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Ballycomoyle GAA Club |
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The Club Secretary's (Doreen Farrelly) report to the AGM held on the 19th of November 2006. It certainly does not seem that a full year has passed since we were here at our 2005 A.G.M., and a quick glance back through notes, tells me that indeed it actually was Sunday 20th November last year when we held our meeting. What a hectic year it turned out to be and each one of us can be very proud of everything that we have achieved in the past 12 months. In this report, I will be giving a brief description of some of the major events that was part of our Club in 2006. The respective correspondents will deal with our Underage Section and our Ladies Section.
JUNIOR MENS Our men’s junior team of last year, finished, being defeated by Ballinagore in the semi-final, (who incidentally, almost went on to win an All-Ireland). With spirits high and a little more dedication, we could probably reach the junior championship final. However, despite putting in a huge effort this year, we were beaten by Mullingar Shamrocks in the quarterfinal. Below is a list of the matches and the results:
JUNIOR A CHAMPIONSHIP Round 1 May 7th Ballycomoyle 1.07 Caulry 0.10 Round 2 June 11th St. Paul’s 0.08 Ballycomoyle 1.03 Round 3 June 25th Ballycomoyle 1.09 St. Fintans/Multy 0.09 Round 4 August 6th Milltown 2.06 Ballycomoyle 1.05 Round 5 August 19th Ballycomoyle 1.09 Delvin 0.07 Round 6 August 29th Ballycomoyle 2.12 Loughnavalley 0.02 Quarter Final Sept 16th Shamrocks 2.06 Ballycomoyle 1.05
As we can see from the results the team improved immensely in the past year, winning three of the first round games and earning a draw against eventual championship winners Caulry. The entire team, management, selectors and supporters can be very proud of their efforts for 2006 and hopefully we will manage to take the crown in 2007.
JUNIOR B CHAMPIONSHIP Our Junior B team were not as fortunate as their A counterparts and despite putting in some fantastic performances, they failed to secure any points in this championship. It would be very fair to say at this point that the whole setup of the “B” Championship is very flawed and needs urgent attention by the County Board. It is the case, that some senior clubs are able to enter their 2nd team, as are the Intermediate clubs and this seems very unfair. However, despite this the “B” Championship is of huge benefit to us and to all the rest of the lads who are not getting a chance on the “A” squad. It gives everyone an opportunity to prove themselves and it seems to work well for the younger lads coming through. JUNIOR LEAGUES Our early league results were probably reflective of a team that was building for the championship. We saw defeats at the hands of Milltown, St. Paul’s and Caulry and we secured a win at home to St.Fintans/Multy. Surprisingly enough this game against Multy was to be the last for us in the league and we got no game whatsoever in the Reserve League. I do feel that this issue will need to be addressed at County Board level and that our sentiments will be conveyed to the appropriate people. CHALLENGE MATCHES We played quite a number of challenge matches this year and we were indebted to both Ballinacree and Oldcastle for all of these games. All the games were played with great sportsmanship and we hope to continue with more next year. MANAGEMENT The commitment shown by a large number of players should not go unspoken of, as should the outstanding dedication of Joey Williams and his selecting team. On the few evenings I attended training, Maureen and I remarked on the “Bal spirit” which was very evident. I’m sure you all, as I do, hope to see Joey at the helm again next year with players, selectors and supporters showing the “Bal - never say die” attitude. FUNCTIONS AND SOCIAL EVENTS CROKE PARK TRIP Since our last A.G.M. our underage section of the club travelled to Croke Park for a full day’s excursion. The day was unforgettable and a lot of children are still reminiscing about the adventure. Well done to all concerned for organizing this event and to the parents who went along to help supervise. Sean Og o hAilpin Wednesday 5th April, 2006 will forever be imbedded in everybody’s mind who had the pleasure in meeting and greeting, the 2005 Sports Personality of the year, Sean Og o hAilpin. Sean Og came and visited all the schools in the locality and on the same evening he made a presentation to several of our underage teams. Sean Og left a lasting impression on everyone and who could forget his wonderful speech here in this centre, especially his “3 D” factor – dedication, determination and desire and also about winning his very first U 12 medal. A special word of thanks for this function must go to Dermot and Peter McKenna who organized the visit of Sean Og to our club. BENEFIT NIGHT On Easter Saturday Night 15th April we successfully ran a benefit night in The Lough Lene Inn, Collinstown. The night was very well supported and a large sum of money was raised. A special word of thanks for this night must go to Kathryn Cooney who supplied the venue and music free of charge. Thanks also to everyone who sold tickets or helped out in any way in the smooth running of this night. DOG NIGHT Our next major outing after our benefit night was on Saturday, June 24th, when we held a “Night at the Dogs”, in Mullingar Greyhound Stadium. This was again a huge undertaking and without the help of so many people, it would not have been possible to make such a huge success of the night. A special word of thanks must go to Paddy Egan for securing all the race sponsors. We must also thank Seamus and Helen Coyle for printing all the tickets and for planning the layout of the programme and to Dermot McKenna for printing it. Again thanks to everyone for helping out, before, during and after the night. CLUB CREST AND JERSEYS Every club deserves its own identity and with thanks to Ciarán Ring and others, we are now proudly displaying our own crest. Ciarán has included 3 very distinctive landmarks in the crest. Firstly he included St. Brigid’s Cross, which represents St. Brigid’s Well, and can be found on top of the Hill of Maoil (from which our name derives). Secondly he included Stonestown Bridge, which was the original birthplace of Ballycomoyle Football Club, and finally he included Fore Abbey, which could be sometimes described as the spiritual birthplace of the club. Well done Ciarán and thank you. We must also thank our sponsors McEnroe and McKenna for sponsoring a set of jerseys for both the men’s junior team and the ladies junior team. Thank you very much for your generosity. UNDERAGE FINALE Our underage section had their last session on Friday 15th September with games against each other in the different groups. All children received medals and some light refreshment, as did all adults. Well done to all concerned for an enjoyable evening. Thanks to the many parents who brought treats and for helping out on the evening. A very special word of thanks must go to Helen Coyle, Dermot McKenna, Gerry Farrelly, Marius Reilly, Paul McCrossan, Liam Leahy, Frank Gilsenan and on first aid Michael Fagan and Kevin Walsh. SOCIAL NIGHT We held a very well attended social night in The Lough Lene Inn, Collinstown on Saturday night October 14th. On the night we had a video of recent games in the junior championship, which was well received. We also held a raffle for a hurl and football signed by Sean Og and we raised a considerable sum of money. The proceeds of this raffle went to our benefit night fund. Again we must thank Kathryn Cooney and all her staff for making this another memorable night. A presentation was made to Marius Reilly on his retirement and also to Joey Williams for all his hard work and dedication throughout the year. ANNUAL DANCE Sunday night 29th October saw us holding our annual dance in The Pollard Arms Hotel. Again the night was very well attended and we would like to thank everyone involved for helping out. UNDERAGE TRIP Our underage section of the club held their second annual trip on Monday 30th October. Upwards of 80 children and 20 adults departed from Castlepollard and headed for Belfast and to the remarkable Odyssey Centre. A special word of thanks must go to Dermot mc Kenna and Seamus Coyle for making this trip possible and again for broadening the children’s minds. I have no doubt but the club will be richly rewarded in years to come. Thanks also to all the parents who made themselves available for the trip. SCÓR na nOG Ballycomoyle hosted one of the first rounds of Scór na nOg in Collinstown Hall on Saturday night 4th November. The club was represented in 10 categories and on the night our Ceile Dancers and our Instrumental Group got through to the semi-finals in The Downs. The night ran off without a hitch and again this year we were complimented in the manner in which we ran our night. A big thank you to everyone who helped out before, during and after the night. Our night could not have ran so smoothly with out the talented “Fear an Tí”, Seamus McDermott. Job well done, Seamus. The semi-finals took place last night in The Downs and we are delighted to say that our Instrumental Group of Hillary Gaffney and Cían Farrelly are now trough to the county finals, which takes place on Sunday evening next in Ballymore, we wish them the best of luck. A special thank you to all the girls and boys who came to the many practices, for their commitment and behaviour to all that was asked of them. To the parents, for their help and support throughout the last 6 weeks, it was very much appreciated and to Catherine Daly, it is great to have a talented pair of hands on board, thank you. OUR WEBSITE If you have not logged on to the “Bal” website you don’t know what you’re missing. There is so much to read and see, it would be a shame to miss out. It is without a doubt a credit to Seamus Coyle, who puts in so much time and effort, even on his sick bed and we should all give him the praise he so deserves. Thank you Seamus. CLUB LOTTO Our lotto is going well. The yearly lotto was introduced this year and with a little more work it should grow in sales. A big thank you the lotto committee for all their work during the year and to the club members who sell and collect the books. Finally, this time last year I took on the job as Club Secretary not really knowing just what it entailed. I have to say it has been a challenge at times, but an enjoyable one. Not alone to work with so many people with different ideas, but too see a lot of these ideas come to fruition. To all the committee members I say a huge thank you for your help and your support during the year, to the Co. Board delegates for their commitment to attending meetings and relating information back to the club and to all the parents, players and anyone who helped in anyway during the year, I thank you all. Signed: Doreen Farrelly Ballyconoyle Club Secretary. |
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