ST GABRIELS LADIES HISTORY 2015

St Gabriels Ladies U14's travelled to neutral venue Menlough to play an ever improving Annaghdown in theU14 B Championship Semi Final. 

Buoyed by having a good season so far they went into this game knowing that it would be a tough ask to get to the final when facing opponents who were only recently in the top division. The pitch unfortunately was poor due to ongoing weather conditions and was what you can describe as a mud bath!

Annaghdown who came down from the A division last year came out of the blocks with a storming first half performance which had a few of our girls desperately defending. Indeed a good lead was established before the referee's intervention at half time, a break that St Gabriels were grateful for with injuries and hard running taking its toll on our girls! Best wishes to Leah Manning & Saoirse Goldrick. 

Harsh words were said at half time and this seemed to have the desired effect with a much improved second half performance. Rosa Bleahene at full back was outstanding in this half never letting a ball past her all half and deservedly got our St Gabriels Lady of the Match Award, Sophie Cunningham who scored a goal in the first half was also excellent which once again belied the fact that she is technically an u12 player. 

With Aisling Donnellan once again fighting tooth and nail in the middle of the park with her counterpart catching vital ball it was tough to give the girls a bad rollicking as the final whistle was sounded. A really entertaining game with Annaghdown's supremacy showing that St Gabriels have a lot of catching up to do if they want to play in the top division but with a second half performance that is perhaps an indication of this teams true ability. Bottom line is St Gabriels players never got on the ball enough first half and too many of our star performers just didn't get into the game on the day which was unfortunate. 

The U14's have a League Final in two weeks time against Grainne Mhaols, so lets learn from this and be prepared. KENNY'S SPLURGE ALMOST SPARKS COMEBACK 

Last night saw St Gabriel's U16's face Moycullen in Kilconnell underlights with a 7.30pm throw in. With the light failing and a few downpours of rainfall during the day the ground especially around the penalty areas was quite soft underfoot. Despite this it was the visitors who found their feet more quickly as they scored regularly through the half, in the first two minutes they were ahead by a goal which had Laura Hession diving despairingly to her left but despite her efforts the shot was too strong and this was followed up by a short range punt from the Moycullen full forward to make it 1g & 1pt to 0 early on. 

With the game progressing it was all hands to the pump as too often Gabriel's Ladies were playing catch up chasing shadows running after the green and white stripe jersey with brief attacks up front gaining a couple of goals courtesy of Alison Cunniffe & Leah Treacy who was also extremely busy defending the St Gabriel's goal putting in some last ditch defending when it was needed.

As the game came to its first break it was a relief to the girls and certainly the management team to assess what needed to be done for the change around. With a few changes and major reorganising the Ladies went in search of a performance to get those elusive points to get back into the game as their first half endeavours had been somewhat underwhelming. And what a performance they produced!

With the second half only just underway it was left to the battling efforts of Niamh Kenny & Aisling Donnellan to fight for every ball as Laura Hession found her range with some good kick outs from goal. With Ellen Bleahene on the pitch she started to find good space and also her range getting 3 points on the night and with Niamh Kenny gaining and scoring a goal and a penalty with an excellent attack on the right wing it was a case of well done to the u16 girls who had finally started to give a great performance. Eva Sinclair chipped in with another goal and Aisling Donnellan deservedly got on the scoresheet for her tenacity in the tackle.

With the team working well together with players like Jennifer Kelly and Eva Sinclair playing some intelligent football it was a pity they left themselves too much to do and Moycullen got the win on their dominant first half performance despite St Gabriels coming back. Much to think about in this game with Laoise Keane, Avril Lohan and Rachel & Leona all contributing significant passages of play to help the cause when the going was tough and special mention to Lauren Dolan who caught the eye when she played well. Thanks to Moycullen for a great game and once again this u16 team showed they can mix it when they are in the mood to play football, the secret is to get them playing for the full hour! Thank You once again to Sarah Conneally the referee who explained some of the more contentious decisions to the players very much like a rugby referee does, very apt in this World Cup year. 

Scoring - Alison Cunniffe 1g, Leah Treacy 1 g, Niamh Kenny 2g & 2pts, Eva Sinclair 1g, Ellen Bleahene 3pts, Aisling Donnellan 1pt.

Final Score - Gabriels 5g & 6pts to Moycullen 6g & 10pts

After a brilliantly successful season where St. Gabriel’s U10's won almost all their matches we headed to Annaghdown on October 3rd to participate in the County blitz with a squad of fourteen talented young girls. In the group phase St Gabriel’s were drawn against Claregalway, St Brendan’s, Barna and Corofin. St Gabriel’s won all four matches very well in this difficult group. This qualified us for the cup semi-final where we were drawn against Kilkerrin-Clonberne. 

In an exciting and tight game St Gabriel’s finally pulled ahead in the second half with 2 goals. The final score was 4-3 to 1-5. With Annaghdown beating Caherlistrane in the other semi-final, St Gabriel’s would now play the hosts in the final.

A large crowd of supporters lined the pitch to watch a very exciting final which was close and tense, with St Gabriel’s leading by 2 points at half time. The second half was also close until the host team scored two late goals. St Gabriel’s battled back with a super last minute goal to leave just one point in it at the end. Annaghdown emerged victorious 4-5 to 4-4.

St Gabriel’s girls were naturally very disappointed to be so close to winning but everyone there recognised the marvellous achievement of winning five games from five to get to the final.

The girls showed great skill, determination and teamwork all season, culminating in a terrific display last Saturday. They should all be very proud of themselves.

Team: Erin Brogan, Holly Cafferkey, Alida Cleary, Caoimhe Conway, Sinead Daly, Maya Doherty, Chloe Greene, Niamh Keane, Niamh Keighery, Aleisha Kenny, Orla Kenny, Rachel Lyons, Rachel Malone, Anna Trappe.

 ​A quick start saw St Gabriels Ladies U14's establish a comfortable lead early on in this 13 a side game against their visitors Kilannin. With the away team indulging in a few treats & refreshments beforehand their hosts sailed into a big lead with quick running and fleet footedness being the order of the day. With the scores being recorded at regular intervals it was left to the defence and especially Jasmine Scully to shine in the evening sunset. With some great defending she was instrumental in being able to break down attack after attack as Kilannin came more and more into the game, this coupled with Leah Delaney who's kicking has really come on in leaps and bounds as the season has progressed set up the midfield to express themselves on the night. Sophie Cunningham who plays at speed with constant movement is a joy to watch who despite playing in an age group above her own must be destined for another final this year on this showing. With Rachael Larkin & Ellen Bleahene in glorious scoring form and Therese Garvey & Aisling Donnellan nibbling away at their opponents all night long it left the girls in total control at half time.

A breather was the order of the day at the end of the half to assess what needed to be done in the second half and with this underway normal service was resumed as their focus and commitment shone through once again. Kerri Manning threw herself into tackles when she came on as a replacement for Katie Kelly who had run herself into the ground and Kerri's commitment to the cause was obvious as she relished the chance to stake her claim in the team. With the luxury of a triple substitution consisting of Aisling Dolan, Caitlin Cunningham and Katie Malone coming on half way through the second half it was left to the fresher players to give impetus to the attack and see out the game as Kilannin had threatened a mini comeback taking their goals later on in the half.

An excellent win with a lot of talented players all vying for starting positions in the panel this will represent a headache for the management team of Declan & Brid in future games but it's a nice affliction to have! The Championship will take the form of four teams playing each other on a round robin basis with the top two teams playing in the final, 3 pts for a win, 1 for a draw in group Annaghdown, Killannin, St Brendan's, St Gabriels

Scoring for st gabriels ladies last night

AISLING DONNELLAN 1G & 1PT, AMY KELLY 1G & 2PT RACHAEL LARKIN 4G & 1PT, ELLEN BLEAHENE 2G & 2PT, SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM 1G & 1PT. THERESE GARVEY 1PT.​

St Gabriels Ladies had a brilliant win as they put a sluggish start to the game behind them to canter to a much well deserved victory. After going 1 goal & 1 point behind in the first 5 minutes it took some inspired play from the girls as they soon came back into it with intuitive play from the goalie, backs through to the forwards. With Michaela Dunne excelling in the game and Caitriona Cormican bossing the middle of the park this win was as much about a marvelous team performance as individuals. 

Laura Hession in goals was a fantastic custodian for the girls in green who despite conceding the early goal went on to give her growing reputation another boost. Niamh Daly was also an extremely effective foil for the forwards as she linked play constantly. Eventually winning on a comfortable scoreline of 5 goals & 10 points to Naomh Mhuire's 3 goals & 5 points the ladies of St Gabriels will now go into a three way play off with one team going straight into the semi finals and the other two involved in a one off play off game as three teams have finished on the same points! The other teams involved in the play off draw/match are St Micheals and Na Phiarsaigh, draw takes place this coming tuesday. Well Done to all players and management for the work done to get this game on and for the win.CLAIRE MAKES A POINT OR TWO IN MONIVEA

Final Score - St Gabriels 3 g & 9 pts - 2 g & 6 pts St Furseys

caitriona cormican 2g & 1pt, claire kelly 1 g & 5 pts, megan monoghan 1 pt, michelle leonard 1 pt, aoife kelly 1 pt.

An excellent win for St Gabriels Ladies Juniors against St Furseys in the Monivea/Abbey GAA grounds. With a real battle royale ensuing in the middle of the park it was a mighty effort from the girls who showed grit and determination in a feisty affair that saw St Furseys always playing catch up as 2 goals from Caitriona Cormican and 8 points from a very accurate Claire Kelly always seemed to give our Ladies the extra edge in this encounter. This coupled with some very brave goalkeeping from Laura Hession and excellent covering by Niamh Donnellan and Laoise Keane helped St Gabriels enter the second half with a good healthy lead and this led to a good spirited team display on the night.

As throw in had approached the rain had come down and this lead to slippery conditions on the night with St Fursey's seeming to cope better with the conditions in the first half but despite their excellent running and passing game points from open play were hard to come by for the girls in blue with Megan Monoghan and Michelle Leonard disrupting play at every opportunity for St Furseys and it was left to St Gabriels whose direct route to goal from Caitriona and Aoife brought rewards with the St Furseys backs finding it difficult to plug the gaps in the centre of their defence as the St Gabriels midfield duo ran riot and set about their task with relish. 

Despite the Gabriels Ladies missing a few chances on the night the result never really looked in doubt as they always seemed to be able to edge ahead and keep ahead when they needed to, Aoife Kelly (captain) showed the way forward getting a well deserved point herself on the night and we have ran out of superlatives to describe Caitriona Cormicans contribution to this team. Other outlets on the wing saw Niamh Kenny run herself into the ground for the cause and with Michaela Dunne and Niamh Daly doing likewise it made the victory well deserved as St Furseys showed themselves to be an accomplished footballing side who perhaps missed too many chances on the night as only two of their points were from open play. Special mention to Bainisteoir Gerry Mannion, trainer Declan Lennon and a very special thanks to St Gabriels Ladies mentor Deirdre Dunne.FIRST HALF DISPLAY SEALS THE WIN

Final Score St Gabriels 2 g & 7 pts Corofin 3 g & 2 pts

ST GABRIELS U12 Ladies played the league semi final on Thursday 25th of June in Corofins Belclare pitch. St Gabriels ladies were playing Corofin B team. Gabriels ladies got off to a great start with Sophie and Caithlin Cunningham getting points to settle the team early on with Caithlin and Sophie keeping the pressure on Corofin throughout the first half. Even though Gabriels ladies were playing against the breeze they had the upper hand in the first half and with a great goal from Katie Malone who worked tirelessly throughout the game and gave an outstanding performance. Gabriels had a comfortable lead at half time the score being St Gabriels Ladies 1g 5pts to Corofins no score at half time.

In the second half Corofin got two goals in quick succession and were getting the upper hand. Caitlin Malone had an outstanding game and scored some great points to keep us ahead of Corofin and also a well taken goal from Aisling Dolan helped a lot. Well done to Goalie Melissa McDonald who came under fierce pressure and made some great saves. Corofin's team seemed to get stronger in the second half and scored some very good scores and they came back to a two point margin of St Gabriels Ladies which made for a nail biting and extremely exciting game that had you on the edge of your seats (if we had any!!). The final score St Gabriels Ladies 2g 7pts to Corofin 3g 2pts.

A great win as there was great scenes of jubilation when Helen Connolly, Assistant Secretary of the County Board presented the cup to Captain Katie Malone for her second trophy of the week. Katie made a lovely speech and the girls were greeted in the parish by bonfires blazing to celebrate their winning the U12 League Final. 

They had a treat in Supermacs last monday and a great party was had by all. Well done to Managers Caroline and Declan Malone who did a great job with these girls and special thanks to St Gabriels Mentor Sabina Keane for helping out with this team. ELLEN, THERESE & SAOIRSE SHOW THE WAY AHEAD

ST GABRIELS U14 Ladies football team travelled to St Brendans in Ballygar on Tueday 16th of June for their fourth league game unbeaten so far. They got off to a very good start with Ellen Bleahene getting the first score of the evening. Next up she scored a penalty that was awarded to Gabriels girls. The first half was St Gabriels playing great football and a brilliant passing game. Jasmine Scully was notable for giving a great performance on the evening. Goal machine Therese Garvey kept up her rich vein of form getting her two of her four goals of the evening in first half. The half time score was St Gabriels 4g 3pts to St Brendans 2pts.

In the second half St Gabriels found the going harder as we had to play thirteen a side as St Brendans had only 14 players. A much tougher game was to play as the second half unfolded and it was St Brendans who responded to our 4 goals with 3g 3pts in the second half putting the girls under fierce pressure. Again our Goalie Leah made vital saves and Leah Manning and Katie Kelly our captain for the evening helping out in the back line to keep the score down and feeding the attackers from the defence. Amy Kelly was a superb athlete full of running as St Gabriels held on for a win of St Gabriels 5g 6pts to St Brendans 3g 5pts. Saoirse Golderick and Aisling Donnellans work rate in this match was highly commendable, as was Saoirse and Therese who had won their Schools final in Cappatagle today also, a great day for these two outstanding players.

Well done to the panel of players who showed great team spirit and commitment making it easy to train and guide this group of girls.

Scoring for St Gabriels Ellen Bleahene 1g 2pts, Therese Garvey 4g, Sophie Cunningham 

2pts, Caitlin Cunningham1pt, Saoirse Golderick 1pt, We have two games left to play one home against Killanan and one away to Grainne Mhaols. Training again next tuesday .SISTERS ACT DOES IT FOR U12 GABRIELS

St Gabriel's U12 Ladies played St Mary's on Monday 8/6/15 at 7pm. A lovely fine evening for football and with this in mind St Gabriels got off to a great start with Aisling Dolan scoring two goals and Sophie Cunningham getting in on the act also by getting a well taken goal and with Caitlin Malone getting two very well taken points before St Marys registered a point on the scoreboard it looked like it was going to be a comfortable evening for the girls.

St Gabriels played with great intensity and with the twin sisters Caitlin and Sophie Cunningham having fantastic games and Katie and Caitlin Malone working really hard with Aideen Monaghan and the Keighrey sisters Aoife & Niamh all giving commanding displays the game was really going the hosts way. Half time score was 3g 3pts to 1pt to St Marys.

In the second half St Marys upped their game and scored two goals trying to get back into the game but once again it was St Gabriels girls who produced some fine scores with a powerhouse display despite a second half revival from the hosts and were outright winners on a scoreline of St Gabriels 4g 11pts to 3g 4pts.

Well done to the back line of Latisha Thompson, Alida Cleary and Aoife Quinn who came under constant pressure in the second half but resolutely held out to be the platform for this win. Well done also to Abbey Brogan and Elana Malone whose work rate was commendable and extremely important to the team, and congratulations to management team of Caroline Malone and Declan Malone who are pointing this team in the right direction. 

​This panel of players have got through to an U12 final with the date and venue to be finalized.

It was a case of never give up as ST GABRIELS Ladies football team travelled to Caherlistrane on Wednesday 27th of May to play Caherlsitrane away. With the management team of Declan Lennon & Brid Donnellan fully believing in this team it was the sun that shone initially as the girls did their warm up and gave way to a great evening on the pitch. The Caherlistrane girls had the better start scoring 2g & 2pts unanswered by Gabriels ladies and being 8 points down at this stage din't seem to faze the girls as Amy Kelly opened the score for Gabriels by getting a great point and with Therese Garvey finding the back of the net this gave the Gabriels girls the confidence to go on and at the half time break they led by two points, a fantastic achievement. Half time score; St Gabriels 1g 7pts to 2g 2pts.

In the second half the game ebbed and flowed with Caherlistrane coming right into the game and taking the lead by two points but St Gabriel's Ellen Bleahene scored a goal to bring the momentum back to the vistors and Gabriel's girls gave a great performance to finish on a scoreline of St Gabriels 3g & 10pts to Caherlistrane's 3g & 4pts. Well done girls. A very entertaining game to watch and we were never sure of a win until the last few minutes.

Well done on a great team performance from Goalie through to number fifteen.

Star performances from sisters Ellen and Rosa Bleahene with Aoife Cunningham and Amy Kelly showing what good footballers they are. Their super performances were acknowledged by the sporting Referee.

Lesson learned maybe from this game is that Gum shields are a must when playing. Our referee Tom Browne was very strict on this rule as they are a requirement for all players. Well done to the backs who were strong in gaining possession and re-distributing the ball at every opportunity with Leah Manning, Katie Kelly, Rosa Bleahene and Kerri Manning who came under constant pressure during the game. Saorise Golderick, Therese Garvey and Jasmine Sully's work rate was commendable and this coupled with Aisling Donnellan and Rachael Larkin also giving their best it was an enjoyable and exciting game to watch.

Scoring for St Gabriels : Amy Kelly 3pts, Ellen Bleahene 1g & 6pts, Therese Garvey 2g, Rachael Larkin 1pt.

St Gabriels U12 Ladies football team played Mountbellew/Moylough in Mountbellew on Monday 18th of May in their league quarter final. A dreadfully wet evening didn't dampen the Gabriel's girls spirit. Mountbellew got the first score of the game a goal taken well, this was followed by some great scores from Kaitlin Cunningham, Kaitlin Malone and Sophie Cunningham and a wonderful goal from Aofie Keighrey which put Gabriels into a nice lead at half time. 

The backs did Trojan work in both halves to keep out the strong force of an imposing Mountbellew/Moylough team with Abbey Brogan and Alida Cleary shining at this point. Outstanding performances from the full panel especially with Katie Malone's great work rate and with a half time score line of 1g & 5pt to Mountbellew/Moylough to 1g & 1pt St Gabriels who had a strong breeze in the first half it was going to need a sterling effort from the girls to up their game once again. With a superb save in the first half from our Goalie Melissa McDonald and good play by Alannah Malone, Alisha Thompson, Aoife Keighrey and Aideen Monaghan it was all to play for second half.

The 2nd half begun with Kaitlin Malone starting the tally of scores again and Mountbellew came back and got a goal to narrow the scoreline but once again St Gabriels kicked again and more great scores followed with Katlin Cunningham, Sophie Cunningham and Aisling Dolan all taking advantage of a tiring defence. The game ended on a final score 1g & 10pts St Gabriels to 2g & 1pt to Mountbellew/Moylough . Best of Luck in the Semi-final which is to be played in Aughrim pitch on Monday 1st of June.

U12 TEAM - Melissa Mc Donnell, Abby Brogan, Aoife Keighery, Alida Cleary, Aideen Monaghan, Latisha Thompson, Katie Malone, Caitlin Malone, Niamh Keighery, Sophie Cunningham, Aisling Dolan. Elanna Malone. Caithlin Cunningham. Niamh Keane, Maya Doherty, Aoife Quinn.SO CLOSE AND SO FAR FOR CAITRIONA & GALWAY LADIES

Cork Seal Ladies NFL Division 1 title after Fantastic Final Replay

Final Score 18 /5/15 Cork 0-14 Galway 1-10 (Saturday 15th of May)

EAMONN Ryan's Cork retained their Tesco Ladies NFL Division 1 crown in Portlaoise on Saturday evening, as dual star Rena Buckley's late point sealed victory in a thrilling replay. The Tribeswomen will feel they missed their chance at Parnell Park a week previously but they were ahead in the 52nd minute when Annette Clarke, who missed a penalty in the first game, put over a super point. 

But in a fixture that was level four times in the second half, Galway lost influential captain Geraldine Conneally to a yellow card, and the sin-bin, with nine minutes remaining.

Cork had led by 0-10 to 1-5 at half-time, coming from behind after Patricia Gleeson's 26th-minute goal handed Galway a 1-5 to 0-7 advantage and Galway found it hard to get through the Cork defense but when they did, they picked their way through the red rearguard brilliantly for Gleeson's goal, lashed high into the net past Martina O'Brien.

Cork's response was immediate as Mulcahy kicked her fifth point of the half, and her second from play,

GALWAY TEAM: J Connolly; Á Seoighe, E Flaherty, S Gormally; N Ward, N Connolly, S Burke; L Ward, P Gleeson; B Hannon, A Clarke, O Divilly; G Conneally, T Leonard, C Concannon. Subs: M Hoey for N Connolly (21), L Joyce for Concannon (49), C Cormican for Divilly (58), R Leonard for Hannon (60). Referee: M Farrelly (Cavan).AMY'S QUICK START GIVES GABRIELS BELIEF TO BUILD

An excellent evening of football for players and spectators alike as St Gabriels U14 girls recorded their first league win in Aughrim on Tuesday 12th of May. With a confidence building win in their previous challenge match this was a case of business as usual as St Gabriels got the dream start with a very energetic Amy Kelly on target scoring all the scores in the first half with a tally of 2 goals and 2 points. With the pitch freshly marked out it was left to the girls to make their own mark as Salthill/Knocknacarra came back strongly to within two points of Gabriels ladies but with a great team effort St Gabriels seemed to find another gear and improved their performance in the second half and with some excellent individual passages of play they were worthy winners on the night.

Best wishes to Kaitlin Cunningham and Leona Larkin who are both out with injuries. Well done to Leah Delaney our goalie who gave an assurred performance on the night always building from the back with her passing. Well done also to Aisling Dolan, Sophie Cunningham and Kerri Manning on a great game. Outstanding performances were much in evidence on the night throughout the field with Rachael Larkin, Aisling Donnellan, Ellen & Rosa Bleahene, Therese Garvey, Saoirse Golderick, Katie Kelly, Aoife Cunningham and Leah Manning. Scoring for our ladies were Amy Kelly 2g & 3pts, Rachael Larkin 2pts, Ellen Bleahene 3pts, Therese Garvey 1g & 1pt. 

A mention to our new welcome addition to the team Jasmine Scully who gave a strong debut. 

Woman of the match award went to Aisling Donnellan for a busy performance linking up play with all around her.

Final score; St Gabriels 3g & 9pts to Salthill/knockarra 3g & 1pts. 

RACHAEL LARKIN, ELLEN BLEAHENE, ROSA BLEAHENE, AOIFE CUNNINGHAM, KERRI MANNING, SAOIRSE GOLDERICK, THERESE GARVEY, JASMINE SCULLY, SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM, AISLING DOLAN, LEAH MANNING, LEAH DELANEY, KATIE KELLY, AISLING DONNELLAN, AMY KELLY.SUBLIME FINISHING FROM KENNY COMPLIMENTS TEAM WIN

ST GABRIELS JRS 3g & 9pts - 6pts KILCONLY JRS

Scorers - Caitriona Cormican 1g & 2pts, aoife kelly 3pts, clare kelly 4pts, niamh kenny 2g

Juniors in Aughrim on Monday 6th April, Referee Neil Moynihan

Match Report

An excellent win in excellent weather saw 3 goals scored in an all round team performance that was a joy to watch on a well groomed Aughrim pitch. At the onset of the game it was the visitors Kilconly who set the pace running up 3 points in quick succession with Gabriels being particularly wasteful from close in, indeed for the first 10 minutes the management team would have been apprehensive if these early exchanges were anything to go by. 

It was left to County Senior player Caitriona Cormican to show the way with the first score for the home side and this coupled with Grainne McNally and Niamh Daly asserting their authority on the pitch steadied St Gabriels in the initial stages of the game when they were perhaps on the back foot. As Cormicans influence grew bringing Aoife Kelly more and more into the game with some incisive passing and a goal it was St Gabriels who finished the first half in the ascendency scoring 1 goal and 7 points to Kilconly's 4 points. 

With the second half underway it was Kilconly who once again got the first point of the half before Niamh Kenny got the first of her two goals on the day to once again give the home side the initiative. Special mention should also go to Laura Hession, St Gabriels custodian between the posts who made a terrific save to keep Kilconly out. As Gabriels continued to press with Aoife & Clare Kelly looking to push on for scores it was Fiona Mitchell who terrorised Kilconly with some forthright tackling which seemed to unsettle the visitors and upset their forward approach play. 

Then the score of the game when a deft finish from Niamh Kenny saw the Kilconly keeper wrong footed and unable to stop the third goal of the day as it raced into the net. With the game very much won a few changes were made as the match came to its inevitable conclusion to end a good game of football. 

The season seems to be progressing quite nicely with the side unbeaten in the initial games but also training well under Gerry Mannions tutelage. May it long continue and with even more effort and no doubt a bit of luck then who knows where this side will go to this season. 

1st Round of the Under 12 Ladies football League.

We played our first game on Thursday evening at home in Aughrim against Mountbellew/Moylough. The weather conditions were very wet as the game wore on and despite this St Gabriels coped with the rain extremely well. With scores being taken at a regular rate St Gabriels had scored 4 goals and 2 points by half time. In the second half they continued were they left off and were the much stronger team on the day with a lot of individual and team skill on display. With Mountbellew/Moylough missing a few of their key players they still played very well, but our girls were excellent throughout taking some great scores and playing very well together as a team. A really good team effort for everyone. Thanks to all the girls on a lovely game and to all the support we had. Our next game is Tuesday 7th April in Caltra against Caltra at 7pm. Why not come and support us.

St.Gabriels team: Aoifa Quinn, Abby Brogan, Katie Malone, Alidea Cleary,Aideen Monaghan, Aoifa Keighery, Sophie Cunningham, Caitlin Malone, Niamh Keighery, Caithlin Cunningham, Latisha Thompson, Elanna Malone, Aisling Dolan, Subs: Melissa Mc Donnell, Niamh Keane, Maya Doherty.

U16'S 1st Round League Game

With newly installed manager Fiona Mitchell on the side of the pitch to watch her new charges in their first league game of the season it was with much anticipation that the assembled crowd waited to see how they would perform. After minimal time with this panel of players the management team will take a little comfort in a competitive first half that promised much more and a second half that saw some outstanding defensive performances when the going got really tough. The management team are under no illusions on the difficult task ahead but with hard work and the right attitude from the players then results will certainly go their way. 

In windy and cold conditions which cut through the impressive Clonberne Sportsfields the girls took to their task very well and had some good passages of play which resulted in points on the board in the first half . Unfortunately they were up against a very accomplished Kilkerrin/Clonberne team who were full of running all game long and the visitors were perhaps guilty of letting their heads drop in the second half as the home team racked up the points. Notable displays on the day saw an outstanding performance from corner back Leah Manning who was forced to leave the pitch in the last few minutes with an knee injury, without her the score would have been more emphatic than it was. 

Eva Sinclair was kept busy just in front of the defence and worked like a terrier getting stuck in at every opportunity, this coupled with Aisling Donnellan's tough tackling gave some relief to the hard pressed back line when Clonberne pressed. A mention also to Niamh Daly's sheer persistence in trying to run the ball out of defence to link up play with the forwards who despite her playing out of position showed what she can bring to the team. 

Also special mention to the referee who let the game flow and was on the ball with his calls all game long.

MICHEAL BREATHNACHS 1g & 12pts to 3g & 6pts ST GABRIELS

An early Sunday morning start saw a convoy set off from Aughrim pitch in cold conditions but this would not be enough to curb an enthusiastic St Gabriels Ladies Junior panel from having an encouraging start to their league campaign.

Away to Na Breathnaigh Aoife Kelly scored a goal as she gave a captains display on the day leading from the start and this coupled with a brace from Caitriona Cormican set up Gabriels after a tricky first half where the Ladies defence gave a sterling display whilst on the back foot.

With the game throwing in against a very blustery wind in the faces of St Gabriels it was the home side who took full advantage to race into an 8 point lead at half time. Indeed if it wasn;t for the heroics of Michaela Dunne and Niamh Donnellan then the scoreline could have been a bit more emphatic at the turn around. It should also be pointed out that Grainne McNally was extremely unlucky as she hit the crossbar with one of her shots.

At half time the score was Micheal Breatnachs 1g & 8pts to St Gabriels 0g & 3pts.

The second half began with a flurry of activity as St Gabriels brought the game to their hosts and played excellently. With the first half very much built on defence the second was all out attack as Gabriels clawed their way back into the game with Laura Hession making a couple of notable saves to keep the momentum going. As the game wore on fresh legs were brought on but in the last minute of game time the home side managed to put the ball over the bar to rescue the game and end the match as a draw despite a valiant effort from St Gabriels in the second half.

Final Score - Micheal Breathnachs 1g & 12pts to St Gabriels 3g & 6pts

Scorers - caitriona cormican 2g & 3pts, aoife kelly 1g, claire kelly 1pt, grainne mcnally 1pt, aine mitchell 1pt

St Gabriels Team - laura hession, jenny kelly, niamh donnellan, laoise keane, micheala dunne, aoife kelly, maureen dolan, lauren dolan, caitriona cormican, michelle leonard, claire kelly, fiona mitchell, niamh kenny, grainne mcnally, aine mitchell. Subs- grace o'meara, mairead cunningham, kiera dunne, ciara lennon, hannah daly 

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