August 16th ‘11
Clontibret and Castleblayney contest Westenra Hotel Senior Championship Final
Venue: Drumhowan
Throw in: 2pm. Sunday 21 August
Its that time of year once again when championship fever is in the air and holders Clontibret are back ready and raring to go for their “seventh in a row” in whatever might be dished up to them. This year Castleblayney are the opposition and given their form to date it’s going to be difficult to forecast a winner on the day.
This is the second meeting for these two teams, as the Senior championship is played on a round robin format, The previous encounter being back on 26th June when Clontibret dominated from start to finish ending on a scoreline of 13 points to 1 – 3. But if Castleblayney hit a bad patch back then, they have had a full turn around of late and are sitting top of the “Jack’s Bar” League.
Clontibret are the experts when it comes to the Championship and with six titles under their belt and a host of players to choose from like Eleanor Mc. Quaid and Joanne Mc. Skeane who are sound in defence. Last year’s” Player of the match” Shauna Finnegan and newcomer Michele Morgan in midfield and with Marie Greenan and Karen Boyle up front they will be a hard act to follow.
However Blayney were just pipped at the post last year for a place in the final when Inniskeen narrowly defeated them in a play-off for a final spot, but they have stamped their place firmly this time round and have a band of talented young players in Roisin Mc Kenna who rarely concedes goals, Kelsey Lam and Louise O Connell who keep their house in order in defence. Then the midfield pairing of Amber Lam and Regan Lynch who are consistent around the centre of the park and the swiftness of Eileen Mc. Elroy and Niamh Brennan going forward will put the Faughs in good standing for a title.
Clontibret Mentor Aidan Kerr when asked about his side, stated “ according to most neutrals, Clontibret is favourites for this year’s camogie championship final having won the previous six championships. As ever, managers and coaches tend to find such “labelling” more a hindrance than a help!
However that said the girls have been very focused and balanced from the start of the year. With some players emigrating, a substantial number of players completing exams and a few new introductions to the squad, it was a case of all players having to give 100% to get this re-jigged Clontibret team to this final! Additional help has been gained through the fact that a number of this Clontibret team are involved in the county camogie squad. Playing this higher standard of camogie has benefited the club scene as players strive to reach new levels of skill within their own game.
Reviewing the round-robin series to the championship, Clontibret won all their games, that said most games were close run affairs until Clontibret managed to get the upper hand in the second half following some vital scores and then were able to close out the games. The round robin series has also given us an insight into our opponents Castleblayney and the hard work they have been putting in this year. The final if anything like the round-robin series will be a tough challenging encounter with little separating both teams after the final whistle.”
Paul Forde who is with the Blayney camp confirms: “that this will be a close match even though Clontibret are going for 7 in a row, they are in for a shock on Sunday. Castleblayney are a young squad and have come on in leaps and bounds and have hit their peak just now” He goes on to say that they have no injury worries going into this final and is tipping Blayney “to come out on top with 2 points to spare”
Both these teams are widely represented on the County panel and have gained a wealth of experience playing at the superior level and will be in action again on the following Sunday when they line out for the County in the Junior B All Ireland Final for the 2nd year in a row. So we are appealing to all camog followers to come out and enjoy entertainment at its best on Sunday next.
Wedding Bells
Congratulations to former County player Aisling Mc. Geeney from the Inniskeen club who tied the knot last weekend with Colm Mc. Kenna.
Club News
Castleblayney
Congratulations to the Castleblayney girls who are on the County Panel on reaching the Final of the All-Ireland C Championship v Wicklow.
Best of luck to the Castleblayney team in next Sundays County Final. Please come out and support the girls as they have made big strides this year as a result of an improved commitment to training and games. This is the first final for a lot of these girls and it will take a Trojan effort from all concerned to dethrone Clontibret who have been champions now for a long number of years. Credit must be given to Clontibret for where they have set the bar. It is now up to Castleblayney to play above that standard if they want the crown.
Truagh
Seniors: Training continues tomorrow at 7.30pm and on Monday at 7.30pm. Our next game is on the 9th of September when we take on Inniskeen in the final round of the league.
Juveniles: Juvenile training on Saturday at 11am. Nicola, Brid and Claire are on duty this week. New players are very welcome.
Lucky Square: Congratulations to PJ Meehan who was last weeks winner of the lucky square. Could anyone that owes for the lucky square please see Majella. Thank you to all who support
