Annascaul 3-10 Ballymac 3-10.
Both sides played out a frenetic draw last Wednesday evening in Annascaul in the penultimate round of the County League. As a result of this result, Ballymac now know that they need to overcome Tarbert this Wednesday evening Aug 1st to reach the last four of the competition. In saying that, Ballymac have put themselves into a great position having lost their two opening games of the campaign and this revival is a testament to their true character and spirit. Ballymac, however, led a five point lead slip against Annascaul after dominating long spells of the game. Cathal Lehane at corner forward, scored a brace of goals which had the Blue n’ Gold in the driving seat with Micheál Reidy netting the other. Without the services of Jack O Shea, Ballymac had to re-jig their team with Max O Brien filling in at centre back. David Long and Robert Dowd also held the backline firm as did Sean Savage and Eoin Lyons. Tomás O Connor and Sean Doyle formed an effective partnership at mid-field while in attack Vincent Horan, Christopher Leen and Morgan Quirke were to the fore. It is a remarkable turnaround in a few short weeks for this spirited side and one would not bet against this team from reaching the semi-finals. Round 5 Fixture : Ballymac v Tarbert in Ballymac this Wednesday Aug 1st with throw-in time of 7 30pm.
Faoi 14
Castleisland District League Rd 3 Result : Ballymac 3-09 Cordal/Scart 3-06.
In a hard fought win over the combination side Ballymac have ensured themselves a semi-final spot in the U-14 League. This game was a closerun affair with Cordal/Scart proving to be a formidable side for Ballymac. With Liam O Malley, Tomás O Connor and Micheál Reidy scoring the goals, Ballymac were never led in the game despite the gallant effort of Cordal/Scart. Brian O Connor at corner forward played remarkably well as did Kevin O Connor at full-back and Robert Dowd at centre-forward. Max O Brien led his defence from centre-back with great assurance as Darragh Regan, Ross Mansfield and David Long played to their potential Captain, Eddie Rogers led by example and urged on his team to victory from the word go. Gary Horan was a revelation at corner back and Eoin O Malley covered so much ground. It was a very good team performance and we now face Castleisland Desmonds in the final round to determine the final League standings. This fixture with date and venue has yet to be finalised. And on Monday evening last, July 30th, Ballymac played Annascaul in the Central League semi-final. Result and Report in next weeks notes.
Faoi 13
County League Rd 5 Result : Gneeveguilla 4-10 Ballymac 2-13.
The old adage of ” goals win games” certainly applied to this rip-roaring contest. Played on beautiful Sunday morning last, Ballymac and G’guilla served up an entertaining contest despite the very strong breeze. Ballymac elected to play with the wind in the first half but certainly didn’t take full advantage of it as G’guilla started the more brightly, scoring 1-02 inside the opening five minutes. However, once Ballymac got into their stride, they took control with a succession of points coming from Darragh Regan, Michael Hoare, Eoin O Malley and Keelan Brosnan. Barry Lyons, playing at corner forward was on the end of a great passing move and he dispatched the ball into the back of the net to put the Blue n’ Gold into the lead. G’guilla responded with a goal of their own to put them ahead at half-time 3-05 to 1-08 with the wind at their backs for the second half. Ballymac played some fantastic possession football on the restart and drove forward at every opportunity with Darragh Regan playing a more deeper role which seemed to be paying dividends. Joshua O Keeffe and Kieran Coggins played some fine attacking football from wing-back as Cathal Dunne and Liam O Malley served as vital link men in the forwardline. With Ballymac’s second goal coming from Darragh Regan, it seemed that we might just hold on, but a late flurry from the home side saw tham steal through for a goal with 3 minutes remaining despite the brave efforts of Cillian Gallagher and Liam O Brien. Edddie Rogers with his never say die attitude tried to rescue the game but to no avail. It was another good team performance with Alusin Jah, David Rogers and full back Brian Lonergan all impressing on the day. This was the final game in the series with 2 wins and 2 losses in the campaign. Mentors Regina Coggins, Tony Silles and Gene O Keeffe are very proud of everybody’s efforts over the last six weeks or so. Well Done to all involved.
Faoi 12
Rd 1 of the Central Region League will commence this Bank Holiday evening Aug 6th with an away tie to John Mitchels, beginning at 7 pm. We also wish Dylan McHugh a member of the U-12 squad a speedy recovery after sustaining a nasty injury at training last week. Go mbeidh tú ar fónamh arís, go luath gan mhoill.
Kellogs Cúl Camps
This is the fourth consecutive year that the GAA Cúl camps have taken place at Ballymacelligott GAA grounds. With great numbers again attending this week, we hope that all the kids gain valuable experience and guidance from all the coaches as well as enjoyment and fulfilment from the Summer Camp.
Academy
The academy again took place last Sunday morning with sunshine greeting all the juveniles on a perfect morning for training. All the kids were put through their paces as Kieran Slattery, James Kenny, Jack O Connor, Maurice O Connell, Raymond Lowe and Donal Daly all impressing for the U-8 boys. Not to be outdone, the Girls also played their part with Yvonne Hurley, Sophie O Donoghue, Aoife Galvin and Ciara Palmer more than matching their male counterparts. Again, great credit is due to all the coaches and mentors who devote so much time and effort in assisting the juveniles with the development of their footballing skills. We welcome Olivia O Rahilly to the coaching staff of the U-8 Girls and she joins Siobhán Leen and Donal Rahilly to the set-up. Míle Buíochas, arís ! NOTE : Academy training will NOT take place this coming Sunday morning Aug 5th due to the Bank Holiday week-end but will resume again the following Sunday Aug 12th.
Club Merchandise
Club gear which includes Jerseys, shorts, socks, kit-bags, hoodies etc can be obtained at the Club shop every Sunday morning from 11am to 12 15pm. One can also avail of a Club voucher which can be given as the ideal gift. This voucher can then be used to purchase club gear at any time. We encourage all players to wear the club colours at the academy but this is not essential. However, when representing the club in any game we hope that all players will wear the appropriate gear.
Ciarraí v An Chlár
Well done to the Kerry team having overcome the Banner County in Rd 4 of the Qualifiers last Saturday evening. Ballymac Coiste na nÓg brought a group of juveniles to the game in Páirc nan Gael, Limerick and all enjoyed the game. Many thanks to Tony Silles, Mike Brosnan, Don Brosnan, Donal Rahilly, Jeff Riordan, Jer Lynch, Jim Leahy and Jack Culloty for accompanying the youngsters to the game.