Scartaglin NS win boys Mini Sevens title
EIGHTEEN teams nine boys and nine girls teams representing each of the Cumann na mBunscol districts within the county arrived in Tralee on Thursday last for the county finals of the INTO/GAA Mini Sevens finals. Arriving as district champions the 180 girls and boys were all hoping to claim the elusive title of mini Sevens county champions for 2024.
Scoil Eoin Baloonagh girls were in the hunt for the two in a row while last year’s boys runner-up Kilgarvan Central were hoping to take an historic title back to the Kenmare district. Along with being crowned champions a player from each of the winning teams will be chosen to represent the Kingdom on the hallowed Croke Park sod on All-Ireland semi-final or All-Ireland final day.
Six boys and three girls’ teams were located in Caherslee while six girls were in action in Austin Stacks Park for the round robin section of the competition.
All semi-finals and finals were played in Austin Stack Park and all in Cumann na mBunscol are indebted to Tim Daly and the Austin Stack Park for facilitating these important games, as well as Joe Wallace on the Caherslee committee for the use of the pitches there.
Girls groupings
Group1: Currow NS, St. Finnian’s Waterville and SN Baile an Fhéirtéaraigh/ Ceann Trá
Group 2: Spa NS, St. John’s Kenmare, Castledrum NS
Group 3: Firies NS, Dromclough NS and Scoil Eoin Balloonagh.
Boys groupings
Group 1: Scartaglin NS Scoil Bhréanainn Portmagee and Scoil Naomh Eirc/SN An Ghleanna
Group 2: Glenderry, Kilgarvan Central and Nagle Rice, Milltown
Group 3: Faha NS, Ballyduff Central and Scoil Eoin Balloonagh
The action began in Caherslee and in Austin Stack Park and following about two hours play the top teams from the groups began to emerge. In the boys competition, Scartaglen NS and Nagle Rice from Milltown topped their respective groups which gave them a bye to the semi finals.
That meant that for the quarter-finals then there was a pairing of Faha NS (East Kerry champions) versus the South Kerry champions Scoil Bhréanainn Portmagee. What a game this proved to be, nip and tuck right down to the final whistle and in the end it was the boys from South Kerry that took the honours and thus qualified for the semi finals.
The other quarter final was even closer between Glenderry NS and Ballyduff Central NS ending in a draw after a tremendous game. Following two five minute periods of extra time, Ballyduff emerged victorious by the slenderest of margins and thus insuring their place in the semi final in Austin Stack Park.
Scoil Bhréanainn Portmagee edged out a strong Nagle Rice outfit in a tremendously contested semi- final which ebbed and flowed from end to end with some scintillating patches of football.
Scoil Scairteach A’ Ghleanna proved too strong for Ballyduff Central in the second semi-final and so the stage was set for a unique pairing again in this Mini Sevens competition which really balances out the teams in the county from smallest to largest with very few schools dominating this excellent competition over the past 30-plus years.
Scoil Bhréanainn got off to a lively start kicking the first three points but by half time the teams were all square on three points a piece.
Scartaglin scored the opening point of the second half played at a frantic pace and the defences stood resolute for a period before the South Kerry boys broke through for a well taken goal to put them in a good position.
However the Scartaglen boys defended well in a sweeping counter attack they saw a pile driver bounce down of the cross bar inside the line for the match defining score. They added a further 1-1 in the dying minutes when the bounce of the ball appeared to go their way during the closing moments of a superb football marathon.
SCARTAGLIN NS: Neilus O’Mahony, Moss Hayes, Brian Mc Shane, Seán Keirn 0-1, Connie O Connor 1-2, Olly O Shea 1-1, Diarmuid Riordan, Eoin Reidy, Zak Buckley 0-1, Jamie Hewitt 0-1.
SCOIL BHRÉANAINN, PORTMAGEE: Thomas Murphy, Matthew Murphy, Ollie Sullivan 0-2, Connie Sullivan 0-2, Kyle Courtney 1-0, Eoghan McLoughlan, O Leary, Dylan O Donoghue, Oisín Barry, John Daniel O Driscoll.