GRASSROOTS

BALLYMOTE

BALLYMOTE/BUNNINADDEN U 14 team closed off our Bord na Og season in a brilliant fashion by beating St Molaise Gaels in ‘B’ shield final in Scarden last Friday. They will join U 11 and U 16 team in our Bord na Og Awards night next January. B/B got off to a slow start but after 15mins we found our form with well taken goals by James Kilcoyne and Darragh Brehony. Cormac Finn keep the points coming with 3 great scores. First half ended B/B 2-7 SMG 1-5. Second half B/B dominated and went 9 points ahead with 10mins left. Tommie Keenan, Oisin Brennan, Luke Marren and Shane Rafferty kept the scores coming but SMG dominated the last 10mins and scored 2-2 to bring it to a one point victory for Ballymote/Bunninadden. Cup presented to joint captains Shane Rafferty and Luke Marren. Team Matthew Gallagher, Matthew Hunt, Darragh Phillips, Mark Scanlon, Gareth Scanlon, Shane Rafferty 0-1, Oisin Brennan 0-5, Eoin Frain, Luke Marren 0-4, Evan Cunnane, Thomas Sweeney, Gerard O Brien (Tommie Keenan 0-2,) James Kilcoyne 1-0, Cormac Finn 0-3, Darragh Brehony 1-0 ( Tiernan Mongey/Scanlon) Subs Emmet Finan, Tiernan O Connor, James Healy, Ben Clavin, Michaels Keirins, Donal McHale, Darragh Byrne, Niall Scanlon, Liam O Dowd, Adam Benson, Senan Fallon, Dean Brennan.

OUR Club draw will take place next weekend 13th September in Tighes Bar. Over 230 members already and we are entering our 4th month. So far 3000e is given away to our lucky winners. A special thanks to all who have entered. Entry is simple, 8e every month guarantees your name in the draw.

U 21 team will play Eastern Harps next Saturday at 4pm in Corran Pk. NURSERY training for U 6 boys and girls will commence Oct 17th at 6pm in Colaiste Mhuire gym for 9 weeks. Registration €5 and €2 per night.

BUNNINADDEN

THE club have arranged to put on Safetalk on Friday Septtember 19th; in the clubhouse at 7pm. This talk has been designed by the HSE Suicide Prevention Resource Office and is suitable for everyone who wants to help prevent suicide and is prepared to become suicide alert. Safetalk is a basic training programme that prepares partcipants to identify persons that may be having thoughts of suicide and connect them to suicide first aid resources.

THE club requests that all team managers in particular try to attend and we appeal to everyone to make a special effort in order to make this a success. PLEASE note that anyone interested in attending must register on or before next Friday ,September 12th; as we must notify the HSE that we have the relevant numbers a week in advance. CONTACT Pat Spellman , Health and Welfare Officer,ph;087 9963359

CLOONACOOL

THE club and the whole community of south Sligo are in mourning this week as we learned of the passing of our great friend and close colleague the late Maurice Conboy. A native of ballymote, he and his wife Geraldine became very active members of our club over the last number of years. Coaching and training was Maurice’s thing and he excelled at both, starting off at U-8s and U-10s and eventually promoted to training the men’s senior team to win the 2012 county Junior championship final. He was ecstatic in the aftermath of that great success and rightly so, and he went on for a number of seasons to train our Intermediate team to a very high standard. He also served as the clubs coaching officer for a number of years. He was a great community man as well, and he immersed himself in all local activities be they sporting, cultural or community development. Since his illness was diagnosed, which he bravely fought, he played a less active role, but was always on hand to give much sought after advice, and to carry out essential maintenance work in his own time. He will be sorely missed. To his wife Geraldine, son Gerard and daughter Patrice, parents, sisters and extended family members, we extend our deepest sympathy. May he rest in peace

COOLANEY/MULLINABREENA

OUR senior team exited the championship on Saturday evening last against a well drilled Tubbercurry team. The team and management put a huge effort all season and but for a couple on injury’s during the game and some decisions that didn’t go our way result may have been different, unfortunately this was not to be our day. The best of luck to our neighbors Tubbercurry in the final.

THE minor team are scheduled to play Owenmore Geals in the U18BFC sheild Final at the Sligo of excellence on Friday Oct 12th. @ 7.30PM. Best of luck to team and management. THE club have been announced as county and latterally as regional winners in the National Lottery Good Causes Awards for 2018. We now go on the finals in Dublin on November 3rd. Judging takes place over the coming weeks and on Friday 12th of October Virgin Media (formerly TV3) are making a visit to record some footage of our park. underage coaching and talk to members and get overall flavour of the club. This is a great acknowledgment of the work that has gone on in the last number of years within the club.

COOLERA/STRANDHILL

INTERMEDIATE Ladies

THE Intermediate Ladies ended their championship campaign with a defeat to Owenmore Gaels in Collooney on Sunday. Playing with the wind in the first half the girls dominated possession for much of the opening period but failed to capitalise on it with scores. A number of wides and missed chances were ultimately to prove costly as the home side were more efficient with their scoring opportunities. Half time saw the girls trail 1-05 to 1-01, Meadhbh Kenneally scoring both our scores. The second half followed a similar pattern, with plenty of possession and endeavour but too few scores. This was reflected in the full-time score of 2-16 to 4-02. While the scoreline shows an eight point defeat, there was much to admire from the team, not least of which were some excellent defensive performances from Holly Gilligan, Caoimhe O’ Sullivan and Amy Hampson with good support from Gráinne Redmond, Ellen Monaghan and Aislinn Doggett. The midfield pairing of Laura Ann Laffey and Cliodhna O’ Sullivan worked tirelessly between defence and attack, while Shona Dalton was outstanding at centre forward. Her direct running caused the home defence endless problems and was rewarded with two goals. Meadhbh Kenneally was a con- stant threat while Amy Deering came off the bench to score our fourth goal. THIS match came at the end of a long season, with many challenges, injuries and lack of numbers, but the last two performances have shown that there is a bright future for adult football in the club. The management team would like to thank this group for their efforts and commitment throughout the season and also to thank parents and friends for all the support. TEAM: Beibhinn Harte, Amy Hampson, Holly Gilligan, Ellen Monaghan, Aislinn Doggett, Caoimhe O’ Sullivan, Gráinne Redmond, Laura Ann Laffey, Cliodhna O’ Sullivan, Ellen Prior (Amy Deering (1-00)), Shona Dalton (2-00), Attracta Halloran, (Lauren McGarry), Lauren McGarry (Roisin Heneghan), Meadhbh Kenneally (1-02), Leah Kerrigan. SENIOR Football Semi-Final THE senior footballers came up short against reigning champions Tourlestrane in the semi-final replay on Saturday. At full-time the reigning champions were safely through to another final 3-12 to 1-09.

OUR senior hurlers had a good win on Sunday last in the seventh and final round of the championship round robin against local rivals Naomh Eoin. Playing at a wet and windy Ransboro pitch and against the wind in the first half the lads got off to a good start with an early goal and tacked on some good points. Naomh Eoin who were missing some key players on the day battled hard for every ball. Some further goals from Colm Parke led to a half-time scoreline of 3-07 to 1-06 in favour of Coolera-Strandhill. With the wind in the second half the scores continued to come but it still required some determined defending to keep a battling Naomh Eoin at bay. The final scoreline was 4-12 to 1-8 to the local team. Next up are the hurling semi-finals where Coolera-Strandhill will be up against a strong Easkey team and Naomh Eoin will play Calry St. Joseph’s. No date or time has been set yet for these important fixtures.

DRUMCLIFFE/ROSSES POINT

IT’S county final week for our junior men’s footballers. Hughie Cannon Jnr’s side take on St Farnan’s under the lights of Scarden this Friday night at 8pm. We wish the players and management the very best of luck. The team would appreciate big club support for this game.

OUR Under 21 footballers began their championship campaign last Saturday with a 2-17 to 2-9 defeat against Castleconnor at Scarden. We are in a four-team group along with Calry/ St Joseph’s and Owenmore Gaels. We play Calry next Saturday at 4pm. HARD luck to our U13 Féile footballers who were beaten by St Mary’s last Sunday morning.

THERE will be a very special guest attending our GAA nursery at Oxfield this Saturday morning at 10:30am. All families (particularly those with Limerick connections!) are invited along. THE final Nursery session of 2018 will take place on Saturday, October 27th in Oxfield On this morning, there will be a presentation and party for all our nursery players. There’ll be refreshments for the grown-ups too. All nursery families are invited along. THE main pitch at Oxfield is going to remain closed for the remainder of 2018. The recent drainage and sanding work on the surface has already enhanced the pitch quality - and we know have the opportunity to give the pitch a prolonged rest so that it is perfect shape for next season. THANK you to all the hosts who have agreed to take a table for the club’s end-of-season Boston Tea Party at the Radisson Hotel on Sunday, October 28th (bank holiday weekend). We’ve a great night in store and it will be a fitting way to round off what has been a busy and eventful season. Tickets cost €25 each and each Table Host is entitled ot a free ticket. For more info on what’s involved in hosting a table, please contact any of the club officers below or visit drp.gaa.ie. Mary Carway 0864181201, Karen Keyes 0872219395 or Austin O’Callaghan 0876855621.

EASTERN HARPS

CONGRATS to our U16 girls who beat Geevagh in the B championship final last Saturday in Kent Park. Thanks to the management team of Fintan McGowan, Dawn McGowan, Barry Convey and Claudia McGovern and all the girls on the panel who dedicated so much time throughout the year. Our U21 men lost the first round of their championship to St. Marys on a score line of 3:12 to 2:12. They face Ballymote/Bunninadden in Ballymote this Saturday at 4pm. Commiserations to our U13 Feile team who lost to Shamrock Gaels last Sunday which brings an end to their year. Bingo continues every Friday night at 8.30pm in Gurteen Hall. Jackpot is €4,200 in 50 calls or less. The in house lotto is €300. We are making great preparations for our Race Night on Sunday October 28th in The Foxes Den, Keash. Horses can be bought from any executive member or email racenight@easternharps.com and if your horse wins you will be in with a chance of winning lots of great prizes including overnight trips away in Ireland, a Limerick jersey signed by All-Ireland winning manager John Kiely and many more.

ENNISCRONE/ KILGLASS

THERE was major disappointment for our Intermediate team and management after their championship campaign came to an end following a 0-9 to 2-8 semi-final replay loss to Shamrock Gaels last Sunday in Bunninadden. After an impressive opening half display playing into the wind our lads held a 0-6 to 0-5 lead, but two Shamrock Gaels goals at the start of the second half swung the tie in their favour and unfortunately we never regained the momentum. The club extends its thanks to the panel of players and the management team of Con O’Meara, Pat Darcy, Keith Mullaney and Declan Hughes for their efforts throughout 2018. Thanks also to our large travelling support last Sunday and throughout the championship. Best wishes to Shamrock Gaels in the final.

THE Enniscrone-Kilglass/Easkey minor team play Curry in the A Championship shield final on Wednesday evening (October 10th) at 7.30pm in Scarden.

THE Sligo Senior Football Championship final will take place in Quigabar this Sunday, October 14th. The Minor A Football final throws in at 1.45pm with the Senior final at 4pm. All stewards will be contacted this week with regard to plans on the day.

THERE are a limited number of lapel pins showcasing the club crest – and importantly the correct spelling of Enniscrone as Gaeilge agus as Béarla – available at present. They are a quality item that would make a great present, and also show your support for the upcoming plebiscite on the town name. They are available from any committee member for €10.

HANDBALL

SLIGO HANDBALL NOTES LAURA Finn continues to lead the way for Sligo and Connaught handball with her All Ireland victory this weekend. Laura played well to win in 2 straight games against Kilkennys Margaret Purcell. The game was played in Fahy , Offaly on Saturday evening. Congratulations to Laura , her family and the Ballymote handball club. SLIGO hosted the Connaught Juvenile finals on Sunday with over 20 games played between Ballymote and Collooney.There was more Sligo success with Connaught titles for Oran McNulty , Drumcliffe at U-11 and Darragh Burke , Castleconnor at U-13.

WELL done to Cormac Finn and Shane Rafferty who won Connaught colleges A doubles last week.

GOOD luck to Sara Coleman and Laura Finn , Martin Cooney and Francis McCann , and Michael Bruen and Gerry Coleman who all play in All Ireland doubles semi-finals next weekend. FOLLOW us on facebook @sligohandball COLLOONEY HANDBALL CLUB NOTES

GOOD luck to Sara Coleman , Michael Bruen and Gerry Coleman who play in All Ireland semi-finals next weekend. Collooney hosts the Bruen/Coleman game next Saturday.

WE also played host the Connaught Juvenile finals last Sunday. BINGO takes place this Thursday at 9 p.m , the jackpot is now €1,900 in 42 calls.

GOOD luck to Owenmore Gaels who play in the Sligo County final next weekend.

FOLLOW us on facebook @collooneyhandball BALLYMOTE HANDBALL Club member Laura Finn created more Handball History last week end when she won The All Ireland Ladies Junior B Softball Singles defeating Margaret Purcell Kilkenny at the Fahy Handball Court in Co Offaly in two straight games.

Cormac Finn and Shane Rafferty represented Collaiste Mhuire Ballymote in the Connacht Colleges Softball Champioships lat week end at the Fenagh Handball Court. The Ballymote pair defeated Dara and Cathal O Leary from Spiddal in the final of the Junior Boys Doubles and will now go on to represent their school in the All Ireland Semi Final.It was back in the middle seventies since the school was represented at this level of competition before.

Francis McCann was defeated in the All Ireland Emerald Masters A Softball Singles final on Sunday last at Fenagh Handball Court in two straight games by Robert McCarthy Westmeath. Francis McCann teams up with Martin Cooney next week end when they make the long journey to Clonmel to play the All Ireland Semi of the Golden Masters A Doubles. The Ballymote Castleconnor combination will play Tipperary pair Adrian Johnson and Kevin Mullins. The Club hosted the Connacht Juvenile B Connacht Final last Sunday along side the Collooney Handball club.

The Club would like to congratulate Oran McNulty Drumcliffe Handball Club on winning the Boys Under 11 Softball Singles and Darragh Bourke Castleconnor Handball Club on winning the Boys Under 13 Singles.

OWENMORE GAELS

COLLOONEY is painted blue and yellow as we build up to a number of finals in the coming weeks. OUR Senior men’s team face off against Easkey in the Lola Montez Junior A Championship. The team have been working hard in preparation for what will be a serious test but one the lads are relishing. Throw-in on Saturday evening is at 4:30pm in Cloonacool.

OUR U14 girls lost out to St. Johns by the narrowest of margins in the U14 C final on Saturday. Hard luck to the girls on a great performance where they battled back from a five point deficit at half time but could find that final score. OUR U-13 lads have reached the B Fèile final against St.Molaise Gaels, where we will look to defend our title, date and venue TBC.

WE are saddened to bring the news of the sudden passing of Donie Murphy of Scartaglin Co.Kerry. Donie is the father of our senior team captain Pa Murphy. An avid football man and an extremely proud dad, Donie was with us in Buninnadden a number of weeks ago to watch Pa lead us to the county final. Pa joined the club a number of years ago when he moved to Sligo with Anne-Marie. He instantly immersed himself in the club and the community, becoming a vital cog in the mens team, getting involved in coaching and running his business out of the clubhouse. We all stand with him at this sad time. Our deepest condolences are extended to Pa, Anne-Marie and granddaughter Síofra, and to Donie’s wife Marie, son Daniel and daughter Michelle and extended family. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam. Thank you so much to our club members who turned out in force for the Coolera Strandhill Gaa vs Tourlestrane GAA championship semi-final replay. From the lads in the car park, the girls in the shop, the stewards around the ground and all who put in a big effort preparing the grounds, thank you and well done GAELIC for Mothers and Others continues this week. Come down and give it a go, craic is guaranteed! For more information contact Anthony on 086-4110692.

A massive congratulations to Johnny Banks who received an award for his Outstanding Contribution to the Community at the Business Awards last week.

THE Lotto draw took place in Cullen’s Bar on Monday 1st October. The numbers drawn were 12, 20, 22, &23. THERE was no winner of the €10,000 Jackpot. Congrats to our ‘Match 3’ Winner Martin Kirrane who wins €100. AS there was no Jackpot Winner this week, the Jackpot stays at €10,000. The next draw will take place on Monday 14th October in Connolly’s Bar. THANKS to everyone who bought tickets throughout the year and continues to support the club.

SHAMROCK GAELS

THE Gaels advanced to the final of the Intermediate Championship after a hard fought semi-final replay win over Enniscrone. Despite playing with the benefit of a strong breeze, it was Enniscrone who dominated the first half and led by a point at half time. A different Gaels emerged in the second half and brought a sense of urgency to their game and after a David Quinn converted penalty early on they went into the lead which they never looked like relinquishing and ran out winners on a scoreline of 2-8 to 0-9. They now take on Curry in the final on Sunday 20th October.

NEXT Sunday both our Minor teams are in Championship action. First up is the Girls who play Kilkerrin/Clonbern away in the first round of the Minor A Connacht Championship at 11.00AM while the boys take on St Maloise Gaels in the Minor A Championship final in Enniscrone at 1.45PM. Best of luck to both teams and please come out and support.

FRIDAY evening coaching continues in Coola Sports Complex every Friday for boys and girls - U6’s from 6.30PM to 7.15PM and U8’s from 7.15PM to 8.00PM - all welcome.

WELL done to the G4M&O team who participated in a most enjoyable National Blitz last weekend along with over 2,000 players.

THE U13 Feile team had a 4-7 to 4-4 win over Eastern Harps last Sunday and now play Drumcliffe/Rosss Point next Sunday in the A Semi-final in Scarden at 11.00AM.

ST. FARNAN’S

CONGRATULATIONS to Easkey/ St. Farnan’s under 16 hurlers on winning the county championship on Saturday last. They defeated Naomh Eoin by 6-15 to 1-6. St. Farnan’s players on the