GRASSROOTS

ENNISKERRY

Lotto - Winning numbers were 14, 15, 17, and 28. Bonus 38. No Jackpot or match three winners. Eight lucky dips receive €30 each. Jackpot on May 16 stands at €5,200. Thanks to all buyers and sellers of club lotto tickets for continued support.

Hurling - Enniskerry/Kilmac 1-3, Bray Emmets 2-15 - A strong Emmets side with ex senior Paddy Lee to the fore picked up the two league points last Wednesday in Enniskerry after a well fought local derby.

Bray lead by 1-11 to 0-3 at the break with Lee punishing the locals from placed balls at every opportunity. Christy Fox got the three points for us with Paul Kavanagh grabbing the goal midway through the second half.

Enniskerry/Kilmac had plenty of possession tonight but similar to last week v Carnew, we couldn’t make it count on the scoreboard. On a night where again effort and commitment couldn’t be questioned by the squad, best were Jason Doyle, John Driver, Tristan O’Toole and Bill Dickenson.

We continue our League campaign tonight (Wednesday 18th) when we travel to Glenealy.

CFL DIV 3 - Enniskerry 0-11, Laragh 2-12 - Disappointing result for us last Thursday night in Parc Na Sillogue as two goals in either half proved to be the difference between two sides who produced a hard fought, sporting game played in glorious sunshine. We played some good open football in the first period, kicking some great points but Laragh punished us with a well taken goal before the break to go in 1-7 to 0-6 ahead at half-time.

The second period continued in the same vein with both sides trading scores and we never got closer than three points to the Glendalough side. The goal we needed never looked like coming Laragh killed the game with five minutes left when they raised a second green flag of the evening to leave the final score, 2-12 to 0-11.

Scorers on the night were Anto O’Neill (0-4), Brendan Barton (0-3), Gavin Barton (0-1), Dan Kelly (0-1), Emmett Kinsella (0-1), Colm Nolan (0-1).

Best on the night were Ian Kirwan in goals who made some vital point blank saves, Stephen Cahill and Colm Nolan who worked hard in midfield and Dan Kelly up front.

County Development Draw - The first draw takes place on May 27 with €66, 750 in total prize money on offer. Tickets are €50 each which enters you for May, June, and July draws. First prize: €10, 000 on each draw down to 20th prize of €150. For more info, contact Gary Kavanagh at 086 8567262.

Tour De Leinster - Club are holding a sponsored cycle on the weekend of July 8-10. Itinerary is as follows: Day 1 Enniskerry to Enniscorthy; Day 2 Enniscorthy to Carlow Town; Day 3 Carlow Town to Enniskerry. Anyone interested in taking part in the cycle, helping out with stewarding or sponsorship please contact Ultan 086 3727665 or Ben 086 3727446.

Next Friday, May 20, we host an Under-8 and Under-10 mini football blitz when we entertain Avondale. Matches start at 7pm and all support and help on the night would be greatly appreciated. Contact Eamon at 086 3290263.

NEWTOWN

The Seniors are playing Baltinglass at home on Friday in the league and could do with your support, the match starts at 8pm.

The Juniors, who drew with An Tochar last week, are away to Rathnew tomorrow evening in the North East league and that starts at 7.30pm.

Calling all the Irish speaking women in the community, a series is being produced for TG4 which will feature the women of the GAA, from the mothers who drive miles to matches around the country to the background teams of female physios and doctors, from the loyal supporters to the board members who help to run the clubs.

If anyone who is interested in taking part please contact below, as it is a TG4 series, participants would need to have an adequate level of Irish. rkearney@tyrone-productions.ie, 01 8894977.

After a break last week for the communion our junior magpie’s nursery continues next Saturday and every Saturday at 10am in the pitch and new faces are always welcome to join us. This is our first term of the New Year and it only costs the bargain price of €20 for the entire season and an hour’s fun and excitement are guaranteed every week.

Following on from a very successful program last year The Kellogg’s Cul camps are returning to Newtown once again this year on July 18-22. The website is now open for registration http:// www.kelloggsculcamps.gaa.ie.

The Under-8-Under-10s travelled down to Kilcoole on Monday to take part in a rearranged blitz and their next blitz is this Friday, May 20, away to Kilmac. Training for these two teams is on every Tuesday at 6.30pm and every Friday at 6.30.

Coaching for the hurling takes place every Saturday at 11.15am and we are getting quite a good turnout however new faces are welcome to join us at any stage. Due to communion we cancelled the hurling last week but it will return this Saturday at 11.15.

If you have a child who wants to play either hurling or football this year please come up to the pitch any Tuesday or Friday at 6.30pm or on Saturdays at 11.15am and let the lads know.

Googers, Peter, and their Under-12 team had a great win last Monday away to a strong Kilcoole team. After an even start, Newtown got on top in midfield and with the forwards snapping up their chances well we went in at half time 5-4 to 3-2 up.

In the second half it was the backs who defended well as Kilcoole enjoyed a lot of ball but we had done enough by winning vital possession and converting scores when it mattered most to run out 7-7 to 4-7 winners.

Team Sean Bishop, Katelyn O’Toole, Shane Synnott, Shane Dunleavy, Laragh Davis, Luke Breen, Jason Carthy, Charlie Sullivan, Daragh Heffernan, Martin Kelly, Mathew Cooley, Ryan Clarke, and Una Power.

The Under-14s are playing Barndarrig away (tonight) Wednesday in the league. The Under-16 lads who are going well in the league had a game on Monday against Baltinglass.

The Under-8-Under-10 girls are training tonight Wednesday and every Wednesday at 6.30pm on the pitch. Please note change of time from 6pm to 6.30pm, they are now also training on Saturdays at 12 in the pitch.

The Under-12 girl are playing St Nicholas in the league next Tuesday at home. They are training in the pitch on Wednesdays at 7pm and on Saturdays at 12.

The Under-16 girls were beaten by Valleymount in the league last week and are now taking a break for the exams. Best wishes to Kaitlyn Butler who suffered a bad foot injury in the match, hope to see you back in action soon Kaitlyn.

All of our teams are always looking for helpers and especially players of all ages so if would like to help out in any way with any of our juvenile teams or just need more info then contact the juvenile chairman Shay on 087 2699620. There is only one week left to get your tickets for the County Development Draw and they are available from any committee member.

The deadline for membership has passed and we are now operating a strictly no pay no play policy with no exceptions.

Deepest sympathies to the extended family and friends of the late Peter Byrne and Jack Boothman who both passed away recently. RIP Peter and Jack.

The Lotto numbers drawn last week were 7, 11, 26, and 27 resulted in no jackpot winner but eight people matched three numbers and this week’s jackpot is €6,800.

FERGAL ÓGS

Under-12s Football - Our Under-12s footballers played Kilmacanogue on Monday, May 9. A slow start led to the Bray team finding themselves trailing early on with Kilmacanogue winning many of the high balls and playing most of their football in the Fergal Ógs’ half.

Kilmac’s possession of the football led to some easy scores with Jack Allen registering a brilliant performance in goals, making an abundance of saves, preventing the home side from drifting too far ahead.

The other Allen brother, Oisin, was also in fine form at full-back, as was Kara Molloy, with both of them tirelessly defending, making countless tackles and blocks, working to win the ball back. Cian Byrne, who was being smothered in the middle of the pitch in the early stages, drifted out wide and found himself in open space on the wing time and time again.

Jack Allen started to find him with his goal kicks, and with ball in hand, Byrne started to weave his way through the Kilmac half and found his teams first scores. Michael Doran scrapped for every ball at half-forward and it wasn’t long before he got his name on the score sheet with a well taken goal. Eleanor Ripley, Saoirse O’Hanlon and Ryan Fegan scrapped for every ball up front, but Kilmac were proving to be tricky to break down with scoring opportunities being few and far between.

In the second half, Fergal Ógs began to dominate in the early stages with Ross McAteer putting Kilmac’s wing back under pressure while Jake Peare started to win ball at half-back and distributed it to the forwards. Shane Buta covered every inch of grass at corner back, while at the opposite end of the pitch, the Fergal Ógs scoring tally ticked over with a Michael Doran point being followed by two converted frees from Cian Byrne. Kilmacanogue responded with another brace of goals, and added another couple of points in the latter stages, to hinder any Fergal Ógs comeback.

By full-time, the score was Kilmacanogue 8-6, Fergal Ógs 2-4.

Men’s Hurling - Our men’s hurling team played Eire Óg in the Junior hurling league in Ballywaltrim Park on Wednesday, May 11. Coming off a one sided loss to Avondale in the week prior, the team were determined not to concede a repeat performance against the Greystones side.

From the throw in, there was much more of an edge to the Fergal Ógs performance that had been absent in their first two outings in the league.

The second half saw Fergal Ógs pick up from where they had left off, with Paddy O’Brien scoring a free for his fifth point. David Dixon got his name on the scoresheet, scoring a point at full forward. Daniel Kennedy launched another ball over the bar for his second point with Eire Óg starting to sense a shift of momentum towards the Schools Road men.

They aptly responded again, with each of their players running into space, and playing some tidy give and go hurling, stretching the home team. They soon managed to open the Fergal Ógs defence for their second goal, which gave them a 12-point lead heading into the final minutes.

Fergal Ógs responded again with Paddy O’Brien scoring a brace of points to close the gap to 10 points. The teams played out the remaining minutes with a final score of; Fergal Ógs 0-11, Eire Óg 2-15.

The performance was a huge improvement over last weeks outing against Avondale and demonstrated the potential that the team has in the year ahead.

Their next fixture will be an away trip to St. Patrick’s on Wednesday, May 18.

Men’s Football - Our men’s footballers were in action on Thursday 12th when they travelled to Kilcoole in the Division 4 league.

Both teams were evenly matched, and a tightly contested game of football was played out in the first half. Cormac Kelly was in impressive form, dominating in the middle of the park and charging through the opponents half when given an inch of space.

A Fergal Ógs goal left the home side with more work to do and many of their efforts didn’t come to fruition due to some excellent play by Ronan Twohig and Aaron Kane who broke down many Kilcoole attacks and kept the football in the opponents half, with both players setting up further scores for the forwards. Kilcoole did manage to secure another couple of points to go in at half-time with the two teams level.

In the second half, it was all to play for with Fergal Ógs looking the stronger side, out playing Kilcoole, winning many of the individual duels across the pitch. Another goal saw the side drift further ahead, but it did nothing to dampen the Kilcoole spirit, with the home side fighting for every ball. They pressed forward and continued to create chances, with a few wides being Fergal Ógs saving grace.

When given the inch, they took a mile, and launched balls down the wings, testing the pace and fitness of the Bray men. They secured three points in quick succession to shorten the gap, and followed up with a goal to bring themselves right back into the game.

With the tie now back in the balance, Fergal Ógs regained their composure and started to play the football they’d been playing in the 1st half, keeping the ball and forcing Kilcoole to do all the running. At the back, the work rate of Stephen Jenkins, Paddy Mullen and Chris Carroll was commendable, as they tracked every runner, and were a thorn in the side of the Kilcoole forwards.

Niall Clarke and David Meelican came on with the game looking like it could swing either way, and both made an immediate impact.

A long ball into the box found Niall Clarke who used his size and strength to out muscle his marker and slotted the ball past the white line. The goal saw a huge momentum swing with the wind seemingly taken out of Kilcoole sails. David Meelican scored a point from the following kick out, all but ensuring the victory. The final minutes were played out, with a final score of; Kilcoole 1-11, Fergal Ógs 3-10. Well done to all of the team on what was a terrific performance.

The team’s next match will be a home encounter against Avondale next Thursday.

Under-8s/Under-10s - Our Under-8s and Under-10s hurling teams travelled to Arklow on Friday evening to take on Arklow Rock Parnells. A great evening of hurling was had all round. From the Under-8s, Theo McKenna was in top form, while Cian Egan was the standout player from the Under-10s. Their next match will be a football match v Kilcoole on Monday.

Meetings - The club committee held its monthly meeting on Tuesday 10th.

EIRE OG GREYSTONES

Comhbhrón - It came as a shock to us all in Éire Óg to hear that club stalwart and former Cathaoirleach, John Glynn, had died. John had been very ill since October and died in Sligo Hospice at the end of last week. We extend our sincerest sympathies to his family and friends. Go raibh leaba ag a anam geanúil, meidhreach i measc na naomh.

We were also sad to hear of the death of Jack Boothman, former Uachtarán of the G.A.A., a man who was a great servant of the organisation in Wicklow and nationally. Our sympathies too are extended to the Boothman family and to the Blessington club. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam uasal.

Fundraising - The jackpot on May 19 will be €7,800. The winning numbers on the 12th were 19, 20, 24, and 28. Táimid buíoch daoibh as bhur dtacaíocht.

Football - The Seniors lost their defence-dominated Division 1 return match against Rathnew ón the score 0-10 to 0-7 whereas their Junior counterparts showed a welcome return to winning ways with a victory over Newcastle in Newcastle.

Ladies football - A phoenix rising from the ashes. Adult ladies football has been dormant within the club for a few years but now things are looking up. A meeting aimed at rebuilding a team, which was encouragingly well attended, was held recently and training has commenced on Wednesday evenings at 8p.m. Fáilte is fiche romhat ann. Further information from Tracey at 085-7830807.

Girls - The underage girls’ teams have been busy of late and as might be expected their fortunes have been mixed.

On Tuesday last the Under-12s travelled to Barndarrig to play the locals and lost 7-4 to 2-1. Because of the deviation of the pitch from the horizontal, juvenile games at this venue tend to be of the two halves variety and last Tuesday’s match conformed very much to this description.

In the first half Éire Óg defended the higher end and were leading 2-1 to 0-0 with just three minutes to go to the break and seemed well set up to cope with the topographical disadvantage which would be theirs in the second period. At that point the advantage swung the hosts’ way and with a two-goal salvo served Éire Óg’s chances a mortal blow. Jane Merren was responsible for all the Greystones scores.

Thursday our Under-14 girls travelled to Blessington to take on the locals. What a contest ensued. A ding dong end-to-end battle which served up some great football and ended up all square 5-7 to 3-13.

In the absence of the team’s regular goalkeeper the versatile Eva Sterritt took on the netkeeping duties and more than adequately fulfilled this role. The evenness of the exchanges is reflected in the half-time score which was 1-7 to 2-4.

The same group of players was in action again at 10 a.m. on Sunday morning when they played host to St Nicholas. This meant a very early start (necessitated by La na gClubanna events at their end) for the visitors who had to cross the Wicklow Gap to get to this side of the county and they must be complimented for fulfilling the fixture. For the record Eire Óg won with something to spare.

Their last fixture involved the Under-16s travelling to Arklow to play the AGB second team on what turned out to be a very pleasant sunny evening. The Éire Óg girls came away 2-5 to 1-2 winners after a closely fought contest which matched the weather in its quality. Goalie Eva McCague played a very important part in the victory with her Cluxton-like kick-outs.

Interested in becoming a Ladies football referee? A two-day training course for refs has been organised for May 21 to 28. Contact Séamus at 086 8160732.

Camogie - The final bout of the camogie blitzes which took place recently in Bray Emmets grounds involved teams from Bray, Kilcoole and Greystones. The Éire Óg connections took a particular pride in having been able to field two 10-a-side teams for the event. Charlotte Norton and Amy Webster starred for Team A while Ella Keane and Faith Brooke, who amassed 3-1 between them, were prominent for Team B. Special mention for Eva Sterritt who rushed back from the Republic of Cork to take part.

Kiltegan Under--12 camogs made the long journey from the west to play our Under-12s on Friday night in their first league game. The experienced visitors dictated affairs from the start but our girls never bowed to the inevitable and persisted in their effort right to the end. Birthday girl Siobhan Darcy scored a great goal.

Our newly formed adult camogie team played their first competitive game in Ballinacor among the Wicklow Hills on Sunday. The Ballinacor team had only two members who were not in school whereas the Éire Óg team had only one player without a child in school. Greystones lost but the team gave an excellent account of itself and its supporters, offspring and others, were very proud of all the ‘girls’ (to quote their “wishing” selves). Training continues on Thursdays.