Anne’s to put perfect record on line versus Gorey
IT’S EXCITING times in the People Newspapers Coiste na nÓg championships as two of the six competitions wrapped up their group stages last week.
The New Ross Standard Under-13 football championships were first to complete the round-robin, and the Gorey Guardian Under-15 football championships followed two days later.
Strangely, there were no ties in any of the Under-13 groups that needed seperating, with regards to those that qualified for quarter-finals in a higher or lower division.
There were ties within certain sections, but those are much easier for organisers to iron out.
Things are really simple in Division 1. St. Anne’s won the group with a perfect record, seven wins from seven games, and will face Naomh Eanna in the last four.
The Gorey boys lost their last game to the Rathangan lads so will need to find something special to make the final.
St. Martin’s beat Sarsfields in their last game to keep themselves ahead of Naomh Eanna and finish third in the table, and the reward for that win is a semi-final against Ballinastragh Gaels, a side that beat them in Piercestown back in June.
The bottom four in the table, headed by Castletown and also including Sarsfields, Glynn-Barntown and Shelmaliers, will all drop into the Division 2 quarter-finals. Duffry Rovers and Bannow-Ballymitty were already in there too before last week and two more clubs have joined them.
Starlights produced a fantastic performance to see off Kilrush, leap-frog the Gorey District side in the table and move into the Division 2 quarters.
Things were tense down in Blackwater where both sides still held out hope of moving forward, and it was Oylegate-Glenbrien, 0-8 to 1-3 winners, who took that other spot in the elite eight.
Kilrush, Ferns St. Aidan’s, Blackwater and Buffers Alley all fall into the Division 3 quar- ter-finals.
St. James’ won the round-robin stages in that division and will therefore meet Buffers Alley. HWH-Bunclody came second and face Blackwater, while Cloughbawn were already secure in the last eight and Fethard joined them with a hard-earned win against Marshalstown-Castledockrell.
The bottom four - Davidstown-Courtnacuddy, Crossabeg-Ballymurn, Marshalstown-Castledockrell and Rathgarogue-Cushinstown - previously in the graveyard of double-barrelled club names that’s also known as Division 3, all drop into the Division 4 quarters.
It gets a little more complicated here. Ballyhogue, the winners of Division 4A, will face Rathgarogue-Cushinstown.
St. Mary’s (Rosslare), second in that group, play Marshalstown-Castledockrell, while Monageer-Boolavogue, table-toppers in 4B, play either Davidstown-Courtnacuddy or Crossabeg-Ballymurn.
The other faces the winner of a play-off between St. Joseph’s and Adamstown.
Division 5 is even more complicated, and the short version is that St. Mary’s (Maudlintown), Taghmon-Camross and one of Kilmore or Horeswood will go into the quarter-finals, and the other will face Our Lady’s Island/ St. Fintan’s for a spot.
The loser of St. Joseph’s/Adamstown will take a spot, as will Clongeen, Craanford and St. Martin’s ‘B’, although the Piercestown side haven’t completed a fixture since May.
Things tend to be less complicated in the Gorey Guardian Under-15 championships.
Naomh Eanna beat Starlights in their final game to secure top spot in the Premier group and await the winners of Sarsfields and Ballinastragh Gaels in the semi-final.
Glynn-Barntown took the other automatic last four spot and will face either the Bellefield club or Fethard.
There are ties and back games holding up an official quarter-final line-up in Roinn 1. Ballyhogue finished the round-robin stage unbeaten in Group A and will face the fourth-placed team in Group B.
HWH-Bunclody are right behind them and will host the third-placed finishers in the other group.
Davidstown-Courtnacuddy, Oylegate-Glenbrien and Monageer-Boolavogue are all tied in third and will have to be seperated.
In Group B, St. Anne’s, Shelmaliers and Clúain O’Rahilly’s are through, with St. Mary’s (Maudlintown) and Horeswood fighting it out for the other spot.
In Roinn 2A, Castletown, Cloughbawn, Blackwater and Duffry Rovers have all advanced to the quarter-finals, and they will match-up against the quartet from the other side of the championship, Taghmon-Camross, Adamstown, Rathgarogue-Cushinstown and St. Mary’s (Rosslare).
Finally, and briefly, to the Wexford People Minor football championship, where two rounds are still to play after last week’s action.
Na Piarsaigh remain unbeaten in the Premier competition, as do Shelmaliers, whose game against Volunteers in Páirc Charman didn’t go ahead as the hosts were unable to field.
Gusserane, Our Lady’s Island/ St. Fintan’s, St. Joseph’s and Sarsfields all won in Roinn 1A to tighten up the table.
In Roinn 1B, Cloughbawn conceded to Ballyhogue and their run seems to be coming up short, with the Bree combination, Blackwater, Glynn-Barntown and Crossabeg-Ballymurn all in better positions to take the last eight spots.
In Roinn 2A, Monageer-Boolavogue, Buffers Alley and Réalt na Mara are all in the last eight, and Hollow Rovers were in great position to join them last night (Monday).
In 2B, Kilross Gaels were safely through before last evening with Bannow-Ballymitty, Moguegeen Gaels, Adamstown and Oylegate-Glenbrien all battling to join them.