 to 2-8. This was a wonderful achievement for the girls following a match winning performance by all players. The second county title was now on its way to St. Isidores, Boherlahan.
Our U-11 girls also played in a blitz style competition. On their first day out they successfully defeated Pouldine andUpperchurch which qualified them for the final on home turf. On a bitter, cold, windy afternoon the girls showed their true metal when they defeated Scoil Eoin Naofa, Roscrea, qualifying them to take on Ballylooby N.S. Ballylooby are known for their strong tradition of football. Though having the advantage of playing with the wind in the first half, we were slow to settle, and we faced half time on level pegging. Facing into the wind in the second half, the girls had to rally together and give of everything they had. This they did to great effect. When the final whistle blew, there was sheer euphoria as we had successfully secured our third county final of the season.
Our U13 boys also deserve great praise having reached the semi-final stages of their competition. They did themselves and our school proud. With the Christmas season upon us, spirits are high in St. Isidores. The children can now enjoy a well deserved rest following the excitement of their successes. In 2012 the gloves will be off and the hurleys out in preparation for the hurling season. Míle buíochais do na múinteoirí agus na tuismitheoirí a bhí páirteach san iarracht seo. Comhgáirdeach do chách agus Nollaig Shona Dhuibh go léir.
For any schools/teachers wishing to access Tipperary Cumann na mBunscol news and updates via Twitter, the Tipperary Cumann na mBunscol Twitter username is @TippCumanNamBun. The following link will enable you to follow us: http://twitter.com/#!/TippCumanNamBun. We would encourage as many teachers and schools as possible to follow us as this will enable you to access information as soon as it becomes available.
CONTACT CUMANN NA MBUNSCOL
For match reports, fixtures and school GAA news and events, please email Tipperary Cumann na mBunscol PRO John Manley of Dualla NS at pro.cnmb.tipperary@gaa.ie. Website: http://www.cumannnambunscol.tipperary.gaa.ie/. Nollaig Shona Dhuibh go léir.