GRASSROOTS
ST PATRICK’S
Hard luck to Barry, BA and all involved with our Junior footballers who travelled to Pearse Park, Arklow to take on Baltinglass in their final group 1 game on Saturday in the Junior A Football Championship. Full time score: Baltinglass 0-15 St Patrick’s 1-05
Our U10s ladies supported with a few U8s attended a Blitz in Kilanerin, Wexford on Saturday. A big thanks to Kilanerin GAA for the fab hospitality with all the delicious fruit.
Congratulations to our County U21 Hurlers who had a super win over Roscommon on Saturday in Arklow. It finished 4-17 to 0-16. Well done to our own hurlers Terry Healy, Christopher Moorehouse, George O’Brien and club footballer Matt Traynor. They now play Kildare who received a walk/over Armagh next Saturday.
Another good evening for hurling at St. Pats NS, where our hurlers of the week were Kayden Connolly Walker and Will O’Callaghan - well done boys!
Well done to all the organisers who facilitated the National/Leinster U14 Boys Football Tournament on Saturday 12th August in Dunbur. We hosted group games in the U14 lads football blitz with teams from Westmeath and Kildare. The finals took place in Ballinakill in the afternoon.
A big Thank you to GDA Garret Doyle who facilitated a great training session with our U15 and U17 footballers on Friday evening. An enjoyable and informative evening was had by coaches and players.
All in St Patricks wish club player Davy Byrne and Gráinne O’Rourke who were married last Thursday, a lifetime of love and happiness.
The club is delighted to announce that we have purchased a green field site of 30 acres on the Greenhill road.
This development will secure the long term future of St. Patrick’s G.A.A. Club and its future members for generations to come.
The Club looks forward to sharing our plans with all our members and our supporters on the revised date of Friday the 15th of September at 8.30pm in the clubhouse.
We are always welcoming new players to St Patrick’s GAA club. We begin at three years of age come along Saturday mornings at 11am and try it out.
Any Individuals interested in been involved with our club teams for 2017 should contact the Club Secretary at: Secretary.stpatricks. wicklow@gaa.ie.
Have you got any used football boots/hurling helmets you are not using? The club would love them. They can be dropped into the gear shop every Saturday morning to help with the club gear exchange program.
Don’t forget tuck shop and club gear shop open every Saturday morning 11-12:30.
A big thank you to volunteers Siobhan Hollingsworth, Emma Hughes Czwalina in the Tuck Shop and Marie O’Brien, Olivia Connolly Carey and Mick Murphy who have volunteered to assist with the Club Gear Shop at the club Nursery every Saturday in Dunbur.
St. Patrick’s Summer Camp Tue/Wed/Thurs 15-17th August from 10am to 2pm each day in Dunbur. Contact Paul O’Brien for details: Email: Catherine_paul@eircom.net Mobile: 087 2681987.
Camogie - Training continues for U8 and U10 girls on Thursdays at 6-45pm in St. Patricks National School pitch. New players always welcome contact Margaret 087 7827881.
We had no winners for our match five or match four jackpots. We had no match three winners.
Don’t forget to buy your ticket this week. If you are not in you cannot win!
Numbers drawn were 5, 9, 25 and 30. The bonus number was 19.
Thanks to the weekly club lotto sellers who give up their time to help raise funds for the club. It’s greatly appreciated. The next draw is on Monday, August 7, in the clubhouse. Make sure you buy a ticket each week and you could be the winner of our match four prize €2,300 or match five €10,000 jackpot!
As part of club development and potential additional playing facilities, we are requesting that each age group team support the lotto selling rota by providing a team of four on their designated Saturday.
Are any of you available to sell in the pubs on Saturday nights from 9pm? Contact your team manager for details.
Please send any information for club notes to Pro.stpatricks.wicklow@gaa.ie before 9pm on Sunday evenings. You can contact St Pats at Facebook St Patrick’s GAA Club Wicklow Town or Twitter @StPatsGAAWick.
COOLBOY
Congratulations to the lads, Keith, Squeeky and Gavin on another win in the league on Sunday morning last in the Community Field.
The lads accumulated an impressive 4-15 to overcome Newcastle who scored 1-8. Next up is our last game of the group stages of the championship against our age old rivals Shillelagh in Arklow this Saturday evening 19th August at 6.30pm.
With a quarter-final place up for grabs, we need the “Coolboy Contingent” to come out in force as our 16th man to help the lads secure the win!
ÉIRE ÓG GREYSTONES
Dacia motors’ senior hurling championship played in Páirc na bPiarsach in Arklow - Éire Óg, Na Clocha Liatha 2-17, Kiltegan 0-12.
Glancing at this score, an apparent runaway victory for Greystones, your excitement-obsessed junkies would no doubt conclude that the game held little interest for the spectator and had an air of weary inevitability about it from early on.
Indeed it did become clear from Anto Byrne’s goal just before the break that Éire Óg were unlikely to be beaten but this did not make the remaining thirty minutes of the match irrelevant nor did it divest it of entertainment value.
Kiltegan is a small but proud club with a great hurling tradition and so was never in danger of throwing in the towel and it was not surprising that the team battled fiercely to the end and never allowed the Greystones lads to relax. In fact, overall, it proved to be a very entertaining contest between two sporting and committed teams.
There were excellent camán skills on show: ball-control under stress was good, some excellent striking and well-taken scores from difficult angles and from long outfield distances and plenty of well-timed blocking.
An té nach bhfuil láidir ní foláir dó bheith glic (a lack of physicality has to be compensated for by cleverness and skill). A seanfhocal which aptly applies to the performance of James “Pooch” Cranley in this match.
James may be somewhat slight but he made up for this in his clever anticipatory runs, in the dexterity of his wrist action and in the accuracy of his shooting. He scored 7 points in all. Anto Byrne was responsible for 1-4 of the Éire Óg tally. Up to his well-taken goal a few minutes before the short-whistle, Greystones, while in the ascendant, were failing to fully stamp their authority on the game and were an unconvincing 0-9 to 0-4 ahead.
Kristin “Buster” Flynn and Shane “Chunky” Nolan worked tirelessly in the middle third and played an important part in the win.
Daniel “Doc” O’Connor was very solid in the corner and Danny Nolan and Hugh O’Neill were prominent among the forwards.
That eight players got their names on the score-sheet must have been a great source of satisfaction for the team’s management: James Cranley (0-7), Anto Byrne (1-4), Danny Nolan (0-2), Mick Walks (0-1), Gavin Parslow, Peter Keane, Hugh O’Neill and Leon Browne all scored a point each.
As a result of this win, Éire Óg has accumulated five points in the league stages and is in a good position to qualify for the knock-out games of the championship.
Our juniors recently added an important scalp to their Boom Platform trophy cabinet with their defeat of St Pats in the Junior A championship in Rathnew. The margin of victory was 2 points: 0-7 to -05.
Another dour defence-dominated contest? Thankfully not. On the contrary it was a game full of movement and open play in which the players had plenty of freedom to express themselves. Pats played with the strong breeze in the first half but through pour shooting failed to use it to full advantage. Their tally of 10 wides in this period was a topic of dissatisfaction amongst their followers after the game.
Outfield the game was evenly contested so even with the wind, the Éire Óg build-up of scores was painfully slow and their lead when it came well into the second half never felt secure and that it did not disappear had much to do with the opposition’s inaccuracy.
Many of the players who had played for this team in the league had been promoted to the senior panel so it was encouraging to see that Eddie Davis and his management team were able to put together a group of this quality. Willie O’Hagan (0-3) showed great leadership, and dual players James Cranley and Anto Byrne made important contributions. Scorers: Fintan O’Shea, David Behan, Conal Deeney, James Cranley (a point each). Maith sibh, lads.
SHILLELAGH
The combination drawn n the club lotto draw on Tuesday, August 8, was 7, 13, 22, and 23, there was no jackpot winner the following matched three numbers and shared €100: Sue Dagg c/o James Driver, Lil Behan c/o Bendan Behan, John O Kane Ardeen. Francis Simpson won the promoters prize. The next draw with the jackpot at €3,800 will take place on Monday, August 21, in Kenny’s Central House, your continued support is vital and much appreciated.
The Junior A football team engage neighbours Coolboy in a vital championship encounter on Saturday next, August 19.
Arklow is the venue and throw in time is 6.30pm. We will of course wear the underdog tag going into this one but the management team of Noel Murphy, Declan Nolan and Darren Kavanagh are confident of a positive display, come along and give the lads your support. JUVENILE NEWS
The Fairgreen will be a hive of activity all this week with the commencement for the first time of our very own Kellogg’s Cúl Camp on Monday last, August 14, running right up to and including Friday next, August 18.
All welcome to drop in and view our talented crop of Juvenile display their skills and enthusiasm, Best of luck to the juveniles and coaches.
TINAHELY
Lotto results from August 8, numbers drawn were: 14, 16, 24, and 27. Bonus number was 3. There was no jackpot winner and no match three winners. Lucky dip winners: Margaret O’Brien, Paul Tyrrell, Eamon Darcy, and Kevin Darcy. Next week’s lotto €3,700.
Junior Football - The lads played their final game on the group last Thursday evening away to Valleymount. This game was never in doubt as Tinahely won comfortably on a score line of 5-14 to 1-4 to setup a semi final in the coming few weeks.
Senior Football - The lads were out on Saturday evening in Round 3 of the Senior championship where they played Blessington in Joule park Aughrim.
At half-time we were still in the game with blessington just two points up 0-5 to 0-3 but unfortunately things got bad in the second half and we just couldn’t get going! Final score on a disappointing night was Blessington 1-15 Tinahely 0-5. Our final group game is Sunday, August 27, at 6pm in Baltinglass where we play Kiltegan.
Well done to all who organised a fundraiser last Saturday week in Black Toms.
It was our King of Fifa competition and I can tell you now sir Conor Doran was dethroned. Your new champion for 2017 is non other than sir Niall Gorman. Thanks to all who took part and also thanks to everyone that helped out in the show field on the bank holiday Monday with car parking.
Senior ladies - Congratulations to the Senior ladies squad who beat Baltinglass last Friday night to qualify for the county semi-finals. Well done to all involved.
AGB
AGB’s Senior men took their first defeat of the season on Saturday against a strong Kiktegan side in the Senior championship.
A one-point lead at half time saw AGB the leaders after a very physical first half where both teams really pushed to be in the lead.
The second half brought a tough finish for AGB when Kiltegan quickly clocked up two goals brining them to a lead.
AGB had two missed chances on penalties in the last minutes which would have been a game changer, but it wasnt to be. Final score finished 2-11 to 0-11.
AGB’s Senior men’s next league match is against Ballinacor this Saturday, August 19, at 5pm in Pearse’s Park. AGB’s Senior men’s next championship game is against Bray on, August 29.
AGB’s under-8s and 10s continued their busy summer with a trip to Kilanerin for their annual invitational blitz tournament.
The under-8s fielded two teams and everyone got lots of football and plenty of chances to practice the skills they have been working on recently in training.
The girls showed great enthusiasm throughout the busy day playing four games against teams from Kilanerin, Clonee and Castletown.
The emphasis was very much on participation and fun but the referees reminded the girls of the rules as they went along and this approach is proving very helpful in developing good playing skills as well as focusing attention on the basic rules of the game.
AGB’s under-8 Yellow team played really well together using their side stepping skills to move forward with purpose and kicking well into space for their team mates to run and collect the ball. Ruby Whelan scored her first goal and celebrated in style and quickly followed that with another cracker.
Alex Murphy caught some excellent high ball in the back line for AGB and Naoise Ní Chonchuir worked tirelessly in all positions throughout the day carrying ball into the Arklow attack and taking some fine scores also.
There was some great blocking from Ellie McCann who was fearless in defence and invariably came out with the ball from every tackle. Eimear Flynn, Saoirse Healy and Olivia Del Rio showed great ability to read the game getting on to the ball with speed and determination while Sophie Hughes was in top form in all positions, getting stronger as the day went on and showing some wonderful skills.
Sophie McCann, the youngest member of the squad, showed she has all the skills necessary to play the game and encouraged by her team mates took up her place in the forward line against a talented Castletown team.
The AGB under-8 Orange team also put in a great shift. Sophie and Amy Hurley worked hard at this their first ever blitz competition and we can look forward to seeing a lot more from these two as they develop their skills.
Éireann O’Reilly continues to improve with every game as she carries ball forward for her team and takes some super scores. Cara Conway was always strong on the ball using her steps while protecting possession and with her head up looking for her team mates.
Ciara Gavaghan never ran out of steam right up to the final whistle at the end of four games of eight minute halves, sixty four minutes of football, in which the AGB girls were constantly involved having chosen to opt for two teams and leaving themselves with no substitutes.
Cathy Mullervy continues to improve her skills and is increasingly involved in the action and Zoe Byrne at mid-field was immense scoring some lovely points for her side.
Hosts Kilanerin provided wonderful hospitality with refreshments at the pitch-side and fruit and goody bags for all the players.
The day was capped off with a wonderful medal presentation which delighted the young participants.
As always AGB had terrific parental support and positive encouragement from the sideline.
Well done to youth coaches Katie and Abbie who managed the orange team with help from their senior panel team-mate Annie Conroy.
The under-10s turned up in great numbers again. 17 of the girls on one team made it a little tricky for the coaches but all girls got same match time over four matches. Girls were very competitive against Clonee, Tinahealy, Castletown and Kilanerin.
It was especially pleasing to see the girls supporting each other in defensive tactics, making life difficult for the opposition. Going forward, some lovely passing moves resulted in lovely scores and the girls left some scores out there too. This panel of girls are a joy to work with and have grown into a great team this summer!
Huge well done to all the girls on the day including parents who as always are happy to make the journeys!
All-Ireland draw tickets are now on sale from all club members. The draw will be held on August 29 in Ballymoney Clubhouse at 8pm.
Super Valu Arklow, are running a promotion from June 22 called “Behind the Ball”. The promotion will give AGB the opportunity to win some much needed footballs for our Juvenile section.
The idea is that the customer shops in store and spends over €20, the customer uses their Real Rewards card, the till prints a receipt then the customer chooses their club to support and drops receipt into our Collection Unit.
This will run for nine weeks, so whichever club reaches 2000 receipts first will win a set of footballs for their club.
So please spread the word and let’s win these for AGB.
AGB’s clubhouse is now open for Sunday Dinner, every Sunday this July from 1pm to 6pm. Call in and sample our delicious menu, with great choices and prices. The bar is also open on Friday and Saturday evenings from 8pm during the summer months.
The next meeting of the AGB Executive Committee will take place on the 06/09/2017 in the AGB offices in Pearses’ Park at 8pm.
AGB Club gear is available at great prices. Contact Kerry on 087 3287881 to order.
Please send club notes to arklowgaa@gmail. com You can contact the AGB PRO at above email, Facebook (‘Arklow Geraldines Ballymoney GAA Club’ or ‘AGB Ladies’) or Twitter.