Pupils from Mount St Michael’s, Mary Queen of Peace, st John the Baptist, St Joseph’s, Crumlin, St Mary’s on the Hill, St Oliver Plunket’s Toomebridge, St Patrick’s Rasharkin, St Peter’s and St Teresa’s PS took part in the half time Cumann na mBunscol games during the half time interval of Sunday’s Antrim v Waterford NHL Division 1B game at Corrigan Park on Sunday. Bert was on hand once again to capture the action.
To see more of Bert’s pics click on the link below
Antrim senior ladies entertained the current all Ireland intermediate champions Leitrim on Sunday and got over the line with a 4 point victory.
At a very windy Dunsilly both teams served up an excellent game of football considering the underfoot conditions and the strong wind.
Leitrim flew out of the traps first and had two points on the scoreboard in the first seven minutes.
Inspirational captain Bronagh Devlin settled the home side down with a glorious point from 35 meters after 12 minutes and after Blaithin Ni Cahill was brought down in the box 5 minutes later up stepped Devlin to hammer the resulting penalty to the Leitrim net.
But Leitrim hit back with a 3 pointer of their own and also put a 20 metre free over the bar before Antrim replied and the hard working Aine Lynch scored a great point after good work from Ana Mulholland.
The Antrim girls were more than disappointed at half time with their first half performance and they showed great character and composure in the second 30 minutes.
Antrim had so much more fluency in their play and this resulted in them controlling most of the second half.
Lara Dahunsi and the inspirational Bronagh Devlin both hit brilliant points before Devlin then found Maria O’Neill with a quick free kick.
O’Neill rounded two defenders and hammered the ball to the roof of the net, to give the Saffron’s a massive lift.
Dahunsi and Bronagh Devlin then added further points but Leitrim showed why they are all Ireland champions and hit back with 4 points of their own.
Back came this never say die Antrim team and after great work from Laura Agnew she found Maria O Neill and she duly obliged by giving the keeper no chance by putting the ball into the bottom corner of the net.
Lara Dahunsi had the final score of the game with a brilliant point from a very tight angle.
The Antrim management commented after the game.
“We started slow but our game management from the players was excellent in the second half. Our girls were more than disappointed at half time. We regrouped and put a much better performance in in the second half.
Everyone in this group works so hard and these types of games are won by the full group who push each other so hard week in week out.
This group is also very aware that we are still very much a work in progress and it’s important we all keep pulling in the one direction and trust each other and the process”
To see more pics by Elaine Kelly click on the link below
“I’ll Be There For You” was the song of choice for one of the participating teams at Friday night’s Saints & Slimmers Finale event and it perfectly sums up the mood on the evening as the participants relied on their team of “Friends” to give their best dance performance.
8 teams came together to spend the evening celebrating with family and friends at the conclusion of another successful Saints & Slimmers programme.
Held in the wonderful setting of Tullyglass House Hotel the participants, arranged in teams named after TV Law & Order shows, rounded their 7 week challenge off in some style.
Having spent the past 2 months exercising every muscle they have it was time to hit the dance floor and show off their Lip Snyc and dancing skills to over 400 friends, supporters and club members.
With 8 routines in all from Madonna’s “Hung Up” through to KC & The Sunshine’ Band’s “Get Down Tonight” there was plenty to keep everyone entertained. And that’s just what they did. Each team put on show the final results of their 7 week dance preparation to rapturous applause from those attending. But of course there were also points on offer and champions to be crowned.
First up on the night was the naming of the Biggest Male & Female Loser. Competitors waited with bated breath for the overall winners to be announced. Crowned 2025 female winner was Orlagh McKenna while crowned male winner alongside her was Anthony Lee.
Then it was on to the Dance winners. The judges had an unenviable task in choosing their winners but choose they did and announced in 1st place was Charlies (Bar) Angels dancing to The Cure’s “Love Cats”, 2nd place went to Connolly’s Spar Cagneys with Frank Sinatra’s “Send In The Clouds” with McKillop’s Spar MacGyvers and their take on Rednex “Cotton Eyed Joe” and the Pizza Parlour Professionals version of Maroon 5’s Moves Like Jagger joint placed in 3rd.
Celebrations had barely receded when we were introduced to the overall champions of the 7 week programme. A combination of points awarded for attendance, weight loss and team activity challenges had brought us to this point.
Deserving winners and Saints & Slimmers Champions 2025 were the Bert’s Cafe Columbos who led from Week 1 to the finish. Announced in 2nd place were Connolly’s Spar Cagney’s while in 3rd place were the Eco Flame Fugitives.
Saints & Slimmers has community at heart and this was very much in evidence during Friday night’s event when a cheque was presented to local charity Womans Aid. Kelly McDonald, representative of the organisation, received the donation on their behalf.
The money was raised as a result of a day long Spin Cycle Spinathon at the Ballymena Harmony Hub in the centre of town. Thanks to the generosity of the participants, their families and the Ballymena public a grand total of over £3k was realised. A fitting way to pay tribute to the spirit of community which is at the heart of the All Saints club and bring this year’s programme to a conclusion.
Special thanks to all of our team and event sponsors:
And our tutors: Regan & Dara (Dance) Flamingo Fitness (Teresa & Andrew) Ballymena Runners (Raymond, Mairead & Stephen) Gladiators (Lyndon & Nicole) Lifestyle Gym (Michael & staff) Ali Donaghy & Lisa Kirkwood (Treasure Hunt)
We would also like to thank the local venues without whom the programme could not take place:
St. Brigid’s PS St. Patrick’s College Slemish College Lifestyle Gym
Bernie Daly, (Club All Saints) presents a cheque to Kelly McDonald from Womans Aid, proceedsof the clus recent Saints & Slimmers fund raiser. Included in the photograph are Jim Brady (All Saints Chairman), Eamon McKillop (Club All Saints) and Conor Connolly (Chairman, Club All Saints)
Flamingo Fitness
Gladiator
And finally our thanks to our charity partner this year:
Antrim hurlers are facing a relegation battle in Division 1B of the National League following Sunday’s heavy defeat to Waterford at Corrigan Park, their third defeat in four games, which leaves them sitting second bottom with just two games left to play. With two teams being relegated their position if very precarious and means they will need to win next weekend’s game against Carlow and the final game at home to Laois to survive.
Sunday’s defeat against Waterford was emphatic against a much improved Deise side, who had been shocked in their opening game against Carlow.
With a strong wind at their backs Waterford sprung from the traps and had two points on the board within the first minute and when Kevein Mahony struck their first goal in the tenth minute it was clear Antrim had a mountain to climb.
Things got worse six minutes later when the visitors were awarded a penalty when Keelan Molloy was deemed to have fouled Stephen Bennett as he bore down on goal, and the full forward, son of Antrim coach Pat Bennett, drilled the ball home, and to make matters worse for the Saffrons Molly received a black card which saw him spend the next ten minutes in the sin-bin.
Antrim could not contain the rampant Waterford side, and struggled to get out of their own half, such was the strength of the wind, and it was all of nineteen minutes before they struck a ball over the Waterford endline from play. James McNaughton did manage a point from a free, a well struck shot into the wind, but as the gap widened by the minute the visitors went on to open a 2-14 to 0-04 lead by half time, Antrim’s other scores coming from two more McNaughton frees and one from play by Seaan Elliott.
Things looked a bit more promising when Antrim started the second half with four unanswered points, one of them an excellent effort from Eoin ‘Sammy’ O’Neill. However the Deise men were starting to adjust to playing into the breeze and once they got their bearings again they started to pile on the scores again.
To their credit the Saffron showed a bit more fight with Keelan Molloy running himself to a standstill, but the gap in class was evident throughout the field as Jimmy Barron, Dessie Hutchinson, Padraig Fitzgerald and co showed their class.
A bitterly disappointing day for the Saffrons and it is vitally important that they get something out of their trip to Carlow next week.
Scorers for Antrim: J McNaughton 0-6 (6f), K Molloy 0-2, S Elliott 0-1, E O’Neill 0-1, G Walsh 0-1 (f).
Scorers for Waterford: S Bennett 1-4 (1-0 pen, 0-1f), Padraig Fitzgerald 0-4 (3f), D Hutchinson 0-4, K Mahony 1-0, J Barron 0-3, C Prunty 0-2, C Treen 0-1, M Fitzgerald 0-1, M Kiely 0-1, P Hogan 0-1, K Bennett 0-1, P Curran 0-1 (1f)
ANTRIM: R Elliott; E McFerran, R McCloskey, S Rooney; J Maskey, E Campbell, C Bohill; N Elliott, S Elliott; P Boyle, R McCambridge, K Molloy; J McLaughlin, J McNaughton, N O’Connor.
Subs: E O’Neill for S Elliott (HT), C McKeown for P Boyle (49), A McGarry for J McLaughlin (58), G Walsh for K Molloy (60), K Molloy for R McCambridge (62).
Black card: K Molloy (16-26)
WATERFORD: B Nolan; C Ryan, C Prunty, I Daly; M Kiely, M Fitzgerald, P Leavey; J Prendergast, C Sheahan; Padraig Fitzgerald, J Barron, C Treen; K Mahony, Stephen Bennett, D Hutchinson.
Subs: K Bennett for Padraig Fitzgerald (44), P Hogan for J Pendergast (44), P Curran (62) for C Treen, S Walsh for S Bennett (65), G Fives for C Prunty (67)
REFEREE: C Flynn (Westmeath)
To see more pics from this game click on the link below
