Sarsfields Confirm Quarter Final Place
Charlestown Sarsfields rounded off their Section C Senior Championship group campaign with a facile 1-19 to 0-6 victory over Kiltaine in a dead rubber match played at O`Hara Park, Charlestown recently. Both teams were operating at contrasting ends of the spectrum, the Sarsfields having already qualified for the quarter finals with Kiltaine doomed to the relegation play offs having lost their three previous games. It was a low key affair with the Sarsfields as expected dominating the exchanges from an early stage and knocking over scores at will as Kiltaine struggled to keep pace with the movement and pace of the Sarsfields attacks which came thick and fast. The Sarsfields had ten points on the board in the opening twenty minutes with Kiltaine failing to trouble the judge and while the Sarsfields dipped a little in the final ten , Kiltaine did manage to break their duck to leave the interval score 0-12 to 0-2 in favour of the green and white. The game was pretty much over as a contest with Kiltaine managing to restore some pride at the manner of their gritty and determined second half display. The Sarsfields went into their shell somewhat sleepwalking their way through the opening ten minutes with Kiltaine managing to outscore them 0-4 to 0-2 and it could have been more if the Erris men hadn’t spurned some good scoring chances with their shooting very wayward to say the least. The Sarsfields stirred themselves somewhat midway through the half and went on a spurt scoring 1-5 without reply as the contest drifted towards its inevitable conclusion. The Sarsfields learned little from this outing save for the fact that it maintained their winning sequence in the championship and provided further evidence that they are moving in the right direction after some early season turbulence. The team as a whole played nicely as a unit and there were good displays from the likes of Dermot and Aidan Higgins, Benny Quinn, Kevin Deignan, Paul Mulligan, Joe McBrien and David Sloyan in goal who managed to keep his goal intact. The Sarsfields now need to transfer this form into the league where points need to be garnered in order to move away from the basement and reach the safety of mid-table.
Sarsfields Development Draw Results
Charlestown Sarsfields G.A.A. Club staged held their development draw in conjunction with their weekly lotto draw on Sunday night August 15th in KD’s Bar Church Street, Charlestown. There was a good crowd in attendance and the draw was well supported by the general public and following the usual formalities the following were the winners of the €2000 prize fund;
The top prize of €1,000 was won by Charlestown Sarsfields star and regular goalkeeper David Sloyan who was the first name of out of the drum to rapturous applause. The winners of the 10 x €100 Euro Prizes were as follows:
1. Willie Regan Gowel, Charlestown
2. Kieran Kilroy Church Street, Charlestown
3. Fiona Morris Lurga, Charlestown
4. Nicola Howley Curry, Co. Sligo
5. Chris Meehan Rooskey
6. Liam Grimes Enniscrone, Co. Sligo
7. Catherine Finn Leixlip, Co. Kildare
8. Paul McManamon Tample, Charlestown
9. Kitty Walsh Barrack Street, Charlestown
10. Shane McLoughlin Madogue, Charlestown.
The Charlestown Sarsfields G.A.A. Club would like to thank the general public for all their support in purchasing tickets for the draw and the executive would like to thank all the ticket sellers for their hard work in doing the hard sell and sales pitch and thank Kd’s for staging the draw and providing the sponsorship for the envelopes and also to Angela Casey who also sponsored the mini envelopes which were an important part of the overall ticket. The club are very grateful for their help and support and thank everybody who supported the draw and congratulate all the prize winners on their good fortune and all the proceeds from the draw will be used to complete the splendid the new fencing structure which currently adorns O`Hara Park. Well done to the officers on coming up with this novel idea of raising funds, it was a big success and might well become mainstay in the fundraising wing of the club for the future.
Sarsfields Defeat Lahardane in League
Charlestown Sarsfields Junior team got some measure of revenge on Lahardane when they reversed the form and over turned their North Mayo opponents in Division 1 D of the league in O`Hara park and came out on the right side of a 1-10 to 0-9 scoreline. The previous week Lahardane tumbled the Sarsfields out of the county championship with a convincing win on their own patch so the Sarsfields had plenty to play for not withstanding the fact that there was two precious league points on offer with both sides located in the lower regions of what’s a very competitive division. The Sarsfields fielded close to their best team and despite not hitting any great heights in terms of their performance did enough to eke out the win which sees them put some daylight between them and the teams below them in the table one of whom happens to be Lahardane. The Sarsfields were far from their fluent best and made heavy weather of securing the victory. The crucial score of the game arrived midway through the second half when Colm Maye cracked a great shot low and hard to the bottom of the Lahardane net which looked to have set up the Sarsfields nicely for victory. They sat back however and went very defensive however in the final ten and invited Lahardane onto them and to be fair the visitors did have a good crack at reducing their deficit. The Sarsfields just held firm however despite numerous scares in their backline which saw them cough up possession in dangerous areas but these turnovers went unpunished as Lahardane didn’t have the quality in their attack to punish them. This victory leaves the Sarsfields hovering just above the drop zone and they might need another point or two to make sure of their status. Their best players on the day were Colm Maye, Rory Gallagher, Patrick Walsh, Joseph Owens, Shane Moran and Andy Callaghan.
Engagement
Congratulations are extended to Enda Casey son of John Joe and Angie Casey Main Street, Charlestown on his engagement to Ms. Johanna Gormley The Curragh, Castlebar, Co. Mayo recently.
Bord Na n-Og Card Game
Bord na n-Og continue with their weekly card game on Friday nights in The Pastoral Centre Lowpark, Charlestown and there was a good turnout at the game on Friday night August 13th and the following were the prize winners :
1st Prize: Tom Bredican and Phillip Moore
2nd Prize: Patricia Rowley and Noel Mahon
Raffle: John O`Loughlin, Jim Grimes, Val Bredican and Phillip Moore
Game takes place every Friday night @9pm in The Pastoral Centre, Lowpark, Charlestown and all are welcome.
East Mayo Minor Championship
Charlestown Sarsfields take on Swinford in the East Mayo Minor A Championship on Wednesday August 25th with the throw-in timed for 7pm. The Sarsfields will go in as big underdogs as they face a crack Swinford side operating in the higher echelons of division 1 and boosting some big names in their ranks with several players on the Mayo minor and under-16 panels. The Sarsfields will be hoping to field their best possible team with injury concerns over Conor Finn providing the biggest headache for the management as he battles to overcome a shoulder injury. The Sarsfields will have to play to the optimum of their ability if victory is to be achieved and the fact that they are being written off in most quarters should provide them with ample motivation to go out and have a right tilt at Swinford who are many people’s idea of East Mayo champions.
Minors Defeated in Summer League Semi-Final
Charlestown Sarsfields minor team were defeated by Westport in the Summer League semi-final played at Claremorris recently. The Sarsfields made another poor start and never recovered as Westport in contrast were sharp and focused and dominated in most of the key areas of the pitch. Once again the Sarsfields fielded a somewhat depleted side and their lack of strength in depth was very apparent particularly when it looked like they were gaining control of matters early in the second half. They just couldn’t secure the scores however to make the scoreboard tick over in their favour and Westport ran out deserving winners to secure their final berth with the Sarsfields left to focus all their energies on the East Mayo championship which looms large on the horizon.
Under-8 Training
Under -8 training for boys takes place in O`Hara Park on Friday evenings between 6-7pm. All are welcome as the Sarsfields gets ready to coach and teach the next batch of would be Sarsfields stars.
Sarsfields G.A.A. Meeting
The September monthly meeting of the Charlestown Sarsfields G.A.A. Club will take place on Tuesday September 14th @9.30pm in The C.B.D. Sports Complex. All members are requested to attend as there are a number of important items up for discussion. |
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Sarsfields Qualify for quarter finals of Moclair
Charlestown Sarsfields qualified for the quarter finals of the county senior championship by virtue of their resounding 2-15 to 1-7 over Westport in round 3 of the Section D the senior championship played at Westport recently. The Sarsfields have been something of a slow burner this season, off the pace in the league and early season exchanges but slowly coming to the boil as the intensity and theme of the championship begins to crank up a notch or two.
Injuries to key personnel have impended on team selections with several players on the treatment table for long periods but at last there seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel with the team beginning to resemble something like its best and familiar shape.
There was ample evidence in their display against Westport that the Sarsfields intend on putting up a bold defence of their title as they dismantled the home side’s challenge with some trademark fine flowing football which saw them rack up a nice score which is sure to instil some confidence and morale into the ranks after some narrow league defeats of late.
The key to the Sarsfields victory was a good start and this they most certainly got as they hammered over six fine points in the opening nine minutes to put Westport firmly on the back foot. The home side did get a major boost of a goal fifteen minutes in but the Sarsfields negated this almost immediately with poacher supreme Paul Mulligan on hand to palm Joe McBrien`s saved shot into the net to restore the Sarsfields dominance on the scoreboard. Three further points from The Mulligan duo Paul and Tony extended the Sarsfields advantage with Damien Keane responding with two white flags for the hosts to leave the scoreline at the interval 1-9 to 1-2 in favour of the green and white.
Westport needed a good start to have any chance of making some headway into their deficit and this they managed with three quick points to reduce the gap to four. The Sarsfields were wobbling but they called on all their experience to quash this Westport mini revival with two fine points from Martin Mulvaney and Tony Mulligan to push the lead out to six again. Westport reduced it to five and the Sarsfields suffered a hammer blow when giant midfielder Sean Morris was stretched off with what looked like a serious injury. Morris was a colossus in the centre of the field for the Sarsfields fielding superbly on several occasions and distributing intelligently. His replacement was none other than the veteran David Tiernan and he slotted in like he was never away with some trademark distribution and excellent fielding to maintain the vice like grip which the Sarsfields exerted on the midfield exchanges. Paul Mulligan pointed from a free and then Tony Mulligan arrived on cue when he fielded a fine David Tiernan delivery to round his man and calmly dispatch the ball to the net to wrap up the match and qualification to the knockout stages. Two brilliant points from the lively and energetic Joe McBrien capped a fine afternoon’s work for the Sarsfields as they secured their quarter berth with something in hand so to speak. It was a fine team performance with Daragh McMeel, Dermot Higgins, Aidan Higgins and David Caffrey majestic in defence. Morris and Benny Quinn lorded matters at midfield with Tony Mulligan at his dominant best in attack scoring at will and seeing off several opponents with a mesmeric performance. Paul Mulligan, Martin Mulvaney, Enda Casey and Ritchie Haran also contributed hugely to the performance and scoreboard with Tiernan and McBrien underlining the strength of the Charlestown bench with stellar performances when introduced into the fray. The Sarsfields will knuckle down to some serious training in the coming weeks as the level of competition hots up and they are in a nice position as they await the identity of their opponents for the quarter-finals.
Sarsfields Junior defeated by Lahardane
Charlestown Sarsfields junior team were defeated by Lahardane in the latest round of group games played at Boofenaun recently. The scoreline was 2-11 to 1-6 in favour of the home team and the Sarsfields while making a fist of it for most of the first half and parts of the second half faded badly in the latter stages and leaked a host of scores to put a rather lopsided look on the scoreboard.
The sarsfields for more than competitive for large parts of the match but their lack of strength in depth told as they ran out of options when some key personnel became unavailable or were injured and this had a huge impact as the second half panned out with the home side taking full advantage and running out convincing winners in the finish. This defeat more or less ends the sarsfields participation in junior championship for 2010 and they will have much to rue as they failed to field their best fifteen in almost every match they played in the championship. Their best players on the night were Sean Lenehan, Rory Gallagher, Sean Higgins, Damien Ward and Vincent Doherty.
Minors Defeated in League Semi-Final
Charlestown Sarsfields minor team were defeated by Ballyhaunis in the division 2 league semi-final played at Ballyhaunis recently. The absence of Conor Finn and Gareth O`Donnell were huge blows for the Sarsfields and weakened their team considerably. The Sarsfields paid dearly for a below par first half performance and while they did lift their game considerably in the second half they left themselves with too much to do and the clock proved their biggest foe as the home side held on for a two point victory and a place in the final. The Sarsfields will now have to switch their focus to the East Mayo Championship which has been delayed due to Mayo’s participation in the upcoming All-Ireland minor semi-final,
Senior League Fixture
Charlestown Sarsfields travel to Claremorris to take on the home side in round 7 of Division 1 A of the senior league on Saturday August 21st with the throw-in timed for 7pm (check sports pages for confirmation). This is a must win game for the Sarsfields as they linger perilously close to the drop zone and with Claremorris in the same boat it’s winner takes all in a game with plenty to play for.
Bord Na n-Og Card Game
Bord na n-Og continue with their weekly card game on Friday nights in The Pastoral Centre Lowpark, Charlestown and there was a good turnout at the game on Friday night August 6th and the following were the prize winners :
1st Prize: Tommy Dunne and James Mooney
2nd Prize: Phil and Aidan Horkan, Ciaran and Patricia Rowley
Spot Prize: Marty Fleming and Kathleen Leonard, Joe Lenehan and Lukie Dunleavy
Raffle: Lukie Dunleavy, Packie-Joe Kennedy, Lilian Walsh, James Mooney
Game takes place every Friday night @9pm in The Pastoral Centre, Lowpark, Charlestown and all are welcome.
Under-8 Training
Under -8 training for boys takes place in O`Hara Park on Friday evenings between 6-7pm. All are welcome as the Sarsfields gets ready to coach and teach the next batch of would be Sarsfields stars.
Sarsfields ladies defeat Kiltaine
Charlestown Sarsfields ladies junior team had a comfortable victory over Kiltaine in division 3 of the league played at O`Hara Park recently. The Sarsfields ladies are rapidly improving and they turned in a very mature, impressive performance which proved too much for the Bangor ladies who to be fair battled gamely to the final whistle. The Sarsfields ladies had too much firepower and craft for their opponents however and after an early wobble in the second half regained their composure to kick on again mid way through the half and from there to the finish the outcome was never in doubt,. The Sarsfields had good performances from the likes of Sarah Corley, Rebecca Dunleavy, Karena Finn, Paula Hanley, Kelly Colleran, Siobhan Doherty, Yvonne Hanley, Sarah Sloyan and Niamh McLoughlin. They are motoring nicely in the league and are in the top tier with some big games coming up in the next few weeks. Managers Tom McLoughlin and Patricia Ruane are working hard behind the scenes and are building momentum nicely with the training going very well with big numbers working hard on the paddock.
Swimming Pool A Valuable Resource in the Community
Charlestown Swimming Pool located behind The Fairgreens Estate Lowpark, Charlestown has provided the community with an important and valuable resource for close on fifty years. It has given fun and enjoyment to so many people over the years and provided a crucial resource where children and adults and have developed and perfected their swimming strokes for many decades. The pool has provided a safe environment where generations of children and indeed adults spanning many decades have flocked to the facility in the summer months to pursue and develop and interest in the sport of swimming which is now a strand on the primary school curriculum. The town of Charlestown has been well served by the pool and it has given great entertainment and instruction to so many and continues to provide an all important place where children take their first tentative steps of learning how to swim and also improve their life saving and water safety skills as a whole/
The pool was in a state of disrepair some years ago and a committee was formed with a view to restoring and rescuing it’s fading reputation and thanks to some great work by the committee and allied to some local volunteers the pool was restored and is once again thriving and continuing to get people of all ages though it’s gates with swimming still right up there in terms of recreation among the youth in the community.
A new committee has been put in place with Nuala O`Donnell-Johnson. Eileen McGuinness, Maureen McEntire and Val Lenehan, Aideen Murphy, Pearl Fitzgibbon and Claire Gibson the mainstays and this committee has great plans regarding the pool which include researching it’s history and finding out as much information as they can how it came into being and so on. Indeed the committee would welcome as much information as possible from older members of the community who might well be able to shed some light on how the pool first arrived at it’s current location and who were the main movers behind the scenes that made it all possible. The affore-mentioned committee would love to hear from you as they are in the process of putting together some information on the history of the pool and its development over the years.
The committee are also hoping to safeguard the future of the pool and hope to embark on a number of fundraising ventures in the coming months with a view to generating finance to improve the facilities even further and bring them into line with other outdoor pools in the neighbouring towns that are all competing for numbers and members. The committee have number of fundraising ideas in mind the first of which is a Table Quiz which they hope to hold on Friday September 3rd with the venue yet to be confirmed. This is just one of a number of ventures they hope to embark on in the very near future. The committee are also hoping to design and create their own web site which will contain a number of interesting feature containing some new and nostalgic stories and pictures from the past and this they hope to develop in the very near future.
Anybody who would like to help the committee with their efforts are more than welcome to come and board and again the committee are looking to the general public to help them drive this project forward and copper fasten the future of the pool as a thriving and vital part of the recreational and social fabric of the community. More news in the coming weeks about the pool and its plans and the committee would welcome any new members to help them in their endeavours. |
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