Change of Time and Venue for IFC semi-final
Our senior’s IFC semi-final game against Tir Na Nog (Randalstown) has been given a new venue, day and time. The game will now throw in at 5.30pm on Sunday at Casement Park. Originally the venue was to be Ahoghill on Saturday evening but this has been changed meaning that the All Saints game will now precede the St Gall’s v Cargin SFC semi-final, throw in at 7.00pm.
Club Notes – 25th August
All Saints GAC Club Notes
Lotto: Numbers: 2,11,12. 1 Winner, J McErlane. Next Weeks jackpot: £200.
Results: AC Junior hurling C’Ship: All Saints 2-19 Larne 5-3. Intermediate Football C’ShipC QF: Ahoghill 1-07 All Saints 2-07. NAJHL All Saints 6-10 Randalstown 4-07. SWFL U-16 Shield QF All Saints 2-10 Antrim 1-03. SWFL U-12 All Saints 2-06 Antrim 2-07. Congratulations to our U-8 and U-10 teams who competed so well in their 8th game in the ‘Go-Games’ mini League series against St Enda’s of Glengromley last week. Many thanks to those supporters who braved the elements in Ahoghill on Saturday evening in our IFC QF game.
Fixtures: Sunday 31st August: ACHL D4A v St Gall’s (away) @3pm. U-8 & U-10 ‘Go Games’ Mini League game v Randalstown (Home), throw in: 11.30am. All players to be at Slemish Park for 11am in full club gear.IFC Semi-final v Tir Na Nog Randalstown (Venue: Casement Park) @ 5.30pm Monday 1st September: NAHL U-16 v Larne (Home) @ 7pm. AC IFC Semi Final v Tir Na Nog (Venue: Casement Park) Throw in 5.30pm. Thursday: SWFL U-16 Shield Semi Final v Glenravel (Venue and time TBC, check with mentors). Saturday 6th September: ACFL D2 v Davitts (Home) @ 2pm. ACFL D6 v Ballycastle (away) @ 2pm. Come along and support your teams.
All Saints GAC Annual Golf Classic, Sunday 14th September at Ballymena Golf Club Raceview. Contact: 25640567/07889617341 or ballymena@antrimgaa.ie / amcwil4252@aol.com to book your fourball, sponsor a hole or for more info.
Goals The Difference as All Saints Advance
Intermediate Football Championship Quarter-Final
All Saints 2-7 Ahoghill 1-7
Goals proved to be the difference in this fiercely contested Intermediate Football Championship quarter-final, played in difficult conditions at Portglenone on Saturday evening. Despite a firm sod the heavy drizzle which fell at the start of the game made underfoot conditions slippery and the game was punctuated by handling errors and mistimed tackles.
15 minutes of an easily forgettable opening period had elapsed before Paul McCann gave the Ballymena side the lead with a good point and the same player added a second from a 25 meter free, a minute later. Paddy Logan was beginning to get the upper hand in the midfield sector for All Saints but Donal Graham replied from another 25 meter free to reduce the gap to the minimum.
All Saints were enjoying the better of the exchanges at this stage and Peter McCann restored their two point advantage when he played a neat 1-2 with Conor Crilly before firing over a great point. P.J. O’Connell then wasted a good opportunity to close the gap once more before T.J. Hamill sent over from play to leave just the minimum between the sides once more.
At this stage Ahoghill switched Neil O’Connell to mid-field where their former player, Paddy Logan was edging the exchanges for All Saints and it had an immediate effect. O’Connell began to impose his presence while his colleagues gathered the majority of breaking ball. Still it seemed to no avail as Ballymena struck with a superb Tiernan Walsh goal in the 16th minute.
The move started deep in the Ballymena half with a free from Damien Kelly. The long delivery was mishandled by Peter McCann but broke favourably into the path of the onrushing Walsh who soloed 25 meters and as the Ahoghill defence opened up he fired an unstoppable shot to the corner of the net.
Ahoghill were enjoying a good deal of possession but hadn’t really threatened up to this point but they responded with a point from a Donal Graham free in the 19th minute and six minutes later they were right back in contention. The All Saints defence stood arguing when their opponents were awarded a 30 meter free. Bernard Graham took advantage with a quick delivery to Sean O’Connell whose shot was well saved by Micky O’Kane, but O’Connell was on hand to tap in the rebound.
That left the contest all square as the half time whistle sounded but it was the Clooney men who looked the happier leaving the field as they had clawed back a four point deficit and had looked the better side in the second quarter, fielding the ball much cleaner and nearly always first to the breaking ball.
CHANGES
All Saints introduced Sean McVeigh for Aiden Walsh at the start of the second half and the big man was only minutes on the field when he incurred the wrath of the Ahoghill support and referee, Eoin Quinn with a late challenge. His presence though began to give the Slemish Park side more possession around the middle of the field though his colleagues continued to be second in the race for the breaking ball.
Paddy Logan put the ‘Town’ back ahead with a pointed free in the 4th minute and the same player added another, a minute later to increase his side’s lead to two points with five minutes gone as Gerard Graham replaced Martin Graham in the Ahoghill side. Donal Graham kept his side in touch as he continued to display great accuracy from the placed ball and Gerard Graham marked his arrival with a good point from play to leave it all square once more with 13 minutes gone.
The division 3 side were showing the greater commitment and were picking up everything that broke around the middle and Dominic Neeson gave them the lead for the first time in the game as he sent over a fine long range point with 19 minutes gone.
Aiden Graham replaced Bernard Graham as Paul McCann responded with a good point in the 22nd minute to bring matters all square once more and this score seemed to lift the Ballymena side. They pressed forward once more and a fine move saw Conor Crilly place Liam Cassley in the clear but Francis Neeson in the Ahoghill goals went full length to deny Cassley what looked a certain goal.
Peter McCann brought a loud cheer from the good All Saints support as he fired the resulting ‘45′ between the uprights to put his side ahead once more but again St. Mary’s responded and Donal Graham kept his cool to send another free over the bar with two minutes remaining.
It was obvious it was going to take something special to separate these two evenly balanced sides and it was the Slemish Park side who conjured the move of the game as the clock counted down. Damien Kelly started the move as he found Sean McVeigh. McVeigh passed wide to the overlapping Michael McCarry and he found Liam Cassley with a pinpoint pass and the latter finished with aplomb from close range.
It looked over at this stage with time almost up but to their credit Ahoghill kept plugging away but they were denied by a couple of excellent blocks by Kevin McAllister and Seamus McAffee as they went looking for that vital goal. Ahoghill pushed forward one last time but Michael O’Kane in the All Saints goal got down well to deny Sean O’Connell as referee Eoin Quinn’s whistle brought a mixture of relief and celebration to Barney McCann’s side.
HOW THEY PLAYED
Hardly a classic by any stretch of the imagination but what this game lacked in quality it certainly made up for in commitment. Ahoghill certainly edged it in the commitment stakes but it was the sheer quality of All Saint’s two goals that separated the two sides in the end. The winners had good performers in Andy Kelly, Kevin McAllister, Peter McNicholl, Paddy Logan, Conor Crilly, Paul McCann, Liam Cassley, Tiernan Walsh and substitute, Sean McVeigh. They need to improve greatly on their concentration and increase their percentage of winning breaking ball however if they are to go any further in this competition.
Ahoghill had an excellent keeper in Francis Neeson while Gerard Scullion, Stephen O’Connell, Dominic Neeson, Neil O’Connell, T.J. Hamill and Donal Graham were others who shone in a side who showed great commitment but lacked the overall finishing power of their opponents.
All Saints: Michael O’Kane: Seamus McAffee, Andy Kelly, Kevin McAllister: Michael McCarry, Peter McNicholl, Damien Kelly: Paddy Logan, Terry Logan: Tiernan Walsh, Ciaran Cassley, Conor Crilly: Aiden Walsh, Paul McCann, Peter McCann. Subs: Sean McVeigh for Aiden Walsh (Half Time)
St. Mary’s: Francis Neeson: Gerard Scullion, Gareth Hardy, Chris McGlone: Diarmuid Graham, Stephen O’Connell, Justin Downey: Dominic Neeson, Martin Graham: T.J. Hamill, Sean O’Connell, Bernard Graham: Donal Graham, Neil O’Connell, P.J. O’Connell. Subs: Gerard Graham for Martin Graham, Aiden Graham for Bernard Graham.
Referee: Eoin Quinn (Rasharkin)
Related:
Pitches Closed
Please note that both pitches are closed as they are waterlogged. It looks very unlikely that there will be any training/games over the next week.
Alaster McWilliams (Rúnaí)
Club Notes – 13th August
Lotto: Numbers: 2,10,18. 1 Winner £800 D Curran. Next Weeks jackpot: £200.
Results: NAJHL: All Saints 3-15 St Enda’s 3-06. IFC: St Enda’s 1-08 All Saints 0-13. SWFL U-12 All Saints 2-06 Antrim 2-07. Congratulations to our U-8 and U-10 teams who competed so well in their 7th game in the ‘Go-Games’ mini League series against Aldergrove. Many thanks to those supporters who braved the elements in Hannastown on Sunday evening in our IFC game.
Fixtures: Monday 18th August: NAHL U-16 v Sean Stinsons @7pm. Thursday: ACHL D4A v St Enda’s (Home) @7pm. Saturday 23rd August IFC QF v Ahoghill (Venue: Portglenone) @ 7pm.
All Saints GAC Annual Golf Classic, Sunday 14th September at Ballymena Golf Club Raceview. Contact: 25640567/07889617341 or ballymena@antrimgaa.ie / amcwil4252@aol.com to book your fourball, sponsor a hole or for more information.
IFC: All Saints 0-13 St Endas 1-08
All Saints senior’s put their miserable run of league form behind them to dump out last year’s beaten finalists St Enda’s in this thrilling championship encounter on Sunday evening at Hannastown.
Saints were full value for their victory in what was a good physical contest laden with plenty of skill. Credit must go to both teams for producing a game of such high quality considering the poor weather conditions on Sunday evening. Indeed a 2 point victory did not reflect the true story of the match as Saints, up against a strong wind and driving rain in the 2nd half had the majority of the play but were unable to convert all of the scoring chances that came their way. Good sensible, mature and positive play saw the Saints dictate the 2nd half and hold out for a fine victory. Bouyed on by a sizeable and committed support All Saints played with more confidence and intensity than they have shown of late. Added to this the return of some key personnel gave the AS lads a lift. Had the Saints converted all chances available to them they could have held a more commanding lead coming into the 2nd half. With Damian Kelly engineering a lot of sensible ball and Conor Crilly creating havoc in the attack Saints looked lively and composed throughout. Time and time again Saints were able to turn over good ball and use it to good effect.
2nd Half All Saints showed great maturity, skill and commitment with Paddy Logan showing outstanding fielding ability. The forwards all played their part with all outstanding on the night, as were the defence in a fine overall team performance.
Next up for Saints, an equally difficult task in opposition in the form of reigning Antrim Junior Champions, Ahoghill. A young hungry side who know how to win will prove no doubt to be formidable opponents.
All Saints: Micky O’Kane, Seamus McAfee, Andy Kelly, Kevin MacAllister, Micky McCarry, Tiernan Walsh, Damian Kelly, Paddy Logan, Terry Logan, Aidan Walsh, Liam Cassley, Conor Crilly, Joe Rafferty, Paul McCann, Peter McCann
Subs: Ryan Lyness for Joe Rafferty.
Club Notes – 7th August
Results:
ACFL D6 All Saints 3-18 Lisburn 0-4. SWFL U-16 All Saints 2-10 Antrim 2-2. SWFL U-12 St enda’s 2-6 All Saints 0-2. SWFL U-14 St Enda’s defeated by All Saints. SWFL U-18 Aldergrove 3-7 All Saints 1-10.
Fixtures: 10th-16th August:
Sunday 10th August: U-8 & U-10 ‘Go Games’ Mini League v St Jame’s Aldergrove @ Slemish Park, 11.30 am (All players to be at pitch for 11am in full club gear).
Intermediate Football C’Ship: All Saints v St Enda’s 7pm (Venue: Lamh Dhearg).
Tues: U-12 NAHL v St Mary’s (Away) @7pm.
Wed: ACFL D2 v St Enda’s (Away) @7pm. ACFL D6 v Moneyglass (Home) @ 7pm.
All Saints GAC Annual Golf Classic.
Sunday 14th September at Ballymena Golf Club Raceview.
The tee- off times will be 10.30 – 12.00 & 14.00 – 16.15.
Bookings will be on a first come /paid basis. 4 balls going out every 8 minutes.
Costs:
Hole Sponsor – £100
4 ball – £160
4 ball & sponsor £220
We have deliberately kept prices low due to the credit crunch. However, we still would like this to be a fundraiser again to pay off a significant loan we have outstanding with the bank. Therefore we will have a raffle and a mini auction to maximise the potential.
All donations will be greatly appreciated.Contact: 25640567/07889617341 or ballymena@antrim.gaa.ie / amcwil4252@aol.com to book your fourball, sponsor a hole or for more info.
Antrim win Tommy Murphy Cup
Tommy Murphy Cup Final:
Antrim 3-12 Wicklow 1-15
Antrim avenged last season’s last gasp defeat with a narrow win in a thrilling Tommy Murphy Cup final at Croke Park.
This time there was to be no late glory for Wicklow, who found their quest for a late winning goal heroically denied by a determined Saffron defence.
It was a three-goal blitz in the closing stages of the first half that effectively settled the destination of the trophy, with the entire full forward line finding the net.
And Jody Gormley’s side deservedly held out for a rare title success to bring a welcome piece of silverware to Casement Park.
Wicklow got off to a flying start with a Seanie Furlong goal inside the opening minute. He drilled the ball to the net from close range after the Saffron defence had failed to deal with John McGrath’s dropping delivery.
Antrim rallied for Benny Hasson and Ciaran Close to kick excellent scores, but with Thomas Walsh a powerful force in midfield, the Garden men blossomed again in the second quarter to open out a five-point lead, with wing back Leighton Glynn, Paul Earls and Walsh on target.
Furlong almost had a second goal when he cut inside only to be denied by Andy McClean’s goal-line stop.
But it all went horribly wrong for Wicklow in the final 12 minutes of the half, when Antrim got in for three goals.
First full forward Kevin Brady netted after Close had dispossessed a hesitant Alan Byrne, then Thomas McCann raced through to plant the ball past Mervyn Travers, and in the 32nd minute, Close struck from close range after a McCann effort had come back off a post.
The Ulster side led by 3-6 to 1-9 at the break, but three Hannon efforts had the sides level by the 51st minute.
Michael McCann combined midfield industry with a knack for picking off scores, as he hit a couple of neat efforts on his way to a 0-4 tally.
As the game entered its final 10 minutes, just a point separated the sides, but the scores from Thomas McCann steadied Antrim nerves.
There were still fears that history would repeat itself as Wicklow pressed for a late goal, but Andy McClean and Tony Convery held things together at the back and Jody Gormley’s men survived to savour title success.
Antrim: S McGreevy, C Brady, A McClean, P Conlon, T Scullion, T Convery, K O’Boyle, P Doherty, M McCann (0-4, 2f), P Close, J Crozier, B Hasson (0-2), T McCann (1-3, 1 ‘45′), K Brady (1-0), C Close (1-3).
Subs: M Magill for O’Boyle (45mins), M McCarry for Doherty, G Bell for Close (69)
Wicklow: M Travers, C Hyland, D Power, A Byrne, R Nolan, D O hAnnaidh, L Glynn (0-3), J Stafford, T Walsh (0-1), J McGrath, T Hannon (0-6, 2f, 1 ‘45′), P Earls (0-1), C
Walsh (0-2), S Furlong (1-2, 1f), D Daly.
Subs: P Dalton for Byrne (h-t), D Hayden for McGrath (62)
Referee: V Neary (Mayo).
Wides:
Yellow cards:
Antrim: T Scullion, P Close, P Conlon, B Hasson
Wicklow: None
Red cards: None
Attendance: 4,000 (approx)
