U8s Shine In Carryduff
The 3rd September saw an under 8s team travel to Caryduff to take part in their annual under 8s football tournament. This was the first time the under 8s had participated in this tournament which sees teams from Tyrone, Antrim, Down, Armagh and Derry come together.
The weather was kind and the All Saints team joined with teams from Tyrone (Moy, Mooretown and Eiregal Ciaran), Antrim (St Bride’s, St James’ Aldergrove and Rossa), Derry (Lavey), Armagh (Clann Eirann, Carrickcruppen and Clan Na Gael and Down (Saval, St Michaels’, Burren, Bredagh and Carryduff) in an exciting and well organised event.
The team performed well – playing good football in their first matches which left them unbeaten in their group with 2 wins against Tir Na Nog (Moy) and St Brides and a closely fought draw in the first game against hosts Carryduff. Carryduff went on to win the group on points to go into the Cup and All Saints progressed into the Shields as runners up.
In the semi final the team met Moortown from Tyrone and a keenly contested game finished level at the end of normal time, onto extra time and still nothing separated the teams and so the game moved onto a tense and exciting “golden goal” decider,which Moortown scored.
All Saints then contested a 3rd / 4th place play off but a dispirited performance saw them loose to Clan Na Gael.
The players acquitted themselves extremely well with a great team performance and each were awarded a medal to remember the day by. Congratulations to all the players for doing so well and thank you to all the parents and supporters who came to cheer on the team on the day.
All Saints GAC U8s, Carryduff 2011
U16 Footballers off to Good Start
Our U16 Footballers have got off to a good start, having played 4 games, they have only lost once.
The 3 wins included a 7 point victory over Cargin, a 28 point hammering of Dunloy and a 12 point win over Moneyglass.
Unfortunately they narrowly lost out to Lisburn by a single point, but it is still a great start by the lads.
All Saints U14s travel to Croke Park
Our U14 hurling and football squads travelled to Dublin on Saturday for a double header of hurling and football action and to see a couple of headers called John and Edward.
We left Ballymena at 12:30 and stopped for lunch at the Carrickdale Hotel. Down were due to play in the football match and their team bus drew up beside us as we set off from the hotel. The lads went over to the windows to wish the Down team luck and give a “thumbs up.” The look of confusion on the Down players’ faces can be explained by the fact that quite a few of our lads were wearing Dublin jerseys!
Many of the boys had converted their pocket money to Euros, and eager to do their part to kick start the Southern economy, they invested in vuvuzelas. If the tumult of those things blasting doesn’t reawaken the Celtic Tiger from its slumber then nothing will. Mindful of what happened at Jericho, and in deference to local residents the lads put the horns away when they reached the walls of Croke Park. But once inside the ground they reappeared and heralded our arrival in style.
Kilkenny played Dublin in the hurling and with front row seats in the Cusack stand the boys were soon soaking up the atmosphere. Just before half time the heavens opened and the lads were in danger of soaking up a bit more atmosphere than they had bargained for. There was a mass evacuation as everyone scurried for shelter. In fairness the Croke Park authorities were quick to act by opening up the upper stand which was under cover. With dry seats and a panoramic view we settled down to a thrilling second half that was nip and tuck. Kilkenny edged ahead only for Dublin to come back in the dying moments to snatch a last minute equaliser.
The Dublin County Board has done a great job with its series of family friendly packages of Saturday evening games. Before the football started Jedward emerged from the tunnel. Wearing oversized clogs and looking like they had just had a close encounter with a vandergraph the two boy wonders bounced and cart wheeled onto the pitch. As they uttered the first few bars of their opening number it was apparent that they must use vuvuzelas of their own to tune their voices. Amidst a mixture of cheers and jeers, (depending on individual musical taste), they put on a show that certainly got the crowd involved. At one stage we noticed that four of our group were missing. Initial concern turned to relief when we found them at their original seats. The quartet had returned downstairs to get a closer look at the performance – we were unaware that the lads were secret fans. We have agreed to respect their understandable wish to remain anonymous – what goes on tour stays on tour.
The football game between Down and Dublin was another close fought contest. The sides were level at full time when a lapse of concentration caused Down’s Kalum King to fumble the ball and allow Alan Brogan in for a last second goal. In a post match interview King admitted that he was not properly focussed as he was still wondering who the crowd in the bus at the Carrickdale was. As such, we would like to extend our apologies to Brian Walsh and the Down County Board for any part our tour group may have played in this defeat.
This was a very successful and enjoyable outing. We would like to thank:
- Martin Campbell whose brain child the trip was,
- Logan Executive Travel for a luxurious and safe journey,
- The Carrickdale Hotel for their hospitality and fine food,
- All the young hurlers and footballers who went on the trip. They behaved impeccably and were a credit to the club and their families.
U8 & U10 Football Fixtures
The U8 & U10 Football Fixtures for 2011 are now online and can be viewed here.
All players to come fully kitted out in club strip (remember to bring your boots and a drink)
For all away fixtures we will meet at St Patrick’s school gates. Departure times may vary; we will let you know before each match.
In the event of any changes to this schedule you will be informed by SMS – please ensure that the club has a contact mobile number.
Aldergrove GAC Go-Games Blitz
Juvenile footballers from All Saints GAC recently competed in the annual Aldergrove Go-Games Blitz on Saturday 25th September. The format of the Blitz was that four teams at under-8 and under-10 age groups (U8 Ulster; U8 Munster; U10 Ulster and U10 Munster) from each of the GAA clubs: St.Endas; Carryduff; Tir na nÓg; Glenavy; Aldergrove and All Saints played each other on a league basis during the morning. In the afternoon the resulting 5th and 6th placed teams played off in a Shield final and the top four placed teams contested Cup semi-finals.
All four All Saints juvenile teams made it through to their respective Cup finals. Three of our teams were beaten finalists and our Under-10 Ulster team won their final.
The All Saints Under-8 Ulster Team played five group games in total. Their first game against St. Enda’s was a tale of two halves. St Enda’s controlled most of the first half action before the second half witnessed a complete turnaround in the All Saints’ fortunes with the secret to the comeback their defensive organisation. A hard fought game ended with the boys just losing out by 2 points on a scoreline of 11 pts to 9 pts. In the second game against Glenavy the team started off where they ended the last game and won comfortably before becoming a little too complacent against Tir na nÓg, Randalstown in their third game, losing narrowly. The fourth and fifth games saw them paired against the home side, St. James’, Aldergrove followed by Carryduff. Both games were well contested with the All Saints boys displaying all of the skills developed during this year to gain victory in both and a place in the semi-final against St. Joseph’s, Glenavy. Having beaten them in an earlier round the Ballymena boys put the knowledge gained then to good use and qualified comfortably for the final which pitted them once again against St. Enda’s, Glengormley. As with the first game there was nothing to pick between the sides and although losing in the end by just 4 pts, the All Saints youngsters gained many admirers for their “never say die” attitude and fantastic second half performance.
Representing the under-8 Ulster team were Jack Agnew; Ryan Mark; Jake White; Hugh Totten; Elias Osborne; Leon Bracewell; Ronan McKillop; Jordan Graffin; Luke Mulholland; Eamon McDonnell; and Ross McKay.
The All Saints Under-8 Munster Team remained undefeated over the course of the day in all their seven matches. Four great wins and a close fought draw against Glenavy during the morning league matches raised confidences and meant that the team finished top of the league going into the afternoon’s knockout stages. The team then defeated Glenavy in a very exciting semi-final, exacting revenge for the earlier draw. In the Cup final, the team came up against a very formidable St Enda’s team. The two teams could not be separated in a tense final, which ended in a draw. The organisers ruled that the teams should play one and a half minutes “each way” in extra-time. By that stage, the other three finals had ended and a sizeable crowd had gathered around proceedings. St Enda’s scored a single point during the three extra minutes to win the cup outright. Although briefly disappointed on the day, this group of players and their ever-supportive parents should take great pride in the team’s display at the 2010 Aldergrove Blitz. Put into context of the season as a whole, this group of players have shown an unheralded level of progression in both their football skills and team play throughout the year.
Star performers on the day were Maria O’Rawe; Sean Hasson; Conall Killough; Charlie Metrustry; Michael Read; Oisin O’Mullan; Rory McAllister; Caolan Kearney; Joseph O’Rawe; Keifer Porter; Niall Esler; Caolan Darragh; and Christopher McCallan.
The value of the Go-Games competition for this group of under-8 players has been the opportunity to further develop their skills with each passing game and they certainly did that. They will have plenty of time to challenge for more honours in the future but most important of all was the opportunity to see some players who could not lift the ball correctly, hand pass or hand to toe in January, play as integral members of the team come September. This must be the greatest measure of this group of players’ success.
The All Saints Under-10 Munster Team’s first match was against a much-fancied Carryduff team; however, All Saints soon asserted themselves on the game finishing the first half having camped in the Carryduff half for most of it and claiming a goal and 5 points into the bargain. Carryduff made two sorties into the All Saints half and were lucky to bag 2 goals as a result. The score line at half time didn’t reflect the total dominance All Saints had on the game. The boys came out in the second half determined to finish as they started with the game ending: All Saints 2-6 to Carryduff 3-0.
Next up All Saints were against Aldergrove and yet again this great bunch of players really went after Aldergrove. They totalled controlled every facet of the game, putting up a score of 5-5 to 0-0.
Given the great start to the day, our lads got a little complacent next up against St Enda’s who always give our boys a great game. This was a hard fought first-half, finishing at 3 points a piece. In the second half we were caught on the hop & St Enda’s ran out eventual winners. All Saints 0-3 St Enda’s 1-5
This game acted as a wake-up call. Next up were Tir na nÓg. Again this was a really exciting game, with a lot of football being played, which wasn’t necessarily reflected in the scoreline. All Saints sheer determination saw them finish the game in style. All Saints 0-2 Tir na nÓg 0-1
The last group stage match was against Glenavy, where again All Saints totally dominated throughout, finishing the game 6-4 to Glenavy 1-0
In the afternoon we were pitted against Carryduff in the semi-finals of the cup. As we’d done so in the morning we started the game extremely well, dominating the first half, however it was a different story in the second half, with Carryduff coming back into the game, however, All Saints footballing skills and sheer tenacity made the difference in the end, with the game finishing with All Saints winning 2-4 to 2-3.
The Final – this was a replay of two years previous when we last met St Enda’s in the Cup Final. It was a highly competitive first half, with both teams playing some great football. However All saints just edged it, leading to 2 points going in at half-time. The second half was equally hard fought, with St Enda’s really putting the game up to All Saints. And in the end 2 fortunate goals for St Enda’s made all the difference.
After having played so well all day it was tough on the boys not to come away with some silverware, however, for this bunch of players it’ll not be too long before they taste success again.
Under-10 Munster Squad:
Marcus Bracewell – great forward, bagging some great scores throughout the day.
Kevin Brady – a real utility player – can make a difference in defence, midfield or forward.
Ruairi Campbell – A colossal in midfield and going forward claimed some great scores.
Matthew Corr – a very canny forward who bagged some sweet scores, from out on the wing. Ruairi McAllister – Equally comfortable shoring up a defence or poaching scores in the forward line.
Rian McCann – (capt for knock-out stages). Led by example throughout the day.
James McDonnell – Awesome in defence. What a find for All Saints!
Rory McLaughlin – Stepped up to the plate and performed in goals, defence and up front.
Eoin McNally – Made a huge difference for All Saints in goals and very committed when playing out-field as well.
Cormac Magill – Controlled midfield and took the game to the opposition each & every time.
Ciaran O’Boyle – Can really perform anywhere, be it goals, defence, midfield or forward.
Liam O’Connell – A stalwart of All Saints defence. Big or small, Liam takes on all-comers!
Conall O’Neill – Had a great day for All Saints in the forward line.
Angus Steele – Tenacity personified. Dogged determination throughout the day defined his game.
The All Saints Under-10 Ulster Team started the campaign against last year’s winners Carryduff and the team who defeated All Saints in last year’s semi-finals. With the wind at their backs, the midfield pairing of Eoghan Daly and Ronan Laverty stamped their authority on the match- winning the throw in and within seconds All Saints were in front, a lead that the team were never to give up and ran out comfortable winners by 8 points.
Aldergrove provided the opposition in the second match and again a handsome victory followed due to some tenacious tackling from the defenders Ryan McGarry, Finlay Walker, Shea O’Brien and Connor O’Rawe. The forwards were also starting to find their range and some very fine scores came from the boots of Cormac Lemon, Connor Stewart and Matthew Downey ably assisted by Alex Reid.
The management changed things around for the third match, and the team lost its shape eventually losing out to St. Enda’s by 2 points. The earlier confidence was eroded and we knew we needed to get back again quickly on a winning note.
Tir na nÓg lined up for the fourth match. All Saints dug deep with Rory Corr playing a blinder in goals and Brandon Reid also coming to the rescue on many occasions, ensuring the defeat was not an option. This turned out to be the toughest match of the prelims with both sides happy with a draw. However, we knew our paths would cross again.
Glenavy were the opposition for the fifth match and All Saints were now starting to play some fine team football. Long range points from the middle of the park and the high fielding of Connor Stewart up front with Lemon and Downey scoring at will. The team was also boosted by the arrival of Jordan Patterson. The draw was made for the semi-final and All Saints as top team were pitched against Tir na nÓg. The team knew they were in for a tough match, but the supporters were treated to a thriller. After seven and a half minutes of football, All Saints were 2 points up but were now facing the hill and a confident Tir na nÓg outfit. Huddling together in the middle the black and white army stared each other in the eye and vowed to give their all for the cause. What followed was the best half of football seen all year. Not an inch was given and we ran out winners by an incredible 8 points. At this point the supporters and management knew this was truly a special team.
The final soon arrived and Carryduff, the team that defeated All Saints last year had also made it through. After the first half ended, All Saints were ahead by the narrowest margin (1 point). Again we faced the hill but could they do it again?? The captain Ryan McGarry gave a sterling speech in the middle, lifting the hearts of the gathered players and demanding 100% effort – what he got in return was 110% !!
The All Saints machine kicked into action when Connor Stewart gathered the ball on the right dispatched a pinpoint pass to Cormac Lemon- the roof of the net shook to the delight of the large crowd. Two minutes later the net nearly came off when again Lemon dispatched a rasper. All Saints were no in full flow and the crowd were treated to a brilliant display of football. When the final whistle blew all Saints were 9 points in front. We had won the premier competition. Champions and deservedly so. The cup was accepted by Ryan McGarry and Eoghan Daly and great celebrations followed. This team showed great skill, never say die spirit and a fantastic will to win. Further honours and silverware are sure to follow if this great team stay together. All thirteen on the panel contributed to an outstanding victory.
Under-10 Ulster Squad: R. Corr; J. Patterson; R. McGarry; C. O’Raw; F. Walker; B. Reid; E. Daly; R. Laverty; C. Lemon; C. Stewart; M. Downey; A. Reid; and S. O’Brien.
From all the coaches a sincere thanks for a great year, and special thanks to all the parents for your assistance during the year.
U16’s BOOK PLACE IN SHIELD FINAL
SW U-16 C’Ship Shield SF
Sunday 22nd August 2010
The Saints moved closer to their ultimate goal by defeating Lisburn at Ahoghill in front of a big crowd on Sunday afternoon. The first half was a close affair. J Kelly opened the scoring for Saints with two well taken points but Lisburn kept in front for long stretches of the half, they were pressurizing the Saints defence who conceded too many easy frees. Down by six points going into the last ten minutes of the half the Saints needed inspiration from somewhere and it came in the shape of a great solo goal from P Mc Aleer. He followed it up with another point to keep up the momentum. The rest of the team seemed to gain heart from this point on, and finished the half ahead with a T Ferris goal after a strong run from J Gillan.
Half time Score: All Saints 2-5 Lisburn 0-9
The second half was nip and tuck, both sides were trading scores, points from D Mc Nally and P Mc Aleer was matched by a goal and three from Lisburn. The Saints defence gained the upper hand going into the final quarter. The forwards started to click with the pick of the scores being a long range effort from C Loughran. The Saints finished strongly running out winners by eight points.
Final Score: All Saints 3-16 Lisburn 1-14
The team justified their league form by qualifying for the final, the hard work and dedication to training has paid off and hopes are high that they will bring the Shield back to Slemish Park next Sunday.
Squad
D Little, T Connolly, O Bradley, P Killough, C Neeson, D Mc Kee, P Mc Aleer, D Mc Nally, J Gillan, T Ferris, D Crawford, C Loughran, L Kirk, J Kelly, N Mc Carry, C Campion, A O’Connell, R Kinney, C Campion, C Mc Larnon
Scorers
J Kelly 0-2, J Gillan 0-1, P Mc Aleer 1-5, T Ferris 2-1, D Mc Nally 0-4, C Loughran 0-2, D Mc Kee 0-1
Young Saints Battle To Claim Final Spot.
SW U-12 C’Ship SF (2 Reports – by M Campbell & J Hasson)
All Saints 4-07 Sean Stinsons 3-07
This was the proverbial game of two halves.Playing with a strong breeze in the first half All Saints dominated their opponents.Goals from Conor Gallagher and Ryan mcKenna put Ballymena in a strong position.Points from Ciaran Neeson,Conor Doherty,Josh King,Eamonn Elliott and Eoin Campbell left All Saints with a 2-06 to 0-02 half time lead.
However the second half was a different affair with Stinsons coming back strongly and cutting into the deficit.Our kids dug really deep though and second half goals from Owen Best and Eamonn Elliott along with a point from Conor Gallagher earned All Saints a magnificent victory.
This was a truly brilliant performance by our boys.In front of a huge (and much appreciated) All Saints support the boys refused to buckle under enormous second half pressure.Every single player stood up and was counted.These lads are an absolute credit to our club and deserve their place in next week’s final.Lets hope that the superb support they received from friends,family and club members follows them to Ahoghill for next week’s final
All Saints Squad E McAllister,D Hassan,B McDonnell,R Ward,E McGuigan,E Campbell,P Mairs,C Doherty,C Gallagher,O Best,C Neeson,R McKenna,E Elliott,J King,C McGarry,A Campion,C Graham,R Kelly,E Walsh,C Lemon,J Murphy,S O’Rawe
(Report by Martin campbell)
All Saints: 4-7, Stinsons: 3-7
(SW U12 Semi-Final)
Fri 20th August 2010
All Saints met a strong committed Stinsons team at Toome on Friday evening and delivered a very good footballing performance to edge their way through to the final.
The All Saints boys played the first half with the advantage of a strong breeze and got off to a flying start scoring a 2-6 to 0-2. The first half goals coming from Conor Gallagher & Ryan McKenna, and points from Conor Doherty, Ciaran Neeson (2), Eamon Elliot, Josh King and Conor Gallagher.
The second half saw a Stinsons team start off very strong with 2 quick goals to reduce the deficit to 4 points. Stinsons with the aid of the breeze continued to bombard the All Saints defence who stood up resolutely to the waves of attack, with Eoin Campbell playing an excellent sweeper role, with the defense working the ball outwards through the wing half backs Paul Mairs & Eoin McGuigan.
The Saints replied with a well worked goal from Eoin Best slotting the ball home to increase the gap before Stinsons replied with a third goal. Both teams exchanged points before Eamon Elliot netted the Saints 4th goal of the evening.
The football play by both teams was free flowing and clean and a credit to both clubs who put on a good display for the many spectators who turned out to see the game.
All Saints had a very good team performance all round and credit goes to the full panel for achieving a memorable performance.
The final is against Creggan and is scheduled for Sunday 29th August 1pm at Ahoghill, come out and cheer our boys onto collecting the silver ware.
(Report by John Hasson)
Big weekend of Championship action for All Saints
It’s a big weekend of Championship action, as no less than 4 teams from All Saints will compete in their respective Championships this weekend.
Below are the fixtures.
Let’s get out in numbers and support our teams!
Friday 20th August @ Cargin
Under 12 League Semi Final
All Saints v Sean Stinsons (Throw in 7:15pm)
Sunday 22nd August @ Ahoghill
Under 16 Shield Semi Final
All Saints v Lisburn (Throw in 4:00pm)
Sunday 22nd August @ Ahoghill
Intermediate Football Championship Quarter Final
All Saints v Tír na nÓg (Throw in 5:30pm)
Monday 23rd August @ Moneyglass
Under 14 Shield Semi Final
All Saints v Antrim (Throw in 7:00pm)
U16’s CONSOLIDATE TOP SPOT
Sunday 25th July 2010
This was crucial game with both teams on unbeaten runs and both in contention for a top four place. The Saints were definitely up for this game however Lisburn got off to the perfect start with a goal from their first attack. The Saints responded well with points from J Gillan and C Loughran, a goal from T Ferris gave All Saints the lead which they never conceded. J Kelly added another goal and T Ferris completed his hat trick with two well taken goals. The Saints played some of their best football this season to secure a 7 point lead at half time.
Half time Score: Lisburn 2-2 All Saints 4-3
The second half saw a strong comeback by Lisburn they penned the Saints into their own half for long periods, the only All Saints scores coming from two D Mc Nally points. Lisburn eventually whittled down the Saints lead to two points, which could have been less only for a great save by D Little from a point blank shot. With three minutes remaining a breakaway move resulted in a good goal from J Kelly, this sealed the victory for All Saints.
Final Score: Lisburn 3-6 All Saints 5-5
This result puts All Saints three points clear at the top of the table and barring any slip ups secures a top four playoff point.
Squad
D Little, O Bradley, P Killough, D Mussen, T Connelly, D Mc Kee, P Mc Aleer, D Mc Nally, J Gillan, T Ferris , C Mc Larnon, D Crawford, C Loughran, L Kirk, J Kelly, N Mc Carry, R Kinney, C Campion
Scorers
J Gillan 0-1, D Mc Nally 0-2, J Kelly 2-0, T Ferris 3-1, C Loughran 0-1
Next Game: Home to Moneyglass Thurs 29/07/10
U16’s CONTINUE UNBEATEN RUN
Thursday 22nd July 2010
After the previous weeks drawn game with Cargin, the Saints took the short trip to Whitehill. They welcomed back C Campion, returning to the squad after recovering from a broken collar bone. Unfortunately Tir Na Nog could only field 13 players so the game took on an uneven shape from the throw in. The scores came regularly throughout the first half, the downside was the two soft goals conceded which meant the score at half time did not reflect the dominance of All Saints.
Half time Score: Tir Na Nog 3-2 All Saints 3-10
The second half continued in same vein as the first, All Saints did not fully exploit the extra space available but still did enough to run out comfortable winners. The highlight of the second half being another penalty save by D Little who is becoming a bit of a specialist in this skill. Goals from T Ferris and C Mc Larnon with points from P Killough, D Mc Nally and J Gillan completed the scoring.
Final Score: Tir Na Nog 4-5 All Saints 5-14
With Creggan losing to Lisburn on the same night this result meant that All Saints returned to the top of table and moved closer to securing a top four playoff spot.
Squad
D Little, O Bradley, P Killough, D Mussen, T Connelly, C Neeson, D Mc Kee, P Mc Aleer, D Mc Nally, J Gillan, T Ferris , C Mc Larnon, D Crawford, C Loughran, L Kirk, J Kelly, N Mc Carry, C Campion
Scorers
J Gillan 0-3, D Mc Nally 0-6, J Kelly 2-2, D Mc Kee 0-1, T Ferris 2-0, C Mc Larnon 1-0, P Mc Aleer 0-1, P Killough 0-1
Next Game: Away to Lisburn Sun 25/07/10
