Heading to the final with plenty of optimism

NORTH CORK JUNIOR B HURLING CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

The North Cork Junior B1 Hurling Championship final between Castletownroche and Doneraile, which was postponed at short notice a couple of weeks back, has been rescheduled for this weekend. At present the game is fixed for Monday, October 30th, with a 2pm throw-in at Ballyclough. We would advise staying in touch with club officers and check online as the game may yet get moved to a different date or venue, due to the inclement weather conditions.

We wish the players and mentors all the very best in this, the last competitive action of a long 2023 season. Preparations have been good and the form over the last couple of games provides plenty of reason for optimism heading into the final. As always, it would be great to see as many people turn out to support the team as possible and provide them with encouragement. Best of luck lads!

NORTH CORK U21C FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI-FINAL Ballycastle Gaels 1-11 St Kevins 1-13

Ballycastle Gaels played the semi-final of the North Cork U21C Football Championship on Sunday morning last, October 22nd, when they faced off against St Kevins in Doneraile. Conditions were dry and bright, with no wind to speak of. Considering the inclement weather recently, the pitch was in great condition. The match itself was an exciting affair, with some good football played in what was a sporting encounter between two evenly matched sides.

The first half was end to end, with St Kevins opening the scoring and seemingly having the better of the first quarter, as they led by 6 points to 4. However, this does not tell the full story, as Ballycastle had goal opportunities which went abegging, with the St Kevin’s goalie making one great save. Ballycastle finally converted one of the goal opportunities on 20 minutes, when Dylan scrambled an effort over the line, after some good build up play.

When Dan Roche added a point shortly afterwards, it looked as if Ballycastle would have a lead going in at the break. However, the pivotal period of the game was during time added on in the first half, when St Kevins scored a point and converted a somewhat dubious penalty to the net to lead 1-07 to 1-05 at the break.

The second half saw Ballycastle storm out of the blocks, with Brian Lombard converting a fine score from play straight from the throwin. The teams went score for score throughout the half, though again, this only tells some of the story as Ballycastle had more goalbound efforts saved by the St Kevin’s goalie and late in the game the width of a post denied Eoin Twomey a sensational goal which would have won the game.

Try as they might, Ballycastle just couldn’t close the gap to within a point and at the final whistle, lost out on a scoreline of St Kevins 1-13 Ballycastle Gaels 1-11. As mentioned earlier, this was a good game and Ballycastle lost nothing in defeat, playing with great team spirit and on another day, they could have easily run out comfortable winners.

Thanks to Doneraile for the provision of their facilities, to the referee Peter James Coughlan and his team of officials for their handling of the game and of course to St Kevins for a fine sporting contest. We wish them all the very best in the decider in a couple of weeks’ time against either Kildorrery or Liscarroll Churchtown Gaels.

This game marked the final outing in Ballycastle Gaels colours for Aidan, Jeff, Patrick, Dylan, Gearoid, Colm, Noah, Sean and Darragh. They have all given great service in the Ballycastle Gaels’ jersey and had successful underage careers, including winning a County Hurling U16 Championship in 2018. We wish them well as they continue to represent Ballyhooly and Castletownroche at adult level.

Panel: Ronan Woods, Sean Dineen, Sean Sugrue, Colm Crowley, Aidan O’Leary (c), Eoin Twomey (0-02), Eoin Sykes, Patrick Sheehan (0-01) Brian Lombard (0-03), Dan Roche (0-01), Fionn Hess (0-02), Dylan Collins (1-00), Dan Cooney, Brian O’Driscoll (0-01), Darragh Whelan (0-01).

NORTH CORK JUNIOR A HURLING CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

Harbour Rovers and Kilshannig supporters turned out in large numbers on Saturday, October 14th last, when they faced off against one another in the North Cork Junior A Hurling final. The pitch was in great order for the game, particularly when you consider the time of year.

Huge credit for this must go to Tom, Willie and all other volunteers who look after our grounds so well. It takes a huge team of volunteers to make sure the day runs off without a hitch and the club wish to thank all those who helped on the day - stewards, ticket sellers, programme sellers, scoreboard operator, pitchside announcer and those who provided refreshments for the referee and board delegates. Thanks to James for singing the national anthem before the ball was thrown-in.

On the pitch, the two teams played out a tight match, with the Glanworth outfit emerging victorious on a scoreline of 1-16 to 0-16.

Congratulations to all involved with Harbour Rovers and commiserations to Kilshannig, who defended the title they won 12 months ago with all of their might.

LOCAL TEAMS IN CHAMPIONSHIP ACTION

The club wishes to extend our congratulations to the Killavullen footballers, who had a great win in the North Cork Junior A Football Championship final against Charleville on Sunday last. Congratulations to the ladies of Mourneabbey, who defended their Cork County Ladies Senior Football crown recently, edging out Éire Óg in the decider. Finally, hard luck to Kilworth who came up just short against Castlelyons in the Premier Intermediate County Hurling Championship in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

COUNTY PREMIER JUNIOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

We would like to wish our club referee, Justin Murphy and his team of officials all the very best on Saturday next, October 28th, when he takes charge of the County Premier Junior Championship Football final in Páirc Uí Chaoimh between St Finbarrs and Kilmurry. Throw-in is 3pm. This is a great honour for any referee and the club is very proud to see Justin get this prestigious honour. Best of luck to all involved.

CLUB LOTTO

The latest lotto draw took place on Monday night, October 23rd, in The Castle Arms. The numbers drawn were 12, 19, 20 and 22. There was no winner of the €7,900 jackpot and the five €20 Lucky dip winners were Hannah Roche, Paddy Hartnett, Doireann Mulcahy, Richard Relihan and Mary Cotter. Congratulations to all the prize winners.

The next club lotto draw takes place on Monday night, November 6th, in The Rockforest Bar, with the jackpot now standing at €8,000. Tickets are available through local retail outlets in the village, from your usual sellers or through any club officer. The club would like to express our appreciation to everybody who continues to support our draw.

CONDOLENCES

The club would like to express our sympathies to the family of the late Helen Lenihan RIP, who passed away recently. The late Helen was a well-known figure in the community and the Lenihan family has a long association with Castletownroche GAA, with her grandson David a member of the current panel.

We express our deepest condolences to her sons Billy and Mick, her grandchildren, extended family and her large circle of friends. May Helen rest in peace.