The girls were placed in Division 1 of the North Kerry League for 2016. They began in early March with with a victory away to Castleisland Desmonds followed by defeat in Abbeydorney. A defeat to Austin Stacks away was followed by victory in the final group game at home to Listowel. This left the girls in the Division 1 Shield final versus Austin Stacks. The county league prelim rounds began in early April. The girls had wins over Legion, Scartaglin and Southern Gaels and defeats to Beaufort and Cromane. Following these results the girls were placed in Division 2 of the County League proper. This was a big step up for the girls but they rose to the challenge really well. They began with a great victory over Beaufort at home, then lost out to Firies following a great battle. The girls got back on track with wins over Corca Dhuine, Dr. Crokes and Beale/Ballyduff. These results meant a home semi final against Beaufort. This was always going to be a huge battle after a loss and a win against them already. What a game it turned out to be and after an incredible performance full of heart and spirit Ballymac won on a scoreline of 1-09 to 1-02. The final was against local rivals Firies. Following a long delay the game was played on 26th July (5 weeks after the semi final) in Connolly Park Tralee. The game was played on probably the worst day of the year with driving wind and rain. Firies got of to much the better start and were ahead by 12 points at half time. To Ballymac’s credit they gave it everything in the second half to eventually lose on a scoreline of Firies 4-04 to Ballymac 2-05. There was then a 2 month delay to the final of the North Kerry League. The girls played Stacks and were beaten by a very strong team who had barely lost the Div. 1 county league final a few days earlier.
So to sum up, the loss of two finals was very disappointing but when one considers that it was North Kerry Div 1 and County League Div 2 it was a fantastic achievement. These girls are the first team in the Ballymac ladies club history to appear in a Division 2 final. The team coaches Siobhan, Anthony, Ger and Mike are so proud of this wonderful bunch of girls and the future is very bright for the club going forward.
U12 Panel 2016:
Cathy Palmer, Bridget Sheehan, Emma Leen, Alyssa Leen, Eimear Curran, Lorna Daly, Grainne Galvin, Yvonne Hurley, Shona Griffin, Ciara Palmer, Ella Quirke, Roisin Raggett, Roisin Rahilly, Abbey Leahy, Niamh Lynch, Kerry Hennessy, Orla O Connor, Rachel Griffin, Kate Collins, Alexa Weiss, Rachel Creedon, Alli Tarrant, Kate Feeney, Charlotte Geary.