St. Mary's Notes May 13th 2012 Sponsored cycle St Marys are running a sponsored cycle ‘The Warriors Cycle Challenge’ on Sunday 2nd June. There are cycle routes for all ages with Adults starting at 1pm and Children at 2pm from the Parish Hall with food and refreshments afterwards. That night there will be a raffle and entertainment. €15 entry for a single adult or family on any size. Sponsorship cards available. For more details contact Robbie 087 9382398 or Ernest 087 2571760, Come for a great family day out in support of your local club. Adult News St Marys travelled to Rosemount on Tuesday 8th May to play the home team in a Division 6 league game. Fielding a skeleton team, St Marys nevertheless turned in a great performance to run out convincing winners on a score of 2-13 to 1-7. The following Friday 11th May the Division 7 team made the trip to Streamstown. Again tight for numbers, St Marys held a one point lead with time almost up when a wondrous point drew the game for St Josephs to cap a hugely enjoyable match. Final Score St Marys 1-10, St Josephs 0-13. Next up for the club is the first round of the Junior Championship on May 27th. Underage Our 14s Played two games in the last couple of weeks. Firstly on 27th April St Marys travelled to Ballynacargy and after a poor start they gradually took control and eventually ran out worthy winners. Next up was a home game against Multyfarnham on Thursday 10th May. Again St Marys were the victors after a less than wholly convincing performance. Their next match against the unbeaten St Lomans should be a cracker. Our U16s continued on their winning ways on Monday 7th May with a home win against Caulry. In wet and murky conditions mistakes were commonplace and after building up a 9 point lead, St Marys almost let the game slip with the concession of two late goals. However they held on to win by 3 points but will have to smarten up in future games. The Minors travelled to Springfield to take on Mullingar Shamrocks on Thursday 3rd May. St Marys battled well in the first half and were unfortunate to be 2 points in arrears at half-time. The second half wasn’t so good for St Marys as Shamrocks got a grip on the game and ran out winners by 6 points. Had St Marys took their chances however a closer result would have ensued. Intermediate Football Champuionship St Marys made their debut in this years Championship when taking on CFCW in Kinnegad on Sunday 22nd April. Having lost twice last year to the eventual finalists, St Marys were under no illusions in this game. St Marys were first off the mark with a point from Eddie Alford but were kept honest by CFCW. St Marys next point was scored by Eoin Gorman but 2 from the opposition pushed them a point clear in a very tight opening half. St Marys then worked their way through for Gorman to rattle the net and Colin Gavin finished proceedings off with a pointed free to leave St Marys leading 1-03 to 0-03 at the break. CFCW came out flying in the second half and netted with their first possession. Gorman restored the lead with a point before CFCW goaled again. Gorman again responded with a point to leave 2 points in it. In the 10th minute CFCW again found the St Marys net and it looked ominous for the Bridgemen as they were struggling to cope with the long ball. St Marys reorganised and worked up some momentum. A foray upfield from Joe Bradley produced a point before a mistake from CFCW was pounced upon by Ciaran Geraghty who finished superbly to tie up the game. Colin Gavin then struck another free sweetly over the bar to give The Bridge an unlikely lead and in the last attack of the game CFCW won a free which they converted to draw the game. A fair result then for both teams as they both had to contend with the dificult conditions. Final Score; St Marys 2-07 CFCW 3-04. St Marys Team; Declan Hogan, Cathal Coyle, Michael Geraghty, Dwayne Leavy, Dermot Judge, Paul Carey, Joe Bradley(0-1), Ray O’Sullivan, Damien Gavin, Eddie Alford(0-1), Colin Gavin(0-2), Tommy Geraghty, Eoin Gorman(1-3), Alan Gavin, Ciaran Geraghty(1-0),Joe Guiden, James Neale, Adam Nolan. U16 League St Marys journeyed to Shandonagh on Sunday evening 22nd April to play in the 3rd round of the league. Games between these sides have been very close in the last couple of years and this one was to prove to be no exception. On a sodden pitch St Marys were first out of the blocks and created several chances before Brandon Darcy converted a free. Shandonagh came more into the game and notched 2 points to take the lead. Then a speculative effort found its way to the St Marys net and the visitors looked to be in trouble. However points from Saya Nxumalo(2), Jack Reid and Darcy brought the scores level. Shandonagh tagged on a free to go into the break a point up. Halftime score: St Marys 0-05, Shandonagh 1-03. St Marys upped the tempo after the break and early points from Hugh Lyster and Darcy(2) put St Marys 2 points up. Again Shandonagh refused to buckle and knocked over 2 more points to level it again. Cathal Moran finished off a great move with a fine point before Lyster got on the end of a Jack Reid lob to fist a crucial goal and open a 4 point gap. Shandonagh threw the kitchen sink at St Marys after that but an outstanding defensive performance limited them to one more point while at the other end Reid tagged on the insurance point as St Marys ran out 4 point winners at the end of a tough contest. Result; St Marys 1-10, Shandonagh 1-06. Team; Mattie Bradley, Ryan Delaney, Ryan Gavin, Andrew Bollard, Sam Plant, Eoghan O’Malley, Peter Lalor, Adam Kavanagh, Hugh Lyster(1-1), Saya Nxumalo(0-2), Brandon Darcy(0-4), Cathal Moran (0-1), Jack Reid(0-2), Josh Byrne, Francis Duffy, Karl Wilson, Jamie Rooney, Sean Lyster, Liam Metcalfe, Steven Lynch, Anthony Brady, Sean Downey, Fionn Daly. U12 League St Mary’s Rochfortbridge U12’s played their second league game of the season against St Malachys last Wednesday. The home side got off to a good start and played some very good football and were rewarded with an early goal. Unfortunately the team tired in the second half and conceded some sloppy goals. St Malachys eventually won by 6 points after a tough game. Their next game is against Tyrrellspass. The players are showing signs of progress and are asked to continue training every Friday at 6 pm. Team: J Bradley; P Carroll, N Byrne, D Grenham; K Ahearn, C Akinbami , J Evans; B Kinsella, J Ajani, E Ryan O’Connor. O Rowden, B Arthur S Whelehan, D Brunton, C Delaney. St. Mary's Notes 26th March 2012 U16 League Div 2 St Marys travelled to Streamstown to Play Kilbeggan/St Josephs in the first round of the league on Thursday 29th March. The locals were fast out of the blocks and had a goal scored in the first couple of minutes. St Marys got on the board with a Brandon Darcy point which was soon negated by one for the opposition. Peter Lawlor then showed the forwards how it was done with a well worked point which was followed by a Darcy goal. Kilbeggan/St josephs notched another point to tie it up but points from Francis Duffy, Darcy, Cathal Moran and Saya Nxumalo pushed St Marys four in front before the home side registered another point. At this stage Kilbeggan /St Josephs were awarded a penalty which was brilliantly saved by Mattie Bradley and cleared by the incoming defence.Moran and Nxumalo added points to leave St Marys leading by 1-08 to 1-03 at half time. Early points from Darcy and Duffy extended the lead to 7 points but a purple patch for the homesters which yielded 1-02 brought it back to a 2 point match. In a good attack St Marys were given a penalty which was coolly despatched by Adam Kavanagh. Kilbeggan /St Josephs came back strongly to kick over four points in a row to leave St Marys one point ahead with 10 minutes to go. However a strong finish from the team in green produced 4 unanswered points, 3 from Darcy and one from Moran to give St Marys a 5 point win and a good start to their league campaign. Final Score; St Marys 2-14, Kilbeggan/St Josephs 2-09. St Marys squad; Mattie Bradley, Ryan Delaney, Ryan Gavin, Fionn Daly, Peter Lalor, Sam Plant, Brandon Darcy, Adam Kavanagh, Hugh Lyster, Jack Reid, Saya Nxumalo, Jamie Rooney, Francis Duffy, Eoghan O’Malley, Cathal Moran, Andrew Bollard, Joshua Byrne, sean Lyster. ACFL Div 2 St Marys, seeking their third brace of league points on the trot, made the short journey to neighbours Milltownpass on Sunday 1st April. As always, passions were high for this local derby where previous form usually goes out the window. St Marys were the first to draw blood with a point from Robbie Kenny. The same player doubled the tally from a free shortly after before the home side replied also from a free. Kenny then scored his third point but was injured in the process and was replaced by Niall Cully. Cully soon made his mark finishing off a good move to give St Marys a 3 point lead. The next four scores were from frees, 3 to Milltownpass and one for St Marys from Eoin Gorman to leave St Marys leading 0-5 to 0-4 at the break. Milltownpass began the second half in whirlwind fashion scoring 1-02 in the first 5 minutes to take a 4 point lead and seemingly knock the steam out of St Marys. However inspired by a resurgent Damien Gavin St Marys took the initiative and 2 points from Gorman and one from Gavin brought it back to one point. Then following a great move, Cully was on hand to shoot to the net for St Marys. Four more points followed for St Marys, 2 from Gorman and one apiece from Colin Gavin and Aidan Fallon, to put St Marys 6 points clear. It looked to be over but a flourish from Milltownpass which produced 1-1 ensured a nervy last couple of minutes for St Marys, but they held firm and came away with the all important 2 points. Final Score; St Marys 1-12, Milltownpass 2-07 St Marys team; Deven Whitstun, Cathal Coyle, Mickey Geraghty, Dermot Judge, Paul Carey, Dwayne Leavy, Joe Bradley, Colin Gavin(0-1), Damien Gavin(0-1), Eddie Alford, Ray O’Sullivan, Tommy Geraghty, Eoin Gorman(0-5), Robbie Kenny(0-3), Ciaran Geraghty, Niall Cully(1-1), Aidan Fallon(0-1), Adam Nolan, David Cleary. Minor League Div 1 The minors entertained Coralstown/Kinnegad in Rochfortbridge on Sunday evening 1st April. Both teams were missing a few regulars. St Marys got off to the better start and dominated the possession stakes and had 4 points on the board before the visitors opened their account. It was even enough for the rest of the half as St Marys held a 2 point lead at half time. St Marys pointed first upon the resumption and even though Coralstown/Kinnegad kept plugging away, St Marys managed to keep a few points ahead through a combination of good defensive work and some cool finishing. Had the players brought their scoring boots with them they could have been out of sight well before the end but as it was they had to rely on some great defending to see the game out. In the finish St Marys were winners by 4 points and thus chalked up their first points in the league. Final Score; St Marys 0-11, Coralstown/Kinnegad 0-07. Team; Corey Gavin, Ryan Gavin(0-1), Brian O’Sullivan, Cathal Taylor, Eoghan O’Malley, Paddy Geraghty, Adam Kavanagh, Hugh Lyster(0-1), Glen O’Reilly, Martin Daly(0-3), Gary Morgan(0-2), Brandon Darcy(0-1), Ian Keelan, Sam Plant(0-1), Jack Reid(0-2), Luke Gallagher, Lenny Gavin, Ciaran Whitstun, Saya Nxumalo, Rory O’Flaherty, Paul Metcalfe, Josh Byrne. New Jersies The Under 8 squad were presented with a new set of jersies on Saturday 31st March. These were kindly sponsored by Kevin and Mairead Hyland of Dunaree Childcare and the players were delighted with the smart new kit. Here’s hoping they all have a successful year ahead of them. St. Mary's Notes 19th March 2012 U16 Leinster League The u16s were busy over the last few days playing two matches in the Leinster League. Firstly on Tuesday 13th March they made the trek to Cortown, County Meath to play St Cuthberts, an underage amalgamation of two senior clubs, St Ultans and Cortown. Slightly understrength on the night, St Marys struggled early in this game but fought their way back to establish a healthy lead and midway through the second half were really dictating matters. They then allowed St Cuthberts to whittle away the lead slowly and the match ended up a draw which few could quibble with Many thanks to St Cuthberts for their hospitality on the night. Next on Saturday 17th March, Bray Emmets were the visitors to Rochfortbridge for a 10.30am throw-in. The visitors were first out of the blocks and set a high tempo which pinned St Marys in their own half of the field for much of the first half and they held a commanding lead at the break. Things improved considerably for St Marys in the second half but the deficit proved too great a hurdle to get over and the Bray boys took the honours on the day. Thus ended St Marys interest in this competition but it proved to be great preparation for the upcoming league campaign. ACFL Div 6 On Sunday morning 18th March, Kilbeggan came calling in round 2 of the league. In a game which St Marys dominated, they somehow stuttered to victory as the visitors put up a stubborn defence and the home team produced an error-riddled performance. Despite dominating possession, all St Marys had to show at the break was a 4 point lead. Kilbeggan reduced the arrears to 3 points shortly after the restart but thereafter it was all St Marys as they scored 5 more points to run out comfortable, if not totally convincing, winners. There’s a lot more to this team than this performance showed and hopefully we’ll get to see it in future games. Final score; St Marys 1-09, Kilbeggan 0-04. Team; Deven Whitstun, Cathal Coyle, Dermot Judge, Tommy Conroy,Joe Bradley, Aidan Fallon, Kienan Gill, James Neale(0-1), Tommy Geraghty, Eddie Alford(0-1), Lenny Gavin(0-1), Joe Guiden, Niall Cully(0-4), Ian Cunningham(1-2), Gordon O’Sullivan, Brendan Cocoman, Dean Darcy Minor League Div 1 On Sunday 18th March St Lomans travelled to Rochfortbridge to play St Marys in the league. Fielding a stronger team than the previous week against Killucan, St Marys were still up against it as St Lomans had a big win under their belts already. St Lomans started the stronger and had 3 points on the board before St Marys registered their first point. St Marys were contesting every ball and working some good shooting positions but the finishing was poor and the visitors scored three more points to St Marys one to hold a 4 point cushion at the break. Whatever was said at half-time seemed to have the desired effect on St Marys as they tore into St Lomans and reduced the gap to a single point. St Lomans remained dangerous and on one of their raids they goaled to reopen the 4 point gap. St Marys pointed again, but a purple patch yielded 1-03 for St Lomans to establish a 9 point lead. Then St Marys really started to play with gusto, taking the game to their opponents and reducing the gap to 3 points but alas the final whistle came too soon for St Marys. However on their second outing of the year this team has shown the football they are capable of playing and with a few more players to come back into the reckoning they should have an interesting season. Final score; St Marys 1-09, St Lomans 2-09. Team; Corey Gavin, Ryan Gavin(0-1), Paddy Geraghty, Cathal Taylor, Brandon Darcy, Gary Morgan, Eoghan O’Malley, Brian O’Sullivan(0-3), Luke Gallagher(0-1), Paul Metcalfe(0-1), Lenny Gavin, Martin Daly, Jack Reid(1-1), Hugh Lyster, Ian Keelan(0-1), Joshua Byrne, Ciaran Whitstun, Aaron Henry, Sam Plant(0-1) ACFL Div 7 On Monday 19th March St Marys hosted Ballinagore in the first game of this competition. Fielding a team comprising of saplings with a sprinkling of hardy annuals, St Marys dominated this game and were full value for their win. There wasn’t a foul stroke in the game which was hugely entertaining. Final Score; St Marys 1-17, Ballinagore 1-02. Team: Brendan Cocoman, Cathal Coyle, Colm Conroy, Tommy Conroy, Kienan Gill, Aidan Fallon, David Conroy, Brian O’Sullivan, Luke Gallagher, Gordon O’Sullivan, Ian Cunningham, Aaron Byrne, Ian Hyland, Matthew Cunningha, Niall Cully, Deven Whitstun, Ken Berry, Barry Pierce, Ken Gunning. Feile All roads led to Garrycastle on Monday 19th March for the first phase of the 2012 Feile. The teams taking part in this group were Garrycastle, The Downs and St Marys. First up was St Marys v Garrycastle. Despite a disjointed enough display, St Marys won this game comprehensively. Next up was The Downs v Garrycastle with The Downs winning well. So it was down to the last game where the winners of St Marys v The Downs would go through to the next round. Again St Marys were out of sorts in the first half and went into the break 2 points down. The second half was a bit better for St Marys but they couldn’t close the gap and The Downs were victorious by 2 points thus reversing the result of their previous league encounter. Well done to them and hopefully they’ll progress further in this competition. As for St Marys it’s back to the drawing board and a lot of work will have to be done on the training ground to get the show back on track. Good Luck St Marys says well done to Garrycastle on St Patricks Day as they produced a tremendous performance to draw the All-Ireland Club Final against Crossmaglen. With a bit of luck they could have clinched the title but at least they have the opportunity to have another crack at it. We again wish them the best of luck and are sure they will do themselves and the county proud again. St. Joseph's, Rochfortbridge will face St. Mary's, Belfast in the All-Ireland Colleges SHC 'B' final on March 24. We wish them all the best also as they seek to create yet another piece of history. Training Training for U6, U8, U10 and U12 recommences on Saturday 24th March @ 10 am. Again any new players are welcome and can register on the day. Fixtures Sunday 01/04/2012; ACFL Div 2; St Marys v Milltownpass in Milltownpass @ 11 am St. Mary's Notes 12th March 2012 U14 LeagueU14 League Div 1a Great rivals The Downs came to Rochfortbridge on Saturday 10th March for round 2 of the league. Following a big win in their first game St Marys knew this would be a big test for them. St Marys played with the breeze in the opening half and were soon into their stride with Anthony Brady and Jack Hall registering early points. Then things really swung St Marys way as first Pauli Carpenter, then Sean Lyster followed by Aidan Robinson goaled to give the home team an 11 point lead. At this stage St Marys defence parted like The Red Sea as they allowed The Downs through for 2 quick goals. Robinson then goaled again but The Downs not to be outdone replied with a pointed free and another goal to leave 4 points in it at the break.Half time; St Marys 4-02, The Downs 3-01. An early point from Lyster seemed to settle St Marys as they sought to reassert their earlier dominance, but it was the visitors who upped their game and 2 softish goals gave them a 1 point lead. St Marys attacked relentlessly but poor shooting and decision making meant many opportunities went abegging. A long ball in was spilled by The Downs defence and Lyster was on hand to finish to the net to put St Marys ahead once more. Still The Downs wouldn’t give in and they bagged yet another goal to reclaim the lead. Nerves were getting frayed at this stage when up popped Robinson to poke the ball home from a tight angle as St Marys led by 2 points again. Time was running out as The Downs sought to claim the win but a stubborn defence allied to a brilliant save from Jordan Ajani saw St Marys across the line in a ding-dong battle. Final score; St Marys 6-03, The Downs 6-01. St Marys Team; Luke McManus, Eddie Whelehan, Ned Cully, Sean Downey, Jerry Byrne, Mark Hyland, Jamie Rooney, Francis Duffy, Sean Lyster(2-1), Adam Bradley, Matthew Rowden, Pauli Carpenter(1-0), Jack Hall(0-1), Anthony Brady(0-1), Aidan Robinson, Jordan Ajani, Cathal Jessop, Enda Cully, Daibhin Colgan Sam Stapleton ACFL Div 2 St Marys hosted Caulry in round 3 of the league on Sunday 11th March. With both teams anxious to claim the points, the scene was set for a close battle. Caulry were first off the mark with a pointed free as every ball was being keenly contested. A centre from Tommy Geraghty was met by Alan Gavin who crashed the ball to the net and this was followed by an Eoin Gorman point to leave St Marys leading by 3. St Marys opened up the Caulry defence repeatedly but were wasteful and it was the visitors who outscored the home team for the remainder of the half as St Marys held a 1 point advantage at half-time on a score of 1-03 to 0-05. In a very tight second half scored were in scarce supply as both teams battled to get the upper hand. Caulry pulled the game back to a draw (1-05 to 0-08) with 15 minutes to go and the game was in the melting pot. St Marys managed to find another gear and resolute defending kept the visitors at bay for the remainder of the match as the forwards tagged on 4 crucial points to give St Marys the points on a 1-09 to 0-08 scoreline. While the result was important, some aspects of the performance were underwhelming and the team will have to be more clinical in future games. Team; James Neale, Cathal Coyle, Michael Geraghty, Dermot Judge, Adam Nolan, Dwayne Leavy, Joe Bradley, Ray O’Sullivan, Damien Gavin, Alan Gavin(1-0), Robbie Kenny(0-1), Tommy Geraghty, Eoin Gorman(0-2), Eddie Alford(0-1), Ciaran Geraghty(0-5), Deven Whitstun, Aidan Fallon, Tommy Conroy, Brian O’Sullivan, Ian Cunningham’ Dean Darcy, Niall Cully. Minor league Div 1 Rathwire was the venue for St Marys first game of the year as a severely depleted team took on a well depleted Killucan team. The first half was riddled with mistakes as both sides exhibited rustiness and shooting was wayward to say the least. Points from Paul Metcalfe, Brian O’Sullivan and Ian Keelan left St Marys one point behind at the break 0-03 to 0-04. Killucan claimed the first 2 points of the 2nd half to lead by 3 when Hugh Lyster latched on to an O’Sullivan pass to rifle the ball home and even things up.Killucan added two more points but a burst of 3 points , one from Keelin and 2 from Ian Hyland gave St Marys a slender 1 point lead. Then disaster struck as Killucan scored 2-01 in a 5 minute spell to lead by 6 points. St Marys didn’t throw in the towel but added 3 more points from two Hyland frees and an excellent long range effort from Ryan Gavin. However time ran out for them and Killucan took the spoils on a 2-09 to 1-09 scoreline. Great credit is due to the St Marys team who overcame huge obstacles to turn in a most noteworthy performance. Team; Eoghan O’Malley, Ryan Gavin(0-1), Adam Kavanagh, Cathal Taylor, Ciaran Whitstun, Luke Gallagher, Dean Gavin, Brian O’Sullivan(0-1), Glen O’Reilly, Ian Keelan(0-2), lenny Gavin, Paul Metcalfe(0-1),Hugh Lyster(1-0), Ian Hyland(0-4), Joshua Byrne, Rory O’Flaherty, Richie Harris. Lotto Lotto draw took place on Friday 9th March in Wallaces. The numbers drawn were 3, 15, 27 and 29. There was no jackpot winner and 1 Match 3 winners who receives €300. He was William c/o Post Office. Next weeks draw is in Bagnalls for a jackpot of €6800. Good Luck St Marys extends its best wishes to Garrycastle on St Patricks Day as they attempt to write a bit of history and win the All-Ireland Club Football title. All of Westmeath will be behind them on the day. St. Joseph's, Rochfortbridge will face St. Mary's, Belfast in the All-Ireland Colleges SHC 'B' final on March 24. We wish them all the best also as they seek to create yet another piece of history.
St. Mary's Notes 5th March 2012 St Marys played Mullingar Shamrocks in Springfield on Saturday 3rd March. In a disappointingly one-sided game St Marys were never troubled and recorded a convincing win against brave opposition. Next up is The Downs and we expect a strong challenge from them. Panel; Cormac Dunne, Aidan Robinson, Eddie Whelehan, Sean Downey, Jerry Byrne, Mark Hyland, Jamie Rooney, Francis Duffy, Matthew Rowden, Pauli Carpenter, Eoin Fallon, Adam Bradley, Cathal Jessop, Jack Hall, Enda Cully, Luke McManus, Daibhin Colgan , ' Anthony Brady, Sean Lyster St Josephs Well done to St Josephs Rochfortbridge who were victorious in the All Ireland Colleges B semi final on Saturday against Mercy College Woodford Co Galway. This was a tremendous win and hopefully these lads can take the final step in their epic journey. Hard Luck St Marys Rince Foirne team competed in the Leinster semi-final of Scor Sinsir on Sunday 4th March in The Downs. Unfortunately on the day they narrowly failed to qualify for the Leinster final. However we are extremely proud of their achievement in winning the Westmeath title and are sure they'll be back for another crack next year. Lotto Lotto draw took place on Friday 2nd March in Lysters. The numbers drawn were 5,15,24 and 28. There was no jackpot winner and 4 Match 3 winners who each receive €75. They were Hubert Doran, Seamus Lynam, Mick Ryan and Sil Harte. Sellers were Coynes XL, Wallaces, The Hair Salon and Sean Kennedy. Next weeks draw is in Wallaces for a jackpot of €6600. Juvenile training Training for u6, u8, u10 and u12 continues every Saturday from 10 am to 11 am. Anyone not registered already can register on the day. Fixtures Saturday 10th March; U14 League Div 1A; St Marys v The Downs in Rochfortbridge @ 2.30 pm Saturday 10th March; U 16 Leinster League; St Marys v St Cuthberts/Bohermeen in Bohermeen @ 4pm Sunday 11th March; ACFL Div 2; St Marys v Caulry in Rochfortbridge @ 11.30 am Sunday 11th March; Minor League Div 1; St Marys v Killucan in Killucan @ 2.30 pm County Champions Congratulations to St Marys Rince Foirne team who took the honours in the Westmeath Scor finals in The Downs on Saturday 25th February thus annexing the title at their first attempt. Great credit is due to Kevin Lyster and his team as they gave a polished performance on the night and now go forward to represent Westmeath in the Leinster semi-final. The team that did St Marys proud was; Kevin Lyster, Angela Bradley, Gemma Gorman,, Theresa Jackson, Sarah-Jane Curran, Mark McMahon, Celine Colgan-Murphy and Marilyn Loran. Good luck to them as they seek to progress further in Leinster. ACFL Div 6 St Mary Rochfortbridge won their opening game of the Division 6 league after they defeated Coralstown/Kinnegad by 2 points. St Marys, who were at home, got off to a sluggish start and were soon 3 points behind as Kinnegad looked set to dominate. However St Mary's influence began to grow around midfield and good tackling in the forwards led to opportunist scores by Niall Cully and Tom Geraghty. Ian Cunningham added a free before Eddie Alford gave the home side the lead for the first time. St Marys then blitzed Coralstown/Kinnegad for two goals. The first came after a speculative high ball into the Coralstown/Kinnegad goalmouth where Aaron Byrne broke the ball to himself before dummying one defender and coolly slotting the ball into the bottom corner. Just a minute later Aidan Fallon blitzed through the visiting side's defence before finding Byrne whose shot from 15 metres looped over the head of the keeper and into the corner of the net. Kinnegad responded with two points to end the first half and almost netted a goal of their own but for a good save on the line by Devon Whitson. St Marys led by 2-06 to 0-5 at half-time. Corlastown/Kinnegad started the second half much like they did the first and scored their own goal after a very soft penalty decision. However the St Mary's defence held out strongly for the remainder of the second half with the visiting side resorting to long range efforts on goals. Two late frees closed the gap but St Marys did enough to close out the game, despite only scoring three points in the second half and squandering a host of good chances, on a score line of St Mary's Rochfortbridge 2-09 Corlastown Kinnegad 1-10. Team: D Whitson; C Coyle, D Mulligan, T Conroy; A Fallon(0-1) , B O'Sullivan, J Bradley; D Judge, T Geraghty(0-1) ; E Alford (0-2), D Cleary (0-1), G O'Sullivan; N Cully(0-2), I Cunningham(0-2), A Byrne(2-0). Subs Used: J Guiden, A Cunningham, D Darcy. Lotto The Lotto draw took place in Bagnalls on Friday 24th February for a jackpot of €6200. The numbers drawn were 6,8,17 and 19. There was no jackpot winner and 6 match 3 winners who each receive €50. They were Ger Kenny, Ann Keegan, Jean Doyle, Zita Curley, Mary Ahearn and Brian Milmoe. Sellers were G Kenny, A Gavin, PO, JJ Leavy (2) and E McCarthy. Next weeks draw in Lysters for a jackpot of €6400. Registration A large crowd attended our registration night on Friday 24th February with plenty of new faces present. If the enthusiasm of the young players is anything to go by we're in for an exciting year indeed. Under 8s and 10s Training begins on Saturday 3rd March from 10 am to 11 am and each Saturday thereafter. Anyone who couldn't register on Friday night last can do so next Saturday at training. Fixtures Sat 3rd March; U14 League Div 1; St Marys v Mullingar Shamrocks in Springfield @ 2.30 pm Sat 3rd March; U16 Leinster League; St Marys v Confey(Leixlip) in Rochfortbridge @ 4pm St. Mary's Notes 19th Feb 2012
ACFL Div2 St Marys played their second game of the league on Sunday 19th February when Rosemount were the visitors to Rochfortbridge. This game also counted as the first round of the Intermediate Cup so there was plenty to play for as St Marys sought to put the disappointment of the Shandonagh loss behind them. The first 20 minutes of the game were even enough as St Marys held a one point advantage but a spell of three unanswered points left St Marys with a 4 point cushion at the break. Robbie Kenny(3), Ciaran Geraghty(3) and Eoin Gorman (1) pointed for St Marys in the first half. Scores were at a premium in the second half as both defences were on top. Rosemount notched the first score which was soon cancelled out by a Ciaran Geraghty point. Next a flowing move ended up with Ciaran Geraghty being brought down by the Rosemount goalie with the ensuing penalty from Eoin Gorman coming back off the post and the follow up going narrowly wide. Soon after another great move saw Gorman played in and this time he made no mistake to give St Marys a seven point cushion and effectively secure the points. Rosemount pointed twice more but sandwiched between them was an exquisite point from Gorman on the right wing. With time almost up a fantastic sweeping move culminated with Geraghty finishing clinically to give St Marys a winning margin of 9 points. This was the tonic St Marys needed after the previous week's disappointment and a strong defensive display laid the groundwork for a set of forwards who worked hard to conjure the scores. Hopefully they will kick on from here. Final Score; St Marys 2-09, Rosemount 0-06. Team; Deven Whitstun, Cathal Coyle, Michael Geraghty, Dermot Judge, Joe Bradley, Dwayne Leavy, Adam Nolan, Damien Gavin, Ray O'Sullivan, Alan Gavin, Robbie Kenny(0-3), Tommy Geraghty, Eoin Gorman(1-2), Ciaran Geraghty(1-4). Subs Used; Joe Guiden, Eddie Alford, James Neale. Lotto The Lotto was held on Friday 17th February in Wallaces for a Jackpot of €6000. The numbers drawn were 10,12,14,26. There was no Jackpot winner and 4 Match 3 winners who each receive €75. They were Post office Staff, Geraldine White, Michelle Monaghan and Shauna Jones. Sellers were Post Office, E McCarthy, P Whelehan and J J Leavy. Next weeks draw in Bagnalls on Friday 24th February for a jackpot of €6200. Registration Juvenile registration will take place on Friday 24th February at 7 pm in the Parish Hall. As a new season beckons all juvenile players are encouraged to come along and register on the evening. This is very important from an insurance perspective but it also gives players and mentors the chance to get acquainted. New players are especially welcome. Membership All Memberships are now due. Over 18s is €20, Family membership is €50 and under 18s cost €10. Contact Tommy Colgan(0872231848) or Tony Gallagher(0872617359) Well done Our congratulations go to Garrycastle who did themselves and the county proud by defeating local rivals St Brigids to advance to the All-Ireland Club final on St Patricks Day in Croke Park. Hopefully as many supporters as possible will travel to support Garrycastle as they attempt to create more history Fixtures Saturday 25th February; ACFL Div 6; St Marys v Coralstown/Kinnegad in Rochfortbridge @ 3.30 pm Sunday 26th February; Minor League Div 1; St Marys v Moate in Moate @ 11 am St. Mary's Notes 13th Feb 2012 Registration Juvenile registration will take place on Friday 24th February at 7 pm. As a new season beckons all juvenile players are encouraged to come along and register on the evening. This is very important from an insurance perspective but it also gives players and mentors the chance to get acquainted. New players are especially welcome. ACFL Div 2 On Saturday 11th February St Mary's Rochfortbridge began their Division 2 league campaign with a disappointing 2 point defeat away to Shandonagh despite dominating most of the game. It was a game that St Marys should have won as they twice led by four points but they eventually conceded a sloppy goal in the last five minutes which earned Shandonagh victory. The game started brightly for St Marys as they kicked four unanswered points at the start of the match with the full forward line of Robbie Kenny, Eoin Gorman and Kieran Geraghty causing the home team all sorts of trouble with their pace and movement. Shandonagh then began to dominate around the middle of the field and they slowly dragged themselves back into the game courtesy of some accurate free taking. Indeed the sides entered half time with the scores level on 0-04 apiece with all of Shandongh's scores coming from frees. St Mary's dominated the opening minutes of the second half but were unable to convert some good scoring chances. The quick ball into the full forward line was causing trouble for the home defence but St Marys kicked 5 wides in succession. Shandonagh capitalised on this by extending their lead to three points when they blasted home a goal after some sloppy defending from St Mary's. However St Marys then had a golden spell in the game when they kicked 1-04 without response. Eoin Gorman got the St Marys goal after a great turn and catch from a Robbie Kenny pass. Shandonagh closed the gap to 2 points with another free and their first and only point from play before they scored a last gasp goal after a high ball caused confusion in the St Marys defence. With St Marys pressing for an equaliser Shandonagh added a final free to leave the final score Shandonagh 2-07 St Marys Rochfortbridge 1-08. Team: D Whitson; D Judge, M Geraghty, A Nolan; J Bradley, P Carey, D Leavy; D Gavin, A Gavin; E Alford, D Cleary, L Poynton, R Kenny, E Gorman, K Geraghty. Subs used J Guiden. Lotto Lotto results Friday 10th February. Draw took place in Lysters. The numbers drawn were 3,12,19,26. There was no jackpot winner and 5 match 3 winners who receive €60 each:they were Teresa Geraghty, Eamon Bollard, Rebecca Cleary, Kellie Ryan and Pat Keogh. Sellers were Anne Gavin, John Joe Leavy(2), Tommy Glennon and Eamonn McCarthy. Next weeks draw in Wallaces for a jackpot of €6000. Best wishes St Marys extend their best wishes to Garrycastle as they attempt to reach the All-Ireland Club Final when they take on St Brigids of Roscommon on February 18th in Pearse Park, Longford. Do the county proud lads!! Scor St Marys were represented on Saturday 11th February when the Scor Sinsear semi-finals took place in The Downs. First up were the figure dancers who duly qualified for the finals. Our other representatives were the quiz team who narrowly failed to qualify in a hotly contested semi-final. Best of luck to the dancers in the county final! Ladies Football Rochfortbridge ladies Footballers hold their AGM in St Josephs Hall on Wednesday 15th February at 8pm. All are welcome. Membership All Memberships are now due. Over 18s is €20, Family membership is €50 and under 18s cost €10. Contact Tommy Colgan or Tony Gallagher Fixture Sunday 19/02/2012; ACFL Div2; St Marys v Rosemount in Rochfortbridge @ 11.30 am It’s coming to that time of the year when all clubs meet to decide who will guide them through the next year. St Marys Annual General Meeting will take place on Sunday 15th January in the Parish Hall at 6pm. Any person with an interest in the club is urged to attend. On the following Friday 20th December the juvenile section hold their AGM at 8pm also in the parish Hall. Again your attendance is urged. Condolences It is with great sadness we note the passing of Mick pierce to his eternal reward. A great clubman, Mick was involved for many years with the juvenile section of the club and his sons Barry and Colin donned the club jersey with distinction. In latter years Mick was involved in pitch maintenance and development and also acted as club registrar for several years. A great character with a mischievous sense of humour, Mick finally succumbed after a long battle and his popularity was evidenced by the large crowds who attended his funeral. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him. Sincere condolences are extended to his family. Ar dheis De go raibh a anam dilis. U13 Winter League On Sunday 11th December the u13s played Millmore Gaels in the 2nd game of the winter league. In atrocious wet and cold conditions Millmore Gaels dominated the first half and went into the break with a big lead. St Marys fought back in the second half and restricted Millmore to precious few opportunities, but failed to claw the deficit back enough and Millmore ran out winners on a score of 2-06 to 1-04. both teams deserve huge credit for even taking to the pitch. I’m sure these two teams will have interesting battles next year as u14s. St Marys team; Matty Bradley, Sean Downey, Anthony Brady, Eddie Whelehan, Gerry Byrne, Mark Hyland, Jamie Rooney, Sean Lyster, Francis Duffy, Ned Cully, Eoin Fallon, Adam Bradley, enda Cully, jack Hall, Aidan Robinson, Cathal Jessop, Cian Gahan. U15 Winter League The u15s meanwhile travelled to Tubberclair on Saturday 17th December to play their 3rd game in this competition. After weathering strong opposition for the first 20 minutes St Marys came good for the rest of the first half and went into the break leading by 8 points. The second half saw St Marys dominate but Tubberclair were dangerous on the break and caused numerous problems. In the end though St Marys finished with a flourish and won convincingly to secure their third brace of points. Team; Matthew Rowden, Andrew Bollard, Brandon Darcy, Ryan Delaney, Sam Plant, Peter Lalor, Sean Lyster,Adam Kavanagh, Hugh Lyster, Cathal Moran, Saya Nxumalo, Josh Byrne, Francis Duffy, Eoghan O’Malley, Jack Reid, Jamie Rooney ,Fionn Daly. St. Mary's Notes 4th Dec. Junior B Semi-final Shandonagh was the venue on Sunday morning 4th December for the semi-final of the Junior B Championship between St Marys and Shandonagh. On a bitterly cold damp morning both teams deserve credit for serving up such a good standard of football in very trying conditions. St Marys enjoyed early territorial dominance but struggled to pull away from a strong Shandonagh team. The turning point in the first half came when ,with St Marys leading 0-5 to 0-3, Ciaran Geraghty finished off a fine move when he palmed the ball into the Shandonagh net. Three further points from Eoin Gorman gave St Marys a 1-08 to 0-03 lead at the break. St Marys drew first blood in the second half with a point from Geraghty but the next 15 minutes belonged to Shandonagh as they pinned St Marys in their own half for long periods. Four consecutive points reduced St Marys lead to 5 points and it seemed that we were in for a nail-biting finish. However on a rare breakout, Eddie Alford finished a great move to the net and in so doing ended the game as a contest. As the game petered out to its’ conclusion, Geraghty struck for another goal to give St Marys a very flattering margin of victory. This game was played in an impeccable manner and both sets of players are to be complimented on this. Final Score: St Marys 3-10, Shandonagh 0-08. Team; Deven Whitstun, Cathal Coyle, Dermot Judge, Tommy Conroy, Dwayne Leavy, Colm Conroy, Brian O’Sullivan, Tommy Geraghty, Colin Gavin, Eddie Alford(1-1), Eoin Gorman(0-4), Joe Guiden, Niall Cully, Ian Cunningham, Ciaran Geraghty(2-5), Jordan Reid, Dean Darcy, David Conroy. St. Mary's Notes 27th Nov. All roads led to Shandonagh on Saturday 12th November where St Marys took on Ballynacargy in the Division 1 final. With a four week gap since the semi-final, St Marys were eager to contest the final. A large crowd gathered to witness the spectacle. Bal were first into their stride and clocked up the first two points before Luke Gallagher pointed for St Marys. Bal tacked on another point before Lenny Gavin rifled a tremendous goal to edge St Marys in front. Bal responded strongly and scored 2-01 to take control. St Marys came back when a 45 was added to by Hugh Lyster and the Bal keeper knocked the ball down to a lurching Eoghan O’Malley who volleyed home. Bal continued to press and added 2 more points and a fortuitous goal. Eight points down with half-time approaching, St Marys needed something. A brilliant goal after a surging run by Gary Morgan was sandwiched between 2 Jack Reid points and as the half-time whistle sounded St Marys were only 3 points down and the momentum was with them. U13 Winter League St Marys made their debut in this competition on Saturday 26th November when they played Ballynacargy on St Lomans excellent new 3g pitch. Short a few players because of other commitments St Marys nevertheless fielded a strong team. Playing against the wind in the first half, St Marys clocked up a decent score to be well in control at half time. The second half was more even as St Marys rang the changes but they still retained control to run out convincing winners. This was an impressive first showing from this team and it will be interesting to watch their progress through this competition. Team: Luke McManus, Eddie Whelehan, Anthony Brady, Sean Downey, Gerry Byrne, Mark Hyland, Jamie Rooney, Francis Duffy, Sean Lyster, Ned Cully, Eoin Fallon, Adam Bradley, Enda Cully, Jack Hall, Aidan Robinson, Matthew Bradley, Cian Gahan, Colin Kenny, Daibhin Colgan, Jamie Evans. St. Mary's Notes 20th Nov. Junior Football ‘B’ Championship St Marys Rochfortbridge advanced to the semi-final of the Junior B championship with a comfortable 16 point win over Kilbeggan last Sunday afternoon 20th November. The bridge started well and scored a goal with only their second attack of the game. A swift move started in the half back line eventually found Kieran Geraghty who scored a cracking goal off the angle of the goals from an acute angle. This early goal settled the bridge and the soon besieged the Kilbeggan goals. Points from Niall Cully, Eddie Alford, Ian Cunningham and Dwayne Leavy saw the bridge extend their lead before Kilbeggan finally registered a score on the stroke of half time. H/t score St Mary’s 1-07 Kilbeggan 0-1.The second half followed in much the same fashion with the bridge registering two quick points. The pace of the game eased off after this with the bridge guilty of some careless shooting. Kilbeggan couldn’t breach the home side goals and the game petered out to a slow finish. The final score was St Mary’s 1-16 Kilbeggan 0-3. Team: D Whitson, C Coyle, D Judge, T Conroy, J Bradley, A Nolan, B O’Sullivan, C Gavin, T Geraghty, E Alford, J Guiden, D Leavy, N Cully, K Geraghty, I Cunningham. Subs: B Cocoman, C Conroy, D Conroy Junior Cup Final St Marys played Mullingar Shamrocks in the Junior Cup final on Sunday 13th November hoping for a third successive win in the competition. The Bridge started well with a youthful team and were level with the home side on 2 points a- piece after 10 minutes. While Mullingar had plenty of possession, they were unable to find a way through a stubborn defence and St Mary’s soon took the lead when Kieran Geraghty spun his marker and pointed well. With just a minute left in the first half both teams were level on 5 points each before Shamrocks scored two goals in two attacks to establish a six point lead at the break. The second half was played at a slower tempo with Shamrocks controlling most of the possession but unable to add greatly to their lead due to some good defending by the bridge. However St Mary’s were unable to claw back the deficit and despite applying good pressure, goal chances went a begging with the Shamrocks goalkeeper pushing an Eoin Gorman shot onto the crossbar. In the end the bridge slipped to an eight point defeat on a final score of 2-10 to 0-8. Team: D Whitson, C Coyle, D Judge, A Nolan, J Neil, M Geraghty, D Leavy, C Gavin, T Geraghty, E Alford, E Gorman, J Guiden, I Hyland, K Geraghty, D Conroy. Subs: D Mitchell, D Gavin, I Cunningham. U15 Winter League St Marys travelled to Streamstown to play Kilbeggan/St Josephs in their first match of this newly created competition. Fielding a new look team St Marys were quickly into their stride and established a comfortable lead before Kilbeggan goaled for their only score of the half as St Marys led 2-05 to 1-00 at the break. A goal upon the resumption for Kilbeggan reduced the lead to 5 points. St Marys stretched the lead to 7 points before two scrambled goals for Kilbeggan brought it back to a one point game. St Marys took over at this stage and Bagged 1-5 for the concession of 2 points to run out 7 point winners. This was a useful workout for St Marys as the players got to grips with the pitch and the weather. Final Score; St Marys 3-12, kilbeggan/St Josephs 4-02 Team; Matthew Rowden, Andrew Bollard, Ryan Gavin, Ryan Delaney, Sam plant Brandon Darcy, Peter Lalor, Hugh Lyster, Adam Kavanagh, Sean Lyster, Saya Nxumalo, Josh Byrne, Francis Duffy, Cathal Moran, Jack Reid, Fionn Daly, Anthony Brady, Jamie Rooney. Scorn na nOg The Downs was the venue for the semi-final of Junior Scor on Saturday evening 19th November. St Marys were represented in Rinnce Foirne and Trath na gCeist. Unfortunately neither team progressed to next weeks final but great credit is due to the very youthful members of both teams who put in such a huge effort and who have many more years in this competition. Well done to all involved. St. Mary's Notes 13th Nov. U16 Division 1 Final Half-time score; St Marys 3-03, Ballynacargy 3-06 The second half started as the first had ended with St Marys getting the better of the outfield exchanges and dominating possession and territory. A point from Morgan after another great surge was followed soon-after by a fantastic long range point from Adam Kavanagh. Gallagher then tied up the game at 3-06 apiece with another inspired point. At this juncture St Marys were dominant and what looked like 2 legitimate penalties were not awarded. Bal lifted the siege and pushed 2 points in front from frees. Gavin then nailed 2 frees himself to restore parity. Ten minutes to go and the game was in the balance. What transpired in the last ten minutes defies explanation as Bal racked up 7 points to run out deserving if rather flattering winners. Final Score; St Marys 3-08, Ballynacargy 3-15. Congratulations to Ballynacargy who have being producing top class underage teams for the last couple of years. Their greater experience in the top flight was surely a factor in the end. As for St Marys, what this team has achieved this year is phenomenal. Two years ago as u14s they operated out of Division 3. Their form in division 2 of the league was erratic this season, but once the scent of the championship came around things started to fall into place and the team produced some tremendous performances to reach the final. Each and every player can hold their heads’ high. They have done themselves, their club and their village proud. Team: Richie Harris, Ryan Delaney, Paddy Geraghty, Sam Plant, Peter Lawlor(C), Adam Kavanagh(0-1), Brandon Darcy, Luke Gallagher(0-2), Glen O’Reilly, Saya Nxumalo, Lenny Gavin (1-2), Gary Morgan(1-1), Hugh Lyster, Eoghan O’Malley(1-0), Jack Reid(0-2), Cory Gavin, Ryan Gavin, Kieran Whitstun, Rory O’Flaherty, Josh Byrne, Cathal Moran A big Thank You goes to all who helped in any way as the team prepared for the final. Your help and support was most welcome and very much appreciated. Junior Cup St Marys trekked to Springfield to take on Mullingar Shamrocks in the final of the Junior Cup. Following a lacklustre performance from St Marys Shamrocks ran out comfortable winners on a scoreline of 2-10 to 0-08. Scor na nOg The Downs was the venue on Saturday evening where the quarter final of ScornanOg took place. St Marys were represented in Rinnce Foirne and Trath na gCeist and qualified for the semi-final in both categories. This takes place next Saturday 19th November also in The Downs and commences at 7.30pm. Fixtures Saturday 19/11/2011; U15 Winter League; St Marys v Kilbeggan/St Josephs in Streamstown @ 11am Sunday 20/11/2011; Junior B Championship quarter final; St Marys v Kilbeggan in Rochfortbridge @ 12am St. Mary's Notes 16th October U 16 Division 1 Semi-Final St Marys played host to Mullingar Shamrocks in the semi-final of the Championship on Saturday 15th October. Preceded by a spell of rain which continued for much of the first half, conditions for the match were tricky underfoot. Due to the clash of colours, both teams changed, Shamrocks wearing white and St Marys blue. St Marys started off well and kicked over the first 4 points before Shamrocks got a foothold in the game with a point. St Marys restored their 4 point lead almost immediately but within minutes conceded a goal from a penalty. Shamrocks tagged on a point to level matters. However St Marys pressure paid off when Eoghan O’Malley with 2 trademark goals helped St Marys to open a six point gap. A late point for Shamrocks left 5 points in it at half-time. Half-time score; St Marys 2-05, Mullingar Shamrocks 1-03. The second half was always going to be a battle. Early pressure from St Marys resulted in Saya Nxumalo lofting a perfect pass to the inrushing Jack Reid who made no mistake. St Marys’ joy was short-lived as a second penalty was awarded to Shamrocks which was duly converted and followed by a point to reduce the gap to 4 points. A point from Reid stretched the lead but Shamrocks upped the pressure and scored the next 3 points to leave it a 2 point game. With a couple of minutes to go, full-back Paddy Geraghty was unluckily dismissed for a second yellow card. Would St Marys lose the game at the death? Not this group of lads. They defended like demons and allowed no effort at a goal. The sound of the final whistle was sweet and St Marys had earned the right to play Ballynacargy in the final. This team has developed hugely over the season and has peaked nicely for the championship. Hopefully they’ll produce the goods in the final to crown a memorable campaign. Final score; St Marys 3-06, Mullingar Shamrocks 2-07. Team; Richie Harris, Ryan Delaney, Paddy Geraghty, Sam Plant, Peter Lalor, Adam Kavanagh, Brandon Darcy, Luke Gallagher(0-1), Glen O’Reilly, Saya Nxumalo, Lenny Gavin, Gary Morgan(0-1), Hugh Lyster, Eoghan O’Malley(2-1), Jack Reid(1-3), Corey Gavin, Ryan Gavin, Rory O’Flaherty, Josh Byrne, Ciaran Whitston, Cathal Moran, Matthew Bradley. St. Mary's Notes 9th October ACFL Div 6 St Marys completed their Div 6 campaign with a home fixture against Rosemount on Sunday 9th October. With a gale blowing and constant drizzle, conditions were far from ideal but the teams produced an entertaining game. St Marys played against the storm in the first half and seemed to have the edge as they led by 1-2 to 0-1 at half-time. However the second half belonged to Rosemount and the game finished up a draw 1-4 apiece. Low scoring it may have been but both sets of players deserve credit for coping with the awful conditions. St Marys team; Brendan Cocoman, Cathal Coyle, Dermot Judge, Conor Duigenan, James Neale, Brian O’Sullivan, Declan Lennon, Ray O’Sullivan, Colin Gavin, Eddie Alford, Joe Guiden, Joe Bradley, Jordan Reid, Ian Cunningham, David Conroy, Eoin Nugent, Colm Conroy. Well Done Congratulations to Westmeath Ladies footballers who annexed the All-Ireland Intermediate title last Sunday in such dramatic fashion. It’s not too often we get to celebrate such a success. Well done to Aoife Brady and Karen McDermott of Rochfortbridge Ladies footballers who were on the Westmeath panel. Fixture Sat 15th October; U16 Div 1 Semi-Final; St Marys v Mullingar Shamrocks in Rochfortbridge @ 3pm St. Mary's Notes 2nd October U11/U13 Street League Preparations are in full swing for the clubs u11/u13 street league with the teams decided and training and games arranged. Training will take place on Wednesday evenings @ 8pm with matches at the weekends.The teams are as follows:- Westmeath; Mark Hyland, Jamie Rooney, Adam Bradley, Nathan Byrne, jerry Byrne, Jack Conroy. Cork; Eoin Fallon, David Cole, Matthew Rowden, Darragh Healy, Barra Kinsella, Eoin Rowden. Kerry; Francis duffy, Sean Downey, Ned Cully, Ewan Ryan, Daibhin Colgan, Sam Stapleton. Down, Matthew Bradley, Cormac Dunne, Aidan Robinson, Billy Arthur, Enda Cully, Jamie Evans. Dublin; Sean Lyster, Jack Hall, Cathal Jessop, Caleb Akinbiyi, Jordan Ajani, Luke McManus. Tyrone; Anthony Brady, Eddie Whjelehan, Pauli Carpenter, Sean McDonagh, Ryan Egan, Jason Bradley, Cian Gahan. Any other players wishing to participate please contact any mentor. Clann Bhraonain The Clann Bhraonain u16s bowed out of the Premier Championship on Saturday 1st October when going down to a strong St Brigids outfit. St Brigids had the size advantage and played a fast, direct game as they dominated the first half to lead by 7 points at the break. Though they had a massive hill to climb, the Clann players showed great heart and skill and almost pulled this game out of the fire, but the 7 point gap proved to be too much and St Brigids finished strongly to win by 5 points. This Clann team should take great heart from this as most of them are eligible for this age group again next year. Final Score; Clann Bhraonain 1-06, St Brigids 1-11. Good Luck Best wishes to Westmeath Ladies next Sunday in Croke Park as they aim to go one step better against Cavan in the replay of the All-Ireland Intermediate final. Do yourselves proud girls! St Marys welcomed St Malachys/Ballinagore to Rochfortbridge on Saturday 17th September for the quarter-final of the u16 Division 1 Championship. Again this was new territory for the ‘Bridge boys as they hadn’t encountered this opposition before. St Marys won the toss and opted to play with the slight breeze. They were quickly into their stride and causing problems for the visitors. They were soon rewarded when Gary Morgan converted a penalty after Jack Reid was hauled down in the square. Reid added a point before Mal/Bal registered a free. St Marys registered the next 4 points and then Reid struck for a goal of his own to put a bit of daylight in it. The half finished out with 4 scored frees, 3 of them to Mal/Bal. Half-time score; St Marys 2-06, St Malachys/Ballinagore 0-04. The wind picked up significantly at the start of the second half and a barrage was expected upon the St Marys goal. The defence dealt capably with all that was thrown at them and an early point from a free was all that Mal/Bal could register as St Marys took over and a goal from Eoghan O’Malley and 2 from Morgan to complete his hatrick really put the game out of reach. St Malachys/Ballinagore never gave up and scored the last 2 points of the game but there was no coming back against a determined St Marys outfit. This result puts St Marys into the semi-final of this competition. The opposition is unknown at this stage, but these lads will fear nobody. Final Score: St Marys 5-09, St Malachys/Ballinagore 0-07 Team: Richie Harris, Ryan Delaney, Paddy Geraghty, Sam Plant, Peter Lalor, Adam Kavanagh, Brandon Darcy, Luke Gallagher(0-1), Glen O’Reilly, Saya Nxumalo(0-2), Lenny Gavin(0-3), Gary Morgan(3-0), Jack Reid(1-2), Eoghan O’Malley(1-1), Hugh Lyster, Ryan Gavin, Josh Byrne, Cory Gavin Cathal Moran, Ciaran Whitstun, Rory O’Flaherty. Good Luck Best wishes are extended to St Brigids and Westmeath Ladies Footballers this coming weekend. St Brigids are seeking to capture the Intermediate Hurling crown on Sunday in Cusack Park, while in Croke Park Westmeath Ladies attempt to annex the All-Ireland Intermediate title. All supporters are urged to get behind these teams in their endeavors . St. Mary's Notes 05 September 11 www.stmarysrochfortbridge.gaa.ie Intermediate Football Championship St Marys enter the rarefied atmosphere of the semi-final stage of the Intermediate football championship when they take on CFCW in Cusack Park on Saturday evening next. These teams played out a tight encounter earlier in the campaign in which CFCW prevailed by 2 points. In truth the game could have gone either way and another close game is anticipated on Saturday as St Marys seek to reach the final. Best of luck to St Marys and hopefully we'll have something to celebrate on Saturday night. Minor Championship Rd 3 St. Mary's minors travelled the short distance on Wed last to take on near neighbours Tyrrellspass in the last game of phase 1 of the championship. Victory on this occasion would ensure that St. Marys would reach the quarter final of the Div 1 minor championship.This game was always going to be a tight and tense affair as revenge would be sweet for Tyrrellspass since St. Marys had a victory under their belt from the encounter a month earlier in the league. Both teams traded points early but the Bridge boys dominated the first quarter and raced into a 6pts to 3 lead. Tyrrellspass upped the ante and got a crucial goal from Ciaran Daly their ever dangerous corner forward that changed the course of the first half and were now playing with a swagger which left them two points up at the break. Half time score; St. Marys 0:7 Tyrrellspass 1:6. Both teams again traded scores after the interval, but St. Marys upped the tempo and drew level with points from Joe Guiden, Paul Metcalfe and Ian Hyland after Tyrrellspass had converted a long range point from Dean McNicholas. But like most good local derbies tension was high and the boys in blue responded with a purple patch to dominate the middle period of the second half to race ahead by four points with only ten minutes left on the clock. The large number of spectators did witness the true fighting spirit of this minor team when as it seemed that the game was slipping out of their grasp our midfield pairing of Dermot Judge and Joe Guiden with the help of Lenny Gavin took total control of this sector and supplied the forwards with the ammunition that they needed. Ian Hyland converted a rebound off the crossbar to the corner of the net and followed with a converted free to tie up the match. With just minutes remaining Niall Cully crashed the ball off the woodwork but followed up by disposessing the Tyrrellspass defender who collected the rebound , th soloed in along the end line and fisted the ball over the bar from a nearly impossible angle for a "wonder" point to edge St. Marys ahead. Tyrrellspass did have the last attack up the field but our backs defended stoutly to end a pulsating match. Great credit must go to Tyrrellspass who lifted their performance from the previous encounter in the league. This game represented the true soul of the GAA as many of these players on the opposing teams are the best of buddies off the field. This leaves St. Marys in the quarter final of the Div 1 championship with much sterner opposition ahead. Final score : St. Marys 1:14 , Tyrrellspass 1:13 Panel: Liam McCarthy, Cathal Taylor, Stephen Keegan, Dan Plant, Connor Grennan, Luke Gallagher, Brian O'Sullivan, Joe Guiden, Dermot Judge, Paul Metcalfe Kienan Gill, Arron Byrne, Niall Cully Lenny Gavin Ian Hyland, Ian Keelan and Garry Morgan Junior 'b' Championship St Marys kicked of their Junior B campaign with a comfortable victory away to Caulry on . Having lost to the same opposition in the Intermediate championship, the 'Bridge were keen on revenge and and led by three points to no score with Eoin Gorman and Ian Cunningham combining well. This set the tone for the rest of the match as St Marys ran out comfortable winners by 11 points. The final score was St Marys 2-21 to Caulry's 2-11. The side played some wonderful football throughout and took some marvelous scores which bodes well for the rest of the championship. U12 League The under 12s had a busy week playing two games in three days. First up on Monday 29th August was a visit from Maryland/Tang. St Marys produced some great football in this game and took some great scores, but a tendency to neglect defensive duties meant that St Marys came out second best in this encounter to record their first defeat in the second phase of the league. Next up on Wednesday 31st August was a trip to Castledaly. St Marys produced a much better performance this time around as they chalked up a good win against a side which gave them the runaround earlier in the year. U12 Panel; Ryan Egan, Jack Conroy, Davin Colgan, Ned Cully, Jordan Ajani, Aidan Robinson, Adam Bradley, Pauli Carpenter, Cathal Jessop, Matthew Rowden, Gerry Byrne, Enda Cully, Caleb Akinbiye, Billy Arthur, Daragh Brunton, Ewan Ryan, Eoin Rowden, Barra Kinsella, Evan Purcell. North Westmeath League Finals Rochfortbridge was the venue on Saturday 3rd September as the 2011 North Westmeath league finals took place. With a total of 18 clubs participating a feast of football was witnessed on a day which the weather gods looked kindly upon. Ned Flynn's brainchild has blossomed into a very well run competition and finals day marks the culmination of each season's endeavours. The organising committee of St Marys is to be congratulated on a smooth running operation. With over 400 player involved the scale of the undertaking is obvious, so a big thank you and well done goes to all persons who helped in any way either on the day or in the organising of the event. Lotto Draw took place in Bagnallss on Friday 2nd September for a Jackpot of €15400. Numbers drawn were 1, 4, 13 and 20. There was one lucky jackpot winner, JohnJoe and Jacinta Leavy. Congratulations to them. There were also 8 match 3's who each receive €40. They were Lorraine Healy, Marius Gavin, Mary & Dick Geoghegan, Maura Morgan,Dylan Heavey, Tom Rafferty Thomas Hyland and Marie Supple. Next weeks draw in Lysters for a Jackpot of €5,000. Intermediate hurling Well done to St Brigids who reached the final of the Intermediate Hurling Championship following a great win over Crookedwood last Saturday. Best of luck to them in the final . St. Mary's Notes 29 August 2011 IFC Quarter final St Marys faced Shandonagh in Moate on Saturday last 27th August with a semi-final berth at stake. This was always going to be a tough game as Shandonagh have been one of the more consistent teams at Intermediate level for a number of years. It was nip and tuck for the first half as both teams sized each other up and St Marys held a slim 0-6 to 0-5 lead at the interval. On the restart Shandonagh pressed strongly and slowly were gaining the initiative when, at 0-8 apiece, St Marys were reduced to 14 men and it looked like curtains for St Marys. However as has been witnessed on many occasions the team which has lost a player has kicked on and so it was with St Marys as they took control and a penalty for a foul on Larry Poynton was despatched to the Shandonagh net by Eoin Gorman. Two more points were added to give St Marys a five point lead and a spot in the semi-final against CFCW in two weeks time. While there is some room for improvement, St Marys are coming into form at the right time and with a bit of tweaking will present a challenge for any team. Final score: St Marys 1-10, Shandonagh 0-08. Team; Declan Hogan, Damien Healy, David Mitchell, Adam Nolan, Paul Carey, Michael Geraghty, Dwayne Leavy, Colin Gavin, Alan Gavin, Robbie Kenny, Larry Poynton, Joe Guiden, Ian Cunningham, Eoin Gorman, Ciaran Geraghty, Tommy Conroy, Ray O'Sullivan, Damien Gavin. U14 Championship The U14s travelled to Shandonagh to play the locals in their final league game of the championship on Tuesday 23rd August. Again a semi-final spot was at stake for St Marys if they secured at least a point from this fixture. St Marys were short of a few players owing to injuries and holidays but it was clear after a short while that St Marys would do the necessary on the night. In the end a comfortable win was the result and St Marys now advance to the semi-final of this championship. This is a great credit to these lads as they have shown themselves to have improved steadily all year and with a bit of luck they can now progress further in this competition. Final Score;St Marys 7-13, Shandonagh 2-09. Minor Championship Following their morale boosting win over The Downs in the previous round, St Marys trekked to St Lomans on Wednesday 24th August to play the home team in the 2nd round of the minor championship. This proved to be a different kettle of fish as St Marys got little change out of their Town opponents, but they fought gamely to the end but had no answer to the power and strength of their hosts. .Next up is a trip to Tyrrellspass for a derby game with our near neighbours. Final Score; St Marys 3-05, St Lomans 3-11. St. Mary's Notes 22 August 2011 St Marys take on Shandonagh in Moate on Saturday 27th August in the quarter-final of the Intermediate Championship. This is a big game for St Marys and all supporters are urged to come along and support the team as they attempt to reach the semi-final. Best of luck lads. Minor Championship The minors faced The Downs on Monday 15th August in Rochfortbridge in the first group game of the Championship. St Marys shipped an eleven point beating to the same opposition in the league and must have been nervy going into this fixture. However St Marys produced a brilliant first half performance in which they scored 3-05 to lead well at half-time. As expected The Downs threw the kitchen sink at St Marys in the second half and narrowed the deficit to 3 points with time running out. A much needed goal from substitute Aaron Byrne put a halt to the oppositions gallop and St Marys duly laid claim to their first points of the Championship. Final Score; St Marys 4-06, The Downs 0-11. U16 Championship The St Marys u16s ventured to Lakepoint Park on Wednesday 17th August to play St Lomans in the first group game of the U16 Championship. Shorn of a couple of players, St Marys were taking a step into the unknown having never played this opposition previously. St Lomans started at a furious pace and at times threatened to totally over-run St Marys as they registered 4 of the first 5 points. St Marys slowly got up to the pace of the game and proceeded to dominate the last 15 minutes of the first half as they registered a further 1-7, the goal a superb effort from Jack Reid, while restricting the home team to a solitary point. Half-time score; St Marys 1-08, St Lomans 0-05. St Marys expected a backlash in the second half and got it. The roles were reversed as St Lomans clocked up 1-7 to St Marys 1 point in the first 20 minutes of the second half to lead by 3 points. The siege was lifted when Brandon Darcy latched onto a breaking ball and carried it 40 yards before despatching it to the St Lomans net. Sam Plant and Saya Nxumalo tacked on brilliant points as the game was in the balance. St Marys defended like tigers and staved off St Lomans best efforts. With time almost up Gary Morgan put the issue beyond doubt with St Marys 3rd goal of the evening, much to the relief of the St Marys mentors and supporters. This was a great performance, and result from this group of players and will hopefully spur them on to greater heights. Final Score; St Marys 3-11, St Lomans 1-12 Team; Richie Harris, Ryan Delaney, Adam Kavanagh, Paddy Geraghty, Peter Lalor, Ciaran Whitstun, Brandon Darcy(1-0), Glen O'Reilly(0-1), Gary Morgan(1-2), Sam Plant(0-1), Lenny Gavin(0-1), Saya Nxumalo(0-1), Jack Reid(1-4), Eoghan O'Malley(0-1), Hugh Lyster, Cathal Moran, Josh Byrne, Sean Lyster. Well Done We wish our sister club St Brigids well in the semi-final of the Intermediate Hurling Championship. St. Mary's Notes 31st July 2011 Moate were the opposition on Sunday 31st July in Shandonagh as a depleted St Marys team sought to make amends for their below par showing against Caulry the previous week. Knowing that victory would almost certainly guarantee a quarter-final spot, St Marys had every incentive to win this game. The game started brightly for St Marys as they opened up the Moate defence at will and created plenty of chances. An early 1-02, the goal coming from Robbie Kenny, looked to be ominous for Moate, but they fought back with 3 consecutive points and kept St Marys at bay for long spells. However once St Marys raided, they caused havoc with the Moate defence. Six unanswered points, two before and four after the break laid the foundations for a St Marys win and though Moate kept plugging away, a devastating final quarter from St Marys which yielded goals from Ian Cunningham, Larry Poynton and David Cleary meant that St Marys were comfortable winners in the end. Final score; St Marys 4-09, Moate 0-09 Team; Declan Hogan, Adam Nolan, Damien Healy, Tommy Conroy, Paul Carey, Ken Delaney, Dwayne Leavy, Ray O’Sullivan, Damien Gavin, Larry Poynton(1-0), Alan Gavin, Ciaran Geraghty(0-4), Robbie Kenny(1-3), Eoin Gorman(0-2), Ian Cunningham(1-0), Colin Gavin, Dermot Judge, David Cleary(1-0), James O’Neill and John McNamara. U14 Championship The u14s travelled to Killucan to play the home side in the 5th round of the championship. This was always going to be a big ask for St Marys as this Killucan team is exceptionally strong but the players gave it their all and showed that they have great character and commitment and no little skill. However Killucan’s key players could always find that extra gear and they ran out clear winners in the finish. By no means were St Marys disgraced. With 2 games to go, St Marys destiny is in their own hands and a semi-final spot is not beyond them. Panel; Matthew Rowden, Sean Downey, Matthew Bradley, Anthony Brady, Eoin Fallon, Mark Hyland, Liam Metcalfe, Cathal Moran, Andrew Bollard, Cathal Jessop, Francis Duffy, Sean Lyster, Pauli Carpenter, Saya Nxumalo, Jack Hall, Jude Keegan. St. Mary's Notes 3rd July 2011 St Marys played the final game of this years league when they travelled to Ballinagore to play the home team on Sunday 3rd July. With Mullingar Shamrocks having won the previous evening to take the top spot in the division, nothing less than a win would suffice for St Marys if they were to achieve the promotion they so desired. St Marys started strongly and attacked with purpose and had soon built up a 5 point lead though numerous chances went a begging. Ballinagore came into the game at this stage and the scoring was even for the rest of the half. Half-time score: St Marys 0-08, Ballinagore 0-03. A ruthless St Marys took the field for the second half and they added 1-03 to their tally before Ballinagore registered their solitary score of the half. St Marys then scored a succession of 10 points to close out the game as comfortable winners of the game, and winners of the division by dint of a superior scoring difference to clinch promotion to division 2. St Marys have been playing a fast, fluent brand of football of late and hopefully their form continues into the remainder of the re-commencing Championship. Final score :St Marys 1-21, Ballinagore 0-04. Team: Brendan Cocoman, Adam Nolan, David Mitchell, Tommy Conroy, Dwayne Leavy, Mickey Geraghty, Joe Bradley(0-2), Damien Gavin, Ray O’Sullivan, John McNamara, Robbie Kenny(0-7), Colin Gavin(0-2), Eoin Gorman(0-2), Ian Cunningham(0-4), Ciaran Geraghty(1-4).Subs used: Ken Delaney, David Cleary, Larry Poynton, James O’Neill, Tommy Geraghty. Minor League The minors played Killucan in Rochfortbridge on Friday 1st July in the final game of the league. This was effectively a dead rubber as neither team was in the shake-up for league honours. Nevertheless the teams managed to serve up a good close encounter. The teams traded score for score in the first half but the telling score was a Killucan goal which gave them a 1 point cushion at half time. The second half was also even, though St Marys over-elaborated in front of goal whereas Killucan were far more direct. The Killucan approach yielded another killer goal and it was this that proved decisive as Killucan went on to win by 4 points. This wasn’t one of St Marys greatest performances, but there is a lot more left in this team and with the championship imminent we can be sure that they will show a marked improvement. Final Score: St Marys 0-10, Killucan 2-08. St Marys Team: Liam McCarthy, Daniel Plant, Luke Gallagher, Cathal Taylor, Stephen Keegan, brian O’Sullivan, Brandon Darcy, Dermot Judge, Joe Guiden, Liam Metcalfe, Aaron Byrne, Ian Keelan, Niall Cully, Ian Hyland, Lenny Gavin, Gary Morgan, Eoin O’Malley, Paddy Grennan, Ciaran Whitstun St. Mary's Notes 27th June 2011 Loughnavalley were the visitors to Rochfortbridge on Thursday 23rd June for the penultimate round of the league. A good win was vital for St Marys chances of securing promotion and the players went about their business in an efficient manner. The result was never in doubt from a long way out as St Marys achieved an emphatic win that brings the promotion race down to the last round of games. Lougnavalley fought gamely on the night but got little change from a determined St Marys outfit. The final league game versus Ballinagore on Sunday 3rd July promises to be a cracker. Team: Brendan Cocoman, Adam Nolan, David Mitchell, Tommy Giles, Paul Carey, Dwayne Leavy, Joe Bradley,Ray O,Sullivan, Damien gavin, Alan Gavin, Robbie Kenny, Eddie Alford, Ciaran Geraghty, Eoin Gorman, Ian Cunningham. Subs used: Larry Poynton, Joe guiden, Tommy Geraghty, John McNamara, James O'Neill. U14 Championship St Marys travelled to Springfield to play Mullingar Shamrocks in the 3rd round of the U14 Championship. These teams had met previously in the Feile where St Marys prevailed in a low-scoring encounter but that would be irrelevant in this game. A very wet evening made underfoot conditions tricky and it was a credit to both teams that they produced such a good game of football. St Marys were first into their stride as Sean Lyster claimed the first two points of the game. Shamrocks found their feet and drew level. Saya Nxumalo then pointed but Shamrocks struck 2 more points to lead. Lyster pulled it level again but another brace of points left Shamrocks 2 clear. A good spell for St Marys saw Lyster score a goal sandwiched between points from Francis Duffy and Nxumalo to see them lead by 3 points. Mullingar finished the half strongly scoring 1-02 to a lone Lyster point to leave Shamrocks ahead at the break. Half-time score: St Marys 1-07, Mullingar Shamrocks 1-08. Shamrocks scored the first 2 points of the second half to seemingly confirm that the momentum was with them. But this St Marys team has learned to dig deep and they proceeded to get a stranglehold of the game. A point from Nxumalo cut the lead to 2 points before Duffy scored a cracking goal to edge St Marys in front. Within minutes Nxumalo got the final touch to a goalward bound effort to extend the lead to 4 points. It was left to Cathal Moran to finish the scoring with a fine point as St Marys finished the match out strongly to confirm their 3rd win of the championship. Final Score: St Marys 3-09, Mullingar Shamrocks 1-10. Team: Matthew Rowden, Anthony Brady, Matthew Bradley, Eddie Whelehan, Eoin Fallon, Mark Hyland, Andrew Bollard, Cathal Moran(0-1), Francis Duffy(1-1), Liam Metcalfe, Saya Nxumalo(1-3), Sean Lyster(1-4), Adam Bradley, Jack Hall, Pauli Carpenter, Nathan Raftis, David Cole, Cian Gahan, Sean Downey, Jude Keegan, Jamie Rooney, Cathal Jessop, Cormac Dunne, Fionn Daly, Shane Bollard, Dylan Hanrahan, Patrick Kryzek. Lotto Lotto results Friday 24th June. Draw took place in Wallaces for a jackpot of €13400. The numbers drawn were 1, 9, 11 and 16. There was no Jackpot winner and 8 match 3 winners who each receive €40. They were Harry Rowan, John Conroy, Thomas McCarthy, Caroline Key, Yvonne Brogan, Mrs Paul Glennon, Donal Kelleher and Helen Hynes. Next weeks draw in Bagnalls on Friday 1st July for a jackpot of €13,600. St. Mary's Notes19th June 2011 The under 12s have been busy of late. After receiving a walkover from St Pauls, St Marys welcomed St Fintans/Bunbrosna to Rochfortbridge on Wednesday 15th June. In what was a fairly one-sided encounter St Marys emerged winners. Next up on Friday 17th June was the final league game of phase 1 against near neighbours Milltownpass. Again St Marys were the dominant force and gained the points with a facile win. After a shaky start to the league this team is now playing the football we know they are capable of producing and phase 2 is eagerly anticipated. U12 Panel; Ryan Egan, Jack Conroy, Davin Colgan, Ned Cully, Jordan Ajani, Aidan Robinson, Adam Bradley, Pauli Carpenter, Cathal Jessop, Matthew Rowden, Gerry Byrne, Enda Cully, Caleb Akinbiye, Billy Arthur, Daragh Brunton, Ewan Ryan, Eoin Rowden, Barra Kinsella, Evan Purcell. U14 Championship The u 14s played their second game in the Championship when they visited Tyrrellspass on Monday 13th June. Having lost to the same opposition only 11 days earlier in the final game of the league, St Marys knew they would have to pull out all the stops to get a result in this game. A re-jigged St Marys team took to the field in an effort to prise the points out of the game. There were no scores for the first ten minutes as both teams probed each other, and exchanges were very even. Tyrrellspass drew first blood with a point. St Marys then camped in the Tyrrellspass end for most of the half and were rewarded with 4-03 before Tyrrellspass snatched a goal before half-time to leave the score 4-03 to 1-02 in favour of St Marys at the break, Saya Nxumalo grabbing 2 of the goals, and Pauli Carpenter and Adam Bradley getting a goal apiece. Saya completed a hat-trick as St Marys further extended their lead with a quick 1-02 after the break. Tyrrellspass goaled twice to negate this, but a brace of goals from Jack Hall left St Marys with a big lead. Tyrrellspass to their credit did not fold and surged in the final quarter to score 3-01 to close the gap to 6 points. A point from Matthew Rowden eased St Marys nerves and was followed by the final whistle. So St Marys have won their first two games in the championship and look forward to the remainder of the campaign unfolding. Final Score; St Marys 7-07, Tyrrellspass 6-03. St Marys team; Cormac Dunne, Anthony Brady, Matthew Bradley, Cathal Jessop, Eoin Fallon, Mark Hyland, Fionn Daly, Andrew Bollard(0-1), Cathal Moran(0-1), Pauli Carpenter(1-1), Sean Lyster(0-1), Francis Duffy(0-1), Adam Bradley(1-0), Jack Hall(2-0), Saya Nxumalo(3-1), Liam Metcalfe, Matthew Rowden(0-1), Sean Downey, Eddie Whelehan, Cian Gahan, David Cole, Dylan Hanrahan, Nathan Raftis, Patrick Kryzek, Shane Bollard, Jude Keegan. Diamond Jubilee There was a special mass in Rochfortbridge on Friday 17th June at 8pm to mark Fr. O’Brien’s Diamond Jubilee. This was followed by a social evening in the Parish Hall immediately afterwards. A huge crowd was present to honour a great man who spent 30 years in the parish of Rochfortbridge. Fr O’Brien was a tremendous supporter of St Marys during his tenure in Rochfortbridge and is a life president of the club. To honour him for his great work and support over the years, St Marys have decided to re-dedicate the Gaelic Grounds in his name .This will take place in the near future. In the meantime Fr. O’Brien was presented with a miniature version of the wall-plaque at the reception and the club wishes many more years of health and happiness to a great man and a true Gael. St. Mary's Notes12th June 2011 There was a true top-of-the-table clash when St Marys welcomed Mullingar Shamrocks to Rochfortbridge. Both teams came into this game with 100% records, so something had to give. Shamrocks started strongly and raised the first white flag. St Marys then worked through the Shamrocks defence to score a great goal per Robbie Kenny. A Ciaran Geraghty free extended the lead to three points. A loose ball in the St Marys box was finished to the net to square things up, but a run of 5 out of the next 6 points left Shamrocks 4 points clear at the break. Half time score; St Marys 1-02, Shamrocks 1-06. Shamrocks again scored first in the second half to push into a five point lead. St Marys pulled it back to 3 points, but Shamrocks went 5 clear again with 2 more points. At this stage St Marys upped the pressure and didn't allow the opposition to score for the remainder of the game. Slowly they chipped away at the lead until, with about 5 minutes left, the teams were level. St Marys were well on top at this juncture but could not register the vital score despite several valiant attempts. So a draw was the final outcome and neither side can really quibble with that. At times the game was played at championship tempo and one couldn't take their eyes off it for a second. Final score; St Marys 1-09, Shamrocks 1-09. St Marys Team; Declan Hogan, Adam Nolan, David Mitchell, Tommy Giles, Paul Carey, Michal Geraghty, Joe Bradley, Ray O'Sullivan, Damien Gavin(0-1), Eoin Gorman(0-1), Colin Gavin, Damien Healy, Robbie Kenny(1-2), Alan Gavin, Ciaran Geraghty(0-3), Ian Cunningham(0-1), Dwayne Leavy, David Cleary, Tommy Conroy, John McNamara(0-1). U14 The u14s travelled the short distance to Tyrrellspass to complete their league programme on Thursday 2nd June. On a warm evening, St Marys held the upper hand for most of the first half but their conversion rate left a lot to be desired as they led by 0-9 to 1-3 at the break.. An early 2nd half goal from Cathal Moran seemed to augur well for St Marys, but instead it was Tyrrellspass who upped the ante and they scored 1-6 to claim a 4 point lead. St Marys threatened a fight-back as they reduced the lead to 2 points but a late Tyrrellspass goal sealed the issue. St Marys can have no arguments here as they faded out of the game in the second half thus proving the maxim that you don't win games in the first half. No sooner had the league finished than the first round of the championship was fixed to be played. St Marys first task was a visit to Multyfarnham on Thursday 9th June. St Marys started strongly again in this match and had a virtual monopoly on possession for the first 15 minutes, but some awful finishing left them with a solitary point to show for all their efforts. Of course Multy were going to have a say in the game and they started to gain more possession and rattled off 3 points in quick succession. These were followed by a goal and it seemed that the visitors were in trouble. However a ball over the top found Jack Hall in space and he made no mistake to raise a green flag. This rallied St Marys who tacked on 2 more points before the break to be level at 1-03 apiece. Early points were exchanged in the second half before a goal and a point for multy put them back in the driving seat. St Marys were living off scraps at this point but rallied to hold Multy at bay and in the process bagged 2-02 themselves as Jack Hall completed his hat-trick. A late scare when Multy missed a penalty was survived and St Marys went on to claim their first points. Final Score; St Marys 3-07, Multyfarnham 2-06 Diamond Jubilee There will be a special mass in Rochfortbridge on Friday 17th June at 8pm to mark Fr. O'Brien's Diamond Jubilee. This will be followed by a social evening in the Parish Hall immediately afterwards. Fr O'Brien was a tremendous supporter of St Marys during his tenure in Rochfortbridge and is a life president of the club. All are welcome to join the celebration on the night. Lotto Lotto results Friday 10th June. Draw took place for a jackpot of €13000. The numbers drawn were 2, 16, 18 and 20. There was no Jackpot winner and 6 match 3 winnerswho each receive €50. They were Mickey Whelehan, Una Hogan, Regan Kacey and Kayla, Eamon McCarthy,Mary Love and Rhona O'Reilly. Sellers were Angelina Daly, E McCarthy (3),Anne Gavin and Wallaces. Next weeks draw in Lysters on Saturday for a jackpot of €13,200. Please note change of date due to Function in Parish hall Friday night. St. Mary's Notes 29 May 2011 There was no joy for Scoil Bhride in the final of Cumann na mBunscoil in Cusack park on Tuesday 24th May against a skilful Moate outfit. Despite losing, these lads have given us many great performances this year and can hold their heads high. On the day they came up against a very determined side that made the most of their opportunities. Things just didn't go the way of Scoil Bhride on the day but there will be plenty of chances for these lads to show how good they are in the years ahead. Hard luck lads. ACFL Div3 St Marys travelled to Ballymore on Tuesday 24th May to play in round 6 of the league. After a tough championship encounter a couple of weeks previous, St Marys were expecting no favours and indeed didn't get any. In a game in which St Marys were on the back foot for much of the first half, they gradually came back into the game and in the end prevailed by three points. This was another tough match and most importantly the points were secured as St Marys bid for promotion continues. Final score; St Marys 2-05, Ballymore 0-08. ACFL Div 7b Ballycomoyle came to Rochfortbridge on Saturday 28th May to play St Marys in Division 7b. St Marys were depleted but managed to field a strong enough fifteen. The game itself turned out to be one-sided enough as St Marys ran out comfortable winners. This result leaves St Marys in a strong position in this group and hopefully they can push on from here. Final score; St Marys 0-18, Ballycomoyle 1-08. ACFL Div 6 St Marys Rochfortbridge produced an outstanding attacking display to defeat Tang by 11 points in Division 6. Playing with the breeze in the first half St Marys opened up an 8 point advantage to lead 11 - 3 at half time. The second half continued in the same fashion as Eoin Gorman bagged a hat trick, 2 of which were penalties. Kieran Geraghty chipped the goalie for a superb fourth goal before Tang added 3 late consolation goals to leave the final score Tang 3-6 - St Marys 4-14. Despite having only 15 players it was one the side's best performances of the year. Team : B Cocoman; C Coyle, C Conroy, C Duigenan; D Leavy, J O'Neill, T Conroy; C Gavin, R O'Sullivan; E Alford, E Gorman, J McNamara; K Geraghty, I Hyland, N Cully. U14 League The U14s travelled to Castledaly to play their penultimate game in the league. Shorn of a few regulars, St Marys still fielded a strong team and proved too strong for a gallant Castledaly team. These lads now have one league game versus Tyrrellspass to play before they start thinking about the championship. Lotto Lotto results Friday 27th May. Draw took place in Lysters for a jackpot of ?12600. The numbers drawn were 9, 10, 21 and 26. There was no Jackpot winner and 8 match 3 winnerswho each receive ?40. They were Mervyn Kennedy, Janette Brogan, Noel Gavin Castlelost, Mary Kenny, Joe Cully,Bernie Nugent, Noel Gavin and Feichin Gavin. Sellers were PO, Centra, E McCarthy (3), Anne Gavin (2) and Wallaces Next weeks draw in Wallaces on Friday 3rd June for a jackpot of ?12,800. Training U6, U8, U10, U12 train at 10.30 a.m. Saturday mornings U14 train Fridays at 7pm U16 and Minors will be contacted by mentors St. Mary's Notes 15 May 2011 Minor League On Friday 20th May, St. Marys minors travelled the short distance to play near neighbours Tyrrellspass in the last league match to be played prior to the commencement of the Leaving Certificate. Following on their win over Garrycastle the previous week St. Marys had the upper hand for most of the first half with Joe Guiden and Dermot Judge controlling affairs at midfield. Three quarter way through the first half St. Marys hit a purple patch scoring 2:2 with the inside forward line of Ian Keelan, Leonard Gavin and Niall Cully causing all sort of problems for their opponents. Half time score: St Marys 3:4 Tyrrellspass 1:5 Like most local derbies the second half saw the tempo increase a notch with the home side first to draw blood with a well taken goal from Ciaran Daly but the St. Marys backline of Dan Plant, Stephen Keegan and Brandon Darcy dug deep and produced sterling performances over the next ten minutes to close shop and kick start a resurgent St. Marys spell. Half forwards Aaron Byrne, Ian Hyland and Paul Metcalfe took control and notched 2:3 between them with some delightful inter-passing moves to leave some daylight between the teams heading into the last 10 minutes. Tyrrellspass did respond with a well worked goal but trojan work from St. Marys half backs Cathal Taylor, Luke Gallagher and Kienan Gill and a point blank save from the ever alert Liam McCarthy in goals saw St. Marys hold out on a final score of St. Marys 5:9 Tyrrellspass 3: 10 St. Marys team: Liam McCarthy, Cathal Taylor, Stephen Keegan, Brandon Darcy, Dan Plant, Luke Gallagher, Kienan Gill, Joe Guiden, Dermot Judge, Aaron Byrne, Ian Hyland, Paul Metcalfe, Ian Keelan, Leonard Gavin, Niall Cully and Ciaran Whitstun. U16 league The u16s completed a hectic recent schedule by playing two games last week. On Monday 16th May, Shandonagh were the visitors to Rochfortbridge. On another windy evening , St Marys faced the breeze in the first half and despite having plenty of possession they found scores hard to come by. The concession of two goals before half time left them in arrears by six points at half-time. A more clinical St Marys took the field for the second half and aided by the wind chipped away at Shandonagh's lead. A Jack Reid goal edged St Marys into a 2 point lead and the win looked on the cards as the home team were completely on top at this stage. A rare breakaway from Shandonagh resulted in a goal with 3 minutes to go and St Marys were a point behind. It was left to Lenny Gavin to snatch the equalising point with practically the last kick of the game. Final score; St Marys 2-08, Shandonagh 3-05. Team; Corey Gavin, Ryan Delaney, Adam Kavanagh, Ciaran Whitstun, Peter Lalor, Paddy Geraghty, Ryan Gavin, Luke Gallagher(0-1), Glen O'Reilly(0-2), Eoin O'Malley(1-0), Hugh Lyster, Saya Nxumalo, Sam Plant, lenny Gavin(0-3), Brandon Darcy, Jack Reid(1-2), Josh Byrne, Matthew Bradley. On Wednesday 18th May these lads travelled to Ballycomoyle to take on St Michaels in the final match of the league. St Marys started off well and dominated early possession, but were wasteful in front of goal. However they did build up a nice lead as the game progressed and coming up to half-time had a seven point lead. However a goal from a penalty followed by a point for St Michaels meant there were only 3 points in it at the break. Upon the resumption of play St Michaels rang the changes and exerted huge pressure on the St Marys defence and soon it was down to a one point lead. St Marys held firm and with the aid of goals from Lenny Gavin and Saya Nxumalo St Marys surged into a nine point lead, reduced to six after the concession of a late goal from a free. Final Score; St Marys 3-09, St Michaels 2-06. Team;Ryan Harris, Ryan Delaney, Brandon Darcy, Ryan Gavin, Peter Lalor, Gary Morgan(0-1), Ciaran Whitstun, Luke Gallagher, Glen O'Reilly(0-1), Sam Plant(0-1), Lenny Gavin(1-3), Saya Nxumalo(1-0), Jack Reid(1-3), Eoin O'Malley, Hugh Lyster, Corey Gavin, Josh Byrne, Cathal Moran ,Matthew Bradley. U14 League The u14s recorded a comprehensive win over St Pauls in Rochfortbridge on Thursday 19th May. In a one sided contest St Marys were always on top against a gritty St Paul's team. There were strong performances from many players all through the field and many of them put down a marker for the looming Championship. Final Score; St Marys 4-18, St Pauls 2-04. Team; Matthew Rowden, Andrew Bollard, Sean Downey, Matthew Bradley, Eddie Whelehan, Jamie Rooney, Mark Hyland, Sean Lyster(0-3), Saya Nxumalo(1-2), Eoin Fallon(0-5), Jack Hall(0-3), Francis Duffy(0-2), jude Keegan(1-0), Cormac Dunne(1-0), Cathal Moran(1-2), Adam Bradley(0-1), Dylan Hanrahan(0-1),Pauli Carpenter, Liam Metcalfe, Anthony Brady, Cathal Jessop, Patrick Kryzak, Cian Gahan. Cumann na mBunscoil Scoil Bhride, Rochfortbridge take on Moate in the final of Cumann na mBunscoil on Tuesday 24th May in Cusack Park at 5pm. Most of these young players play their club football with St Marys and the club extends its best wishes to the Scoil Bhride team and their trainer Michael Cleary. This final appearance is testament to the hours of training that Michael has done with these young lads. Having lost the final narrowly last year Scoil Bhride will be hoping to go one better this time. All parents and supporters are urged to get into Cusack Park and cheer on this talented team. Good luck lads! U14 League St Marys travelled to Killucan to take on the home team on Thursday 12th May. With both teams unbeaten going into this game something was going to give. St Marys got off to a good start and made the early running, but it was obvious that the size and power of the Killucan team was going to have a say in the outcome and they came storming back to lead by 4 points at half time. A whirlwind start to the second half by Killucan, which extended their lead to 12 points, made St Marys task seem impossible but they dug deep and rallied and brought it back to a 2 point deficit. At this point several St Marys attacks proved fruitless and a storming finish from Killucan produced a goal and a point as they ran out winners by 6 points. This was a performance full of character from St Marys and with a bit of luck they could have took the spoils. Final Score; St Marys 5-05, Killucan 5-11 U16 League St Marys welcomed Rosemount to Rochfortbridge on Saturday 14th May. On another wet, windy evening good football was going to at a premium. St Marys had the better of the early exchanges but a goal for Rosemount midway through the half spurred St Marys who built up a 3 point lead until just before half time a point and a soft goal for Rosemount gave them a one point lead going into the break. The second half started better for St Marys as they soon regained the lead only to concede a hatrick of goals of varying quality to totally change the face of the game. St Marys continued to claw their way back but a combination of bad luck and wayward shooting did little for their cause and Rosemount ran out comfortable , if not overly convincing winners. Final Score; St Marys 3-06, Rosemount 5-05. Minor League St Marys travelled to Garrycastle to play the home side in the Minor League on Friday 13th May. Having displayed very mixed form in the league so far, St Marys were anxious to get their act together. In what proved to be an intense, tight game of football St Marys came away with a welcome win. The result could have gone either way as both teams enjoyed lengthy spells of dominance but a great finish from St Marys saw them claim the spoils. Hopefully this augurs well for the remainder of the league and the championship. Final Score; St Marys 3-08, Garrycastle 2-09. St Marys Notes 8th May 2011 Intermediate Championship: Next up was Ballymore, again in a windy Shandonagh on Sunday 8th May. St Marys had use of the breeze in the first half and initially it looked as if they would canter to a win as their first 3 attacks ended up with points. Ballymore came more into the game at this stage and were settling in nicely when a fortuitous goal from Robbie Kenny knocked them back on their heels. Within minutes St Marys had a further goal when Eoin Gorman finished brilliantly. Ballymore scored 4 of the next 6 points to leave St Marys with a 6 point lead at the break. Playing
into the wind, St Marys started the second half in whirlwind fashion when
Gorman again finished clinically to the net following great approach work from
Adam Nolan. Two quick points were added to give St Marys an 11 point cushion.
At this point St Marys seemed to take the foot off the pedal and Ballymore
knocked over the next 6 points. St Marys
nerves started to jangle but 2 well taken points settled them back down as they
held out for a comfortable if not too impressive win. A few injuries were
picked up in this game and hopefully none were too serious. U16 League St Marys Notes 18th April 2011 ACFL Div 7 Delvin were the opposition in Rochfortbridge on Tuesday 12th April in round 2 of the Division 7 league. A blend of youth and experience took to the field for St Marys. Early exchanges were even enough until St Marys found their range and they dominated most sectors of the field to hold a half time lead of 10 points to 5. A St Marys blitz at the start of the second half which yielded 2-05 killed off the game as a contest. Delvin continued to battle and were rewarded for their endeavours' with a strong finish to bag 2-02 albeit too late to influence the outcome. Final Score; St Marys 2-17, Delvin 2-07. Team; Deven Whitstun, Davy Conroy, Colm Conroy, Wayne Gahan, Dwayne Leavy(0-2), Brian O'Sullivan, Tommy Conroy(0-1), Ian Cunningham, John Shiels, Eddie Alford(0-2), Ciaran Geraghty(0-2), Joe Guiden, Niall Cully(1-3), Ian Hyland(1-3), Matthew Cunningham(0-2), Aaron Byrne(0-2), Liam McCarthy, Dean Darcy, James O'Neill, Killian McNay. ACFL Div 3 On Sunday 17th April , St Marys journeyed to Kilbeggan to play in round 5 of the league. Having lost to the same opposition in the league last year, there was nothing being taken for granted here. St Marys dominated the possession stakes early on and created a myriad of chances, but a tendency to go for goals proved fruitless and many point chances went a-begging. A purple patch which produced 1-4, the goal a great team effort finished by the evergreen Ian Cunningham, seemed to set up St Marys for a good second half as they took a six point lead into the break. An early goal from Robbie Kenny on the resumption following an earlier disallowed effort from David Cleary looked to be ominous for the home side but what followed from St Marys was insipid and uninspiring stuff indeed. They seemed to invite Kilbeggan to take over the game and they did indeed bring in back to a 3 point game with a run of 6 consecutive points. However St Marys rallied to notch the last 2 points to win by 5 points and maintain their 100% record in the league. However further performances like this will surely be punished. Final Score; St Marys 2-08, Kilbeggan 0-9. Team; Declan Hogan, Adam Nolan, Tommy Giles, Michael Geraghty, Paul Carey, Tommy Geraghty, Aidan Fallon, David Mitchell, Colin Gavin(0-1), Alan Gavin(0-1), David Cleary(0-1), Larry Poynton, Robbie Kenny(1-3), Ian Cunningham(1-0), Ciaran Geraghty(0-1), Eoin Gorman(0-1), Dwayne Leavy, Joe Guiden. Under 8 Blitz On Saturday 16th April St Marys hosted an under 8 blitz. The clubs involved were St Marys, Milltownpass and St Malachys/Ballinagore. These games were played under the play-and stay format. A great day was had by all and the fine weather added to the occasion. Well done to all the players who took part. St Josephs U14 Congratulations to St Josephs who won the All-Ireland U14 Schools Association Football title on Tuesday last. With several St Marys players on the starting team and more on the extended panel, they can feel proud of their great achievement. Indeed the winning goal was scored by Jack Reid of St Marys. Well done to all. Lotto Lotto results Friday 15th April. Draw took place in Bagnalls for a jackpot of €11400. The numbers drawn were 7, 10, 20 and 27. There was no Jackpot winner and 8 match 3 winners who each receive €40. They were; Tony Morgan (A Gavin), Paul McGivney (A Gavin), Emma c/o Edmund Hyland (Coynes xl), Oisin Staunton (T Glennon), James Bradley (Fratellis) ,Tom Mitchell (T Dunne) ,Sheila Doyle (E McCarthy) and the Kenny Twins (P Whelehan). Next weeks draw is Saturday 23rd April in Wallaces for a jackpot of €11,600. Please note change of date and venue for next weeks draw. St Marys Notes 11th April 2011 St Marys Notes 10th April 2011 2010 Junior Cup Final Division 6 League Under 16 League St Josephs St Marys Notes 3rd April 2011 U14 League St Marys played Coralstown/Kinnegad at home on Thursday 31st march in round 4 of the league. Seeking to maintain an unbeaten start to the year, a wind-assisted St Marys set about their business in clinical fashion and soon established a healthy lead while keeping the opposition penned back. With a big advantage at half time, St Marys ran the bench and a more even second half ensued. Nevertheless the damage done in the first half sufficed to garner the points on offer. Final Score; St Marys 4-17, Coralstown/Kinnegad 1-06 Team; Anthony Brady, Andrew Bollard, Matthew Bradley, David Cole, Edward Whelehan, Cathal Jessop, Mark Hyland, Sean Lyster(0-4), Saya Nxumalo(1-0), Eoin Fallon(0-3), Liam Metcalfe(0-2), Francis Duffy(0-2), Adam Bradley(1-0), Jack Hall(1-2), Cathal Moran (1-4), Fionn Daly, Cormac Dunne, Ned Cully, Nathan Raftis, Dylan Hanrahan, Cian Gahan, Shane Bollard. ACFL Div3 Multyfarnham visited Rochfortbridge in round 4 of the league as St Marys protected a 100% record on Saturday 2nd April. It took St Marys a little while to establish a rhythm, but they were soon scoring freely in a one-sided encounter. A half-time lead of 15 points gave St Marys no real incentive for the second half and they never really got going in this period. However they closed out the game with ease and maintained their winning start to the year. Tougher challenges surely lie ahead and apart from the points on offer, St Marys will have learned little from this game. Final Score; St Marys 2-19, Multyfarnham 1-02 Team; Declan Hogan, Adam Nolan, Thomas Giles, Michael Geraghty, Joe Bradley(0-1), David Mitchell, Damien Healy, Colin Gavin(0-1), Damien Gavin(0-1), Eoin Gorman(0-2), Alan Gavin, Larry poynton(1-0),Robbie Kenny(1-4), David Cleary(0-2), Kieran Geraghty(0-6). Subs Used; Aidan Fallon(0-1), Cathal Coyle, Ian Cunningham, Joe Guiden, Thomas Geraghty. ACFL Div 7 St Marys Rochfortbridge suffered a 7 point defeat in their first Division 7 game of the year. The game played in The Downs on Tuesday 29th March saw the home side winners on a 3-08 to 10 point score-line. However St Marys can feel confident knowing they matched the vastly experienced home side and could have indeed won the game apart from sloppy defending and 2 very unfortunate goals. The young St Marys side produced some beautiful flowing football in the second half and can be pleased with their overall performance. Next up in this division is a game against Delvin. St Marys Notes 28 March 2011 ACFL Div 6 Milltownpass was the venue for the Div 6 team on Sunday 27th March. St Marys crashed to a disappointing two point defeat in a closely fought game. St Marys started the brighter of the two teams but indiscipline in their defence allowede the home team claw their way back into the game. A fortuitous goal on the stroke of half-time for Milltonpass changed the complex of the game and though they battled bravely it was not to be for St Marys and Kieran Geraghtys goal proved to be of scant consolation in the finish. Final score; St Marys 1-07, Milltownpass 1-09 Team; Ken Delaney, Cathal Coyle, Colm Conroy, Tommy Conroy, Dwayne Leavy, Adam Nolan, Joe Bradley, Colin Gavin, Eoin Gorman, Ian Cunningham, Andy Cunningham, Ian Hyland, John Sheils, Kieran Geraghty, Davy Conroy, Derek Mulligan, Matthew Cunningham. U16 Leinster league St Marys travelled to Duleek, Co. Meath to play the locals in the final game of the Leinster league on Friday 25th March. In what proved to be a tight encounter St Marys lost out by 2 points to a strong Duleek outfit. This was a very useful workout with the League due to commence in the near future. There were several strong performances from the St Marys team which played to the final whistle. Final score; St Marys 2-05, Duleek/Bellewstown 3-04 Team; Corey Gavin, Ryan Gavin, Paddy Geraghty, Ryan Delaney, Peter Lalor, Adam Kavanagh, Brandon Darcy, Luke Gallagher, Glen O’Reilly, Sam Plant, Gary Morgan, Hugh Lyster, Eoghan O’Malley, Josh Byrne, Lenny Gavin Aaron Delaney, Saya Nxumalo, Oran Carroll, Ciaran Whitstun, Aaron Henry. We would like to thank Duleek for their hospitality. This team also played a useful challenge against Milltownpass on Sunday 27th March in Rochfortbridge. Feile St Marys travelled to Finea on Saturday 26th March to participate in the group stage of the Feile. First game was against St Michaels. This proved to be a game of two halves as a very close first half was followed by a second half in which St Michaels greater size and strength wore down St Marys and they ran out convincing winners. The second game was against Mullingar Shamrocks and St Marys held the upper hand in this match and came away with the win. However they could have rued missing some gilt-edged chances and will have to sharpen up in future games. St Marys Notes 21 March 2011 ACFL Div 3 St Marys Rochfortbridge produced an outstanding display of football to comprehensively dispose of Moate by 4-12 to 0-4 in Division 3 last Saturday 19th March. St Marys started with the aid of the breeze and early scores from Alan Gavin and Robbie Kenny saw them jump out to an early 4 point lead. Declan Hogan dived low to his right to keep out a rare Moate opportunity before St Marys continued their scoring spree to leave the half time score 0-8 to 0-1. An early Robbie Kenny goal set the tone for the second half. Moate were desperately pouring forward in vain to launch a comeback but 3 more goals from Eoin Gorman (2) and David Cleary ensured St Marys ran out easy winners on a 4-12 to 0-4 score-line. Team: D Hogan; T Giles, T Geraghty, T Conroy; M Geraghty, D Healy, A Nolan; C Gavin, D Gavin; J McNamara, A Gavin, E Gorman; I Cunningham, J Sheils, R Kenny. Subs: A Fallon, C Coyle, D Cleary, D Leavy, D Judge. Minor League St Marys travelled to Caulry on Sunday 20th March seeking to open their account in this year's league. Caulry always prove to be difficult opponents so St Marys were taking nothing for granted. St Marys started the brighter and were soon on the scoreboard with an Ian Hyland point. Play swung from end to end but it was St Marys who were sharper in the early exchanges and two great goals from Dermot Judge and Ian Keelan gave them a cushion. A point from Matthew Cunningham extended the lead before Caulry were awarded the first of two penalties, the first of which was converted, the second dribbled wide. Paul Metcalfe then scored a stunning goal or The Bridge. Caulry closed out the scoring with a point. Half time score; St Marys 3-02, Caulry 1-01. The second half opened with St Marys laying siege to the Caulry goal for 10 minutes without yielding a score. This proved to be costly as Caulry were always going to get a purple patch. They scored the next 7 points to level the match and had all the momentum at this stage. The next score was going to be vital and it was St Marys who bagged it with a free from Hyland. Judge popped up with another point before Caulry pulled one back. However a stronger St Marys notched the last 3 points, 2 from Aaron Byrne and another from Judge to run out 4 point winners after a tough encounter. The team showed great character to pull this game out of the fire and they should draw belief from this. A special mention goes to custodian Liam McCarthy who pulled off a tremendous save near the end when it was all to play for. Final Score; St Marys 3-07, Caulry 1-09. Team; Liam McCarthy, Steven Keegan, Luke Gallagher, Cathal Taylor, Padraig Dolan, Joe Guiden, Brian O'Sullivan, Dermot Judge(1-2), kienan Gill, Paul Metcalfe(1-0), Ian Hyland(0-2), Matthew Cunningham(0-1), Ian Keelan(0-1), Aaron Byrne(0-2), Lenny Gavin, Ciaran Whitstun. Juvenile training Training resumed for all age groups from U6s to U10s on Saturday 12th March on the astroturf. It was great to see such a large turnout of players and mentors and we hope they all have a fun and successful season. U14 League St Marys travelled to The Downs on Saturday 12th March to play round 3 of the league. In a one sided game St Marys were never really extended and continued their winning start to the league. Short a few players, the selectors had the opportunity to look at some players in different positions. Final Score; St Marys 7-14, The Downs 1-07. Panel; Cormac Dunne, David Cole, Matthew Bradley, Sean Downey, Andrew Bollard, Jamie Rooney, Adam Bradley, Saya Nxumalo, Sean Lyster, Cathal Jessop, Francis Duffy, Eoin Fallon, Jack Hall, Cathal Moran, Liam Metcalfe, Anthony Brady, Eddie Whelehan, Jude Keegan, Shane Bollard, Mark Hyland, Pauli Carpenter, Ned Cully, Cian Gahan, Aidan Robinson. Minor league Maryland/Tang were the visitors to Rochfortbridge on Sunday 13th March in the third round of the league. St Marys were first off the mark through Paul Metcalfe. M/T then took over in terms of possession and soon had 1-2 in the bag. Another Metcalfe point and a free from Ian Hyland kept St Marys in touch. M/T extended their lead to 3 points before a goal and a point from Hyland put St Marys in front. M/T added 2 points to another Hyland point for St Marys to leave the teams level at the break 1-05 apiece. St Marys had a great start to the second half as Brian O'Sullivan got in on the scoring act with two early points, the second a magnificent curling effort. M/T then rattled off 3 points on the trot to regain the initiative before a fine free from O'Sullivan tied it up at 1-08 each. The game ebbed and flowed after that as neither team could seize the initiative. With less than 10 minutes remaining M/T struck a goal and then St Marys caved in as a further 2-2 without reply killed off the game and gave a very flattering look to the score-line for the visitors. Final Score; St Marys 1-08, Maryland/Tang 4-10. St Marys Team; Liam McCarthy, Steven Keegan, Luke Gallagher, Padraig Dolan, Dan Plant, Joe Guiden, Brian O'Sullivan(0-3), Dermot Judge, Kienan Gill, Ian Keelan, Ian Hyland(1-3), Paul Metcalfe(0-2), Ciaran Whitstun, Aaron Byrne, Lenny Gavin, Dean Gavin. St Marys Notes 06/03/2011 U14 League St Marys hosted Maryland/Tang on Sunday 6th March. St Marys were anxious to continue their good start to the league but it took an eternity for the first score to materialize as both teams fumbled a lot of ball. Maybe the early start contributed to this! Eventually the scores started to come and it was St Marys who monopolized the scoreboard to hold a half time lead of 11 points. An early goal from Maryland/Tang in the second half proved to be a false dawn as St Marys took control again and in the end ran out comfortable winners. This was a performance punctuated with passages of very good play mixed with the ordinary and a lot of work will have to be done on the training ground in the coming weeks. Panel; Cormac Dunne, David Cole, Matthew Bradley, Sean Downey, Andrew Bollard, Jamie Rooney, Adam Bradley, Saya Nxumalo(0-2), Sean Lyster(0-2) Cathal Jessop(2-0), Francis Duffy(1-2), Eoin Fallon(1-1), Jack Hall(2-1), Cathal Moran(0-2), Liam Metcalfe(1-1), Anthony Brady(0-1), Eddie Whelehan, Jude Keegan, Shane Bollard, Mark Hyland, Pauli Carpenter, Ned Cully, Cian Gahan, Aidan Robinson. U16 Leinster League O'Dempseys of Laois were the visitors to Rochfortbridge for the first round of this competition on Saturday 5th March. O'Dempseys were first off the mark with a point and were causing problems for the home team. A point from Glen O'Reilly settled St Marys who came more into the game. Further points from Gary Morgan and Hugh Lyster put St Marys in front and Eoin O'Malley then grabbed a goal to put a bit of daylight in it. Points from Luke Gallagher and another from Lyster were sandwiched between a goal and a point for O'Dempseys to leave 3 points in it at half time Half-time score; St Marys 1-05, O'Dempseys 1-02. Early second half points from Lyster and Aaron Henry were negated by two O'Dempseys points. St Marys then took over and four consecutive points from Rory O'Flaherty, Lyster, Sam Plant and O'Malley left them 7 points clear. At this juncture both teams were reduced to 14 men and this seemed to have a detrimental affect on St Marys as O'Dempseys whittled the lead to 3 points with two minutes to play. Then the inevitable happened as O'Dempseys goaled to level the game. The kick-out was crucial. St Marys won possession and worked the ball upfield. Saya Nxumalo cut in from the right hand side and unleashed a rasping shot which came back off the crossbar into the arms of a gleeful O'Malley who made no mistake to drive home. Almost immediately the whistle sounded. Final score; St Marys 2-11, O'Dempseys 2-08. St Marys Team; Corey Gavin, Ryan Gavin, Paddy Geraghty, Ryan Delaney, Peter Lalor, Adam Kavanagh, Brandon Darcy, Luke Gallagher(0-1), Glen O'Reilly(0-1), Richie Harris, Gary Morgan(0-1), Hugh Lyster(0-4), Rory O'Flaherty(0-1), Eoghan O'Malley(2-1), Sam Plant(0-1), Aaron Henry(0-1), Aaron Delaney, Oran Carroll, Saya Nxumalo, Ciaran Whitstun, Cathal Moran, Josh Byrne, Lenny Gavin, Jack Reid. St. Marys Notes 27/2/2011 U14 League On Saturday 26th February, St Marys u14s travelled to Multyfarnham for the opening game of this years league. Fielding a very young team, St Marys were stepping into the unknown. St Marys played the better football throughout, but Multy had a knack for getting timely goals which kept the game close. Several St Marys players stepped up to the mark in this game and will have given the selectors plenty to think about. Overall St Marys achieved a good result on the back of a determined performance. Final Score; St Marys 3-11, Multyfarnham 4-06. Panel; Cormac Dunne, Eddie Whelehan, Matthew Bradley, Sean Downey, Andrew Bollard, Jamie Rooney, Jude Keegan, Mark Hyland, Saya Nxumalo, Cathal Jessop, Francis Duffy, Adam Bradley, Ned Cully, Cathal Moran, Liam Metcalfe, Shane Bollard, David Cole, Cian Gahan, Aidan Robinson. Minor League St Marys made their debut in this competition on Sunday 27th February in The Downs. Despite making the early running in the game, the strength of The Downs came to the fore as the game wore on. While there was little in it at the break, The Downs never let St Marys into the game and ran out convincing winners. This St Marys team will know that they have more football in them and hopefully with a bit of work, they can pick up the pieces and get motoring again. Final Score; St Marys 0-09, The Downs 2-14. ACFL DIV 3 St Marys played host to neighbours Tyrrellspass in the second round of the league on Sunday 27th February. Most derby games are close-fought, tight affairs, but this proved to be the exception. A depleted Tyrrellspass outfit had no answer to an impressive, if wasteful St Marys side. An early blitz in which John McNamara(2) and Eoin Gorman scored excellent goals meant that the game was over as a contest well before half-time. St Marys defence was generally on top and a multitude of ball was supplied to the attack. However poor shooting and over-elaboration conspired to keep the scoring rate down. The second half was much the same but the goals dried up even though several gilt-edged chances were created. The work-rate was impressive however and concentration levels remained high for the whole game. Overall a comfortable win and two points garnered. Final Score; St Marys 3-11, Tyrrellspass 0-02. Team; Declan Hogan, Tommy Giles, Tommy Geraghty, Tommy Conroy, Adam Nolan, Michael Geraghty, Joe Bradley, Ray O’Sullivan(0-1), Damien Gavin(0-1), David Cleary, Damien Healy, Colin Gavin(0-1), Eoin Gorman(1-3), Alan Gavin(0-1), John McNamara(2-4). Subs used; John Shiels, Aidan Fallon, Cathal Coyle, Dwayne Leavy, Eddie Alford. Lotto Lotto results Friday 25th February. Draw took place in Bagnalls for a jackpot of €10000. The numbers drawn were 1, 9, 16 and 25.. There was no Jackpot winner and 3 match 3 winners who each receive €100: They were Elaine & Sheila, Angela Kenny and Sean Moran. Sellers were RLFC,Ger Kenny and Eamonn McCarthy. Next weeks draw in Dalys Lounge on Friday 4th March for a Jackpot of €10,200. Training U6, 8, 10 starts back on Saturday March 12th . U12 and U14 train at 10.30 a.m. Saturday mornings. U16 and Minors will be contacted by mentors Fixtures Saturday 5th March; U14 League; St Marys v Maryland/Tang in Rochfortbridge @ 11 am Saturday 5th March; U16 Leinster League; St Marys v O’Dempseys(Laois) in Rochfortbridge @ 4 pm Saturday 12th March; U16 Leinster League; St Marys v Duleek(Meath) in Duleek @ 4pm St. Marys Notes 20/2/2011 ACFL Div 6 St Marys had their first home game of the season when Kilbeggan came calling in the second game of the Div 6 league. This turned out to be a game of two halves as a rampant St Marys performance in the first half was followed by a very poor second half. Happily on this occasion St Marys had enough of a lead at half-time to compensate for their second half showing. St Marys played flowing football throughout the first half punctuated with three quick goals midway through the half. In truth another couple of goals at this stage would not have flattered St Marys. A 12 point lead at half-time looked comfortable and was even more so as St Marys tacked on the first two points of the second half, and a rout looked certain. Kilbeggan got their act together and took over in terms of possession and scores. However they couldn’t get through for a goal as the St Marys rearguard held firm. At the finish St Marys held out for a seven point win and will take a lot from the game. Final Score; St Marys 3-08, Kilbeggan 0-10 Team; Dermot Judge, Cathal Coyle, Colm Conroy, Tommy Conroy,Dwane Leavy, Tommy Geraghty, Joe Guiden(0-1), Ray O’Sullivan, Colin Gavin, Eddie Alford(0-2), Eoin Gorman(0-3), John McNamara(0-1), Teddy Cunningham(1-0), John Shiels(1-0), Kieran Geraghty(1-1). Subs used David Conroy, Matthew Cunningham, Noel Gavin, Conor Duigenan, Wayne Gahan Training U6, 8, 10 starts back on March 12th . U12 and U14 train at 10.30 a.m. Saturday mornings. U16 and Minors will be contacted by mentors Fixtures Sun 27th Feb; ACFL Div 3; St Marys v Tyrrellspass in Rochfortbridge @ 4 pm Sat 26th Feb; U14 League; St Marys v Multyfarnham in Multyfarnham at 11 am Sun 27th Feb; Minor League St Marys v The Downs in The Downs @ 11 am Membership All are reminded that membership is now overdue. Prompt payment is requested. Fees are €20 for over 18, €10 for u18 and €50 for family membership( 2 adults and 2 u18). Contact 0872571760. Astroturf For bookings contact 086-3790766 St Marys Notes 13/02/2011 ACFL Div 6 St Marys travelled to Kinnegad on Sunday 6th February to play on the locals in the first round of the Division 6 league. In very wet conditions, the teams managed to serve up reasonably good fare allowing that it was the first time out for both of them. A close game was shaded by a physically bigger Coralstown-Kinnegad team who adapted better to the difficult conditions. This was a useful workout for these lads and they showed that they will have a big say in this division. Final score; St Marys 1-09, Coralstown-Kinnegad 3-08. ACFL Div 3 Presentation Registration Training |
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P.R.O Notes 2012
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P.R.O. Notes 2010
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