Seniors: Churchill 5-17; Sneem/Derrynane 1-07. Churchill eased to victory in this first round promotion playoff game played in perfect conditions in Churchill on Saturday evening.
An under strength Sneem/Derrynane got off to a great start with 2 opening points, the second a well taken score from Ian Galvin, however Churchill were soon in their stride and responded with 6 points in succession, 4 coming from midfielder Chris Hurley.
It could have been worse for Sneem/Derrynane, but for some fine goal keeping from Dylan Van Daele, who produced a stunning save to deny Ger McCarthy.
Rory Galvin pulled on back for the visitors from a free, but this was followed by two super goals from Killian Fitzgerald to give Churchill an 8 point lead and kill the tie as a contest mid way through the first half. Both goals were very similar in execution as Fitzgerald ran onto ball coming from midfield and showed great power to break through tackles and finish sweetly to the net.
Churchill extended the lead with points from Fitzgerald, Mike O’Brien (2), Eoghan O’Brien and Pa McCarthy, interrupted by a solitary score from Joe Corridan. Sneem/Derrynane were then awarded a penalty, which was cooly dispatched to the net by Rory Galvin, but Chris Hurly added 2 more points for the hosts before the break to leave the half time score 2-12 to 1-05 in favour of Churchill.
Ger McCarthy burst out for the second half for Churchill and scored 2-01 within the first 6 minutes. Galvin again slotted a free for the visitors, but with Churchill able to call on fresh legs from the bench they extended their lead with points from Pa McCarthy, Oisin O’Brien and a goal from substitute Sean Mortimer.
Galvin scored another free for Sneem/Derrynane, but Chris Hurly was on hand to claim the final score of the match, and his own 7th point to leave the final scoreline of Churchill 5-17; Sneem/Derrynane 1-07.
Churchill now progress to the promotion semi final, where the winner will be assured of promotion, while Sneem/Derrynane will have to navigate the back-door route in their attempt to secure promotion.
U12: Div 1A Churchill 2-11 Laune Rangers 5-16. Final round. First and foremost congrats to Rangers on winning Div 1A second phase, but especially to our our B team who are Div 1B champions.
We were short 3 regulars but we showed our usual true character by playing to the final whistle. Team Conor O’Sullivan, Daithi Murphy, Art O’Sullivan, Ryan Hickey, Tom Quilter, Hugh Lenihan, Mark Gazi, Maurice Lenihan, Billy Doyle, Donnacha Buttimer, Noah Carroll. We rightly played Division 1 in phase 2 after being joint winners of Div 2A phase 1.
We competed with the best teams and were never found wanting so congratulations boys. Unfortunately, we never had a full team in any game of phase 2 which made it very difficult especially with our small panel. However, the club are very proud of all U12 players so stick together boys and let’s build on this year. We’ll break for a week before we get back to training for the Central league which is due to start on 16 July.
U12 Division 1B: Churchill 5-11 Laune Rangers 1-5
The Churchill B team lined out in glorious Churchill last Thursday evening knowing that a win would secure the Division 1B title.
Two of the mainstays of the B team, Donnacha and Noah were promoted to the A team for the day, due to a shortage of A team players. However, with Aaron Harty coming the opposite way and Gregory Clifford lining out after a few week’s absence, it didn’t weaken the team.
In fact, with the returning Nolan brothers also available, the team played out of their skins to secure the win and the title. Unlike previous matches where Churchill had to come from behind or score a last minute goal to secure victory, the boys led from start to finish and the result was never really in doubt.
Jack Dwyer was safe as houses in goals repelling the best that Laune Rangers could throw at him; the cousins Paddy and Michael, along with Sean Micheal and the younger Harty brother, Daire, who was a revelation in the back-line, our defence held firm all night. With Aaron and Sean Hickey (who got a bullet of a goal for the second game in a row) driving forward at every opportunity from midfield, our forwards, Cian McKenna, Alex Tuite, Cialan O’Dowd and Gregory were able to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
Our subs, Jack and Charlie Nolan and Tom Lenihan also played their part, with Tom getting the final goal with a great shot to the corner of the net. The referee John Ross, sensibly allowed plenty of water breaks during the match to ensure the kids didn’t boil over in the high temperatures.
Thanks to Laune Rangers for a very sporting game. This was a fantastic achievement from all the boys, particularly as they had struggled a little in Division 2B in Phase 1 of the competition. They certainly upped their performances and with the help of some of our U10 Academy players proved that they were not out of place in Division 1. Congrats again boys on a great win and being crowned Division 1B champions! Next up is the Central League after a few weeks’ break.
Cul Camps: Churchill will host the Kelloggs GAA Cul Camps from Monday 30th July to Friday 3rd August. The camp costs €60 for the first child, €50 for a second child and €40 for third and subsequent children.
Kellogg’s GAA Cúl Camps provide boys and girls – between the ages of 6 and 13 – with an action-packed and fun-filled week of activity during the summer holidays which revolves around maximising enjoyment and sustaining participant involvement in Gaelic Games. Activities are player-centred with a Games Based approach with a strong emphasis being placed on personal development and well-being.
Activities are also organised in an age-appropriate manner with a view to Optimising learning, Enhancing friendships, Improve physical & psychological Well-being and to Promote school and club links. For more details and to register go towww.kelloggsculcamps.gaa.ie
