ÉIRE ÓG GREYSTONES
Lotto - Numbers drawn on Monday, March 27, were 6, 7, 16, 18. No winner of the pota óir. Jackpot for Monday, April 3, was €5,200.
With only a few minutes remaining on the clock on Friday night in Avondale in the Arklow Bay Hotel Div.1 Football League game between the locals and Éire Óg the visitors were three points in arrears and things looked anything but rosy in their garden.
Up to that the lead had see-sawed and with injury time looming large the tension had become nigh-on unbearable.
We asked ourselves were our Dunne Cup heroes going to suffer their second defeat on the trot in the league and was it going to be said of them “how the mighty have fallen”.
Nil desperandum. Salvation was on hand. It came from a somewhat unexpected quarter. Substitute Andrew Walsh, far better known for his feats on páirc na h-iomána, used his height advantage to gain possession and then deftly dispatched the ball to the back of the net. Equality! However, Andrew was not finished with his heroics and he sent us home in celebratory mood with a late, late point.
For those into excitement this was a hugely entertaining game and it was also quite enjoyable in the quality of its football.
The home team’s familiarity with the vagaries of the pitch resulting from the recent wet weather placed them at an advantage in the early stages of the match and this played no small part in their being four points to one (Eoin McPhilbin) at the end of the first quarter.
Shortly after, Na Clocha Liatha lads received a boost of confidence with Daniel Keane slotting over two points in quick succession.
At this stage they had settled well into the game and thanks to a flurry of points from McPhilbin, Jamie McDonald and Daniel Webb they were ahead by one point at the interval.
Éire Óg drew first blood in the second half and went two points ahead. However, it was not long until Avondale had wrested back the lead with a truly excellent goal and a brace of minors.
This left them three points to the good going into the last quarter. A period of near stalemate prevailed thereafter – a point each being the only scores – until Andrew’s goal.
The initial post final-whistle sensation was that of a huge relief.
Peil na mBan - Things are beginning to stir in this area of the club’s activities.
Our under-12 cailíní’s team is a very inexperienced one with many of the girls having taken up the game only very recently.
They are in Division 3 of the county’s league and on Friday night they played host to Baltinglass’ second team in this competition. They won on the score 3-5 to 1-5.
Their manager, Martin Roche, was especially delighted with the enthusiasm and work ethic of the newer members and sees many of them, with experience, developing into fine players.
Somewhat of a damper was placed on the evening when Jane Merren, a key member of both under-12 and under-14 teams, received a foot injury which will have her sidelined for a few weeks. We wish Jane a speedy recovery. This team’s next game is in two weeks’ time.
Our under-16s play their frirst league game on Tuesday 4th.
Adults - This squad, which numbers well into the 20s in training, is a mixture of older players, experienced and inexperienced, under-16s and under-17s. Their first Junior league match is against Barndarrig at home at 11a.m. on Sunday r will facilitate interested parties.