For the second time in a few weeks the St Brigids u10 team gave a fantastic account of themselves by reaching the final of the highly prestigious Newry Mitchells Tournament held on Saturday 7th June. Competing as one of 38 teams from all Ulster counties plus teams from Louth, Meath, Dublin, Sligo the St Brigids team gave an excellent account of themselves and represented the club in excellent fashion.
Played in scorching weather conditions the panel of 21 players participated in 7 20 minute games and it was only in final that they tasted defeat.
The day got off to a slow start for the boys from St Brigids as they sat on the sidelines watching the other teams in their group battle it out for the early spoils. St Brigids were drawn in a group consisting of teams from 4 different counties Cuchulainns (Louth), Drumconrath (Meath), Mayobridge (Down) and O’Donnell’s (Antrim).
First up in the league competition it was Cuchulainns. Despite the long wait for action, St Brigids got off to a very strong start and by half-time had opened up a commanding lead of 3-8 to 0-2, with the goals coming from Enda Kelly-McCann, James Smith and John Blaney. St Brigids continued the second period at a reduced pace and added a further 5 points to an additional 2 points from the Louth side. Throughout the second half both Gerard Kervick and Peter Lavery proved a real handful for the Cuchulainns defence. The final score was 3-13 to 0-4 on favour of St Brigids.
Round two of the league stage pitched St Brigids against another Leinster side with the opponents this time Drumconrath from Meath. Once again the lads from St Brigids got off to a quick start and notched up 1-5 to no reply by half-time with scores courtesy of Daniel Guinness (0-1), Enda Kelly-McCann (1-0) John Blaney, Patrick Finnegan and James Smith (0-1 each). In the second half the St Brigids defence continued to dominate through strong tackling from Frank McCormack and Joseph Finnegan, holding the opposition to a single point. St Brigids added a further 5 points though Daniel Guinness (0-3), James Smith and Phelim Lennon (0-1 each). In defence Andrew McDowell, Paul Stores and Henry Dornan proved rock solid and really prevented the Drumconrath attack gaining any meaningful possession.
With two wins and strong performances under their belt the boys in blue and gold were growing in confidence as the afternoon wore on. Having watched the other games in the group unfold though, it was evident that the strongest test at this stage of the competition was yet to come in the shape of Mayobridge. Indeed the local side, from just a couple of miles up the road, had dominated their earlier games in a similar fashion to St Brigids and had set-up round three for what promised to be a winner takes all encounter (or so we thought!). As with the earlier games St Brigids started strongly and dominated possession, but unlike the before they failed to convert the pressure into scores. Eventually they got off the mark with a point from Peter Webb soon to be followed by a goal from John Blaney. However, as they had shown in the earlier games Mayobridge were a strong physical team and would not capitulate easily and they responded with 2 points of their own. From the start of the second half Mayobridge began to dominate possession around midfield and it was clear St Brigids had a real game on their hands. However, with Paul Stores resolute in defence and Ethan Carleton commanding the “square” St Brigids stood firm. Both Dara McGarvey and Joseph Finnegan tackled like terriers at half-back to repel the Mayobridge attacks. Having weathered the storm St Brigids turned defence into attack and added pointes from Patrick Finnegan and Peter Lavery. John Blaney added a second goal to finish the game off with St Brigids coming out on top on a score line of 2-3 to 0-2.
Last up in the group was the Belfast derby match against O’Donnells. Having seen off the challenge of Mayobridge, St Brigids needed a victory to ensure they topped the group and qualified for the “plate” competition. Underestimating the strength of the opposition St Brigids failed to click into gear and by half-time they were a point adrift on a score line of 0-3 to 1-1, with the O’Donnells goal coming just before the break. Excellent work up front by Ryan Dillon and Ismeal Obikoyka helped ensure St Brigids dominated long periods of possession – but this was not converted into scores. The second half saw a revitalised St Brigids “move it up a gear” and turned in a number of scores with 3 goals (two by Enda Kelly-McCann and one from Peter Webb). The St Brigids defence tightened up considerably with Gregory Lynch and Rory Lynch coming out on top in their individual battles. The final score was St Brigids 3-6 O’Donnells 1-2.
With the final whistle and victory secured St Brigids were now assured a place in the premier plate competition. Having already played an hour and twenty minutes of football in the hot June sun, the question was how long St Brigids could keep up the blistering pace set in the league stage as the tournament entered sudden death.
After a short break and some relaxation in the shade combined with much needed refreshments St Brigids took the field for the quarter final. This time they faced another local side in the shape of Clonduff. Once again St Brigids started the stronger and lead from the outset quickly establishing a 0-4 to 0-0 advantage. Clonduff responded with a single point reply, but not for the first time the St Brigids gained a strangle-hold around midfield with Peter Webb, Daniel Guinness and Patrick Finnegan dominating possession. St Brigids continued to press and added a further 2 points from Peter Lavery and Enda Kelly-McCann to a single reply from Clonduff to leave the half-time score 0-6 to 0-2. The second-half proved a much closer affair with both defences on top – St Brigids added further points through Peter Webb, John Blaney and Phelim Lennon to Clonduff’s one point, leaving the full-time score 0-9 to 0-3.
The quarter-final victory over Clonduff set-up the third encounter of the day against Down opposition with a semi-final spot against Burren. Having watched the quarter final encounter, there was no doubt St Brigids were about to meet their stiffest challenge so far that day. Not only were Burren a physically bigger side, but they had also shown great ability in their quarter final encounter against Lavey from Derry, winning out after extra time.
And as expected this turned out to be a hard fought, yet highly entertaining encounter. At the half-time interval the sides were dead-locked on 0-2 each, the St Brigids scores coming from Daniel Guinness and John Blaney. In terms of the possession stakes, with the breeze at their backs the team from Down dominated for long spells – but once again resolute defending from number 1 to 15 was the key to St Brigids remaining in the contest at the interval. On the restart it turned out to be a “one man (boy) show” with Peter Webb turning in a man-of-the-match performance. Burren picked off two early scores to go two points ahead, but St Brigids responded through a Peter Webb point to leave the minimum between the sides. As the clock ticked on and the game approached the final moments St Brigids pressed hard with the game really in the balance. Peter Webb collected the ball in his own half-back line, surged past a number of players to unleash a thunderous drive to the Burren net. On the restart, Peter again won possession at mid-field and kicked a splendid point from long range to open a 3 point margin. St Brigids continued to dominate at mid-field and half-back with Frank McCormack in tight control and held out for a much deserved victory as the referee blew the final whistle.
And so it was, having left Belfast at 8:30am that morning and after 6 fabulous victories, at 6:30 that evening the boys from St Brigids took the field against Lucan Sarsfields from Dublin in the final. To give an indication of the quality of the sides in the tournament, Lucan Sarsfields had topped their group, which contained St Johns from Belfast and the mighty Crossmaglen Rangers from Armagh.
From the outset it was evident why both sides were in the final. St Brigids dominated the early exchanges, but failed to convert possession into scores. Eventually Sarsfields exerted some pressure that was converted into the first score of the game with a point. Almost immediately this was followed by a goal, and now all of a sudden St Brigids were in unknown territory 0-0 to 1-1 in arrears. St Brigids responded with 2 points through Peter Webb and Daniel Guinness – with Sarsfileds adding a further point. But once again disaster struck with the low evening sun playing havoc in the St Brigids defence and the ball found its way to the net for a second time. In quick succession Sarsfields added a point and St Brigids were really on the rack facing an uphill struggle against a rampant Sarsfields side. As the half drew to a close, St Brigids eventually began to assert some dominance in the back line and mid-field and added 2 points to leave the half-time score Lucan Sarsfields 2-4, St Brigids 0-4.
The half-time talk from the mentors was rousing, but unfortunately the Dublin side started the brighter with the first score of the second half. Seven points down and struggling to find their earlier form, all looked lost for the boys in blue and gold. To their eternal credit and in a real show of grit, determination and no little skill they commenced the comeback with 7 minutes remaining. For the rest of the game St Brigids dominated – rattling off a series of points through Peter Webb, Peter Lavery, John Blaney and Enda Kelly-McCann. Sarsfileds could only muster a single point in reply. As the game entered the final minutes St Brigids had closed the deficit to 2 points, but with time fast running out it was clear a goal was required. Despite valiant efforts and two near goal misses at the death it wasn’t to be and the final whistle sounded. Lucan Sarsfields had held out for a deserved 2 point victory on a score of 2-6 to 0-10.
For a second time in a major tournament final within weeks St Brigids had lost out by a slender margin. However, the 21 boys from St Brigids had performed heroics all afternoon and displayed fantastic skill, discipline and character. One thing is for sure, this group of players will have many further days in the sun, and no doubt they will be rewarded with victory in the months and years ahead.
A word of congratulations must go to Lucan Sarsfields, who were deserving champions on the day. Overall this was a fantastically well organised tournament by Newry Mitchells and we look forward to next year when the vast majority of this young team will return to compete once again.
The afternoon was rounded off in fine style when Peter Webb was awarded player of the tournament – richly deserved for his endeavours and performances throughout the day.
Many thanks to the team and mentors – John Smith, Lorcan McGarvey, Joe Webb, Greg Blaney and Paddy McCann.
