It’s crunch time in every Coiste grade
Two months of finals on the horizon
THE GROUP stages are coming to a close in the People Newspapers Coiste na nÓg under-age championships at the moment, with two months of exciting and tense finals on the horizon.
The Wexford People Minor hurling Premier championship quarter-finals took place last week with Mogue O’Rahilly’s seeing off the challenge of Shelmaliers to book a meeting with Naomh Eanna in the last four.
Goals won the day for Faythe Harriers as they booked their semi-final spot opposite St. Martin’s with a 2-14 to 0-16 victory against Oulart-The Ballagh. Those fixtures have yet to be set.
In Roinn 1A the top four spots were set in stone after the final round of games. A win for Castle-Craan Gaels, tied in with a Ferns St. Aidan’s loss, gave the Castletown/Craanford combination the final spot in the quarters behind HWH-Bunclody, Hollow Rovers and Monageer-Boolavogue.
Meanwhile, Rathnure were left sitting in fourth like lame ducks over the last few days in Group B. Oylegate-Glenbrien, Munna-Abbain and Geraldine O’Hanrahans all had booked quarter-final spots but Rathnure sat fourth while Blackwater and Dunbrody Gaels had games to play.
Eventually Dunbrody beat Blackwater to eliminate them, and the Horeswood/St. James’ combo will hope to put Crossabeg-Ballymurn away on Wednesday evening to secure third spot in the table.
The Roinn 2 semi-finals took place last week too. Our Lady’s Island/St. Fintan’s beat Ballinastragh Gaels by a point in a cracking game, 2-15 to 3-11. They will meet Cloughbawn in the final in the coming weeks after the Castleboro boys beat Kilross Gaels by 3-11 to 2-8.
The Wexford People Minor football Premier championship group stages end this week. St. Martin’s, HWH-Bunclody and Mogue O’Rahilly’s are all in contention for the two automatic semi-final places.
Glynn-Barntown are assured of a spot in the quarters but Shelmaliers and Naomh Eanna, who play each other, and Dunbrody Gaels are in the running for the knockout stages too.
Only Sarsfields are certain to emerge from Roinn 1B at the end of this week’s fixtures with a last eight spot. There are five other clubs fighting for the last three places.
Crossabeg-Ballymurn look good, and Volunteers, Rathgarogue-Cushinstown and Oylegate-Glenbrien will have strong claims, while Our Lady’s Island/ St. Fintan’s still have hope.
There are no such complications in Roinn 1A where Shamrocks, Castle-Craan Gaels, Starlights and Ballinastragh Gaels are all certain of quarter-final spots. The only questions remaining concern which position the four will finish in.
The Roinn 2 quarter-finals take place this week too. St. Anne’s meet Davidstown-Courtnacuddy in Rathangan, Geraldine O’Hanrahans host Cloughbawn, and Kilrush travel south to face Kilross Gaels.
Faythe Harriers won the big game in the Enniscorthy Guardian Juvenile hurling Premier championship, sending St. Martin’s out on a 2-14 to 2-7 scoreline. The Páirc Charman side join Oylegate-Glenbrien, Bann Gaels and Rapparees in the final four.
In Roinn 1B, Rathnure, Blackwater, Rathgarogue-Cushinstown and Shelmaliers were all already through to the quarters before this week. Monageer-Boolavogue, Ballinastragh Gaels and Ferns St. Aidan’s have all followed them from Group A but Liam Mellows and Askamore are deadlocked.
The Roinn 2 semi-finals took place last week. Kilross Gaels won a high-scoring clash with Crossabeg-Ballymurn by 4-17 to 3-16. In the final they will meet Gusserane after they edged Cloughbawn in another thriller by 5-13 to 5-9.
There’s a big night in the Gorey Guardian Juvenile football championships next Monday with a final, several semis and quarter-finals taking place. The second under-age final of the year pits St. Joseph’s against Ferns St. Aidan’s in the Roinn 2 decider (St. Patrick’s Park, 7.15 p.m.).
St. Martin’s meet Ballinastragh Gaels in the Premier semi at Monageer on the same evening. Whoever comes out on top will play the winner of Glynn-Barntown and Starlights which is going ahead simultaneously in Bree.
Quarter-finals in Roinn 1 are also set for that evening. Gusserane host Blackwater, Camolin is the venue for Bann Gaels and St. Mary’s (Maudlintown), while Our Lady’s Island/St. Fintan’s meet Monageer-Boolavogue in Ballymore. Dunbrody Gaels await the winners of a play-off.
The first final in this season’s New Ross Standard Under-14 football championship took place last night (Monday) and pitted Marshalstown-Castledockrell against Volunteers in the Division 5B shield decider.
The Division 5A shield semi-finals between St. Joseph’s and St. Patrick’s, as well as Cloughbawn and Clongeen, were also played.
Sarsfields played Glynn-Barntown, while Ballinastragh Gaels met Shelmaliers in the Division 1 quarter-finals. The final round of group games also took place in Divisions 2 and 3.
Meanwhile, the New Ross Standard Under-14 hurling championship group stages have ended. Faythe Harriers and Rathnure are safely through in Division 1 where St. Martin’s, Naomh Eanna and Coillte O’Rahilly’s could not be separated after seven games.
In Division 2, HWH-Bunclody, Glynn-Barntown, Buffers Alley and Blackwater are the last four teams standing with the semi-final line-up to be decided in due course. Crossabeg-Ballymurn will face Fethard and Askamore will meet St. Anne’s in the Division 3 semi-finals.
Oylegate-Glenbrien will face Our Lady’s Island/St. Fintan’s in the Division 4 final. Cloughbawn topped the Division 5 table and will take on Clongeen in the final four, and the other semi-final pits Davidstown-Courtnacuddy against St. Patrick’s.
TUES. AUG. 23 Wexford People Minor football Premier championship (both 7 p.m., first-named at home): Munn-Abbain Gaels v. Mogue O’Rahilly’s (John Diskin); St. Martin’s v. HWH-Bunclody (Francis Neville). Wexford People Minor football Roinn 1A championship (all 7 p.m., first-named at home): Castle-Craan Gaels v. Shamrocks (James Owens); Hollow Rovers v. Macamore Gaels (Pat Kehoe); Starlights v. Monageer-Boolavogue (Brendan Martin). Wexford People Minor football Roinn 1B championship (both 7 p.m., first-named at home): Volunteers v. Ballyhogue (Philip Murphy); Our Lady’s Island/St. Fintan’s v. Sarsfields (Aidan Foley). Wexford People Minor football Roinn 2 championship quarter-finals (all 7 p.m., first-named at home): St. Anne’s v. Davidstown-Courtnacuddy (Bob Treacy); Cloughbawn v. Geraldine O’Hanrahans (Anthony Tobin); Kilrush v. Kilross Gaels (Paul Browne).
WEDS. AUG. 24 Under-12 football New Ross/Wexford ‘A’ shield semi-finals (both 7 p.m., firstnamed at home): Gusserane v. Kilmore (George Dee); Our Lady’s Island/St. Fintan’s v. Adamstown (Jack Stafford). Under-12 football New Ross/Wexford ‘B’ shield semi-finals (both 7 p.m., firstnamed at home): St. James’ v. St. Mary’s, Rosslare (Michael Gannon); Crossabeg-Ballymurn v. Rathgarogue-Cushinstown (Lar Doyle). Under-12 football Enniscorthy/Gorey ‘A’ shield semi-finals (both 7 p.m., firstnamed at home): Oylegate-Glenbrien v. Réalt na Mara (John Carton); Kilrush v. Cloughbawn (Martin Armstrong). Under-12 football Enniscorthy/Gorey ‘B’ shield semi-finals (both 7 p.m., first-named at home): Davidstown-Courtnacuddy v. Castletown (David O’Leary); Ferns St. Aidan’s v. Monageer-Boolavogue (Paul Foley). Under-12 football Wexford combined ‘B’ shield semi-finals (both 7 p.m., first-named at home): Horeswood v. Starlights (Fintan Whyte); HWH-Bunclody v. Blackwater (Catherine Boggan).
SAT. AUG. 27 Annual Michael Foley Under-15 hurling tournament, group games in Ferns Centre Of Excellence starting at 11 a.m.; knockout stages: Farmleigh, 1.45 p.m.; semi-finals: Ferns St. Aidan’s, 2.30 p.m.; plate final: Farmleigh, 4 p.m.; shield final: Ferns St. Aidan’s, 4.15 p.m.; cup final: Bellefield, 4.15 p.m.
MON. AUG. 29 AT MONAGEER: Gorey Guardian Juvenile football Premier championship semi-final, Ballinastragh Gaels v. St. Martin’s, 6.45 p.m. (John Carton). AT BREE: Gorey Guardian Juvenile football Premier championship semi-final, Glynn-Barntown v. Starlights, 6.45 p.m. (John Tobin). Gorey Guardian Juvenile football Premier shield semi-finals (both 6.45 p.m., firstnamed at home): Rathgarogue-Cushinstown v. Oylegate-Glenbrien; Castletown v. Naomh Eanna. Gorey Guardian Juvenile football Roinn 1 championship quarter-finals (all 6.45 p.m., first-named at home): Gusserane v. Blackwater; Bann Gaels v. St. Mary’s, Maudlintown (in Camolin); HWH-Bunclody v. Volunteers; Sarsfields v. TBC. Gorey Guardian Juvenile football Roinn 1 shield quarter-finals (all 6.45 p.m., firstnamed at home): St. Anne’s v. Hollow Rovers; Our Lady’s Island/St. Fintan’s v. Monageer-Boolavogue (in Ballymore); Dunbrody Gaels v. TBC. AT ST. PATRICK’S PARK: Gorey Guardian Juvenile football Roinn 2 championship final, Ferns St. Aidan’s v. St. Joseph’s, 6.45 p.m. (Pat Kehoe). Gorey Guardian Juvenile football Roinn 2 shield semi-finals (both 6.45 p.m., first-named at home): Moguegeen Gaels v. Davidstown-Courtnacuddy (in Clongeen, Eric Molloy); Cloughbawn v. Ballyhogue (Martin Armstrong).