Sunday morning at Shaws Road was the scene of heartbreak for both the u10 girls and u10 boys from Naomh Brid. After a great mornings football both teams reached the semi-final stages of the main competition and in an amazing quirk of fortune both lost out after extra time to a single score.
With 35 nine and ten year old children from Naomh Brid participating in the prestigious Jack McCartan annual tournament it proved a great stage for the young boys and girls from Naomh Brid.
The girls competition kicked-off shortly after 10 with 9 clubs participating from Belfast and beyond. The girls from Naomh Brid were drawn in a group with Bredagh A, Clann Eireann Lurgan and hosts St Pauls B.
First game up for Naomh Brid was near neighbours Bredagh. Naomh Brid started well in a close encounter taking a slender 1 point lead into the break. However after a halftime team talk and some refreshments the side returned in the second period to dominate proceedings running out convincing winners by 11 points to 4.
Next up in the group was a strong Clann Eireann side who were convincing winners over St Pauls in their opening game. Right from the outset it was clear this was going to be a close battle with two evenly matched sides – with the winners in poll position to top the group. Despite some great football Naomh Brid found the going tough against their illustrious opponents from Armagh, with the Lurgan side running out eventual winners 4 points to 1.
The final group game for Naomh Brid was a must win tie if they were to secure second place in the group and progress to the knock-out stage. Right from the outset the girls in blue and gold set the tempo of the game and by half-time were 8-0 up on the score board. The second half proved even more comprehensive with Naomh Brid finishing winners on a score line of 21 points to no score.
Finishing second place in the group stage pitted Naomh Brid against the winners from group 1 – near neighbours Carryduff.
The semi-final turned out to be the game of the tournament with two very evenly matched teams – both in terms of commitment and football skill. At half-time Carryduff had a slender 1 point lead, however on the restart Naomh Brid hit a rich vein of form and stormed into a two point lead. With only a minute left on the clock it looked as though Naomh Brid were destined for the final – however Carryduff continued to press and scored two late points to bring the tie into extra time.
With a further six minutes to play, Carryduff now had the momentum and took an early lead going into the break three points up. However, the girls from Naomh Brid never stopped fighting and pulled themselves back into contention with two quick fire points. With the clock running down they pressed for the equaliser – however two near misses proved costly as the referee blew the final whistle to leave Carryduff one point victors.
Despite the narrow defeat in the end this was a fantastic performance by the girls from Naomh Brid. Following on from the u14 girls securing a championship final spot on Saturday the future is indeed bright for the female gaels from South Belfast.
Well done to all 19 girls who played a part on the day: Darcy Smith, Anna McKeown, Emma Ferran, Niamh Gutterman, Maeve Blaney, Michelle Magee, Cara Lennon, Claire McGurk, Anna Moore, Alice Fitzpatrick, Rosa McCormick, Peaches McCorry, Anna Carbery, Meadbh O’Kane, Sorcha McGarvey, Nina Fitzpatrick, Anna Lavery, Lauren Carroll, Natasha Donnelly.
