GRASSROOTS

no Match 3 winners. This week’s jackpot was €9,800. Tickets €2 at www.eireoggreystones.com.

GOLF CLASSIC: Very little time remains to get your entry in for the annual Éire Óg Golf Classic. It takes place this Friday 28th in Greystones Golf Club. However it is not too late to book a slot for your Team of 4 (220 euro) or to sponsor one of the prizes. All enquiries to Anto Byrne 087-81888017.

Besides allowing access to the golfing facilities of the Greystones club the fee of 55 euro per person entitles one to an invigorating burger on the 9th, a three course meal in the evening and the opportunity to win some great prizes.

FIXTURES: A glance at the GAA fixtures for Wicklow reveals that Éire Óg teams are involved in 3 important games in the coming days viz. Tuesday 26th the Chesterless senior hurlers play Carnew in Páirc na bPiarsach in Arklow in round 4 of the championship; Wednesday 27th the minor footballers are away to Baltinglass in Round 2 of the A championship. The game is timed for 7.30. Then on Monday August 1st the senior footballers travel to Aughrim to take on the locals in Round 2 of the Renault Championship at 1.45 p.m.

The senior hurlers have sorely missed the steadying influence of Chester but this alone cannot account for the team’s rather anaemic performances to date. However the players have been putting in a great effort of late in training so one is hopeful of their producing a much improved performance on Tuesday.

Baltinglass, among the aristocrats of Gaelic football in Cill Mantáin, presents a formidable challenge at any time but this is greatly augmented for the minors with their having to play them on their home patch.

Nevertheless, buoyed as they are by their recent victory over Pearse Gaels (drawn from Newtown, Kilcoole and An Tochar) 4-13 (25) to 1-18 (21), they should be well up to the challenge.

The senior’s bank holiday Monday game is of huge importance, it is a must-win game if the team’s championship odyssey is to continue. The team’s chastening defeat at the hands of St Pats in the 1st round will hopefully have stiffened the lads’ resolve and, like Waterford did on Sunday, they will bounce back and give a match-winning performance in Aughrim.

The squad has been working hard to bring honour to the name of Greystones and is fully deserving of your support. Mar sin bí in Aughrim Dé Luain gan teip.

Cailini: Éire Óg U-16 girls returned to league action on Saturday after a two-month lay-off with an away fixture against St. Pat’s.

The lack of availability of a number of the panel necessitated the drafting in of Ciara McDonald, Kira Finn, Iseult Brosnan and Sophie Fitzgerald from the U-14s into the starting fifteen.

In an exciting and high-scoring first-half both sides gave as good as they got. Despite goals from Éire Ógs Ashling Lawrence, Megan Healy and a brace from Rachel Purcell, it was the home side that led at the break by the slenderest of margins, 4-5 to Éire Óg’s tally of 4-4.

On resumption of play St. Pat’s began to dominate, and managed to add five unanswered points to their impressive first-half tally leaving them six points ahead going into the final quarter. A few astute positional changes at this juncture, notably that of moving Megan Healy (1-0) from the forwards into the backs where she played a major role in thwarting the heretofore free-running St. Pat’s attack. Goalie Ciara McDonald’s brought off a string of brilliant saves which in the end were crucial to Greystones’ win.

With two goals each coming from Eva Roche, now operating at centre-forward with devastating effect, and Rachel Purcell, dominating at full-forward, Éire Óg finished the game six points clear of a gallant St. Pat’s team on a scoreline of St.Pats 4-12 to Éire Ógs 8-6. This terrifically exciting game certainly was testimony to the old adage of “Goals win games”.

Éire Ógs scores: Rachel Purcell 4-2, Eva Roche 2-1, Ashling Lawrence 1-0, Megan Healy 1-0, Eva Moore 0-2, Aoife McTague 0-1. got on the scoreboard first with two early points, we fought back and went into the lead with some good points, two goals within the space of a couple minutes coming up to the break from Danny Staunton and Aaron Nugent gave us a 9 point lead 2-7 to 0-4.

As it transpired this lead was badly need as Avondale threw everything at us in the second half, and out scored us 8 points to 5 to leave Glenealy winners with a scoreline of 2-12 to 12 points. Our final group game is against County Champions Bray in a couple of weeks, which will be another stern test of our character.

The Intermediate hurlers played Kiltegan last Sunday morning in their Championship game and came out on the wrong side of a 1-15 to 1-11 scoreline. They got off to a bad start, and found themselves five points down after the first quarter, but fought back well, and went in at the break leading 1-8 to 1-6 but some wayward second half shooting and poor defending allowed Kiltegan back into the game and they ran out winners.

Their was no Jackpot winner in last weeks Club Lotto. The numbers drawn were 1, 7, 21 and 22. This week’s Jackpot stands at €5,300. District last Wednesday, our junior footballers lost out to Avoca in the championship by 2 points and on Saturday we had one almighty tussle with Glenealy in the senior hurling championship. Two softish goals were the difference but we are improving with every game so we will be more ready for anyone come the quarter finals. Our junior footballers welcome Enniskerry tomorrow night for a do or die game in the championship while on Sunday evening we take on Kiltegan in the senior football championship. Best of luck to both teams and as always a big support is welcomed.

Team: John Farrell, Paddy O Keeffe, Ronan Byrne, Keith Corrigan, Paddy Byrne, Gary Bradley, Declan Whelan, Padraig Lancaster, Tristan Maher, Dereck Kavanagh, Stephen Hinchy, Damien Byrne, Lorcan Tyrrell, Kevin Tyrrell (1-03) and Jonny Wybrant (0.02). Damo Byrne (0.2) Eddie Bracken (1.0), Stephen Hinchy, Dereck Kavanagh and Lorcan Tyrell Tyrrell one point each. Next Championship game is on Thursday evening against Dun Lavin in Knockananna at half 7.

Well done to our under 10s who defeated both AGB under 10s team in Baltinglass last Saturday morning, they played outstanding football from beginning to end. For a team so young their kick passing is incredible as is their score taking they have remained unbeaten all year with two more games left . Well done to all involved.