REVIEW OF THE YEAR  (NB Draft  - camogie is outstanding)

When it comes to Autumn and we review the happenings of the year there are always ups and downs; this team did well while that could have been better. However overall the feeling in the club this year is positive on the whole – a couple of cups rest in the newly refurbished pavilion in Bellefield and there is a feeling of hope for 2006.

 

The year started well back in February with wins for adult and minor football teams in their respective league campaigns. Coming after a Senior title in 2004 it appeared that all was rosy in the big ball garden. As the year turned out this perspective was to change dramatically and 2005 was to prove to be better with the camán and sliothar than the football.

 

Our under 8’s and 10’s started early and continue to train every week, taking part in as many tournaments as we can manage. We’ve won a few and more importantly given the boys the opportunity to enjoy themselves and, hopefully, begin a lifelong journey with out national games.

 

At under 12 level our young lads, many of whom won a Rackard league double with St Aidan’s during the school year performed just as well for the club. They reached the football final and were very unfortunate to lose out to Fethard. We lost our goalkeeper halfway through the match and this proved a turning point in what was a very exciting and skilful game.

 

The youngsters made up for this disappointment later in the year though when they had a great victory in the hurling final against a very good Faythe Harriers side. The Harriers had beaten us in the group stages at a wet and sodden Páirc Charman and made us work all the way to the final whistle in order to bring the cup back to Enniscorthy.

 

In contrast our under 14’s had a difficult year but tried hard throughout the campaigns. We did well in the football making it through to the semi-final after some up and down performances. We scored relatively freely in the group stages but also conceded a lot and this was our downfall when it came to the knockout stage.

 

The hurling however was more disappointing and while we were in with a chance to make the semi-finals at the end we were well beaten in the final group game to end our hopes. This is a young side though so hopefully they may fare better next year.

 

The juvenile footballers never really got going this year and while they scored some good wins they also had some poor losses. Things were better on the hurling field though. We won all our group matches with the exception of the St Martins game and thankfully we learned from that defeat to go on and beat the Piercestown men in the final. It had been eight years since we won this grade and this team is exceptionally hard working and having won at under 12 and 14 have now deservedly added a juvenile title. Hopefully they can carry this on to the minor grade.

 

Our minor footballers had to play with a number of juveniles throughout the year but still made it to the league semi-final where they lost narrowly to a good Bannow side. The year ended disappointingly however with us having to withdraw from the championship due to a lack of interest from players.

 

Results on the hurling front were much better and we went unbeaten to the minor final where we fell to a fine Oulart side. A bad start had us struggling and while the lads showed great mental toughness to get back to within two points at one stage, a soft goal eased the Oulart boys away again towards the end. We also made the league semi-final and lost to the Shels away from home in what was in many ways a mirror or the county final with a bad start leaving us struggling.  Again we drew ourselves back again but conceded goals at a vital stage.

 

It was a very young panel at minor however which leaves us hopeful for the future.

 

At adult level our under 21 hurlers drew Bunclody in the first round and in what was one of the best games I have seen all season Bunclody scraped past us. It was a shame that because of the championship structure our lads only got to play one game at this level. It should be looked at because we’re all missing out on what can often be the most entertaining grade. Our U21 footballers have drawn Adamstown in Round one and hopefully we can make an impact there.

 

Our senior footballers did well enough in the league while not setting the word on fire but, in a case of history repeating itself, fell into the relegation play-offs after losing our first two games. We did the same in 2003 after winning the title in 2002 and after our fine performances in the Leinsterchampionship in 2004 we had been hopeful of a good season.

 

The football gloss was somewhat rebuffed however when our junior A team won the league final against Gusserane. This victory was driven by Willie Hudson half our total and showed how much he was missed by the seniors this year.

 

Our senior hurlers were poor in the league and ended up being relegated from the Premier A division and yet when it came to championship time they moved up a gear and after winning well against St Pat’s and Monageer, gave Oulart arguably their hardest game in the championship.

 

Our Junior A hurlers exited the championship to eventual finalists Oulart ‘A’ while the junior B’s produced up and down performances and eventually fell to Bunclody.

 

So, as I said at the start, more good than bad: two underage crowns and a junior football league title is not a bad return. The pavilion is still gleamingly new and beginning to attract more and more townspeople to enjoy the facilities on offer. We have our official opening on the weekend of the 10thand 11th of December. Hopefully next year can be even better!

 

MATCH REVIEWS

 

27/12/2005 Jim Byrne Cup

Starlights 1-7 Duffry Rovers 1-7

4/12/2005 Jim Byrne Cup

Duffry Rovers 3-9 Starlights 1-5

We lost our first match in the Jim Byrne Cup to-day,  we were beaten 3-09 to 1-05 by Duffry Rovers.

The Duffry played the better football but we stayed with them up to the last 10 minutes when they tagged on a goal and two points, we were caught for height and strength and need our older players participating if we are to go much further.

 

Best for us on they day were James Peare at corner back, Dean O Connor at wing back, Rory Newe at centre back, Ricky Fox wing forward and Paul Byrne at corner forward.

 

Our scorers were Paul Byrne 0-02, Daithi Mernagh 1-00, Ronan Doyle 0-01, Ger Foley 0-01 (pen), John james Dunne 0-01

 

A special mention must be made of Paul Byrne who was the first man up on the day and had an excellent game scoring two points.

3/12/2005 Senior Football League Div 1

Starlights 1-14 Gusserane 2-8

The senior footballers retained their division 1 league status with a victory on Saturday in Bellefield over Gusserane. The lads played well throughout and really never looked in any danger of losing - for most of the game they had a lead of 4-5 points with Tomas (Mossy) Mahon and Willie Hudson linking up extremely well in the half forward line to record a score of 13 points between them - Willie getting 7 and Mossy 6.

 

David Tyrrell got the goal and Davey (Speedy) Morrissey getting a point to bring our tally to 1-14 to 2-8 for Gusserane. John Daly and Jason Russell were strong in the middle of the field and our backs were staunch in defence particularly Adrian Fenlon/Ollie O’Connor and Liam Boland.  We saw some excellent football for the time of year and the conditions and fair play to all the lads who turned up for us - it isn’t easy to get out there on the 3rd December and give a gutsy performance to keep the club up - 18 lads showed on the day to do that for us and everyone got a game with Rory O’Connor replacing Brian Murphy, Cathal Murphy going on for Davey Morrissey and Damian Tobin for David Tyrrell - many thanks to all of you - its easy turn out for the club in the throes of championship - it takes a much better clubman to field in the beginning of December to keep the clubs status where it should be.

 

12/11/2005 Minor League Semi-final

Shelmaliers 4-7 Rapparees 3-7

This was a bit like a replay of the county final: we were slow out of the traps, well behind on the back bend, a neck in front coming into the home stretch and then edged out at the end.

We never got going in the first half and were seven points behind at the break. The lads knew they were better than that and they were asked to show it in the second period. They duly obliged and dragged themselves back into the match and got a point ahead well into the half. But then the boat sprung a leak and we conceded two goals in a row.

The mental strength that was questioned in the county final seemed to be present today though as we stuck over another couple of points but we needed more and time ran out.

6/11/2005 U21 Football

Adamstown 2-6 Starlights 2-4

Unfortunately we lost the first round of the U/21 Football championship yesterday to Adamstown in Newbawn. This was despite a really good performance from the Starlights.

 

We went down 2-4 to 2-6. We had plenty of possession and plenty of chances  but the vital scores just didn’t come. It was obvious that Adamstown had done more in the line of football - but our young guns showed that they were well capable of good football and perhaps with a little bit more coaching we could have a good side for next year as we are only losing one or two off this team.

 

It’s a young side with plenty of talent - all they need is a bit more football. Two sets of brothers ended up on the field for us yesterday - Rory and Ciaran O’Connor and Pa and Daithi Mernagh. They gave good accounts of themselves as did Cathal Murphy who played strong and direct football from the middle of the field.  Ricky Fox, Sean Farnan and David Tyrrell did their best to keep the ball in the danger area and Davy Morrissey worked tirelessly throughout.

 

There was some pretty good defending from our backs and a special thank you to Damian Barron for turning out for us - Damian wouldn’t be a regular sight on a football field. Derek Tobin and John Daly were solid in defence as well. It was a good overall performance lads and our mentors, while disappointed at losing were happy that there is a lot of talent coming forward to work with next year.  

It’s a pity we couldn’t get over the first hurdle - because with a little bit of football under our belts we could have given this championship a good shot.

5/11/2005 Junior Hurling Relegation Semi-final

Rapparees 1-16 Shelmaliers 3-09

Congratulations to our Junior hurlers who put in a good and gutsy performance on Saturday against the Shelmaliers to avoid relegation. There was some very good quality hurling in this game in conditions that were not conducive to good hurling. A very special thanks to all those who showed up for this game – it’s not easy turn out at this stage in the year and particularly not for a relegation game - so well done to all concerned.

23/10/2005 Minor Hurling Final

Rapparees 2-6 Oulart / The Ballagh 2-13

Our lads ultimately went down to an Oulart side that we are certainly as good as; we will look back at this encounter with regret for we failed to play for long periods.

Oulart got off to a great start scoring an early goal and then following up with a number of points to take a 1-4 to 0-0 lead. We have consistently been slow starters and you cannot allow this if you want to win finals. After a quarter of an hour we started finding the range however when Ricky Fox and Fran O'Gorman got us two points. However as the half wore on it was Oulart who extended their lead with five more points to one solitary free from Fran.

We got things more together in the second period Daithi Mernagh who was introduced at the break stuck over a point which was closely followed by a desperately close goal chance from Ricky. This omission was amended moments later however when Peter O'Sullivan hammered home a 21 yard free and Fran tagged on a sublime point from a sideline cut.

Cathal Murphy then stood up to be counted: he scored a great point before guiding another Fran sideline to the net to leave us only 2 behind with the wind in our sails. However the game turned on a long range Oulart free which somehow found it's way to our net soon after. This gave the country men a lift and they went on to pull away towards the end.

We certainly have the hurling to compete for county titles but Sunday showed we may be lacking in the mental strength to win at the higher level. Bad starts and tailing off when a goal is conceded are mental problems but they can be remedied. They key is to fix them before this team hits adult competition.

Team: Pa Doyle; Patrick Quigley (K), Kevin Walsh (capt), Tommy Foley; Deccie Barron, Karl Cullen, Kevin Courtney; Fran O'Gorman, Peter O'Sullivan; Ger Foley, Lee Murphy, Oisin Carley; Ricky Fox, Cathal Murphy, Mark Kenny; Joe Cullen for Lee, Daithi Mernagh for Deccie, John James Dunne for Mark Kenny, Rory Newe, Brian Newe, Mick Frayne, Pa O'Brien, Emmet Kennt, James Peare.

15/10/2005 Jun A Football League Final

Starlights 0-14 Gusserane 0-6

The Junior Footballers did themselves proud beating Gusserane on their own pitch 14 points to 6. It was touch and go up to half time with the midway score at 7 points to 4 in our favour. However in the second half the outcome was never in doubt - Gusserane scoring only 2 points in that half to the Starlights’ 7. Most of this scoring was down to the accurate Willie Hudson, who got a total of 7 points in all and was a joy to watch throughout the game. Skinner as usual was staunch in the middle as were Derek Tobin, Niall Sunderland and Liam Boland in the backs. They were aided and abetted by the able and agile veteran Georgie (Bombers) O'Connor in the goal, Jason Russell did his usual amount of hard work to keep us pushing forward and Ronie Furlong picked off a couple of nice points along with Ollie O'Connor and John Daly.

 

We kicked well throughout and deserved our convincing victory. Well done to Jim Nolan, Tony McClean, Johnny Russell and John Walsh who have put in a long and arduous League campaign to eventually come away with the spoils. Thanks also to all the lads who turned out for us at this level throughout the year - final day is the easiest day to turn out – it’s not so easy back in March to make the 15 - so well done to ye.

 

15/10/2005 U16 Hurling County Final

Rapparees 1-11 St Martins 0-06

It’s 8 years since we last won a juvenile hurling title; Liam Boland was the captain then and we beat the same team St. Martins in the final. This year's crop of juvenile Hurlers did the business in Cushinstown on Saturday and came away with the Division 1 Hurling Trophy.  These lads have won Under 12, Under 14 and now Under 16 and this success is down to the hard work of the panel and Seamus Deegan, Paudge Walsh and Michael Foley.

 

The run up to the game had been less than ideal, the venue was changed on no less than four occasions but credit the Selectors and Players they kept their focus and never allowed themselves be diverted from their target.

 

The venue was as near perfect as you could get for the time of year and a large following encircled the pitch, the Rapparees started slowly as usual and St Martins, with the wind in their favour, had two points on the board in the first couple of minutes, scores were exchanged in a very tight game of hurling until Joe Cullen latched on to a ball and did what he has being doing for his hurling life, he headed straight for the goal giving the Goalie no chance with a scorching shot to the back of the net, this left us leading at half time and was in the end the winning of the game.

 

Hurling in the second half was as tough and uncompromising as the first with both teams struggling to take the upper hand but two unanswered points put the Rapps ahead and sowed the seed of doubt in the St Martins minds.  They went on to win by an eight point margin in what was a hugely entertaining game.

 

This was a thirty two man effort but there was some great displays on the day, most notably the assured goalkeeping of James Peare and his towering fullback Pa Doyle, the nimble Tommy Foley at wing back, Big Ger in the middle of the field and up front the deadly Joe Cullen.

 

Thanks to our Under Age sponsor Tomas Kinsella Meats who once again dug deep and provided Hoodies for the players, it was great to get a chance to repay his faith in the club with the great win.

 

Thanks also to the Parents who turned up on the day but have provided a back up to us over the past years, their help and assistance is invaluable.

 

George O'Connor touched on this in his speech in the dressing room after the game. He congratulated the team on the marvellous and convincing win and the very fine display of hurling. He went on to say that he had no doubt that he would be looking at some of our lads in Croke Park in the very near future but most of all he asked them to have respect for the men who have got them where they are - the men who have worked and worked on their hurling ability to get them to the level they have now achieved. He asked that they respect themselves and the title and the cup they had just won.

 

Panel

 

James Peare, Patrick Quigley(P), Patrick Doyle,  Patrick Higgins, Tommy Foley, Daithi Mernagh(Capt), Rory Newe, Gerald Foley, Patrick Quigley(K),John James Dunne Oisin Carley, Ciarain O Connor, Aaron Ronan, Joe Cullen, Shane Kenny.

 

Barry Foley for Shane Kenny, John Ryan for Patrick Higgins and Patrick O Rourke for Ciarain O Connor, Sam O Shea., Andrew Kelly., David Murphy., John Higgins., David Wall., Darrren Buttle., Darren Cullen., Paul Byrne., Jimmy O Leary., David Doyle., Philip Sinnott., Brendan Ellis

 

09/10/2005 U18 County Semi-final

Rapparees 5-7 Shelmaliers 0-9

Oisin Carley did a "Joe Cullen" on it in the minor semi final, bagging four goals in what was a fine victory in difficult windy conditions.

We started with the wind and Lee Murphy and Mark Kenny scored for us first in the first couple of minutes before Oisin got his first goal. The Shels then scored a point but Fran O'Gorman got us going again with three points from the middle of the field.

About half way through the half Oisin pounced for his second major and from then to the end of the half it was ping pong up and down the field until Ger Foley landed our third goal. We got the ideal finish to the half as Oisin completed his hat-trick and we went in 4-6 to a point up.

The strength of the wind cannot be overestimated so despite our excellent scoring in the first half we knew that the second period would be no cake walk.

Ricky Fox scored a point early in the second half to get us off the mark but it was the Shels who held the whip hand and put our backs under enormous pressure scoring eight points. The had a number of goal chances but fortunately not putting them away. To add icing to the cake, just as time was running out Oisin Carley landed his fourth goal.

Team: Pa Doyle; Tommy Foley, Kevin Walsh, Patrick Quigley, Deccie Barron, Karl Cullen, Kevin Courtney, Fran O'Gorman and Peter O'Sullivan; Ger Foley (1-0), Lee Murphy (0-1), Oisin Carley (4-0); Ricky Fox, Cathal Murphy, Mark Kenny; JJ Dunne, Daithi Mernagh, Michael Frayne,Joe Cullen, Rory Newe, Brian Newe, Daithi O'Brien, Emmet Kenny.

25/9/2005 U16 Hurling Semi-final, Killurin

Rapparees 5-17 St Anne's 2-7

It was a marvelous consolation to all in the Club and particularly to Padge Walsh (who is manager of both teams) to see our juvenile hurlers qualify for the County Final following an outstanding performance against St. Annes on Sunday morning in Killurin.

 

Our lads got off to a slow start and were 1-3 to one point down before they got to grips with the game - but once they came to terms with it there was no stopping them.

 

They gave an excellent account of themselves all over the field and it would be difficult to single out any individual for special mention but I think that I will be forgiven if I mention the full forward Joe Cullen who came off with a personal tally of 3-6 after a display that prompted several to say that he should have been introduced on to the Senior Panel the previous day - Joe you were magic - keep it up - we need someone like you striding forward with confidence and finishing with a ball in the back of the net - Tommy (Tucker) Foley gave us his usual best as did his big cousin Ger netting 1-2 for his efforts - our backs were wonderful throughout and on this team we have what we seldom have on a Rapparees squad - forwards to match them - this is a good all round side and we wish them every success in the final - we have no doubt that ye can go out their and beat the Martins - we are all looking forward to it.

 

Scorers: Joe Cullen 3-6 - Ger Foley 1-2  Arran Ronan 1-1 Tommy (Tucker) Foley -3pts, Oisin Carley - 2pts, Rory Newe/Daithi Mernagh and John James Dunne - 1 pt each.

 

24/9/2005 Senior Hurling Quarter Final, Wexford Park

Rapparees 1-15 Oulart / The Ballagh 1-17

Despite an excellent performance from our senior hurlers in a game that had everything we exited from the 2005 Championship in Wexford Park on Saturday evening last. It was one of the best displays from a Rapparees team in many years and despite losing to Oulart by 2 points we showed that we are capable of mixing it with the best of them.  

It was a closely fought game from start to finish that neither team deserved to lose and either side would be lucky to win. Nothing more could have been asked of our three Countymen - they each gave some marvellous displays of hurling showing all why they are county material and delighting all with some of the finer skills of the game - Adrian Fenlon’s sideline cut that went straight over the bar was applauded by all in the stadium - Declan Ruth’s complete command of the half back line throughout the second half and Tomas Mahon’s excellent and accurate free taking giving him a personal tally of 10 points.

 

Gareth Kavanagh gave a staunch and solid performance at full back as did the men on either side of him John (Jake) Muphy and Derek Tobin - against stern opposition - our forwards harried and hassled looking for the elusive scores - Rickie Fox did remarkably well in his introduction to senior hurling and flicked a ball that was going wide back into Mark Gahan who got it to the back of the net without hesitation.

 

Rickie and Karl Cullen both making their debut into senior hurling showed that they were up to the task and are great prospects for the future of the Club. Ollie O’Connor introduced as a sub worked tirelessly and got an excellent point at a crucial time.

 

Everyone gave us their best on the day and unfortunately for us all it just wasnt enough. It was a game that had all the excitement right up to the bitter end and taking nothing from Oulart’s performance I would have to say that we were so unlucky to lose - the lads did all they were asked to do and we were proud of them on the day.

 

Well done to all of you - players and; ye have proved to all of us that hurling is alive and well at Bellefield - many thanks.

 

Team: Brian Carley; Jake Murphy, Garrett Kavanagh, Derek Tobin; Ryan Quigley, Skippy Ruth, Liam Boland; Adrian Fenlon, Eoin Quigley; David Morrissey, Tomas Mahon, Shay Deegan; Ricky Fox, Mark Gahan, Eamonn Furlong. Karl Cullen for Liam Boland, Mark Quigley for Shay Deegan, Ollie O'Connor for Eamonn Furlong.

 

19/9/2005 U18 Camogie Championship

HWH Bunclody 5-3 Rapparees 1-5

The U18's were out in the first round of the Championship against Bunclody in Bunclody yesterday at 6.30, the final score was Bunclody 5-3 V Rapps 1-5 but the score does not reflect the true nature of the match.  

We had the bare 15 and in fairness to them they put a good fight, we had a few girls missing from injuries and some on holidays. Our scorers were Charlene Murphy 0-1, Sarah Nolan 0-4 and Nicola Davitt 1-0, Nicola is an U14 player and performed like she had played with this squad all her life, an outstanding performance for a girl of her age.

 

Marguerite Casey had an excellent game, Lauren Hogan pulled off some great saves-the scoreline could have been a lot worse but for her.  Aideen Doyle, Alisha O'Brien (captain) and Tracy Breen also had good games.

 

17/9/2005 U12 County Hurling Final

Rapparees 4-9 Faythe Harriers 3-8

This was a great victory for the lads and eased the disappointment of losing the football final earlier in the year. The Harriers had beaten us in the group stages on a wet, miserable day and made us work hard for this win. Fair play to the boys though: may it be the first of many!

 

Cathal O'Connor; Dane Fortune, Brendan Kearney (0-2, 1 '45, 1 free), Brian Ronan; Mel Doyle, Richard Farrell (capt.), Dale Galway; Paul Devereux, Diarmuid Cullen (0-1 free); Conor Ronan, Tom Ryan (1-0), Jamie Fox (0-6); Davy Murphy, Jamie Barron (1-0), Kevin Foley (2-0). Subs. - Naoise Dunbar, Kevin Ryan, Seán O'Gorman, Timmy O'Dwyer, Patrick O'Shea, Neil McCrea, Killian Doyle.

 

 

 

10/9/2005 Junior A Camogie Co. Final

Rapparees 0-8 Bannow/Ballymitty 3-8

The junior A camogie team fell at the final hurdle in what would have been a remarkable achievement in winning the county title after only coming up from junior B last year.  They were beaten by Bannow/Ballymitty in a close fought tussle.

 

The final score was Rapps 0-8 V Bannow/Ballymitty 3-8. It was a hard fought game, but the girls never gave up. They gave it their best shot but it just wasn't meant to be; it was an achievement on its own for them to reach a county final being that it is their first year at Junior A, something they all should be proud of.

 

Our backs were in the firing line but dug deep and stood their ground. Our forwards were really unlucky not to score goals, they came so close on several occasions. We would like to thank everyone who took the time out to come and support the girls on the day.

 

As one contributor to the club website put it “I think they will be playing Senior in the next three to five years, the standard of their young players is very high and if they maintain their form they will have to succeed.”

 

Also fair play to the camogie girls who, as usual, had a great night afterwards in the clubhouse.

 

9/9/2005 Under 12 County Semi-final replay

Rapparees 3-13 Shelmaliers 1-1

The conditions were dreadful down in Kilurin for this re-match but our lads got a great start and continued to dominate. To score 13 points at this level in a semi-final is good going particularly in the wet.

3/9/2005 U12 Hurling Co. Semi-final

Rapparees 4-8 Shelmaliers 5-5

The under 12 hurlers drew with the Shelmaliers in an epic encounter last Saturday afternoon at Glynn/Barntown’s impeccable Kilurin headquarters. The match went to and fro many times, especially in the final few minutes and I think both teams were happy to get another day out at the final whistle. The final score was 4-8 to 5-5 which is very high scoring for this grade and reflects the quality of the combatants.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2/9/2005 Junior A Camogie Championship

Rapparees 2-9 Faythe Harriers 2-5

We beat the  Harriers last Friday night in Bellefield in the Championship. The final  score was Rapps 2-9 V Faythe Harriers 2-5. 

 

It was a good tough game and we lost a few players to injury  -  Angela Russell and Charlene Murphy were performing well until they sustained injuries and had to be  taken off. Likewise Sarah Russell was injured on the night but continued playing only to find out later she had sustained 2 cracked ribs. 

 

Our back line was as solid as usual led by Liz Stafford (Captain), Michelle Doyle saved a penalty (watch out Fitzy), Sarah Nolan dominated midfield as usual, Niamh Buckley came on in the second half and made a great impact on the game and Louise Hore played to her usual high standard scoring the first point of the game for the Rapps and had a hand in a couple more.

 

28/8/2005 Junior Hurling Championship

Oulart/The Ballagh 1-14 Rapparees 1-12

Our Junior A hurlers exited the Championship last Sunday in Taghmon being beaten by Oulart 1-12 to 1-14. In fairness we had multiple chances to win the game in the closing stages - including a penalty which just didn’t hit the target. I would have to say that our lads fought long and hard and our backs played out of their skins under tremendous pressure assisted by a gale force wind right throughout the second half. However, after scoring 1-8 in the opening half we only got our first score of the second after 15 minutes - you cannot let fifteen minutes of any game go without getting a score and expect to win - once again we only scored 1-12 - not really enough to win any game - unfortunately we have this problem throughout our adult teams and until we address it and solve it I’m afraid we wont be victorious.

 

The Club Secretary would like to say a big thank you to all the lads who turned up and in particular to the minors who have acquitted themselves well at this grade and also to the selectors - Tomas McVeigh/Brian Kehoe/Brian Ivers/John Browne and Tom Boland - who have put in a tremendous effort this year which was evident by the number of players we had showing up for each game - ye did well lads - pity we couldn’t have gone further.

27/8/2005 Senior Football Relegation semi-final

Starlights 2-10 Glynn/Barntown 1-7

The senior footballers retained the status with a well deserved 2-10 to 1-7 victory over Glynn/Barntown last Saturday.  It was nip and tuck all the way with our lads only pulling away in the last ten minutes. The turning point was the move of Jason Russell from the goal to midfield where he put the reins on a rampaging Willie Carley. The win has put a cap on a disappointing season for the seniors but we can be happy with the result and look ahead to the hurling.

22/8/2005 U14 Hurling Championship

Glynn/Barntown 3-10 Rapparees 1-4

The game wasn't as bad as the final result suggests: our lads were physically much smaller than the Glynn lads which has a big impact at this grade. Our lads were unlucky too missing a number fo scoring chances. We can look back at a few missed opportunities earlier in the year but as the man says you learn more from defeat than victory so look forward to next year with optimism.

22/8/2005 U16 Hurling Championship

Rapparees 4-15 Adamstown 1-9

A good solid win for the lads who finish the group stages on 12 points. Best for us was Pa Doyle at full back, Patrick Quigley, his namesake Squiggles who took a lot of hardship at midfield and the star corner forward Shane Kenny and Aaron Ronan. Keep it up lads and make sure you get yourselves some silverware this year.

18/8/2005 U12 Hurling Championship

Rapparees 6-9 Glynn/Barntown 0-2

Our under 12's proved to be too strong for Glynn / Barntown last night in the final group game of the championship which assures us of qualification for the semi-finals.

16/8/2005 District Junior B semi-final

Rapparees 2-5 HWH Bunclody 0-14

The Junior B team limped out of the championship last night in a very disappointing manner. We fielded a strong team on paper but, like in our earlier game against the Shamrocks we never got going at any stage and let ourselves down.

 

Bunclody started strongly and dominated possession for the first half and but for some extremely wayward shooting would have been out of sight at half time. We on the other hand hardly got down the field and when we did, could not make space for ourselves.

 

Kevin Walsh, playing his first game at this level starred in the first half and was supported in the backs by Pádraig Doyle while John Redmond tried hard to live off scraps in midfield. Just before the break Graham Doyle goaled to leave trailing by just four.

 

Things improved a little after half time as Mick Nolan started to show in the forwards and our half backs started to get on top. However the scores did not come and we started going for goals when there was no need. Despite a further major from Mick Nolan time ran out on us and Bunclody deservedly progressed to the district final.

 

John Mulqueen; Kevin Walsh, Pat O’Neill, Adrian Kirwan; Pádraig Doyle, Eric Flynn, Colm Matthews; John Redmond, Nicky Kehoe; Cathal Murphy, Dermot O’Shea, Pa Casey; Michael Nolan, Lee Murphy, Graham Doyle. Joe Hyland for Pa Casey, Stephen Murphy for Lee Murphy, Fiacre Ryan for Nicky Kehoe, Rory Boland for Dermot O’Shea, Pa O’Brien and Pádraig Hall.

 

14/8/2005 Senior Hurling Championship

Rapparees 1-12 Monageer/Boolavogue 0-11

Our Senior hurlers progressed one step further in the 2005 Championship last night beating Monageer by 4 points in Monamolin.

We started well and after the first 12-15 minutes looked to be cruising but had only put 4 points on the board - the return wasnt reflecting the hurling - we had driven several bad wides giving Monageer both the chance and the confidence to come back at us which they did - notching up their first score in the 16 minute and then adding on another two or three. A finely taken goal by Ryan Quigley left the half time score at 1-5 to 5 points but we had gone out of the game in the final 10 minutes of the first half.

We began the second half with a little more fire in us and thanks to a fine performance by Tomas Mossy Mahon scoring 6 out of the 7 points in the second half and some solid displays by our staunch fullback Gareth Kavanagh, Shay Deegan who did some marvellous catching in the middle of the field, Mark Quigley who came on for Ollie O'Connor and Brian Carley who managed some brave goalkeeping in the final 10 minutes we came out of it with a win 1-12 to 11 points.

Despite what we may have thought of the game and there is no doubt huge room for improvement - we won it - every game in the Championship is difficult to win and Monageer had done a lot of work prior to this encounter - we are in a far better position than our footballers ended up in last week - we have won our first two games in the 2005 Championship - what more can we ask - all we have to do is get down to business now - get the much needed hurling under our belts and do the preparation for the next step.

Brian Carley; Derek Tobin, Garret Kavanagh, John Murphy; Eoin Quigley, Declan Ruth, Liam Boland; Adrian Fenlon, Shay Deegan; Ollie O'Connor, Ryan Quigley, Davy Morrissey, Eamonn Furlong, Pa Mernagh. Mark Quigley,

10/8/2005 Minor Hurling Championship

Rapparees 5-11 Shamrocks 2-4

Our Minor hurlers gave an outstanding display at Bellefield last night to secure a place in the Semi Final beating the Shamrocks convincingly 5-11 to 2-4 - with the two goals for the Shamrocks coming late in the game.

This was a one sided game from start to finish with the Rapps out doing the Shamrocks in every area of the field - they played hard and took the knocks - played for each other did some marvellous defending and took some lovely scores - it was a good overall team display and while there were some outstanding performances you could not signal out any 

individual as it was a complete effort with everyone blocking/chasing/hooking and driving forward. 

It augurs well for the future of hurling in the Club that we have such talent at both Minor and Juvenile - every single member of both teams can hurl and hurl well - they are a credit to the Club to themselves and to the men that are putting in such marvellous work with them. 

If we keep them together and keep them at it - we should have no worries 

for the future Rapparees Senior hurling team.

7/8/2005 Junior A football championship

Starlights 1-11 HWH Bunclody 1-7

Our Junior A's looked good from start to finish apart from a bleak period of 10 minutes at the start of the second half when we failed to score however we found our feet again around the 12 minute with a fine point from Damian Mahon and were back on track again. It was a fine overall performance with the evergreen Skinner acting as a "magnet" in the middle of the pitch and many of our younger players feeding well off him. Some lovely scores were taken - 4 points from Lee Murphy - 3 from frees and 1 from play - Damian Mahon/Davy Morrissey/John Daly - 2 points a piece and one each from Declan Ivers and Rory Murphy and a well taken goal from David Tyrrell. Well done lads you restores some of the pride that we lost as a Club the previous night.

George O'Connor; Joe Carley, Niall Sunderland, Joe Newe; Brian Murphy, Colm Matthews, James Buckley; Paudge Walsh, John Daly (0-2); Lee Murphy (0-4) Damian Mahon (0-2), David Morrissey (0-1); Declan Ivers (0-1), David Tyrrell (1-0), Rory O'Connor (0-1). Sub. - Willie Hudson for O'Connor.

6/8/2005 Senior Football Championship

Starlights 1-6 Clongeen 2-8

Our Seniors gave a dismal display and never looked like they were defending a title - what can you say except that they are true to form - last year a County Final - this year out in the first round - is this a psychological problem or what? It would be worth getting a Sports Psychologists to examine it - it has been a pattern definitely since 1993 - and we still havent found the solution. Most of our scores came from John Hudson totaling 1-4 with Tomas Mahon and Mark Quigley notching up a point each - the latter being one of our best players on the day. Scoring only 3 points - and winning only 2 balls from our own kick outs in the entire second half could not have provided us with a win and left us exiting from the 2005 Championship with our tails between our legs!

 

28/7/2005 U12 Hurling Championship

Harriers 1-3 Rapparees 0-4

It was a sodden night on a sodden pitch in Pairc Charman and our under 12's got a wake up call as the Harriers came away with the points. It is far from the end of the line as we have won all our matches up to this so it is better to lose now than later.The remaining matches are against St Anne's and Glynn so we can only hope for improvement.

27/7/2005 U18 Hurling Championship

Rathnure 2-4 Rapparees 3-12

There was a really good win for our Minors last night against Rathnure - well done to players and mentors. It's never easy to beat Rathnure especially on their own turf.

It was level pegging at half time - 2-3 a piece - with the Rapps having the better of the exchanges but missing a lot of chances. However in the second half the lads never let up and took some fine scores coming from Rickie Fox, Mark Kenny, Cathal Murphy and Lee Murphy while our backs kept the Rathnure forwards under control restricting them to just one point in the entire second half.

Some excellent work around the middle of the field from Fran O'Gorman and Peter O'Sullivan and some really fine defending from Declan Barron, Kevin Courtney and Kevin Walsh - over all a fine display.

This is a reasonably good minor team who should do well in the Championship if they keep their heads and keep plugging away at it - all of them can hurl which augurs well for the future of Senior hurling in the Club - perhaps we should keep working with these lads over the next year or two and turn them into a force to be reckoned with.

Maria Nolan

22/7/2005 U16 Hurling Championship

Geraldine O'Hans 1-4 Rapparees 7-12

Too easy for the lads - Ross had 6 good lads but weren't up to it elsewhere.

21/7/2005 U12 Hurling Championship

Oulart V Rapps - win for Rapps

18/7/2005 U14 Hurling Championship

Faythe Harriers 2-8 Rapparees 0-12

We left this game behind us, not taking many chances in front of goal and giving away two majors at the other end. Still we're not out of it yet so with hard work, it can be rescued.

17/7/2005 Junior A Football League

Starlights 1-11 Glynn/Barntown 1-3

The Junior A Footballers recorded a good win last night in Bellefield over Glynn/Barntown - which hopefully puts them in a position to contest the League Final - with we think perhaps the Shelmaliers - but we await confirmation of same.

It was a good team performance with the backs in particular playing very well to keep the Glynn/Barntown tally to 1-3 - only allow them through for 1 point in the entire second half - with our forwards upfront notching up a tally of 1-11.

At half time the scores were level 5 points to 1-2 put with very solid efforts in the second half from Ollie O'Connor, Killian Lett, John Daly and Derek Tobin giving good supply to the men up front the second half was totally dominated by the Starlights with Pa Mernagh getting 3 points, Ronan Furlong 1 goal, Jason Russell, Davy Morrissey and David Tyrrell 2 points each and Killian Lett and Damian Mahon 1 point each. Maria Nolan

15/7/2005 Junior B Hurling Championship

Rapparees 0-12 Davidstown 2-4

We needed to win this game to qualify for the next stage of the championship and the lads duly obliged. We were missing a few stalwarts prior to the throw in: DJ & Podge were both suffering from quad muscle injuries while Mick Nolan who was hyper accurate against Rathnure was at Barry Lambert's wedding.

Nevertheless we had the full complement of our minors available and it was a strong side which took the field. The game started relatively slowly with both sides finding it hard to score. We ran a few points ahead with half time approaching but then Davidstown struck for their first goal which it has to be said was fortunate to creep in at the far post. Half time score was 0-6 to 1-3.

Tom Boland called the changes at half time, moving Padraig Doyle out to midfield with Fuzzy going in and swapping Graham Doyle & Rory Boland. We crept ahead again picking off our points but then Davidstown got their second goal to drag them back into it again. Our lads stood up however and took the final few scores to take victory.

Team: John Tyrrell; John Foley, Pat O'Neill, Niall Arrigan; Nicky Kehoe, Eric Flynn, Adrian Kirwan; John Redmond; Pa Casey; Cathal Murphy, Lee Murphy, Rory Boland; Stephen Murphy, Padraig Doyle, Graham Doyle. Kevin Courtney, Fiacre Ryan, Pa O'Brien, Daithi O'Brien, Ed Shallow.

15/7/2005 U16 Hurling Championship

Rapparees 2-10 St Martin's 3-8

This was a great game which our lads dominated for long periods. We failed to register that on the scoreboard however and the Martins got in for a couple of scuttery goals to take the game. We on the other hand had a number of opportunities in front of the goal which went a begging. The Martins aren't a bad side though and it was better for our lads to get a shock now rather than later on like last year!

14/7/2005 Senior Hurling League

Rathnure 1-14 Rapparees 2-8

14/7/2005 U12 Hurling Championship

Rapparees 4-9 Shels 1-1

13/7/2005 Minor Hurling Championship

Rapparees 5-21 St Anne's 2-8

A huge win for the minor hurlers and it'll be hard to keep their heads out of the clouds now! The Anne's were missing their talismanic county minor Cian McGovern who was injured in the Leinster final and once we got a run on them they struggled to come back.

There were good performances all around the field so it would be bad form to pick out any individual in particular.  The important thing is that we got the win under the belt and we've a match away to Rathnure in two weeks time to hopefully set up a showdown in Bellefield with the Shamrocks to reach the semi-finals.

Team: Pa Doyle; Tommy Foley, Kevin Walsh, Patrick Quigley; Kevin Courtney, Karl Cullen, Deccie Barron; Fran O'Gorman, Peter O'Sullivan; Oisin Carley, Lee Murphy, Ger Foley; Mark Kenny, Cathal Murphy, Ricky Fox. Emmet Kenny, Patrick O'Brien, Mick Frayne.

13/7/2005 Junior B Hurling Champ.

Rathnure 1-3 Rapparees 2-11

This was a good win for the Junior B's and was an example of how a handful of players can make the difference at this grade.

We started well with Mick Nolan picking off points from all over the place and Rory O'Connor causing havoc whenever he got the ball.

Our backs hurled well throughout and midfield dominated with Dermot O'Shea showing for everything in the half forwards.

We went in 0-8 to 1-0 up at half time and went through a worrying 15 minute spell after the break when we failed to score. However we then notched a point and a goal in a minute and the game was over.

John Tyrrell; John Foley, Pat O'Neill, Niall Arrigan; Adrian Kirwan, Eric Flynn, Nicky Kehoe; Pa Casey, John Redmond; Graham Doyle, Dermot O'Shea, cathal Murphy; Rory O'Connor, Padraig Hall, Mick Nolan. Lee Murphy for P Hall (inj), Kevin Courtney for Fuzzy casey (inj).

Monday 11/7/2005 U21 Hurling

Rapparees 1-12 HWH Bunclody 1-15

This was a cracking match with serious shots going in from each side, we were fielding a lot of young lads and this possibly told in the end.

Bunclody won it in the end with a late goal but we had squandered a number of chances prior to this. Pa Mernagh was our only forward who scored in the second half and this tells it's own story.Nevertheless it was a very enjoyable match and it's just a pity when you see games like this that the U21 grade do not have more opportunities to show their stuff.

Friday 8/7/2005 U16 Hurling

Rapps bt Oulart - don't hv score yet

Thursday 7/7/2005 Junior Football

Shelmaliers 0-7 Starlights 1-8

Thursday 7/7/2005 U12 Hurling

St Martins 1-4 Rapparees 4-4

A good win in their first outing for the lads. We were missing a few who would normally be first choices because they were unable to train during the week but the rest of the team put it up to them by showing how it's done.

Saturday 2/7/2005 U14 Football Semi Final

Horeswood 1-12 Starlights 2-4

Wednesday 29/6/2005 U12 Football Final

Starlights 0-9 Fethard 1-7

The under 12's were mightily unlucky to lose this match and were easily as good as the opposition. The turning point of the game was an injury to goalkeeper Timmy O'Dwyer who had to retire and Fethard scored the decisive goal soon afterwards.

We went ahead early in the first half with points from Brendan Kearney, Jamie Fox, Richard Farrell (0-2) and Kristen Buckley to lead 0-5 to 0-2 however we never managed to shake off the seasiders and they scored a point before the break to leave us with a slender 2 point lead.

Jamie scored again after the break but this was followed but a period where Fethard were the stronger, slotting over two points and generally raiding our defences. It was at this stage that Timmy got injured and despite the best efforts of Dale Galway who manfully volunteered to tend the posts Fethard stuck in that goal.

Richard Farrell stuck over another couple of scores and Jamie Fox added another to his total as we drew back to level terms. Fethard then made a break and scored what proved to be the winning point. The game was far from over however and our lads showed their grit, raining attacks down on Fethard's backs. It wasn't to be however and we hadn't got the crucial score when the final whistle blew.

All credit to the lads, their mentors and to referee Jamed Flood who had a fine game.

Team: Timmy Dwyer, Davy Murphy, Tom Ryan, Andrew Davis; Mel Doyle, Richard Farrell, Jamie Barron; Jamie Fox Paul Devereaux; Kristen Buckley, Brendan Kearney, Diarmuid Cullen; Seánie O'Gorman, Dale Galwey, Kevin Foley. Michael O'Connor, Niall McCrea, Andrew Davis, Patrick O'Shea, Kevin Ryan, Darragh McBride, Stephen Collins, Danny O'Brien, Niall Larkin, Naoise Dunbar, Conor Ronan, Brian Ronan, Cathal O'Connor.

Wednesday 29/6/2005 Jun Camogie Champ

Rapparees 1-4 Bannow 2-9

Wednesday 29/6/2005 Jun B Hurling Champ

Shamrocks 2-12 Rapparees 1-6

This was a very disappointing performance from the Junior B's coming as it did on the back of two good displays and with it being in Fr Murphy Park. We never really got going and the Shamrocks, while not being much stronger than us, showed the greater commitment to win through.

Best for us were Niall Arrigan, Eric Flynn and Joe Hyland.

Tuesday 29/6/2005 Jun A Hurling League

Rapparees 3-10 Rathnure 1-8

A good result last night for our Junior hurlers beating Rathnure 3-10 to 1-8 in very poor conditions in Bellefield. A torrential downpour just before the game did little to encourage - but the lads went out there and preformed extremely well - moving the ball well and taking some very fine scores - Tony Boland - 5pts, Damian Barron 1-1, Maurice Donohoe and Jason Russell a goal each, Rickie Fox and James Buckley - 2pts each. Our backs stood up well to some serious challenges by Rathnure and our goalkeeper Eddie Shallow made one or two fine saves to keep us well ahead throughout. Well done to Mackers and all concerned - a good win. Maria Nolan

Sunday 27/6/2005 Jun B Hurling League

Rapparees 4-13 St Marys (R) 2-6

We had a great turnout for this game with a panel of 23 lining out. The selectors chose to go with the team that we would have available for next Wednesday’s championship match against the Shamrocks and since the minors are also out on Wednesday night they were not considered for the starting 15.

 

Rosslare started fairly well but failed to convert some of their chances – most of their scores on the day came from their full forward who was deadly with the frees.

 

We were playing up the hill and against the breeze in the first half and were fortunate to go in 2-5 to 1-5 up with the aid of two relatively soft goals. We hadn’t really shown what we are capable of up to this point and certainly the intensity of performance was down a level or two from the championship outing against Marshalstown.

 

Soon after the restart however we put up two more goals and a couple of points and the game was effectively over.

 

Good for us were Muckers in the goal, Eric at centre back, the midfield pairing of Woody Hyland and Fuzzy Casey and Mick Nolan up front shone.

 

John Tyrrell; John Foley, Padraig Hall, Niall Arrigan; John Kirwan, Eric Flynn, Padraig Doyle; Pa Casey, Joe Hyland; Joe Newe, Dermot O'Shea, Ed Shallow; Rory O'Connor, Joe Donnelly, Mick Nolan; Peter O’Sullivan for Pádraig Doyle, Lee Murphy for Ed Shallow, Cathal Murphy for Rory O’Connor, Pa O’Brien for Joe Donnolly.

Sunday 27/6/2005 U14 Camogie Final

Ferns 5-3 Rapparees 0-3

Tuesday 21/6/2005 Senior Football Lge

Starlights 0-14 Duffry Rovers 1-13

We played fairly well in this game but the Duffry got a goal in the last minute to win it.

Monday 20/5/2005 U14 Football

Starlights 5-9 Adamstown 1-6

The lads were missing a number of players including Brendan Doyle and Dean Leacy and weren't really up to scratch but did enough to get through. A significant improvement will be required if we're to come through our semi-final.

Friday 17/6/2005 Junior B Hurling Championship

Rapparees 1-8 Marshalstown 1-8

This was a gripping encounter and while the quality of touch may not have been the best at times there was certainly plenty of excitement as the closing stages beckoned.

We started off well with Colm Matthews dominating the midfield and all our attempts at points seemed to be hitting the target. After the first quarter, we were ahead by 0-5 to 0-1.

Then the Marshalstown men struck for a goal and that seemed to fill them with self belief for they dominated the rest of the half and went in leading 1-3 to 0-5 at the turn.  John "Shapes" Redmond had been moved from wing forward to partner Colm in midfield and was our strongest performer in the second quarter keeping the ball moving well.

The second half was a tense affair with Marshalstown hitting a number of wides but still edging away until they were 3 points ahead. Then a sweeping move involving Pat O'Neill, Colm Matthews, Nicky "Dougal" Kehoe (who had been moved into full forward) and finally Joe Donnolly who had come in at corner forward led to us striking a decisive goal to tie the game.

The final quarter was an exciting tussle with scores hard to come by and tempers flaring (particularly when the Marshalstown wing back hit DJ off the ball). Graham Doyle who had moved to centre forward scored the equalising point and gave both teams a deserved point.

Team: John "Muckers" Tyrrell; John Foley, Pat O'Neill, Niall Arrigan; Padraig Doyle, Eric Flynn, John "Scout" Kirwan; Colm Matthews, Nicky Kehoe; Patrick "Fuzzy" Casey, Dermot "DJ" O'Shea, John Redmond; Rory "Git" O'Conner, Graham Doyle, Joe Newe; Joe Donnolly for Padraig Doyle (inj.) at half time, Padraig Hall (blood sub for Pat O'Neill), Pa O'Brien, Rory Newe.

Tuesday 14/6/2005 Junior B Hurling

St Annes 1-7 Rapparees 1-5

Tuesday 14/6/2005 Senior Hurling League

Glynn/Barntown 5-11 Rapparees 1-13

Tuesday 14/6/2005 U14 Camogie Semi-final

Rapparees 7-3 Marshalstown 4-5

The U14's played Marshalstown in the semi-final of the Championship yesterday evening. The final score was Rapps 7-3 V Marshalstown 4-5, they are now in the County Final - date to be decided.

Saturday 11/6/2005 Junior A Hurling League

Cloughbawn 0-8 Rapparees 2-21

This was a great win and a good overall performance considering that selector Mackers had to play corner forward to make 15 until Padraig Doyle arrived. Tony Boland was really on target scoring 1-10 and Eamonn Furlong - 1-5 Rory O'Connor 2pts and Ollie, Eddie Tobin, Ronie and Decie Barron 1 point each - it was a great result when we thought that we mightn't be able to field at all.

Monday 30/5/2005 U14 Football

Starlights 6-11 Taghmon 4-9

An eight point win on paper seems an easy win but for anyone who witnessed it, this was anything but easy, in what was a hard fought and very exciting game on both sides, to be fair. If there was ever a game of two halves this was it: the good and the bad, thirty scores which equates to a score every two minutes!

After a great start and a goal and a point in the first few minutes it seemed we were on our way but as in previous games our concentration, sloppy passing and less than convincing tackling had us in major trouble at half time.  We were losing by five points having conceded four soft goals as Taghmon/Camross ran through us at will. But for a converted penalty midway through the half, as bad a things were we were glad to see the end of a horror show first period. Half time was was 2-5 to 4-4.

 

The half time break was, as they say, used fully. There was a lot of straight talk and home truths and serious questions were asked about people’s attitude and commitment. All were reminded that they were the home team and they were playing for the famous Starlights. Even the unfortunate waterboy got the works!

 

The waterboy having fully recovered we took the field for the second half in determined mood (we hoped). Three unanswered points followed by two great goals for us and three points for the visitors left us one point ahead almost midway through the half (4-8 to 4-7).

 

From a five point deficit to a one point lead in this we had finally got our house in order and the game was swinging our way.  With some brave and determined defending, combined with great teamwork and running from defence to attack in the next ten minutes we scored 2-3 to 2 points to win a very enjoyable game.

 

To Taghmon’s credit they kept running at us to the end and never gave up but with our backs standing firm, pushing them out and our forwards moving well and taking most of their chances the game was won 6-11 to 4-9. A great result and great credit to everyone for their super second half display after a very bad first half which we will have to be very wary of for the remaining matches if we are to go further in this championship.

 

Paul D’Arcy; Adam Jordan, William Dunne, Paidi O’Gorman; Richie Farrell, Brendan Doyle, Jimmy O’Leary; Ashley O’Connor, Thomas Collins (2-5); Graham Donohoe (1-4), Dean Leacy, Jack Kelly; Chris Doyle, Oisín Dunbar (1-0), Padge Dwyer (2-2); Brian Morrissey, Barry Mythen, Gary Millar, Alan Tobin, Patk Tobin, MJ Doyle. Waterboy Diarmuid Byrne.

Sunday 29/5/2005 Junior A Camogie

Rapparees 1-7 Monageer 1-9

Sunday 29/5/2005 Junior B Hurling

Rapparees 0-8 Taghmon 1-12

Our Junior B’s put up a relatively good show considering that we had the bare 15 and some had already played a full game at junior a - this was mainly due to the fact that we were at the loss of our minors who are sitting their Leaving Certificate next week. Without the minors at this level we are really struggling - we were also missing Podge Hall/Graham Doyle and Pa O’Neill for a variety of reasons - so all in all we could not complain about the performance and the commitment from the guys who went out there. Good to see John Redmond back in the ranks - the break hasn’t done him any harm at all according to yesterdays performance - and many thanks to those who played both games - Eddie Tobin/Declan Barron/Eddie Shallow. A good overall effort lads and definitely if we had had our minors things would have been a lot more even - well done.

Score 8pts to 1-12. Scorers Eddie Shallow 2pts, Rickie Fox - 3pts, John Redmond, Pat Casey and Rory O’Connor 1pt each. Just want to wish all our minors doing the Leaving Cert the very best of luck from all in the club.

 

Sunday 29/5/2005 Junior A Hurling

Rapparees 2-8 Ballyfad 2-10

Our Junior A’s lost to Ballyfad on Sunday in Bellefield in similar circumstances to last weeks championship game against Horeswood. With maybe 4 minutes to go we were winning by 2 points - and instead of holding our lead for the remainder of the game we once again proved that we had learned nothing from last weeks encounter when we allowed Ballyfad to score a late goal. The problem is not with the hurling as our lads are every bit as good as the teams we are coming up against - but we are fading in the closing stages of games because most of the squad are not putting in any training. This could be a serious side for the championship if they get their act together and put in some effort prior to games. Players have asked for the past couple of years that the club place more importance on the junior grades - but how can we when players feel that they can line out for junior games without any training. The Mentors at this grade are doing a fine job - so come on lads - give them a hand and show up at least once a week in the field - it will make all the difference. Score - 2-8 to 2-10. Scorers - Eddie Tobin 1-1, James Buckley 1-1, Damian Mahon 2pts, Damian Barron 2pts, Tony Boland and Ollie O`Connor 1pt each.

Thur 27/5/2005 U16 Camogie

Starlights 4-6 Naomh Eanna 2-7

A good win for the lads with Naoise Dunbar and Christian Buckley starring.

Thur 27/5/2005 U16 Camogie

Rapparees 2-4 Rathnure 4-9

The U16's were beaten by Rathnure last night, the final score was Rapps 2 - 4 V Rathnure 4 - 9. Best for Rapps were Ann Marie Dwyer, Ashley Lacey, and Lauren Hogan (goalkeeper) who made some fantastic saves

Wed 26/5/2005 U14 Football

HWH Bunclody 0-6 Starlights 1-9

A good win for the lads when they probably had their minds on the European Cup final! Obviously there are more Liverpool fans in Bunclody.

Wed 26/5/2005 Junior A Camogie

St Martins 3-9 Rapparees 2-2

The Junior A's were beaten by St. Martins yesterday evening, the final score was Rapps 2-2 V St. Martins 3-9, a very tough and hard fought game, quite a few injuries on the night on our side.

Sun 23/5/2005 Junior A Hurling Championship

Rapparees 3-8 Horeswood 2-12

After a really fine and gutsy performance our Junior hurlers were very unlucky to be beaten in the closing stages by the narrowest of margins - Rapps 3-8   -   Horeswood - 2-12.

It was a marvellous turn out for us with 22 players showing up - and great credit to the Selectors - Tomas McVeigh/Brian Kehoe/Tom Boland/John Browne and Brian Ivers for the work they are doing with this group of players - we have a good side and with a little more effort could be serious contenders for this championship despite having lost the first round last night in New Ross.

 

We hurled well as a team and had a good blend of youth and experience with veterans like Damian Mahon/Maurice Donohoe/Niall Sunderland/Declan Ivers and Ronan Furlong in the goal and some of our up and coming young players like Fran O`Gorman/Eddie Tobin/Rickie Fox/ Peter Sullivan and Declan Barron who came on for James Buckley.

Scores came from Tony Boland 3-3, Fran O’Gorman 2pts, Damian Mahon/Peter O`Sullivan and Ricky Fox - 1pt each. This was a hard fought game throughout and we battled on until the very end and seemed to be going to take it by 2 points and deservedly so when we were pipped at the post by a late goal with about 3 seconds remaining - the toughest way to lose a game - but great hope can be taken from the overall performance.

Sun 23/5/2005 Senior Hurling Championship

Rapparees 1-11 St Patricks 0-6

The senior hurlers recorded a fine victory on Sunday afternoon at a showery Monamolin. St Pat’s were newly promoted this year and they really got stuck into us in the first half with their half back line in particular showing doing some good strong hurling. We struggled to make any headway in their half in this opening period and worryingly we went in level at 5 points a piece at the break. Ollie O’Connor shined at midfield in this period when we were under pressure.

The positives were that we had scored three of our points from play showing that when we got space we could take our points while the negatives at half time were that they had scored four of their points from frees.

 

When we came out in the second half though the tempo was upped and our county men in particular began to shine. In the first half we had trouble getting past their half back line but the position was reversed with Jake, Skippy and Mark ruling the roost. Adrian kept driving us forward and Mossy tacked on the points. Eamonn Furlong was introduced with less than 10 minutes left and make a quick impact with a goal which sealed the win.

 

It wasn’t a vintage display but we pulled away well in the second half and a wider pitch will suit our lads better the next day. Final score 1-11 to 0-6.

 

Team: Brian Carley; John Murphy (0-1), Garret Kavanagh, Derek Tobin; Liam Boland, Declan Ruth (0-1), Mark Quigley; Adrian Fenlon (0-1), Ollie O’Connor (0-1); Eoin Quigley (0-1), Shay Deegan, Tomas Mahon (0-5); David Morrissey (0-1), Mark Gahan, Pa Mernagh; Eamonn Furlong (1-0) for Pa.

Tue 17/5/2005 U12 Football Champ.

Starlights 4-13 St Anne's 4-4

A good win for the lads against the Anne's who were missing a few.

Mon 16/5/2005 U14 Football Champ.

Starlights 3-9 Naomh Eanna 6-11

A disappointing result for the lads but this is a strong Gorey outfit. The worry from the previous outing had been the concession of some soft goals and this is what sank us again. We were actually matching the Gorey lads for a good bit of the match but once we started leaking goals we were chasing the game.

Sun 15/5/2005 Jun Football Champ.

Starlights 1-5 Shelmaliers 1-4

Our junior footballers battled until the end to notch up a win in their first round of the Championship yesterday afternoon in Taghmon. The Shelmaliers proved to be a strong side but the Stars never gave up and point from free from Lee Murphy gave them the lead for the first time in the game with only 8 minutes to go - from then on the defence worked extremely hard as the Shels continued to attack until the final whistle.

Good solid performances from Skinner and his mid field partner John Daly - until he went off with an ankle injury - good defending from Niall Sunderland, Derek Tobin and Joe Carley - Joe Newe put in a solid performance wearing the number 7 and up front Damian Mahon and Lee Murphy and David Tyrrell were dangerous in attack - David getting the goal and a black eye for his trouble. Well done lads - always nice to have the first round won and out of the way it gets you off to a good start - now all you have to do is keep it up

George O'Connor; Derek Tobin, Niall Sunderland, Joe Carley; John Foley, Colm Matthews, Joe Newe; Paudge Walsh, John Daly; Lee Murphy (0-5, 0-4fs), Damien Mahon, Rory O'Connor; Declan Ivers, David Tyrrell, Dermot O'Shea. Damien Tobin for John Daly (inj), Billy Crosbie for Rory, Patrick Quigley for DJ.

Sat 14/5/2005 U12 Skills

Rapparees 4-7 Shelmaliers 1-5

This game was heavily influenced by the strong wind which thundered through Bellefield on Saturday evening. Our lads faced it in the opening half and went in at the break 1-5 to 1-3 down. Clearly things picked up in the secind half and we recorded a good win.

Fri 13/5/2005 Minor Hurling League

Rapparees 5-9 Rathnure 5-3

There were mixed reports of this encounter and the Rapps were comfortably ahead at half time but allowed Rathnure in for some easy goals in the second half which made it a rather uncomfortable win in the end. Good for us were Karl Cullen, Deccie Barron, Kevin Walsh, Fran O'Gorman & Ricky Fox who accounted for most of the scores.

Thur 12/5/2005 U12 Football

Starlights 1-7 Fethard 1-5

Mon 9/5/2005 U14 Football Rd 1

Horeswood 3-7 Starlights 4-9

An encouraging start from the under 14 footballers. Horeswood are a strong football club and any win against them is a good one.  We played well in the first half which was highlighted by two goals from Oisin Dunbar and we were well ahead at half time.

However we fell asleep after the break, probably thinking the game was won already. The Shels got in for some soft goals due to a lack of concentration. The second half performance raised a good few questions which will be answered when Naomh Eanna travel to Bellefield next Monday night.

Team: Paul D'Arcy; Adam Jordan, Willie Dunne, M.J. Doyle; Richie Farrell, Brendan Doyle, Jack Kelly; Thomas Collins (0-5), Ashley O'Connor (1-0); Jimmy O'Leary, Dean Leacy (1-2), Christopher Doyle; Podge Dwyer (0-2), Oisin Dunbar (2-0), Alan Tobin.

Subs: Gary Millar, Paudie O'Gorman, Brian Morrissey, Lee Treacy, Barry Mythen, Liam O Tiarnaigh, Jamie Fox, Darrell O'Connor,Patrick Tobin (inj). Water boy - Diarmuid Byrne

Sat 7/5/2005 Senior Football

Starlights 0-6 HWH Bunclody 1-8

This was a disappointing start to the senior football season after last year's heroics. Our lads never got going and Bunclody were good value for their 5 point win. The full back line played well by all accounts and they had plenty of opportunities to show their stuff!

That’s the third year in a row that we have failed to win our first round game.  The question for the lads now is can we make it into a 2004 or will we be battling relegation like 2003? Undoubtedly there are some strong teams in the losers section so the road ahead will not be easy.

Team: Jason Russell; Maurice Donohoe, Mark Gahan, Pa Murphy; Mark Quigley, Ryan Quigley, Liam Boland; Declan Ruth, Shay Deegan; Pa Mernagh, Eamon Furlong, Ml Donohoe; Tomas Mahon, John Hudson, Ollie O'Connor. 

Sat 7/5/2005 Junior A Camogie

Rapparees 4-9 Faythe Harriers 1-1

The Junior A camogie team played at home to the Harriers on Saturday evening - their first match of the season.  The final score was Rapps 4-9   V  Harriers 1-1. A fine display of camogie by both sides. 

Mollie Dwyer topped the scoring charts with 3 goals and we had four young girls who made their debut for the Junior squad - Angela Russell, Niamh Buckley (who were subs last year), Catriona Conroy and Louise Hore, they were all outstanding, Angela and Catriona in the backs and Niamh and Louise in the forwards.

Sat 7/5/2005 U10 Camogie

Rapparees 14-1 Shamrocks 0-0

Fri 6/5/2005 U10 Camogie

Blackwater 4-0 Rapparees 0-0 

Thursday 5/5/2005 U14 Football

Shelmaliers 3-6 Starlights 3-8

This was a hard fought win at a windy Hollymount. We started with the wind and ran up a quick few scores but these were outnumbered by wides. The Shels came back hard at us in the second half and went ahead at one stage but our lads tacked on the winning points to come through. There were good shows from Jamie Fox, Dermot Cullen and Dane Fortune in particular. This was a good start but we will have to improve on our shooting  the next day.

Saturday 30/4/2005 U14 Hurling

Slaney Hurling Festival

The Under 14's did not go well in the Feile on Saturday.  They beat Bunclody but lost to Rathnure and the Shamrocks.  Nicky Doyle and Mark Quigley were in charge for they day but unfortunately were unable to get the desired results. Our lads were unlucky in that they had a goal disallowed agaist Rathnure and the Shamrocks and little things like this make a big difference in the short games played at tournaments.

Wed 27/4/2005 U14 Camogie

St James's 0-1 Rapparees 1-2

The U14's played away to St.James yesterday evening in torrential rain.  The final score  was Rapps 1-2  V St. James 0-1. The scorers were Nicola Davitt 1-0, Stephanie Farnan 0-1 and Aoife Busher 0-1.  Our goalkeeper Shauna Fenlon made the save of the century in the last minute of the game. She didn't even have her goalie's hurl which made it all the more remarkable.  The girls finish the group stages with three wins and two narrow losses so overall it has been an encouraging season.

Mon 25/4/2005 U16 Camogie

Rapparees 0-2 Oulart 9-9

A very disappointing result for this age group - we only had 14 players which is totally unfair on the girls who did make the effort.

 

Sun 24/4/2005 U16 Football

Starlights 1-19 Ger O'Hans 1-03

The Under 16 Footballers won their match versus Ger O Hanrahans 1-19 to 103.  This was a much better runout for the lads, they put last weeks dissapointment behind them and got on with the game.  They were asked to concentrate on scoring as it has been a weakness with us up to now and they did as asked with some fine scores from Tommy Foley, Pa O Rourke and Joe Cullen.  This was a weak Ger O Hans side but we were glad of the win nonetheless.

Sat 23/4/2005 U14 Hurling Skills

Rapparees 3-1 Shelmaliers 1-5

Any win against the Shels is good and the lads deserved this.

Sat 23/4/2005 U10 Camogie

Cloughbawn 8-0 Rapparees 0-0

Sat 23/4/2005 Jun Football

Adamstown 1-3 Starlights 2-13

Very good result for our junior footballers on Saturday in pretty dreadful conditions - a score line of 2-13 to 1-3 is pretty comprehensive - and the result was never really in doubt - and great credit is due to all the lads - it is marvellous to see 27 players showing up for junior hurling and football during the week - this kind of interest augurs well for the forthcoming championship.

Thur 21/4/2005 Jun B Hurling

Rapparees 0-10 Adamstown 0-8

This was a good match with tight exchanges which is not reflected in the relatively low scoreline. Man of the Match has to be Padraig Doyle who, as pointed out by Tom Boland, was playing for Wexford before most of the squad were born - he scored 2 points from wing back including one lovely effort from the ground.

Wed 20/4/2005 U14 Camogie

Rapparees 10-5 Buffers Alley 0-0

Not nice for any team to loose like that and likewise no good for the winning team.

Sat 16/4/2005 U16 Football

Naomh Eanna win by 4 points

Under 16 footballers were beaten by Naomh Eanna on Saturday evening, there was four points in it at the end.  This was another bad and lack lustre performance with the Stars second to every ball and the midfield was completely overun,  they now have two matches left which they must win and hope for other results to go their way.

Sat 16/4/2005 Senior Hurling

Ferns 1-13 Rapparees 0-16

Sat 16/4/2005 U10 Camogie

Rathnure 10-0 Rapparees 0-0

A disappointing final result for the girls who tried hard throughout and were very unlucky not to get a score back.

 

Monday 11/4/2005 Minor Football League Semi-final

Starlights 2-9 Bannow / Ballymitty 1-15

A much better performance from a minor football team that was missing 3 or 4 first choice players. The lads tried hard and played some good football but fell short in the end. It will be up to the lads who were here today to train hard and make sure they keep their places for the championship.

 

Sunday 10/4/2005 ACHL Div 2C

Ballyhogue 1-14 Rapparees 0-8

The Junior B’s were in trouble from long before the throw in on Sunday when they could only muster four of their starting 15 from the initial encounter with Tara Rocks. A number of minors manfully filled the ranks while a couple of veterans who are more suitable for umpiring duties were also pressed into action. Nevertheless we still had to start with fourteen and struggled against a Ballyhogue combination that were very rusty compared to their championship winning form last year.

 

Fuzzy Casey arrived after around 15 minutes and from there to the end of the half we completely dominated proceedings with Fran O’Gorman and Peter O’Sullivan, fresh from the CBS win on Saturday, giving exhibitions of hurling. We were only a goal down at half time.

 

We started the second half well and despite a blunt edge up front were more than holding our own when Eric Flynn who was starring at centre back had his thumb broken in an awkward challenge. Eric had to go to Wexford and we were back down to 14 men, our shape was gone and the Ballyhogue men started finding space for their big swings and pulled away.

 

Ed Shallow; Shane Lyng, Pádraig Hall, Niall Arrigan; Pádraig Doyle, Eric Flynn, Peter O’Sullivan; Fran O’Gorman, Dermot O'Shea; Rory O’Connor, Graham Doyle, Brian Newe; John Tyrrell, Pa O’Brien. Peter Casey.

 

Sunday 10/4/2005 Juvenile Football Pairc Charman

Sarsfields 1-4 Starlights 2-8

A much improved performance from the U16 football team that let themselves down against the Shels last week. Much harder working and more intelligent running throughout.

 

We still missed a number of good scoring chances but this can be worked on - at least we're back on track.

Saturday 9/4/2005 ACHL Premier A

Rapparees 2-11 2-07 Oylegate/Glenbrien

The first half of this match was a very tame affair indeed with neither side going particularly well.  The half time score was only 1-4 to 3 points to the Rapparees.

 

After the break Oylegate got off to a better start getting the first couple of points - and  a goal from a quickly taken free saw the Rapps trailing by 4 points but in fairness to the lads they stuck with it and clawed their way back into the game due mostly to some fine defending by Ollie O’Connor and some very accurate scoring and hard work from Eamonn Furlong.

 

Pa Mernagh fought hard for possession and was unlucky not to get his name on the score sheet. Tony Boland got a vital goal when on and once again Brian Carley gave a very good account of himself between the posts.

 

Team: Brian Carley; Derek Tobin,Liam Boland,John Barron; Mark Quigley,Shay Deegan,Ollie O’Connor (0-1); Adrian Fenlon (0-1),Davy Morrissey; Ryan Quigley,Eoin Quigley (0-2),Eamonn Furlong (0-7);Pa Mernagh,Mark Gahan,Davy O’Connell (1-0).

Subs: Tony Boland (1-0) for Davy O’Connell

Saturday 9/4/2005 ACHL Div 1B

Rapparees 2-13 Glynn/Barntown 1-7

Good overall performance from this Rapparees team over the weekend, with some very brave goal keeping from our new recruit Brian Carley, expert shooting from Tony Boland who seems to be back to great form - keep it up Tony - we need all the forwards we can get not just at Junior A.

 

Jason Russell worked hard throughout - fighting for every ball and getting two excellent points from way out. John Barron is another guy who seems to be back to his own high standard of hurling - while his brother Damian gave a solid performance along with the rest of the backs. Niall Sunderland was staunch and solid as usual along with Pa Murphy and Colm Matthews while Jim Holden was commanding in the centre back position for the duration.

 

This was an entertaining game with a lot of nice play patterns and nicely taken scores - none better than the rasper of a goal by John Foley when he came on for the injured Pa Murphy. A good win lads against a Glynn/Barntown team who had quite a few of their senior squad on the day.

 

Team: Brian Carley;Niall Sunderland,John Barron,Colm Matthews;Pa Murphy,Jim Holden,Damian Barron; Damian Mahon (0-1),Eddie Tobin;Maurice Donohoe,Jason Russell (0-2),James Buckley (1-0);D.J.O`Shea,Tony Boland (0-10),Michael Nolan.

Subs: John Foley (1-0) for Pa Murphy who came off injured. Rory O`Connor for D.J.O`Shea. Shane Lyng for Michael Nolan.

Wednesday 6/4/2005 U14 Camogie

Rapparees 0-0 HWH Bunclody 1-1

The result of the U14 match played in Bellefield yesterday evening in the cold and the rain was:- Bunclody 1-1 --- Rapps 0-0 We started with 15 players but after 15 mintues we were down to 13 due to injuries.

Sunday 3/4/2005 ACFL Div 1C

Volunteers 1-4 Starlights 4-11

Junior A's had a marvellous win against the Volunteers yesterday evening in Pairc Charman. Stars were in full command of this game from start to finish - with all players trying hard and doing well.

All of the subs got a run as well and did well when they came on. Scorers Jason Russell - 2 pts, David Tyrrell - 2-1, Pa Mernagh 4 pts, Ronie Furlong 1-2 Maurice Donohoe 2 pts, Damian Mahon 1goal and Skinner 1 pt. 

Good result and good game with fine performances from young and old players - Skinner, Sunderland, Ronie and Maurice Donohoe were solid and dependable as usual with some really fine football from younger players like David Tyrrell, Davy Morrissey, Brian Murphy, Jason Russell - in fact all the lads seem to enjoy the game - maybe the result in Wexford park gave them all a boost and made them enthusiastic about their football! 

Sunday 3/4/2005 Juvenile Football

Starlights 1-4 Adamstown 1-17

A bad day at the office.

Saturday 2/4/2005 ACFL Premier A

Kilanerin 1-7 Starlights 0-5

Declan Ruth tried hard at the middle of the field and broke a lot of ball but we didn't use it well and Mark Quigley worked hard and tried hard throughout - Jason Russell brought off a great save of a penalty but then Referee decided that he had moved too far off his line and had the penalty retaken and it was scored on second attempt - from then on we were chasing the game. 

Scorers - Skippy 2 pts, Daithi O`Brien/Willie Hudson/Pa Mernagh - 1 pt each. 

1. Jason Russell, 2. Pa Murphy, 3. Mark Gahan, 4. James Buckley, 5. Liam Boland. 6. Adrian Fenlon, 7. Mark Quigley, 8. Declan Ruth, 9. Eamonn Furlong, 10. Willie Hudson, 11. Daithi O`Brien, 12. Sean Kenny, 13. Maurice Donohoe, 14. David Tyrrell, 15. Ollie O`Connor. Subs - Pa Mernagh for David Tyrrell, Ronie Furlong for Liam Boland, Damian Mahon for Maurice Donohoe.

Saturday 2/4/2005 U14 Camogie

Ferns 2-4 Rapparees 2-3

A big improvement on the two previous games, unlucky not to get a draw, it certainly would have been a fair result.

Team: Shauna Fenlon, Claire Murphy, Jemma Murphy, Shauna Tyrrell, Emma Foley, Nicola Davitt, Aoife Busher, Stephanie Farnan, Sinead Doyle, Megan O'Shea, Ciara Foley, Kate Cullen, Chrissie Murphy, Ashley Lacey and Natasha O'Reilly.

Friday 1/4/2005 Minor Football League

Starlights 1-4 Shelmaliers 2-9

 

Wednesday 30 March 2005 Marshalstown

U14 Camogie

Marshalstown 1-0 Rapparees 9-0

The U14's came back well after been beaten by Oylegate in their first game, they played more like a team in this match.

The team was:Shauna Fenlon, Claire Murphy, Jemma Murphy, Kate Cullen, Chrissie Murphy, Ashley Lacey, Sinead Doyle, Aoife Busher, Nicola Davitt(1-0), Natasha O'Reilly, Stephanie Farnan (6-0), Emma Foley(1-0), Ciara Foley, Megan O'Shea(1-0), Siobhan O'Connor and Nakitta Connolly.

 

Monday 28 March 2005 Oulart

Premier A Hurling.

Oulart 2-14 Rapparees 1-5.

Brian Ivers; Derek Tobin, Garrett Kavanagh, Jake Murphy; Shay Deegan, Declan Ruth, Liam Boland;Adrian Fenlon, David Morrissey; Mark Quigley, Eoin Quigley, Eamon Furlong; Tony Boland, Ryan Quigley, Dave O'Connell. Ronan Furlong for Brian Ivers, Jason Russell for Tony Boland and Mark Gahan for Corky.

Monday 28 March 2005 The Rock

Division 2C Hurling.

Tara Rocks 2-13 Rapparees 1-7.

We started this match well and dominated the first twenty minutes and in fact led by 0-7 to 0-3 at this point. However, the Tara Rocks half back line began commanding possession more and more and the supply of ball dried up. In the closing minutes of the half the tacked on four scores in a row to draw level at the interval.

 

In the second half we were against the slight breeze and in hindsight, more significantly playing up the hill. The opposition struck early for a goal and that was the first twist of the dagger. Our lads played well and fought for everything but they just seemed to start getting a little more space as time wore on and this allowed them to add a couple of points.

 

We then needed to chase the game and we knew we needed a goal which was duly delivered by Shapes who had moved in to corner forward with the introduction of Pádraig Hall. We continued attacking but the ball just wouldn’t hop for us and our lack of training began to show as the Rocks boys showed greater stamina at this point. They scored a scuttery goal on the final whistle to put an extra sheen on their win.

 

We had by far the most hurling in us but the opposition’s far superior training brought them the win.

 

Ed Shallow; Adrian Kirwan, Pat O’Neill, John Foley; Peter O’Sullivan, Eric Flynn, Joe Carley; Niall Arrigan, Cathal Murphy; Graham Doyle, James Buckley, John Redmond; Joe Newe, Mick Nolan, Kevin Courtney. Mark Kenny for Peter O’Sullivan (inj.), Fuzzy for Joe Newe (inj), Pádraig Hall for Kevin Courtney, Pa O’Brien for

 

Sunday 20 March 2005 Hollymount

Juvenile Football Rd 2

Shelmaliers 4-11 Starlights 1-5

Back L-R . Riki O'Leary, John James Dunne, Oisin Carley,Patrick Doyle, Gerarld Foley, John Higgins, Rory Newe, Joe Cullen, Andrew Kelly,Ciarain O Connor (looking for 20c)

Front, David Doran, David Murphy, Patrick O'Rourke, Patrick Higgins, James Peare, Barry Nolan, Paul Byrne, Patrick Quigley, Tommy Foley, Brendan Ellis

Bad day at the office.  The team never got going as unit, it looked like being a close match for the first 20 minutes but two Shelmalier goals rocked us and we were never able to get back on terms, Shels came at us down the centre of the pitch and we never succeeded in closing this avenue down.  We were outclassed in most areas and were second to every ball, Patrick Quigley was the only one playing anywhere near their best.  This one is gone, back to basics on Tuesday night.

 

Saturday 19 March 2005

ACFL Div 1C Round 2

Gusserane 3-8 Starlights 1-13

Our junior footballers lost by the narrowest of margins to Gusserane on Saturday - fair play to all those who showed up for the game many who had been living it up on Friday at Declan Ivers wedding showed great commitment to the Club and their team by being there - staunch Clubmen like Skinner, Ronie and Niall Sunderland will never let us down and what we will do when they retire I just don't know.

It was a good hard game with everyone trying their best - we were a bit unfortunate to have 3 goals go in against us in the first half - perhaps backs were a little slow - but a low strong sun was also a factor making it very difficult for those facing it. The half time score was 3-3 to 1-6 to Gusserane with our scores coming from a goal by Maurice Donohoe 2 points from Pa Mernagh and points each from Ollie, Jayo, Speedy and Skinner.

We did better in the second half with scores from Pa Mernagh, Jayo, James Buckley, Skinner and 2 from Speedy to make the score at the full time whistle 3-8 to 1-13 to Gusserane.

Team- George O`Connor,John Foley, Niall Sunderland, Damian Tobin, Brian Murphy, James Buckley, Joe Carley, Ollie O`Connor, Jason Russell, Maurice Donohoe, Ronie Furlong, Davy Morrissey, Pa Mernagh, Padge Walsh and Rory O`Connor and subs D.J. O`Shea for Rory O`Connor and Derek Tobin for Damian Tobin.

 

St Patrick's Day Bellefield

Juvenile Football Rd 1

Starlights 2-11 Volunteers 1-3

(half time 2-04 1-03)

This was a first run out for the juvenile team and it showed in some of the play against a weakened Volunteers side, the defenders played well overall but from midfield in there was a lack of movement and there was a lack of confidence in front of goals.  We started against a strong breeze and had 90% of the play but did not take our chances well, Pa O Rourke did net early on and while this helped settle nerves the score difference should have been much greater.  Joe Cullen and a determined David Doran were best in defence, Gerard Foley covered a lot of ground in midfield, John James stormed at centre forward while Paul Byrne and Pa O Rourke were best of the rest.   A win is a win but there must be vast improvement if we are to give the Shelmaliers any sort of challenge on Sunday. 

Pa Doyle, John Higgins, Joe Cullen, David Doran, Pa Higgins, Rory Newe, Pa Quigley, Oisin Carley, Gerard Foley1-03, Paul Byrne0-01, John James Dunne 0-05, James Peare 0-01, David Wall, Pa O Rourke 1-01, Tommy Foley.

Riki O.Leary, Andrew Kelly, Brendan Ellis, Evan O Rourke, David Murphy

Sunday 13th March Bunclody

Minor Football League Rd 1

HWH Bunclody 1-6 Starlights 2-6

 

Back L-R Ronan Doyle, Oisin Carley, Mark Kenny,Cathal Murphy, Gerald Foley, Andrew Yates, Rory Newe, Michael Corrigan

Front L-R Brian Newe, James Peare, Michael Fortune, Daithi Mernagh, Emmet Kenny, Patrick O'Brien, Kevin Courtney

The Minor Footballers started the new season off with a good win against Bunclody in the League, both teams were somewhat undestength but nonetheless in was a good spirited tough encounter with patches of good play and well taken scores.

The Stars let the Bunclody side take the upper hand and were six points off the pace before taking their first point from a free.  It was 1-05 to 0-03 at half time and all to do but shortly after the interval Andrew (Skinny)Yates netted this was followed up with a couple of nice points and a Murphy goal, the Stars controlled the game from that point on.

There were some good individual performances but this was a 20 man team performance and it would be unfair to single out any palyer in particular.  It was great to see a few familar faces back but if we want to progress we need everybody in the field and fighting for their place.

Team

James Peare, Emmett Kenny, Michael Fortune, Michael Corrigan, Rory Newe, Ronan Doyle, Kevin Courtney, Charles Murphy(1-02), Gerard Foley, Daithi Mernagh(0-01), Oisin Carley, Brian Newe (0-01), Patrick O Brien, Andrew Yates(1-0), Mark Kenny(0-02)

John Higgins for Patrick o Brien and Patrick Higgins for Brian Newe. Riki O'Leary, Dave Wall, John Carroll. Brendan Ellis   Non Playing Peter O Sullivan and Evan O Rourke

 

Saturday 5th March Bellefield

ACFL Premier A Round 1

Starlights 1-5 Castletown 0-5

It really has been David Tyrrell's week - three goals last week in the junior and the major score for the senior team this week. The game was played in windy, cold conditions which didn't make for a good game. The goal was actually the first score of the game as a move from our own defence moved up the field and ended in David punching the ball to the net.

 

We were against the wind in the opening half and struggled to add to that early score. Our defence however was good and we restricted Castletown to a mere four points in that period.

 

Willie Hudson grabbed two points in the second half to add to scores by Michael Donohoe, Speedy Morrissey and Seán Kenny. Castletown in the meantime only managed one further point in the second half.

 

This was a good run out considering that only 8 of last year's County Final team started and it's always good to have a win to put you on the right track.

 

Hopefully David and some of the other younger fellas will continue to improve as the league goes on and bring some fresh blood into the championship fifteen.

 

 

Saturday 26th February Bellefield

ACFL Div 1C Round 1

St Anne's 2-6 Starlights 3-10

The first Round of the Junior A football League got off to a good start on Saturday for a variety of reasons: it was a comprehensive win - beating St. Annes 3-10 to 2-6 – it was a good game and there was good scoring and some fine individual performances, along with a big turn out of players. A word of thanks to all those who turned up particularly some of our Senior Footballers and some of our younger players like Ricky Fox/Fiacre Ryan/ Cathal Murphy/Peter Sullivan/Rory Murphy/ - some of whom didn’t get games - but great to see ye there lads - keep coming - your turn will come.

 

One of those fine individual performances would have to have been from David Tyrrell - finishing up with a hat trick of goals - the new look David is even more deadly around the square now that he has gotten rid of that excess weight - some of our veterans were outstanding Maurice Donohoe seemed to be everywhere on the field at the same time - Skinner was solid and commanding in the middle of the field and Damian Mahon and Ronie Furlong were dangerous every time the ball went in. Davy (Speedy) Morrissey and Graham (Bangers) O’Connor were pushing forward and threatening throughout and of course Daddy George was safe and sound in the goal as usual. Lovely to have Joe Carley back on form - Larry Doyle back after a two year gap and a warm welcome back to James Buckley who doesn’t seem to have lost anything while down under - I must email Mick Doyle and thank him for keeping James fit for us! Welcome back James.

 

A good result lads - well done to ye all and to the Selectors - Johnny Russell/Jim Nolan/Tony McClean/Paddy Murphy and John Walsh - always nice to get that first one over with a win!

 

Scorers: - David Tyrrell 3 goals, Maurice Donohoe, Graham O`Connor, Damian Mahon and Ronie Furlong - 2 pts each, Davy Morrissey and Lee Murphy - 1 point each.

Team: George O’Connor; Michael Nolan, Larry Doyle, John Foley; Brian Murphy, James Buckley, Joe Carley; Padge Walsh, Lee Murphy; Graham O’Connor, Maurice Donohoe, Ronie Furlong; Davy Morrissey, David Tyrrell, Damian Mahon