Carrigaline Under-Age GAA
A Feast of Football
Last weekend was a busy one on the playing fields for the young footballers of Carrigaline. The under-11’s had a very comfortable victory over Whites Cross in their first City League game. The under-12 teams were in action in the City and Carrigdhoun Leagues. The under-13’s recorded a good win over Ballincollig while the under-14’s also had a facile win over Bride Rovers in the first round of the Féile Peil. The under-15’s got back on the winning track with victory over Ballincollig in the City League while a depleted under-16 team went down to St Michaels in the County League.

City Fé-12 Football League

St. Michaels 0-3 Carrigaline 1 1-9

Carrig kicked off their City League Section 1 campaign with a comprehensive win over St. Michaels in Mahon on Saturday last. This was a big physical St. Michaels side but better football on the day ensured a good win for Carrig. There were good displays all through but Caleb O’Connell, Kieran Dwane and Oran Buckley particularly impressed.

Whitechurch 2- 8 Carrigaline 2 0-4

Carrig travelled to WhiteChurch for their first City League Section 2 game on Sunday 15th. It proved to be a hard day at the office. Whitechurch hit the front early and kept the pressure on throughout. In truth a number of players did not play up to form, with too much work being left to a few. Despite some trojan work from Adam Williamson in midfield, James Lordan at full back and substitute Elijah Harrington, the result was never in doubt.

Carrigdhoun Fé-12 Football League

Carrigaline Rebels 1-9 Ballinhassig 0-3

The first South East League Under 12 match on Monday 16th resulted in a good win for Carrigaline Rebels in Ballinhassig. Rebels were in control throughout and but for some wayward shooting, could have been much further ahead by halftime. Stephen Walsh, Cian Drinan and Colin Maguire showed well in the backline, while up front Emmet O’Mahony and Elijah Harrington always looked dangerous. The match was effectively sealed in a five minute period midway through the second half, when corner forward Simon Darcy rounded his man and rifled home the only goal of the match, quickly following this with a fine point.

City Fé-13 Football League

Ballincollig 0-1 Carrigaline 5-14

The Carrigaline under 13 footballers played their second city league game on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Ballincollig and recorded a comfortable win over the home side.
After two minutes Carrigaline opened the scoring with a well taken point by centre-back Matthew O Reilly. Four more points were added one each by B. Coakley and D. O Reilly and full forward M. McGrath taking the other two. Carrigaline were dominating the game at this stage with the half-back line and midfield well on top. A goal from the in-form full forward M. Mc Grath put Carrig totally in command. Such were their dominance that the score at half-time was 4-8 to no score.
Ballincollig played with the breeze in the second half but their fight-back never materialised. Carrigaline scored another 1-6 to win this game comfortably. Full forward M. McGrath, with a man of the match performance, scored two super goals and in all seven Carrigaline players got on the score sheet. However the real bonus of this win was the great team work of passing and unselfish play from the full back line all the way through to the full forward line.

Team. R Mc Carthy, D Greally. D Kirk, K Saly, K Kavanagh, M ‘O Reilly, D Buckley, E ‘O Connor, D ‘O Reilly, D ‘O Regan, B Coakley, G ‘O Donovan, D ‘O Mahony, M Mc Grath, J Kiely. Subs; J Maxwell, D Canty, J Cooney.

City Fé-15 Football League

Carrigaline 3-11 Ballincollig 1-3

The under-15 footballers got back to winning ways with this victory over Ballincollig at Carrigaline on Saturday last. Carrig were always in command in this game and led by 2-8 to 0-2 at the interval. Goalscorer, Louis Fitzgerald and Kevin Martin with three points were very sharp. Others to shine were Shane Griffin, Killian McIntyre, Paudie Kingston, and Jamie de Puis.

County Under-16 Football League

Carrigaline under-16’s found the going tough on Sunday afternoon last when they were beaten by St Michaels. Carrigaline, minus a number of regulars, put in a good first-half performance to be only trailing by a goal at the break after playing some excellent football. The second half was completely one-sided with Michaels taking some fine scores. Carrigaline, to their credit, fought to the end with Cillian McIntyre knocking over three outstanding points.

Under-16 Footballers off to a Good Start

County Under-16 Football League 2009.

Carrigaline 4-8 Pedlars Cross 1-9.

In Carrigaline’s first competitive outing of the year in this newly structured County Football League the game was in the balance until the final quarter when Carrigaline produced a storming finish helped by a brace of goals from Michael Lynch.
The first half was a tight affair; the West Cork team opened the scoring with two excellent points before Carrig settled into the game and started to dominate around the middle of the park with some excellent fielding from Jamie Kind, Stephen Dwane and Eoin Moynihan. Points from Robert O Shea, Dwane and Lynch had Carrig on level terms mid way through the 1st half and just before the break they stretched their lead when the on-fire Lynch rounded the corner back and from an acute angle sent his powerful shot to the net to take a two-point lead in at the break.
On the turn around the stiff breeze which aided Pedlars Cross in the opening half seemed to reduce itself to a puff for the second period and the home team took advantage, scoring 1-1 without reply to go 2 points ahead. As the game heated up nicely with some hard tackling, Carrigaline roared back into the game with great work from the backs and the midfield driving forward at every opportunity. The forwards were getting quality ball and they didn’t disappoint, scoring 3-3 in the final 20mins. Lynch and Cillian McIntyre goaled but it was a cracking goal from Cillian McSweeney with an awesome shot from 30 metres which went in off the crossbar that sealed this hard earned victory.

Carrigaline 5-10 Clonakilty 1-1.

Carrigaline Under-16’s produced another good performance to run out comfortable winners over a gallant Clonakilty team. This game started in perfect weather conditions but they deteriorated midway through the first half after a prolonged sleet shower.
Carrigaline with the aid of the breeze scored 2-6 during the opening half with goals from David Drinan and Michael Lynch and some excellent points from the other forwards after fine approach play.
Carrig continued where they left off in the second half and made full use of their bench with all subs keen to make an impression. They continued to take their scores right up to the end with Dylan O’Brien scoring 2-1 and points from Lynch, Moynihan and Drinan.

Mixed Fortunes for Under-15 Footballers

The Under-15 footballers got their City campaign off to a winning start when they proved too strong for Bishopstown at Carrigaline. They were well on top throughout this game and ran out comfortable winners on a 6-15 to 2-6 scoreline.
Peter Mullane was a tower of strength at centre-back while the two Shane Griffins played well. David O Donovan had his shooting boots on, notching two well-taken goals.

Carrig entertained Mallow and after a closely-fought and entertaining game the visitors took the league points on a 3-6 to 1-9 scoreline. Robert Foster had an excellent game at full-forward while Brian Lynch got the score of the game with a tremendous solo-point. Others to shine were Jason Brady at corner-back and midfielder Killian McIntyre.

Nemo 3-6 Carrigaline 1-9
This was a great game of football between two evenly-matched teams played at Trabeg.
Nemo led by 0-7 to 0-4 at the interval only for Carrig to draw level early in the second half. A two-goal burst from the home side saw them stretch into the lead once again. A tenacious fightback by Carrig yielded 1-3 to tie the scores once again. It was anybody’s game at this stage but it was the home side that snatched it with a last-gasp goal.
Best for Carrig were Jason Brady, Stephen McGuire, Jamie dePuis and Darragh Corcoran.
Shane Griffin suffered an unfortunate injury in this game which will keep him out of action for a number of weeks. We wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him back to full fitness as soon as possible.

Under-13’s Hang on for Victory

The Under-13 footballers got their City League campaign off to a winning start on Saturday last when they overcame visitors Inniscarra on a 3-4 to 2-5 scoreline.
Carrig were well in control in the opening period and played a good brand of combined team football which put them into a 2-3 to 0-0 half-time lead. Brian Coakley goaled from the penalty-spot and Daniel O Reilly got the other major to give them a comfortable lead.
The second half proved far from comfortable as Inniscarra came back strongly and it took a fisted goal from Adam Coughlan near the end of the game to clench victory for Carrig.
Corner-backs, Darren O Mahony and Cathal Murphy were very dependable throughout while David Kirk and Matthew O Reilly formed a strong central defensive spine. Full-forward, Micheal McGrath also had a fine game.

A 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.

St. Stephen’s Day Challange Match

Carrigaline GAA and a Carrigaline Village Selection are going to have a challenge match at Carrigaline GAA Club on St. Stephens Day, Dec 26th 2008 at 1.15pm. Funds raised from the event will be donated to Carrigaline & District Lions Club Charities. The event started a few years ago and has been gaining popularity every year since. The event was the brainchild of Nicholas Murphy and Pat Allen who thought it would be a great way of the getting the local community involved in a fun event on St. Stephens Day. At the launch, the President of Carrigaline & District Lions Club, Adrian O’Herlihy, said that the Lions Club was delighted to be associated with this event. “The event is a healthy and fun family event and it would raise much needed funds towards our housing for the elderly project which is currently being built at Mount Rivers Estate”.

FINAL POSTPONED
The wait for the winner of this years County Premier Minor Football champions will go on after the replay was postponed due to the inclement weather. The team will now have to wait possibly another two weeks before they play again.
COUNTY HURLING FINAL VIDEO
When all the celebrating had finally died down the team met in the club recently to sit down and watch the DVD of the game. Away from the drama of the day the lads could sit back and enjoy the game on the TV screen and replay every shot from the day. When the game had finished there was a presentation by Mr Dave Harrington on behalf of Harrington Assessors of a copy of the DVD for each of the players and management team. This was a fantastic gesture and one which the lads really appreciated. For anyone that is interested the DVD can be purchased for a fee of €20 by contacting the club.

DRAKE FREE SECURES REPLAY
CARRIGALINE 2-8 ST. MICHAEL’S 1-11
A late, long range pointed free from David Drake to tie the game was no more than Carrigaline deserved from this tough encounter played in what can only be described as inclement weather conditions. In fact Drake was unerring from frees all night despite the conditions. Carrigaline can also thank their ability to create and take their goals as a major plus and was another huge factor in the final result. Both Carrigaline goals came at crucial stages. Despite conceding a goal in the first period Carrig stuck to their task and as the half wore on they came more into the game and were unfortunate to go in three points down at the break
Despite the fact that Carrigaline conceded the first score of the half they continued to take the game to their opponents and they drew level With St. Michaels when Simon O’Brien found the back of the net. Carrigaline had a second goal shortly after when Adrian Lynch scored Carrigs second goal. St Michaels came back into the game and took control and with time running out they went in front by a point. But true to form Drake stood up and put the ball over from distance to secure the draw and another chance to win the title. It was a top class effort by all involved especially given the conditions on the night.
Team: S Mellet, T O’Connor, D Bagnall, S Noonan, S Conlon, C Barry, D Spillane, D O’Regan, J Shepherd, L O’Regan, D Drake, J McCarthy, A Lynch, S O’Brien, D O’Keeffe.
The replay is fixed for Sunday 9th November in Páirc Uí Rinn at 4pm
Congratulations
Congratulations to club stalwart Nicholas Murphy who captained Munster to the Provincial title over the weekend. This is a fantastic achievement to one of the most dedicated players to play the game. Not only is it a huge honour for Nicholas and his family but it is another plus for the Carrigaline club in what has been a historic year so far.

Carrigaline Under-Age GAA

As we approach the end of autumn the playing fields are still a hive of activity.
The under-16’s had a great run in the football championship before succumbing to Carrigtwohill in the county semi-final on Saturday last.
The under-15 hurlers were beaten by Blackrock in the City League semi-final while the under-14’s are in the knock-out stages of the Carrigdhoun hurling and football leagues.
The under-12 footballers had a great win over Shamrocks in the Carrigdhoun League Final. The hurlers went down narrowly to Mayfield in the city league semi-final but are continuing to train at Nemo Rangers indoor facility on Tuesday evenings between 6 and 7p.m.
The under-11 footballers hosted Moyle Rovers (Tipperary) in Carrigaline on October 5th and the following weekend enjoyed a trip to Tralee. On Saturday last the under-11 hurlers lost out to the Barrs in the City League Final after a thrilling game.
The Gaelscoil footballers have qualified for the Sciath na Scol final and we wish them the best of luck in the forthcoming decider. Congratulations also to the footballers of Scoil Mhuire Lourdes who enjoyed a good campaign in Section 1 of the Sciath competitions.
We send special get well wishes to under-12 mentor Ken Kiely and hope to see him restored to full health very soon.

County Premier Under-16 Football Championship

Carrigaline 2-1 Mallow 1-3
The under-16 footballers secured a last-gasp victory over visitors Mallow on Saturday October 11th in the quarter-final of the County Premier Under-16 Football Championship. The game was played in difficult conditions as the turf was slippery underfoot due to recent rain. This contributed to a low scoring affair, but both sides were also guilty of poor shooting and decision making in front of goal. Michael Lynch scored just before the break to leave Mallow up by one point at the interval, 0-2 to 0-1.

The second half provided more of the same as both sides found scores hard to register. A Cian O Flynn piledriver flew into the top of the Mallow net to give Carrig a two-point lead early in the second half. Mallow responded late in the game with a well taken goal followed by a point. Things looked grim for Carrig, but their never-say-die spirit was rewarded when Diarmuid Hickey found the net with a powerful shot that flew over the keeper’s head and nestled in the corner of the net leaving them a point to the good at the death. All the backs excelled in the difficult conditions especially Peter Bresnan, Chris Allen, Cillian McSweeney and Stephen Dwane, with Stephen O Flynn very solid in goal. Pauric Conway, Diarmuid Hickey and Morgan Hanlon also had good games. Carrig worked hard all over the field and just about deserved to advance to a semi-final meeting with Carrigtwohill.

Carrigaline 1-5 Carrigtwohill 1-13

Carrigaline’s championship campaign ended in a defeat to a strong Carrigtwohill outfit at Ballincollig on Saturday last. Carrig started quite brightly with the first move of the game resulting in an A Healy point. Carrigtwohill responded and didn’t take long to register points on the board. Indeed the East Cork outfit had a fine free taker who capitalised on any frees given by the referee. M Lynch was the pick of the forwards in the opening period and scored 1.1 from play. At half time Carrig were in a reasonably good position, only two points down.

The second half didn’t produce the required fight back as Carrig were to come up short on this occasion. Much of the credit must go to the East Cork side’s defending. Carrigaline found it increasingly hard to breach the opposition rearguard. The battle in the midfield sector was ferocious and J Kind won hard ball all day. C Allen dominated at full back. However, any frees given away by the Carrig backs were punished by the Carrigtwohill free taker. Carrigaline’s forwards seemed to run out of ideas up front and were put under ferocious pressure by the Carrigtwohill backs. When the opposition goaled 10 minutes before the end it ensured that the other Carrig reached the final. Carrigaline can feel very satisfied with their progress this season and won the South East football championship after two great games with keen rivals, Valley Rovers. They only tasted defeat in their fifth championship match. There is much to build on and if continued improvement follows then this group of players are sure to achieve further success in the future.

Panel: S O Flynn, P Bresnan, C McSweeney, S Caffrey, S Dwane, L Hanlon, M Hanlon, J Kind, D Hickey, C O Flynn, T Kent, A Healy, P Conway, M Lynch C Malone, G O Mahony, D Kinsella, M Molloy, K Creagh, S Murray, J Glennon, D McCarthy, E Moynihan, D O Sullivan, A O Reilly, J Buckley, M O Grady.

Street League Hurling Finals
The Street League finals for hurling were held on Sunday 28th September and the Carrigaline Pipe Band led the teams onto the field of battle. This is one of the big highlights of the year for players and parents alike, the boys with the chest out posing for the cameras amid the cheering and applause from supporters. The parents took over managing the teams for the day.
Over One hundred and fifty boys aged between five and ten took part in the hurling finals this year. They all played magnificently and were presented with trophies by the chairman of the Under-Age Section, Bernie O’Mahony. All received fun packs as well to help rebuild the energy. Refreshments were provided for everyone present and a special thanks to all the ladies who contributed to make it a successful venture. The weather was kind and all concerned had an enjoyable day.
We would like to say a sincere thank you to the Carrigaline Pipe Band, who really enhance the Street League finals and make them a wonderful and special day for the lads. The biggest cheer is kept for the lads themselves, who gave their all in the name of sport and served up a treat to all present.

MINOR FOOTBALLERS SECURE FINAL SPOT
CARRIGALINE 1-7 BISHOPSTOWN 0-8
A goal in the second half for Carrigaline, their only score of the half and a penalty miss by Bishopstown in the same half were among some of the main talking points in this game. Carrigaline won this game on pure determination, having played so well in the first half and taken some excellent scores they were on the back foot in the second half but their dogged determination to win has seen them through to the final. Even though it took time for Carrigaline to settle they had an early point on the board thanks to David Drake after his free kick had initially rebounded off the post. Bishopstown were ahead in the eight minute for the first and only time in the game thanks to two points. It took Carrigaline and David Drake thirteen minutes to equalise but during that time they were starting to gain the upper hand and were unlucky not to have scored two goals. The same player then struck a beauty of a point from the wing in the 24th minute to stretch Carrigs lead. Carrig were definitely on the up now and in control of the game. Liam O’Regan put over a free from the right hand side and the resultant kick out was won by James McCarthy who passed it to Simon O’Brien to add to Carrigaline’s tally. A short Carrigaline ’45 from Wayne Bruton found its way to James Shepherd who put over a neat point and the Carrigaline scoring for the half was finished by an easy David Drake free. Those left the half time score 0-7 to 0-2 in Carrigaline’s favour.
The second half was a tough one for the Carrig lads as they had to do a great deal of defending to keep Bishopstown at bay. By the 9th minute Bishopstown had added two more points to the score line in between a couple of Carrigaline misses. Then in the 11th minute Bishopstown were awarded a penalty and much to Carrigaline’s relief it hit the butt of the post and cleared to safety. Bishopstown kept up the pressure and added a further point in the 14th minute. Then in the 19th minute came Carrigaline’s only score of the half, a long ball into the heart of the Bishopstown defence was latched onto by David Drake he in turn found Simon O’Brien who calmly slotted the ball to the back of the Bishopstown net. This set up a terrific finish with Bishopstown coming back strongly at Carrigaline in search of the all important goal. The goal was never to come and even though Bishopstown had three points between the 22nd and 29th minutes they could not breach a strong Carrigaline defence.
Carrigaline defended very well from number fifteen back and this was the main reason they were victorious and are deserving of their place in the final which is provisionally fixed for the 25th Oct in Pairc Uí Rinn against St Michaels. Carrigaline had many excellent performers on the night and even though they had only one score in the second half they still did enough to merit reaching the final.
Team: S Mellet, T O’Connor, D Bagnall, S Noonan, S Conlon, C Barry, D Spillane, D O’Regan, J Shepherd, L O’Regan, D Drake, J McCarthy, W Bruton, S O’Brien, D O’Keeffe. Subs: S O’Halloran, A Lynch, C O’Flynn.