On Friday, Éire Og hosted an historic Senior Hurling Championship match between near neighbours Bré and Greystones. It certainly was not an occasion when the hurlers from these clubs were “wasting their sweetness on the desert air”. Quite a healthy crowd was on hand to witness their endeavours and one would venture that despite the outcome being that which all but the ill-informed would have predicted viz an emphatic victory for Emmets, the attendance would have counted itself satisfactorily entertained by the fare on offer.
Emmets would be considered very strong contenders for county honours and this was evident in their play. They were extremely quick of pace and reaction and their accuracy from placed ball and from play both astounded and disheartened – they scored from all angles and distances and from situations one would have deemed hopeless. They just seemed not to be able to miss.
In this lay the essential difference between the teams for while for the most part Éire Óg were quite competitive outfield they lacked penetration up front but even at that a little extra bit of luck, particularly in the 2nd half, would have seen us in a much more respectable position on the scoreboard.
Most of the damage was done in the 1st period and Éire Óg's port was all but seinnte at the break. However their irremediable position did not dishearten our lads nor did it take from their efforts which were admirable for all of the 2nd half.
On the resumption Éire Óg underwent somewhat of a Renaissance and began to attack the Emmet goal with a great degree of regularity and to notch up some scores in the process.
This did not give rise to false expectations but did lead to hopes of a much hungered-after goal. The goal did eventually arrive from the stick of the “Pooch” Cranley in circumstances, which as was suggested from the sideline, merited the second of the vowels being changed to an “a”.
Cill Chomhaill Gaels Under 14 hurling team, comprising players from Greystones, Kilcoole & Newtown made the long journey to Carnew on Wednesday last to play the hosts in our latest league match. Carnew, being the Féile winners, are regarded as the top team in the County at the moment but our lads weren't fazed in the least by this and went toe-to-toe with them from the throw in. It was a very close game right to the closing stages but a sending off (2 yellows) and a couple of injuries to our players meant we ran out of steam with a few minutes to go and Carnew ran up a few late scores to run out winners by 7 points.
The management was very pleased with the effort and skill demonstrated by the entire team. The Éire Óg Greystones players who played on the night were Eoin Dorgan, Shaun Cranley, Glen Ryder and Shane Ryan. Best wishes go to Glen Ryder who, following a visit to Tallaght hospital on Thursday morning, had it confirmed that he fractured his arm following what appeared to be a totally innocuous fall during the match. Glen will be in cast for 4 weeks and we wish himwell in his recovery and hope to see him back playing very soon. He has been a terrific player for us this year.
A juvenile manager's lot is a most difficult one at this time of the year as the annual exodus of players on foreign holidays or to the parents' homesteads around the country, which tends to peak in the late July to mid-August period, significantly reduces the panel of available players and it makes it very difficult to gather the statutory 15. However, on Monday evening last we mustered an Under 12 hurling team to make the short trip to Kilcoole to take on our friends and neighbours up there. Éire Óg put on a great display, particularly our 3 Under 10s who made their Under 12 debut – Fintan Potts, Frankie & Patrick Byrne. When the final whistle blew we were a few scores ahead . Others who played very well on the night were Stephen Salmon, Tommy Harris-O' Brien, Joseph Prendergast, Luke Dorgan, Rory Barry and Neil Burke. Well done also to Kilcoole who contributed to an excellent game of hurling and congratulations to them on the progress the team has made over the season to date.
His mentors and colleagues sent their best wishes to Cillian Keane, under-12 dual star, who is recovering following an appendix operation at the weekend. His absence from the team will be sorely felt and all are hoping he will have a speedy recovery and that he will soon be back in action.
A blast from the past or an excursion into Peter Keogh territory: while recently leafing through the memorabilia of her grandparents, a member of the family came across a cutting from a Wicklow People of the 1950s which contained a short account of the Schwepps Cup semi-final of that year. The game was between the holders Greystones and Kilmac, which Kilmac won 1-7 to 1-2. In it the reporter informs us that the margin could have been much greater but for the inaccuracies of the Kilmac forwards and the heroics of one Jimmy O'Toole in goals. Buíochas le Dia Jimmy is still with us and hopefully will be so for a long time to come.
The cutting includes the full Kilmac team but unfortunately the list of the Greystones players was the victim of the cutter's scissors.
