U12s on the road
The current group of Under 12 hurlers have travelled to a number of tournaments and hosted various teams from different counties over the years as part of their ongoing development. Up to this, the Rebel County had not featured prominently in their plans. Last weekend, that changed. When Robbie got an invite to put a team together to participate in a 4 team blitz in Fermoy GAA club, he gladly accepted. So bright and early on Sunday morning June 24th, we headed off in convoy to Fermoy. Blitz was to kick off at 11am.
Team members were: Anthony Quinn, Colin Veale , Cormac Keys, Denis Murray, Diarmuid Tucker, Fionn O'Ceallaigh, Ian Walsh, James Dillon, Joe Proudfoot, Liam Wolfe, Mark Grogan, Max Murphy , Niall Comerford, Padraig Puirceal, Rory Smith, Sean Kinsella, Tim Leary, James Kos, Stephen Dunne. Team was managed by John Dillon and captain for the day was Ian Walsh.
The blitz comprised of 4 teams; Fermoy, Kilmacud Crokes, Mullinahone, and Sarsfields. Competition was 15 a side, 13 minutes a half, full hurling rules, on a full size pitch. Crokes first opposition was Fermoy. The long drive did not affect the lad's game and they put in a comprehensive performance to win well. Next up was Sarsfields. This was to prove a much more difficult challenge, as you would expect from one of the top clubs in Cork. Crokes dominated a lot in the possession stakes but could not make that count on the score board. In a tight finish with also the last puck of the ball which yielded a point by Tim Leary, Crokes drew the game. Last up, was Mullinahone. Crokes again put on a great display, racking up the scores to win this final game. The combined score difference from the Fermoy game, coupled with the Mullinahone game, was better than Sarsfield's results, and saw Crokes come out on top in the blitz. The team were presented with medals, a cup and plaque for their efforts. After lunch and the presentation, we headed back up the M8 to Dublin after a very enjoyable and rewarding day's sport. The boys did the club proud. Well done to all involved and a big Thank U to Fermoy for hosting us.
Ronnie Murray, U12 Mentor