Great news
The Bride Rovers Club got a massive financial boost last week when the allocation of funding from the Sports Capital Fund was announced. An allocation of €94,000 has been awarded to our club for future Development. With major plans for extra pitches and other facilities in the pipeline this grant will be of great benefit. Thanks to our club officers over the last two years who put in a detailed funding application which entailed a huge amount of paperwork, quotations, estimates, drawings etc.
Thanks also to the four members of Dáil Eireann in this area who were of great assistance to us in progressing our application. As our development work goes ahead we will apply for more funding as needed. Thanks to each and every one who helped with getting this major financial injection for the club. It was also great to see the application from the Rathcormac Council looked on favourably with a grant of €150,000.
At our Club Executive meeting on Monday night Club Chairman Gerard Lane informed the meeting that the club had received correspondence from the Tomar Trust Fund with news that the club are to receive a substantial contribution from the Fund. The Tomar Trust is a philanthropic trust fund that aims to contribute to strengthening Irish society over the decade 2016-2026. Established in 1994 the Tomar Trust has been supporting community and voluntary activity in rural Ireland, particularly North Cork, West Waterford, Clare and Donegal and disadvantaged communities in Cork City. The Trust aims to deepen its commitment to rural Ireland, to the building of strong communities and resilient young people and aims to address some of the big issues facing Ireland today and investing in the solutions to solve them. We are indeed grateful and thankful to the Cavanagh family for their fantastic help/commitment. Previously the Tomar Fund helped with funding for our astro turf project.
U12S RESUME TRAINING
The U12 boys return to training on Saturday 19th at 11 in the big astro. They are starting back with hurling so all in the 11 to 12 age bracket are welcome to come along. Players who may not have been previously involved are more than welcome to participate.
SENIOR HURLING DRAWS
At last Tuesday week’s County Board meeting the draws were made for 16 County Championships for 2022. Twelve teams will contest the senior A hurling with three groups of 4 teams. The groups are as follows;
1 Newcestown, Mallow, Cloyne, Fermoy. Group 2 Fr O’Neills, Blarney, Killeagh, Courcey Rovers. Group 3 Carrigtwohill, Bride Rovers, Ballyhea, Ballymartle. Carrig were relegated from premier senior last year so will be very anxious to regain their status. Ballyhea and Ballymartle are improving sides so our group is a tough assignment. The game v Carrigtwohill is down for the first weekend in August 5th, 6th or 7th with the Ballyhea game the following weekend. The Ballymartle game is pencilled in for the weekend of August 26th, 27th or 28th. Our first game in this year’s Senior League is against Carrigtwohill but depending on the two clubs the points may go on the championship. Our hurlers have two practise game provisionally fixed v Na Piarsaigh on Sunday February 27th and against Kilworth the following Sunday – depending on junior football league games.
JUNIOR FOOTBALL NEWS
With the winner of the 2022 East Cork Junior FC championship going up to Premier Junior next year the East Cork Board will be prioritising this championship this year. Twelve teams will contest the JAFC with a round robin of 3 groups of 4 the likely format. A June start date has been proposed but we would hope the competition will not start until after the Leaving Cert. The format and dates were to be finalised at the ECB last Wednesday night.
JUNIOR HURLING LEAGUES
In the East Cork JH Leagues we are in Div 2 and Div 4. In Div 2 we are in with Aghada, Erins Own, Killeagh, St Catherines and Youghal. Our games in Div 4 are v Carrigtwohill, Cloyne, Cobh, Fr O’Neills, Dungourney, Midleton and Russell Rovers. We will have full league groupings and league dates next week, they were to be confirmed at last night’s meeting of the East Cork Board in Midleton.
U17S IN ACTION
First club team into action this season are our U17 footballers. On Sunday next they meet Lisgoold in Pynes Field at 11am. The U17 hurlers had a good workout last weekend v Sars in a game refed by Mark Murphy and play Bishopstown in the U17 league on Sunday week, February 27th, away at 11.15am.
We are playing Premier 2 Minor (U17) hurling this year. There are 12 teams in this competition. The MH League is split in 2 sections where we will play Bishopstown. Inniscarra, Mallow, St Catherines and Newtownshandrum. Top 2 go to semi-finals.
In football we play in Division 2 (East) where we will meet Cobh, Mayfield, Lisgoold, Kiltha Óg, Youghal and St Colmans. The top 2 meet in final. Best wishes for the season to Denis Cashman who is on the 2022 Cork Minor Hurling panel.
U9S READY FOR ACTION
We just received new sliotars and footballs for the season ahead so the excitement is reaching fever pitch. Training on the main pitch will commence on the 26th of Feb at 10am. New members welcome - please contact Dave Burke on 087-7999413. All the training for the younger age groups from U6 upwards is aimed at the lads having fun, making friends and getting to learn all about hurling and football in a friendly atmosphere.
WEEKLY CLUB LOTTO
The second lotto draw for February took place on Tuesday, February 8. The 4 numbers drawn were 1, 7, 10 and 32 with no winner. The winners of €30 each were lucky dip winners of €30 each were: Rachel O’Flynn, Rathcormac, Richie Cahill, Rathcormac, Michael Hegarty, Bartlemy, Emmet Sweeney, Grange, Justin Hogan, Rathcormac.
Lotto tickets are just €2 each and every €2 is vital for our club. You can join online or purchase from any of the retail outlets locally. With so many friends and supporters of Bride Rovers scattered all over the world please spread the news about the weekly lotto. A yearly ticket for the lotto costs just €90 and can be purchased from club members or any of our lotto sub-committee. Details of our online launch can be seen elsewhere in these notes.
CLUB FINALS
Two thrilling finishes in Croke Park last Saturday with winners that seemed unlikely for most of the contests. Ballyhale Shamrocks had survived against St Rynagh’s in Leinster and v St Thomas’ in the All Ireland semi-final - on both occasions with late, late scores. In the final Waterford’s Ballygunner came to score a winning goal from sub Harry Ruddle to take the Tommy Moore Cup to the Decies for the first time. Trained to county success a few years back by St Catherine’s Denis Walsh the Waterford city side has Ian Kenny, a native of Castlelyons, and young Power with Fermoy roots. The Branagan and Johnson brothers inspired Kilcoo from Co Down were seven points down early in the second half but hung in there to get a draw then extra time. Kilmacud Crokes looked likely winners but the curse of the two-point lead struck with a late, late Johnson goal to take the Andy Merrigan North to the Mourne village of Kilcoo. Such GAA stories are what dreams are made of.
REBELS’ BOUNTY TIME NEARLY HERE
Since the Cork GAA Club Members Draw was started well over a decade ago it has brought in huge revenue to the clubs in Cork. The fundraiser was rebranded and relaunched as Rebels’ Bounty last year. With a huge range of valuable monthly prizes this draw is a great investment for just €100 per annum which is basically €10 per month plus two free draws. The Bride Rovers Club is actively supporting the Rebels’ Bounty initiative so please support the GAA in your parish and in Cork by joining up. Tickets are now on sale from club members. If you’re not in you can’t win. The first monthly draw in the 2022 series will be on February 24th so please join up and encourage your friends and relations to do the same. Tickets can be purchased up until Monday next, February 21st but no later.
MONDAY MEETING WELCOME
At the Club Executive meeting on Monday night 23 members attended. Club chairman Ger Lane welcomed Triona O’Brien and Nollaig Murphy who attended on behalf of the ladies and juvenile clubs, dealing with Garda Vetting, Safeguarding and Coaching Courses. All mentors in all the clubs must be fully compliant by March 17th.
PATHWAY TO 2028
On Monday week, February 28th ‘Pathway to 2028’ will be launched in Scoil Bride National School, Rathcormac. In recent weeks a small sub-committee have been researching ways and means of improving our weekly club lotto. It was on Tuesday March 5th 1996 that the very first Bride Rovers GAA Club weekly lotto draw took place. In the intervening 26 years the lotto has brought in massive funding for the club. So many club members have sold tickets on a weekly basis since. Now as we head towards our club centenary, in six years’ time, we have decided to launch a major drive to promote the online lotto whereby supporters and friends of the club all over the world can lend their financial support through the use of modern communication technology. We want club members, supporters, friends, players and parents of juvenile players to help us with this initiative. We are hoping that contact will be made with friends, relations, in-laws, business contacts, clients and supporters and urge them to support our online lotto. We want to see as many as possible in Scoil Bhríde on Monday week at 8pm for a launch and presentation on the potential of the online lotto. The more the merrier and all are welcome. Remember, a lotto ticket costs just €2 and every ticket sold brings welcome revenue to the Bride Rovers Club.
BINGO RESULTS FROM SATURDAY NIGHT
Game 1 €40 Milo Barry, €80 Ted Barry, €150 shared by Aleksandra Jaklla and Philip Hazlewood. Spot prize from Dooley’s bakery; Daniel Lane. Game 2 €40 Jack Hegarty, €80 Ella Barry, €150 Julianne Barry, Spot prize Xplore Fermoy voucher; Monica Barry. Game 3 €40 shared by Felicitas Gantong and Pa O’Driscoll,€80 Julianne Barry,€150 Julianne Barry; Spot prize sponsored by a club member Noreen Foley. We are grateful to all those who supported the bingo in recent weeks and those who sponsored prizes. We will be back with online bingo next autumn.
NEXT CLUB EXECUTIVE MEETING
Our next Club Executive meeting will be held in the clubroom on Monday night, March 14 at 8pm. The agenda will be sent out to members in advance.
PLEASE SUPPORT DRAMA IN BARTLEMY
On this coming Friday, February 18th Bartlemy Parish Hall will host another play as part of the Blackwater Valley Fit Ups. This week Irene Kelleher stars in her own play ‘Wake’. The Fit Ups were held in 2020 and were hugely successful but Covid caused their cancellation last year. For Seamus O’Rourke’s ‘Victor’s Dung’ last Friday night a nice crowd attended and hopefully it will be even bigger this Friday.
SYMPATHY
The late Mick Barry was very much on our minds at Monday’s Executive meeting. Ger Lane thanked club members who helped with the arrangements for the funeral. On behalf of the Barry family Liam expressed their gratitude for the manner in which the Bride Rovers Club gave his father a great send off. A vote of sympathy was also passed to the O’Leary family on the death of their aunt Nellie Hegarty.
BRIDE ROVERS CLUB SPONSORS
Rathcormac Tyres, Fermoy Print & Design and Veolia.