Month / June 2019

by thesaffrongael

Johnnies cruise to semis

U21 Hurling Championship – Preliminary Round

St John’s 5-32 St Gall’s 1-6

Monday June 17

Brendan McTaggart reports from Corrigan Park, Belfast

St John’s laid a firm marker down as to their intentions this year with a resounding victory of St Gall’s in the U21 championship preliminary round.  The Corrigan Park side had 10 different scorers over the hour as they dealt with the challenge of their Milltown Row rivals with ease.

Donal McKernan top scored for the Johnnies with 1-8 for his evenings work, deadly accurate from placed ball while laying siege on the seriously overworked St Galls defence.  And while the St John’s attack will take many plaudits, the Johnnies half back line were superb and unyielding.  They kept the pressure on the St Gall’s defence by supplying ball into their forwards while chipping in with six points between them.  Aidan McMahon my choice as man of the match with a superb display.

The Johnnies first goal didn’t come until first half injury time, Peter McCallin applying the finish but by that stage the game was as good as over.  St Gall’s managed to score their major on the 16th minute but such was the superiority of the home side, St John’s held a 19 point lead at the short whistle with a score line of 1-18 to 1-2.

St John’s went for the jugular in the second half with half time substitute Oran McGrath helping himself to two goals and but for the reflexes of Cormac Slane in the St Gall’s goals, McGrath could have had a second half hat-trick to celebrate.  His second major however was the highlight of the match in a move where St John’s worked their way up the pitch with a series of one-two’s, cutting through a beleaguered St Gall’s defence before McGrath rifled home.

The Johnnies other two majors came from the hurls of McKernan and midfielder Niall McCann but it was a case of job done for the Corrigan Park side as they now cast their eyes on a home semi-final meeting with Cushendall on Monday evening.

Teams

St John’s: John Darragh; Eoin McParland, Lorcan Heenan, Oran Cartin; Aidan McMahon, Conal Bohill, CJ McKenna; Shea Shannon, Niall McCann; Aaron Bradley, Donal McKernan, Danaan McKeogh; Ruairi Galbraith, Peter McCallin, Naoishe Gough.

Subs: Oran McGrath for P McCallin (HT); Conor Flannery for J Darragh (52).

Scorers: Donal McKernan 1-8 (7 f’s); Oran McGrath 2-1; Aaron Bradley 0-5; Peter McCallin 1-2; Shea Shannon 0-4; Danaan McKeogh 0-4; Niall McCann 1-1; Aidan McMahon 0-3; CJ McKenna 0-2; Oran Cartin 0-1; Conal Bohill 0-1.

St Galls: Cormac Shane; Liam McCloskey, Colm Darby, Dee Wisdom; Michael McMullan, Lorcan O’Ciaran, Thomas Cushley; Phelim Lennon, Gary McIlhatton; Euan Rush, Padraig Friel, Thomas Devlin; Eoghan McCurdy, Eugene Farley, Ciaran Cruickshank.

Subs: Oran Fox for G McIlhatton (9); Niall McCurdy for L McCloskey (51)

Scorers: Padraig Friel 0-3 (1 ’65, 1 f);Eugene Farley 1-00; Lorcan O’Ciaran 0-2 (2 f’s); Ciaran Cruickshank 0-1.

Referee: Kevin Parke (Naomh Éanna)

by thesaffrongael

All County Minor/Under 16 Football league Fixtures 18th/20th June

 Tuesday 18th June (7.30pm)

A C Minor Football League

Division One

St James Aldergrove v Con Magees Glenravel

Cuchullian’s Dunloy v St Galls

St Paul’s v St Brigid’s

Kickham’s Creggan v Tir na Nog Randalstown

St Mary’s Aghagallon v Patrick Sarsfield’s

All Saint’s Ballymena v Casement’s Portglenone

Division Two

St Joseph’s Glenavy v St Ergnat’s Moneyglass

St Enda’s v O’ Donovan Rossa

Gael an tSeibhe Dhuibh v Clan na Gael

St Mary’s Rasharkin v Lamh Dhearg

Thursday 20th June

A C Under-16 Football League (7.30pm)

Division One

Con Magees Glenravel v St Ergnat’s Moneyglass

St James Aldergrove v St Galls

O’ Donovan Rossa v Erin’s Own Cargin

All Saint’s Ballymena v St Brigid’s

St Mary’s Aghagallon v Patrick Sarsfield’s

Division 2A

Gael an tSeibhe Dhuibh v Cuchullian’s Dunloy

St Paul’s v Gort na Mona

St Enda’s v St Comgall’s Antrim

St John’s v Lamh Dhearg

Division 2B

St Mary’s Rasharkin v Cuchullian’s Dunloy

St Enda’s Glengormley v St Comgall’s Antrim

Tir na Nog Randalstown v Kickham’s Creggan

Casement’s Portglenone v St Joseph’s Glenavy

by thesaffrongael

Active Aghagallon Fun Run

St Mary’s Aghagallon held their third Active Aghagallon fun run on Sunday 16th June 2019. It marked the end of a Couch to 5k program and the new runners graduated with their first 5k run, and were joined along the way, by previous graduates coming back to join in the 5k or advance to 10k, runners from the parish and running groups and individual runners and walkers from far and wide.

With the marshals at their stations at 2 o’clock the 10k runners got things started and then the 5k runners got going. The emphasis was on fun but with dark skies over head everyone was determined to get back to The Gate Inn to collect their medals before the rain came, thankfully they did.

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Well done to everyone who took part, thanks for your support, to the marshals and all the volunteers who helped out in the build up and on the day and all the tee shirt sponsors and business who donated in any way and The Gate Inn for hosting us.

First home in the 5k was Naomi Uprichard and in the 10k it was Alan Burton.

Special mention to Ciara Mulholland who coached the runners over the six weeks and organised everything for today, nothing was left to chance.

Also thanks to Bert Trowlen for capturing the memories.

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by thesaffrongael

Seven point Slane steers Davitt’s to victory

All County Football League – Division 2

Davitts 2-14  Glenravel 2-13

Report by Aodh O’Loan

In this, the penultimate round of matches in Phase 1 of Division 2 league, mid-table teams are jockeying for position in the race to make it into the top six. Davitts edged home by a short head but were made to fight all the way. This was very much a game of two halves, inexplicably so given the elements were very favourable; very light wind and sun shining for the entire game. Davitts won the first half by a bagfull and did just enough in the second as the Glensmen tried valiantly to rein them in. 
The home side got off to a perfect start when Danny Largey goaled after three minutes, which rocked the visitors, and when Padraig Parland and Anthony Rowntree added points it was clear Davitts were in fine shooting form.

Davitt’s Padraig McPartland in action against Con Magees’ David Higgins.

Eamon Fyfe got Glenravel onto the scoresheet with a point in the fifth minute to reduce the gap to four points but back came the Belfast men in wave after wave of attacks and recorded the next six points in succession from the sixth to fifteenth minute. Caomhan Slane, James Lindsay and Anthony Rowntree got three of those points, the other three coming from the assured boot of goalkeeper Aaron Slane who gave an exhibition of free taking over the hour and ended up being Davitt’s joint top scorer in the game. Ahead at this stage 1-08 to 0-01 Davitt’s looked  like they would go on to record a cricket score. Glenravel steadied the ship with points from Eamon Fyfe  and Conor McNeil s to reduce the gap but Aaron Slane again popped up to convert two frees to leave the home team ahead 1-10 to 0-03 after twenty four minutes. Glenravel then hit the reset button and started to get a grip of the game, recording four unanswered points in the closing three minutes to cut the game to 1-11 to 0-7 at the interval.

Conor McNeill celebrates after scoing Con Magee’s opening goal.


If Davitts dominated the first thirty minutes then for certain their visitors dominated the second thirty. In the opening minute of the half, Conleth O’Loan collected a kickout and burst through the half back line before finding Eamon Fyfe who cooly picked out a great run by Conor McNeil and gave Aaron Slane no chance as he unleashed a rocket to the net. Fyfe popped up 3 minutes later with another point and the visiting spectators started to believe. Davitts were going short on their kickouts to maintain possession but that went horribly wrong for them when a defender was robbed of possession on the twenty metre line by Eamon Fyfe who rounded the keeper and slotted home into an empty net. All square 1-11 to 2-08 – Game on!  Davitts were having none of it and went straight down the field and goaled  from the boot of Danny Largey to restore  a three point lead. Glenravel were getting on top at this stage all over the pitch and that lead was once again eliminated by scores from Aiden O’Donnell (2) and Conor McNeill.

Davitt’s Stephen Og Toner in action against Con Magees’ Eoin Hynds.

Davitts needed to slow the game down now and arrest the forward momentum of their visitors and, as all Dublin fans will tell you, no better way to achieve that than having your goalkeeper as your main free taker. With ten minutes left on the clock Danny Largey nudged Davitts ahead and Aaron Slane stretched that lead a couple of minutes later. Fyfe and O’Donnell levelled the match and a draw looked likely but up stepped the intrepid goalkeeper again six minutes into injury time to slot over his seventh and winning point of the game. 
One more round of matches left in Phase 1 and this result means that most likely these two sides will meet again in Phase 2 at the wrong end of the table! 


Davitts:: Aaron Slane, Sean Linberg, Jason Park, Nathan Maginn, Conor Toner, Declan Smyth, Niall McParland, Anthony Rowntree, Ryan Park, James Lindsay, Padraig McParland, Niall Hughes, Danny Largey, Caomhan Slane, Stephen Og Toner


Glenravel:: Shaun O’Boyle, Declan McAuley, Paul McCurry, Michael Laverty, Conor Carey, Niall Swann, Conleth O’Loan, Eoin Hynds, David Higgins, Aiden O’Donnell, Declan Traynor, Conor McNeill, Eamon Fyfe, Martin McCarry, Sean McKay.  

by thesaffrongael

McGarry leads Aldergrove fightback

All County Football League Division 2

Sarsfields 3-9 St James Aldergrove 1-15

A great scoring display by centre half forward Seamus McGarry saw Aldergrove claw their way back from a slow start to earn a share of the spoils with Sarsfields in the Bear Pit on Sunday afternoon. The Paddies were 1-3 to 0-1 to the good after just ten minutes an appeared to be in charge of the game but some great scores from McGarry saw him drag his team back to trail by just two at half time.

A second goal for Sarsfields Gary Lennon five minutes into the second half put his team back in charge, but they would raise three more flags for the remaining 25 minutes and Aldergrove edged their way back to earn a share of the spoils.

Daniel McKernan cuts in along the endline to score Sarsfields opening goal.

Thomas Skillen got Sarsfields off the mark with a point from a free in the opening minute and a minute later Daniel McKernan cut in along the endline to fire in a goal from the narrowest of angles. Seamus McGarry got Aldergrove off the mark with a point on six minutes but when Sarfields came back with points from their corner forwards Gary Lennon and Thomas Skillen they were five to the good and looking comfortable.

The gap stayed at five as McGarry and Lennon exchanged points but Aldergrove were starting to get a foothold in the game and when two Conor Morris points were followed by a brilliant individual goal by McGarry the visitors were back on terms. Another McGarry point edged his team in front but Sarsfields went straight down the other end and after a Thomas Skillen point attempt came back off the upright Gary Lennon reacted quickest to stab the ball home.

Aldergrove’s Garard Mallon in action against Sarsfields Gary McPolin.

Two points to the good at half time Sarsfields saw their lead cut in half two minutes into the second as McGarry again slotted over but their hopes received another setback when Sarsfields dangerous corner forward Gary Lennon grabbed his second goal on 35 minutes. It was score for score for a while as McGarry and Morris matched points by McKenna, Lennon and Skillen for Sarsfields, and with nine minutes left to play the home team appeared to have done enough as they held a three point lead. However they failed to raise another flag for the rest of the game and Aldergrove fought back with two points from Conor Morris and one from corner back Conor Totten to tie the scores. There was a chance for the St James men to snatch the win when Gerard Mallon had the chance of the winner in injury time but his shot was off target and so the spoils were shared.

SARSFIELDS: Michael Brady, Ethan Mervyn, Marin McPolin, Kieran Carson, Jack Daniels, Niall McAlea, Gary McPolin, Conor Laverty, Cormac Murray, Niall McKenna, Daniel McKernan, Tomas Skillen, Kieran McCullough, Gary Lennon.

ALDERGROVE: Shane O’Neill, Paul Cushley, Corey Foggarty, Conor Totten, Fearghal Hanna, Christopher McVeigh, Eamon McCourt, Ryan Owens, Brian McQuillan, Gerard Mallon, Seamus McGarry, Feargal Burke, Seany Fay, Kian Jones, Conor Morris.

Referee – Darren McKeown