Starlights and Naomh Eanna reach U-16 last four
THE GROUP stages of the Gorey Guardian Juvenile football championship came to a conclusion last week with all grades settled without the need for play-offs.
In the Premier championship, Starlights and Naomh Eanna are the automatic qualifiers for the semi-finals.
They must both wait to learn their last four opponents. Volunteers finished third in the table and will face one of St. Martin’s, Castletown and Shelmaliers in the quarters. The teams not drawn against the Páirc Charman club will meet on the other side of the draw.
HWH-Bunclody ended their Roinn 1A group stage with victory and, having finished at the summit, will face St. Anne’s in the quarter-finals. Horeswood topped Roinn 1B and they will meet Slaney Gaels in the last eight.
St. Joseph’s went through the group stages unbeaten, with four wins and three draws, and their reward is a quarter-final meeting with Ferns St. Aidan’s. Finally, St. Mary’s (Maudlintown) finished the group stages in fine form and will hope to continue that when they face Rathgarogue-Cushinstown.
St. Patrick’s, Davidstown-Courtnacuddy and Craanford all finished tied at the top of Roinn 2A and they will be joined in the quarters by Buffers Alley. It was a similar story in Roinn 2B where Ballyhogue, Crossabeg-Ballymurn and St. James’ were level on ten points, while Kilross Gaels also advanced to the last eight.
The final round was also played in the New Ross Standard Under-14 hurling championship. Buffers Alley topped the group and will meet either Faythe Harriers or Glynn-Barntown in the last four. Naomh Eanna and HWH-Bunclody will contest the other semi-final.
Fethard, St. Martin’s, Blackwater and Oulart-The Ballagh finished in the top four in Division 2 and they will pair off against the bottom four in Division 1 to form quarter-finals. Askamore, Our Lady’s Island/St. Fintan’s, St. Anne’s and Craanford all drop into the Division 3 quarters.
There they will come up against Oylegate-Glenbrien and Davidstown-Courtnacuddy, while two of Monageer-Boolavogue, Ferns St. Aidan’s and Horeswood will join them. The unlucky one in that trio, as well as Ballinastragh Gaels, Rathgarogue-Cushinstown and Crossabeg-Ballymurn, fall into Division 4.
Adamstown and Duffry Rovers, the table-toppers in Division 4B, plus the winner of a play-off between the runners-up in B and third place in A will all join them in the last eight. The rest will go into the Division 5 championship.
Meanwhile, with one round of the Wexford People Minor football championship left to go, HWH-Bunclody and Glynn-Barntown are in the automatic semi-final spots. The race for quarter-final places is interesting too with St. Martin’s secure but Starlights, Dunbrody Gaels, Naomh Eanna and Sarsfields are all battling for three spots.
In Roinn 1A, Castle-Craan Gaels and Blackwater are already assured of places in the last eight while Ballinastragh Gaels, Hollow Rovers, Cloughbawn and Kilrush are fighting for the last two spots.
Only Shelmaliers are certain to qualify from Roinn 1B but Volunteers are almost there, while Gusserane, Oylegate-Glenbrien and Our Lady’s Island/St. Fintan’s are also in the mix.
A little further along, in the Roinn 2 quarter-finals, Davidstown-Courtnacuddy will meet Aughermon Gaels and St. Joseph’s face Moguegeen Gaels, with the winners of those two ties meeting in the last four. On the other side of the draw, Fr. Murphy’s await the winner of Ferns St. Aidan’s and Kilross Gaels in the semi-final.