.
Seniors:
Round 6 saw us take on Rathmore on their home patch and in an overall disappointing display it was the locals who came out on top on a final scoreline of 1-13 to 0-12.
We had two changes from the starting XV with both Con Barrett and Diarmuid O’Sullivan sidelined resulting in Stephen Nix & Tom Hoare coming into the side – Shane Brosnan went to centre back in the reshuffle with Tom Hoare being a direct replacement for Diarmuid at midfield.
Rathmore played with the stiff breeze in the opening half and the sides were deadlocked after the first quarter at 0-03 each with David Moran and Darragh O’Connor converting frees and Conor Hayes having our only score from play in this period.
We were finding it difficult to gain a foothold around the middle as Rathmore dictated matters via Cathal Ryan & Darragh Rahilly but too often we coughed up hard won possession through a combination of errors and at times sloppiness.
Defensively we were solid with the McElligotts, Darragh and Shane and Ben Hanafin prominent.
The decisive score arrived in the 19th minute when Rathmore wing back and former Kerry minor, Brian Friel sallied up from wing back to give Shane Foley no chance with a rasping shot to the corner of the net – Rathmore quickly followed up with a point from wing forward Darragh Nagle and though Darragh and Gearóid replied with two minors, Rathmore finished the half the stronger with two points of their own to lead by 1-07 to 0-05 at the break.
We were unlucky perhaps not to get a goal of our own when David played a quick free into the arms of Conor Hayes but his shot was well smothered by the Rathmore keeper.
The second half continued in much the same vein with Rathmore keeping us at arms length and negating scores with points of their own – however we had cut the deficit to 3 points by the 18th minute with scores from Tommy (2), Shane McElligott and Barry John – 1-09 to 0-09.
However, Rathmore notched 3 of the next four points, Tommy being our only scorer in the 25th minute when firing over and Rathmore did enough in the final minutes to hold onto the points.Indeed but for an outstanding save from Shane Foley in the 20th minute, when he saved in a one on one situation, the margin would have been greater.
The final minutes saw the referee issue a straight red card to a Rathmore defender who seemed to strike out at Barry John and also a 2nd yellow for BJ who, it must be said, was the subject of much off the ball attention.
Team: Shane Foley, Jake Foley, Darragh McElligott, Stephen Nix, Shane McElligott (0-01), Shane Brosnan, Ben Hanafin, David Moran ( 0-02), Tom Hoare, Seán Walsh, Barry John Keane ( 0-01), Gearóid Dillane ( 0-01), Darragh O’Connor ( 0-03), Tommy Walsh ( 0-03), Conor Hayes ( 0-01).
Subs used: Padraig Griffin & Daniel Bowler.
Our attention now turns to round 7 when we play Gneeveguilla next Friday night ( 19th) away where throw-in is @ 19.30.
Div 6A:
Defeat was our lot on Saturday night in Strand Road when beaten by Fossa on a scoreline of 3-13 to 1-14.
Despite playing with the breeze in the first half and winning an amount of possession,we found ourselves three in arrears at the short whistle, 1-07 to 0-07.
Fossa were more economical in possession and scored some fine points through their centre forward and full forward – the crucial goal came in the 22nd minute when they broke through our defence leaving goalkeeper Rob O’Connor with no chance of saving the shot – Fossa seemed better able to exploit the space afforded by playing 13 a side and were good value for their half time lead.
The opening score of the 2nd half was a Fossa goal and a heavy defeat looked on the cards; however, with Ben O’Brien and Fenton Collins now ruling the roost at midfield, Sam Pituch in control at full back we fought our way back into the game and hit 1-05 without reply with good scores coming from Gearoid Savage (2), Seán Griffin and a superb effort from Ben O’Brien after a good passing movement; Seán Griffin then broke through and fired into the bottom corner of the net to put us ahead which was followed immediately by a point from Sam McCarthy to leave the score at 1-12 to 2-07 in our favour.
Fossa fought back and when we kicked two wides they replied with 3 quick fire points plus a goal to leave them deserving winners, 3-13 to 1-14.
This was an entertaining game played in a good spirit throughout.
Team: Rob O’Connor, Aidan Mangan, Sam Pituch, Jordan Foley, Seán Collins, Deaglán Crowe, Ben O’Brien, Fenton Collins, Seán Griffin, DJ Hanafin, Sam McCarthy, Gearóid Savage, Gearóid Meehan.
Subs used: Gavin Burrows, Joby Fitzgerald, Cody O’Shea.
U21:
St Brendans have been drawn at home to Dr Crokes in the first round of the U21 county championship. We will have a number of players on duty and wish them all the best of luck.
The match takes place on Weds night next 17th May in Blennerville with a throw in time of 7 pm – tickets must be purchased in advance on the following link https://www.universe.com/users/kerry-gaa-VLF1SR
Kerry:
Kerry will play their first game on Sat next at 3 pm when Mayo are the visitors to Killarney – Mayo have been on an upward curve since Kevin McStay has come on board and were most impressive during the national league, beating Galway in the final.
Their first round loss in the Connacht championship to Roscommon was a surprise but this promises to be a fascinating encounter given the recent history between the two sides. Tickets are available on ticketmaster.ie at a cost of €25 for terrace with all stand tickets sold out.
Kerry Minors:
Kerry were defeated in the first round of the Munster championship on Thursday night last by Cork on a scoreline of 2-12 to 0-14 points.
Tomás Kennedy was our sole representative on the side at centre forward and gave a fine display despite the loss.Eddie Lacey is a member of Wayne Quillinan’s backroom team.
As this was a preliminary game, Kerry will now take on Limerick next Thursday night 18th May in Newcastlewest @ 6.45 with the winners progressing to the Munster final which is scheduled to take place on June 2nd.
Tailteann Cup:
Congratulations to Mark Fitzgerald and his Limerick side who proved too strong for Longford in the opening round of the Tailteann Cup – Limerick ran out winners on a 2-16 to 1-16 scoreline but were full value for their win with Longford’s goal coming in injury time.
Limerick now proceed to their away game next weekend when they travel to Carlow on Sat next to play the locals – Carlow themselves were victorious on Sunday when beating Wicklow away from home by the minimum margin.
Lotto:
Our weekly lotto jackpot has now reached €7,000 with next week’s draw taking place on Monday night in the Klub.
Tickets are €2 each, 3 for €5. Tickets can be purchased at the Klub, Jimmy’s Foodstore, Betty’s Bar and Rock St PO – tickets can also be played online by scanning the QR Code which is available in all these outlets on our lotto posters.
Juveniles:
It was a busy morning for our academy on Sunday. Our U7 boys hosted Ardfert while our U8 and U10 girls travelled to Kilcummin GAA to play their first Go Games this year.
All other age groups trained as normal in Ballyrickard. We are fortunate to have so many dedicated people in our club who make all this possible for our Juveniles. And a huge thank you has to go to the parents who bring them to training and games. As they say, team work makes the dream work.
*U5 Boys: *
These boys turn up each morning to training with big smiles on their faces and even bigger smiles as soon as they have a ball in hand. They are developing their skills weekly through different drills and games. This week they joined forces with the U6 girls. Keep up the practice at home boys.
*U6 Girls: *
Great day of training on Sunday was had by all when we joined with the U5 boys in training. We all worked on our skills practising our throwing hand passing and ball control. We welcomed a new member to the team, Michelle. We hope you enjoy every minute with us. We look forward to next week’s session.
*U7 Boys: *
Our U7 Boys welcomed Ardfert GAA to Healy Park Ballyrickard Sunday morning. With both clubs having nearly thirty players each on show. Teams were divided evenly and some great skills were on show with the 4 rounds of games played. The group are improving with every session and this showed today with all 4 teams performing exceptionally. Thank you to Ardfert and we look forward to playing Ye again soon. Well done all.
*U8 Girls: *
The U8 girls had a great day out in Kilcummin Sunday morning. For some of the girls it was their first ever match and they did themselves proud. There was some lovely interplay between the midfielders which lead to the setting up of a plethora of scores.
Some fine finishing by the forwards lead to lots of points and goals. Our girls looked very comfortable on the ball. They competed very well in the 50/50 balls. A special mention has to be given to Mia for her strong kick outs. Overall it was a great performance by a fine bunch of players. Well done girls.
*U9 Boys: *
It was a busy week for our U9 boys. Tuesday evening, they made the short journey across town to play our neighbours Na Gaeil. Both teams showed some fine skills and passages of play.
Kudos to Na Gaeil for hosting and making it an enjoyable evening for all. At the academy Sunday morning all the boys welcomed newcomers Conor and Nico to the team. Next Thursday 18th May we play host to Ardfert @ 6:15pm in Ballyrickard. See you all Thursday – Keep up the practice.
*U10 Girls: *
The U10 Girls played outstanding football on Sunday morning in their first Go Games this year in kilcummin GAA from start to finish. Excellent skills on show and fantastic team work from all on the pitch leading to some lovely scores and defending. They should be very proud of themselves as their coaches were super proud of each and every one of them. Keep up the good work girls, it’s really paying off.
*U11 Boys: *
Another great training session was had by all. Developing their skills even more through fun drills and a quick game at the end against each other. These boys are showing huge improvement every week. Keep up the practice at home boys. See you all next week.
*U13 Boys: *
U13 Boys travelled by bus down to Sneem to play Sneem/Derrynane/Templenoe/Tousist for Phase 2 in the County League, where we lost on a heavy score line to a team with four clubs making the opponents too much of a challenge on the day. We are very proud of our boys and the effort they put in never giving up. We will train again Wednesday and Friday evening at 6.30pm in Ballyrickard to prepare for another away trip to Rathmore next weekend.
*U15 Boys: *
Our Division 5 County League journey came to an end on Wednesday evening. The boys put up a great fight in Tarbert and were very unlucky, Tarbert go through after extra time
Best of luck to them in the final.
We are very proud of the team’s progress so far and are eager for the team to improve further in the next competition. We anticipate that this will start in approximately 4 weeks time. Training continues Monday at 6pm in Strand Road. We will organise a couple of challenge games in the meantime.
Our Division 9 team has qualified for the shield final. We will be playing the winners of Fossa and Na Gaeil which will be played on Wednesday evening. Further details to follow in Clubzap.
Juvenile Fixtures for week beginning 15th May:
U9 Boys v Ardfert Go Games
Thursday 18th May in Ballyrickard at 6pm.
U8 Girls v Stacks Go Games
Sunday 21st May 2023 in Ballyrickard at 9.45am.
U10 Girls v Stacks Go Games
Sunday 21st May 2023 in Ballyrickard at 9.45am.
U13A Co League Div 7B Rd2 Rathmore V KOR Sunday 21st May in Rathmore at 6pm.
U13B Co League Div 11B Rd2 KOR B V Gneeveguilla B Sunday 21st May in Ballyrickard at 6pm.
We would also like to thank our main Sponsor Ballyseedy Home and Garden Centre for their continued support. Please ensure you have downloaded clubzap and assigned it to the correct age group for your child. We are using clubzap for all communication regarding your child’s team. Looking forward to seeing you all again next week.
NÓTAÍ NA mBAN:
Well done to Declan Quill and co on reaching the Munster final with Kerry following their 2-08 to 1-05 victory over Tipperary in Bansha on Sunday – they will now play Cork in the Munster final on 28th May in Mallow.
The ladies section of our club is a hive of activity and the progress and talent shown by our players is wonderful to see. We are so proud of you! We have girls teams starting from U6 to U10 in our club’s juvenile section and from U12 upwards in our ladies side of the club.
Matches and training continue apace throughout the summer months so keep an eye on our club notes and social media for upcoming fixtures and results as the foot stays firmly on the accelerator.
New players are always welcome. For more details please text or whatsapp Shirley (086) 8713552, looking forward to hearing from you and welcoming your daughter to our wonderful club.
U12 GIRLS
Ohhh that winning feeling…
Pride of place this week goes to our warriors for their amazing performance in the division 3 North Kerry shield final which is kindly sponsored by Billy Kissane.
From the throw in last Tuesday our girls went at it playing fast, free flowing football and had a comfortable lead throughout the game. Great team performance dominating every position! Well done to all and especially our newer girls who came on leaps and bounds.
Sophie Constable, our captain marshalled a lot of the play like a pro and led her team to victory and was ably assisted by every player on the team.
Many thanks to parents and supporters for coming to watch and encourage the team. Thanks to North Kerry for organising, Billy Kissane the sponsor and to Rory Kilgallen for presenting the shield.
Well done to the players and management. Super proud we are of our U12s !
We were delighted to see such a great turnout at training again last Saturday on a glorious afternoon. Lots of practice at home and coming to training regularly for all will bring this team on massively. There is huge potential in these girls.
Training continues twice weekly and we’ll let you know once the county league fixtures have been confirmed.
There will be a team bonding session coming up over the next few weeks..more details to follow nearer the day!
CUMANN NA mBUNSCOL
The success continues…this time it’s the 5th and 6th class students from Scoil Eoin who are now through to the Cumann Na mBunscol final.
Congrats to Scoil Eoin on their win and it’s great to see our club players involved with the team… Allie, Ellie Marie, Emma, Jessie, Kelly, Lexi, Meabh and Rachael.
Comhghairdeas !
U14 GIRLS
Previously in last year’s league campaign, Na Gaeil had kept our ladies at arm’s length in a home fixture for them. We had a turnaround last Thursday evening away again to Na Gaeil as we finished our division 4 campaign with a comfortable victory.
With a number of players unavailable those who took to the field were tuned in from the first ball, building up a lead from throw in.
Our girls were on top in most sectors throughout the game . We had an incredibly tenacious defence and most of our forwards got on the scoresheet. We completely dominated the match and management brought on the full complement of subs.
A warm welcome to Sorcha!
After last Thursday’s match in the NCP league we have played all of our rounds . Where will we play our league final and who will it be against..
Hoping that we will be capping off a tremendous NCP league on Sunday, May 21st.
U16 GIRLS
A little break in the county league for this age group as many are preparing for their junior cert exams.
The other matches in this competition are set to recommence on June 28th (tbc). Just in case you’re wondering who we are playing in the other matches , wonder no more..
For our next game we are away to Laune Rangers and on July 19th (tbc) when we host Kilcummin.
MINOR LADIES
These ladies have two back games to play and are looking forward to taking to the field again shortly.
Training continues twice a week.
SENIOR LADIES
It is still early days of the Donal Curtin Cup campaign and after putting in a sturdy performance in the last two rounds , Strand Road will be looking to put their best foot forward against Fossa on Monday evening.
As always we’re looking forward to our supporters stepping to the fore and cheering on our young ladies. There has never been much between these two teams over the years so we’re anticipating this being a great match.
Throw in time is set for 7.15p.m. in Fossa on Monday, May 15th.
Ádh mór a chailíní!
CONGRATS
Well done to Mike Quirke who officially handed over the proceeds from his last podcast series to Recovery Haven.
DONAL WALSH
Ten years ago we said goodbye to a legend, Donal Walsh. Donal, only a teenager himself left a legacy which still lives on throughout the country.
Many of our TY students in town travelled to Knock last Thursday to mark the passing of Donal on his tenth anniversary. We had wonderful feedback from our ladies in our club who attended saying that it was an amazing, inspiring, emotional and heart warming experience.
Many thanks to Elma, Fionnbar, Jema and Aidan O’ Mahony for speaking on the day.
Remember , “Take time, a door will open.”
CONDOLENCES
We in Strand Road express our deep sadness on the passing of Helen Foley, ( née Kissane) , Blennerville and Strand Road.
Helen’s family, including her late Dad John, club secretary for many years and trainer of the great Strand Road team of the 50s, along with her brothers Seán, former club chairman, and Billy have had a lifetime of association with our club.
Sincere condolences to the Foley and Kissane families and friends. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hAnam.
Our condolences also to the families and friends of Werner Heinrich, Tommy O’ Toole and Dolly Lawlor. May their souls rest in peace.
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