Templemore Under 8 Hurling Blitz
With chants of 'Ole ole ole ole", a bunch of intrepid KC Under 8 warriors, descended through the mist upon Templemore, in the heart of reputed Home of Hurling early in the morning of Sunday last!
Sunday, 9th October 2016, and our Under 8's were on the road to participate in JK Bracken's annual hurling blitz.
Our two teams acquitted themselves admirably in the face of tough local opposition as well as strong panels from Thurles Óg's and Holycross. In a step up from the usual Go-Games format which saw them rising the ball throughout all of their encounters, our boys "rose" to the challenge unfazed. The brave Cup Team proudly represented Crokes in their matches with great displays of skill from all players. Two good wins from their 3 first round games secured a place in the semi-final for the Shield Team only to narrowly lose out to Holycross for a final spot.
The highlight of the day was a Q&A session from the All-Ireland winning McGrath brothers who inspired the boys with insights into playing Kilkenny on the hallowed ground of Croke Park. Coveted photos were taken with the Liam McCarthy Cup and hurls were signed by the Tipp Senior and Minor stars.
Our sincere thanks to our hosts, JK Brackens, for their hospitality and for helping to give our boys a day to remember. Thanks also to the team mentors and coaches and to the parents who made the journey with us. A very special word of appreciation to three of the 2009 cohort, Deimhne Murphy, Tuathal O'Donaill and Andrew Schwer and to our 2010 super-star Daniel Friel who joined us for the blitz. We're looking forward to the next road trip already!
We are currently preparing for our own Under 8 Hurling Festival on Sunday 23rd October when we welcome our hosts from Sunday, JK Brackens to Glenalbyn, along with teams from Clare, Galway, Kilkenny, Waterford and Kildare. With over 200 children expected on the day we'll be looking for your support - further details to follow soon!
Including a remarkable four sets of brothers (the Friels, O'Donaills, Heathers and McIntyres), the participating Kilmacud Crokes players at the Templemore Blitz were:
Jack Heather, Andrew Heather, Ed McIntyre, Conor McIntyre, Setanta O'Donaill, Tuathal O'Donaill, James Frielm, Daniel Friel, Gavin King, Napog Keeling, Christian Sinclair, Ryan Crowley, David Kelly, George Kazimier O'Drisceoil, Jack Conlon, Conor Grant, Alex Field, Fionn Carey, Luka Leahy, Evan Peters, Tom Dunne, Matthew TwomeyThomas McCarthy, Andrew Clancy, Deimhne Murphy, Andrew Schwer.
Report by Sinéad Carey
Photos by Shay Clancy and Majella Murphy
