Under Age Review2008
Thursday, December 18th, 2008A Great Year For Carrigaline Under-Age GAA
The Annual General Report and Review of the year took place in the Club Pavilion on Wednesday December 10th. Secretary, Patricia Hennessy, in conjunction with the various team managers presented a comprehensive report on the year’s activities.
2008 was a year full of activity with training and matches at all levels in the South East and City competitions. Players represented Carrigdhoun and Cork in both hurling and football. The underage section has a lot of committed players and this is made possible by the endless dedication of our managers and mentors, which is deeply appreciated.
2008 was an historic year for the Club with the Intermediate hurlers capturing the first adult County title with victory over Bandon at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. This was a great boost for the whole club but especially for the under-age players and mentors who saw years of endeavour finally bearing fruit on the big stage. Everybody associated with this historic win are to be heartily congratulated.
Under-16
The 16’s had a busy year with competitive games from the start of April. Games were played in the Carrigdhoun and City football leagues, as well as the newly-established County Premier Hurling League. This was an excellent competition as it enabled them to play teams from different divisions around the county.
After a two month break for the exams the season resumed with hurling games in the Carrigdhoun and County Premier leagues. They recorded some fine wins in the Co. League over Cloughduv, Fermoy, Ballinhassig, drew with Kilbrittain, and gave good performances in losses to Blackrock and St Finbarrs. In the Carrigdhoun Championship clash with Ballinhassig they failed to perform to their potential and went out of the competition.
This loss had a silver lining as it enabled them to concentrate on the football championship clash with Crosshaven, who had done the double over them in the league and Championship at under-14 level. They turned in a fantastic performance to beat Crosshaven by eleven points and set up a final with Valley Rovers. It took two bites of the cherry to get over Valleys but Carrigaline were deserving winners and this team lifted their first S.E. football championship having reached the finals at under-12 and under-14 grades. They drew Mallow at home in the quarter final of the County and won by the narrowest of margins in a poor game. Eventually they were beaten by a strong Carrigtwohill team at the semi final stage.
On the hurling front they beat Sarsfields in the quarter final of the County league before facing Duhallow in the semi-final at Mallow, which they lost narrowly after a brave second half fightback.
They also qualified for the Carrigdhoun League football final against Valleys, but on the day they were short several players, which contributed to a one point defeat.
As the players move on to the minor grade we wish them well and thank team manager Eamonn Hennessy and mentors Mick Malone, Denis Caffrey and Michael 0 Flynn for their excellent work over the years.
Under-15
This group, players and management, provided great support to the under-16’s and as a result it was difficult to organize training sessions as a group, which in turn resulted in below par performances in the concluding stages of the City Under-15 leagues and championships, where they were beaten in both hurling semi finals, and in the football championship semi-final. They have yet to play Douglas in the football league semi-final.
They also competed in the Carrigdhoun “C” football league and after a number of wins are due to play the final against Courceys.
Unfortunately, due to the bad weather the Anthony Conway tournament had to be postponed twice but it is still hoped to play Nemo Rangers in a once off game for this cup.
Congratulations to those who played for the Cork football and hurling panels; Cillian McSweeney and Robert O’Shea in hurling and Stephen Dwane, Michael Lynch and Cillian McSweeney in football.
Thanks to manager Sean O’Shea and his fellow mentors who helped with the coaching and training throughout the year and especially to the parents who provided transport to and from matches.
Under-14
In hurling they won all their Carrigdhoun league games and won that competition. In the championship they beat Ballinhassig in the semi-final, but lost to Valley Rovers in the final by two points.
In the Féile hurling they lost to Midleton by two points in the first round and were well beaten by Blackrock in the first round of the A hurling county. In the city league they played eight matches winning four and losing four. In total 18 hurling matches were played and the group are looking forward confidently to 2009.
When the hurling Féile finished it was time for the footballers to concentrate on and train for their Feile. The first match was against Macroom. Every player put in a huge effort to improve their skills and it showed for this match which they won by two points. The second match was against Bantry and was played in very bad weather conditions. Carrig’s fitness won out in extra-time and they went on to defeat Éire Óg in the quarter final before facing Bandon in a titanic semi-final battle, which they lost after extra time.
In Carrigdhoun they had three great wins against Sliabh Rua, Ballinhassig and Kinsale and reached the final against Valleys. This was played in the first week of August when some players were on holidays and Valley Rovers came out on top. This led to the A County, where Millstreet and Kiltha Óg were defeated before a strong St Michaels side proved too good in the final.
Killian McIntyre was rewarded for his tremendous skill and dedication by winning the Cork Féile Hurling skills competition and going on to represent Cork in the All Ireland Féile Finals in Laois.
He also captained a victorious Cork side in an eight-county tournament in Waterford.
Carrigaline also had eight players on the Carrighdoun under-14 football team that won the County Divisional title.
The management team of Derek McGuire, Robert Foster and Bernie O’Mahony worked very well together throughout the year.
Under-13
This group were very short of numbers and trained with the under-14’s during the year. It is hoped to encourage more players to this team for 2009 and they will be boosted by a strong group of players coming up from under-12 level.
Under-12
The main focus of the management team for the year was to give all boys an equal chance in developing their skills and love for the games.
The football training began on February 28th and it was to be the first of 25 training sessions held throughout the year. They competed in the top section of the City League and opened their campaign with a home tie on the 8th March against Valley Rovers and shortly afterwards the Carrigdhoun league got under way. It was a demanding schedule combining both leagues with a squad of 32 players. However the team played all their required 10 city league games giving players the opportunity to play at this high level of football, finishing fifth in a group of eleven teams..
On completion of the six South-East league games the under 12’s qualified for the South-East championship final against Valley Rovers. This developed into a titanic struggle between two evenly-matched teams and was a highlight of the Carrigdhoun games programme. It took 3 games and two periods of extra time for a result which ended in Valley’s favour. By virtue of the league positions Carrig ended up in a league semi-final against the same opposition but managed to reverse the championship result before going on to defeat Shamrocks in a thrilling League final.
They also entered the south-east under-l3 C competition and qualified for the final against Sliabh Rua.
It has been a great season for the boys and the management team. Having started on the 28th of February and finishing on the 7th of December they played 36 games and had 25 training sessions, a phenomenal commitment from team and management. Thanks to Wesley O’Brien for his coaching help and to the management team of Martin O’Reilly, Dave Murphy, Kieran O’Connor, and Donal O’Reilly. Thanks to the parents who supported throughout the year and especially to those who helped out at games.
The under-12 hurlers showed a tremendous improvement in 2008, playing seventeen matches and winning eleven. About 30 players registered for hurling and most participated in training and at matches. They played in the City and Carrigdhoun leagues and competed well in both. They were unlucky not to win some silverware as they lost narrowly to Mayfield in the City league semi-final.
In August, they had a wonderful trip to Croke Park to see Cork footballers beat Kildare but the Cork hurlers lost out to the All Ireland champions Kilkenny.
Since the beginning of October over 20 players have been training regularly at the Nemo indoor training facility and this has been a tremendous success.
The management team of Frank Barry, Ken Kiely and Noel O’Regan are to be complimented for their dedication throughout the year. Since October Peter Roynane has been helping with the training and has brought them on another step.
Under-11
In hurling they played in the City and Carrigdhoun leagues. The city league began in April and victories were recorded over Eire 6g, Nemo, Passage and Blackrock, ensuring qualification for the knock-out stage.In the semi-final they had a great win over Blackrock, but despite having enough possession and chances to win they were beaten by St. Finbarrs in the final.
In the Carrigdhoun under-12 C league they beat Valley Rovers, Ballygarvan and Nemo, but lost out to Kinsale, Tracton and Shamrocks.
Two teams entered the Carrigdhoun under-11 league at the end of September.
The A team started badly with a loss to Ballinhassig, but went on to win against Courcey Rovers, Valley Rovers and Sliabh Rua, which qualified them for the final against Ballinhassig. This game was played on the 2nd of November and after a thrilling game Carrig took the cup.
The second team was made up of eight under-11 players and the under-10 squad. They lost narrowly to Ballygarvan and put up a great show against Shamrocks.
Brian Reynolds, Pat Williamson and Pat Griffin deserve to be thanked for their dedication and effort throughout the year.
Training commenced for the footballers at Nemo at the end of February and has continued weekly since then (with a break in July). The panel at this point has increased to 37 players and the main aim at all times is to give all players match time and improve their footballing skills. All fixtures were fulfilled and both squads competed well.
In the City League, one team has qualified for the semi-final and the second only narrowly missed doing likewise. Both squads competed in the Carrigdhoun Under-12 league and both are currently competing in the Under-11 competition, with one group through to the final in their section. All players have been fully involved in competitive matches this season, with 36 games played to date.
In June, a combined team selection reached the final of the John Kerins tournament, a first for the Club.
On the fun side they travelled to Moyle Rovers in Tipperary at the end of May, taking in a visit to Mitchelstown Caves and Kartworld in Watergrasshill. They visited the Aquadome on a great overnight outing to Na Gaeil of Tralee in October.
The management team of Sean Ryle, Tony Goulding, Brian Reynolds, Pat Williamson, Ian Thomas and Pat Griffin did marvellous work with this group throughout a busy but fulfilling year.
Under-10
The footballers played five games in the Carrigdhoun league, defeating Ballinhassig,
Councey’s, Kinsale, Sliabh Rua and Valley Rovers.
They were invited into the Roinn A East Cork Tournament, played five games against Glanmire, Nemo, Douglas, Midleton and Mallow and brought home the Shield with victory over Glanmire in the final.
They also played in the Carrigdhoun Under-11 C competition, recently winning the final against Valley Rovers. This group had a very successful season, due in no small measure to the diligent and committed efforts of team management Ger Lordan, Eoin Murphy and their helpers.
Hurling training for the under-10’s began indoors in February. They entered the Decky Guckian Tournament, and played a total of nine games in an excellent competition. They qualified for the Shield Section, having beaten Blarney in the quarter final, but were beaten by Mallow in the semi-final after a very good performance.
They also participated in the Carrigdhoun under-10 league against Sliabh Rua, Valleys’s Ballinhassig and Tracton.
Thanks to mentors Martin Deasy, Eoin Stack, Pat O Brien and all the parents who helped out during the year.
Street Leagues
Pat Barry and his committee did great work at Street League level throughout the year. The 2008 Street Leagues commenced in March and finished in the first week of November. Over 200 players were registered and every week approx 130 turned out for training. The breakdown was as follows:
Under-10 (22), Under-9 (38), Under-8 (31), Under-7 (56), Under-6 (35), and Under-5 (18).
The year went very well and the Finals Days, as usual went down a treat with the lads and parents alike. They like nothing better than walking behind the Pipe Band basking in the glory of the support and applause. They enjoy playing the matches and receiving the trophies afterwards with fun packs.
Special thanks to the Carrigaline Pipe Band who turn out twice a year for the Finals, Denis Walker of Lennox’s Takeaway who provided the burgers and finally the parents who provided the sandwiches.
Thanks to all the parents who helped out in training throughout the year, and to Sean 0’ Brien, who looks after the training gear for the street leagues at the weekends by making sure all is returned and in the right place.
A Social night was organised for the Street League parents during the season and it was very well supported proving to be a great success.
Congratulations
Congratulations to Killian McIntyre who won the County Féile Skills and also won the County Puc Fada.
Players who were selected and played on Cork Football & Hurling Teams
Under-15 Hurling: Robert O’Shea, Cillian MacSweeney
Under-14 Hurling: Killian McIntyre
Under-I 5 Football: Michael Lynch, Stephen Dwane, Cillian McSweeney
Under-14 Football: Killian McIntyre, Shane Griffin.
Summer Camp
The VHI Cúl Summer Camp 2008 was an outstanding success. 250 boys and girls participated in a week-long activity of skills training and games. This was the biggest camp in the entire country. This year we had a good number of our own minor players, who took on the responsible job of coaching for the week. They all had completed their special coaching course. This was of great benefit to the younger players in the camp and also to the minor coaches who had the experience of seeing the playing field from the other side.
Club Shop
The club shop got a new image last February, when it was transferred to the front of the building and Bernie O’Mahony designed and transformed it into a shop with plenty of presses to hold much of the stock we need for the club. This gave us the chance to supply more club gear, ie. hoodies, polo shirts, helmets, rain jackets etc. in all sizes to both children and adults, as well as supplying the playing gear for the managers. It opens every Saturday and Sunday morning, but for the month of December it will open every Sunday morning 11.30-12.00 up until Christmas. It’s a big commitment stocking the gear and being there over the weekends, but Christine, Bernie and Patricia continue to do an excellent job.
Scór na nÓg agus Scór na bPáistí
Scór continues under the hard working and committed guidance of Barry Cogan. Cork Scór County committee held a celebratory function last summer in Macroom for the Cork All Ireland Scór na nOg winners. Among the winners were the Carrigaline All Ireland Scór na nOg in Figure Dancing, namely, Stephanie Bradley, Sarah Kate Heinhold, Sarah Kavanagh, Chloe O’Leary, Michelle O’Connell, Niamh O’Donovan, Ciara Peate, and Ciara Shorey.
Thank you
Thanks to the Committee, Board Delegates, Team Managers, Coaches and Mentors, who show continuous commitment to the club.
To the parents who have helped with transport to so many matches and to those who help in fundraising events during the year.
To our Street League Chairman, Pat Barry and the many co-ordinators and coaches that work so well in organizing this vital section of the club.
Finally, thanks to our chairman, Bernie O’Mahony, for his enthusiasm and involvement in all the underage section both on and off the field.