Report by Willie O’Neill
Our under 10s were out again on Saturday 12th September in the Alyward Cup tournament in Ballyhale. Coming from winning in Clonmel there was a difficult task ahead but this team of 14 boys were up for it!
They started off against Glenmore. Our defence were solid and limited the Glenmore chances with Sean Roberts, Pat Purcell and James Brennan tackling fiercely. Jeff Neary notching up 1-1 in the first half and the O’Brien brothers with 3-1 between them, we won on a scoreline 7-2 to 1-0.
In the second round match we played Rower-Inistioge, who looked quite good in their first match. Billy O’Neill and Aaron McEvoy were a huge force in the mid-field area. Ryan Corcoran was outstanding from the start, with Ryan Cody working extremely hard, blocking, defending and attacking and Jeff was on song again. Throughout the game the passing and general play from the boys was great to watch. The final score in this game was 12-10 to 2-4.
In the semi-final we played Thomastown. James Casey started strong here along with Sean Roberts and Aidan Cahill, who were strong on the fullback line. This was a big test for us as it was nip and tuck the whole way. Extra time was needed to separate the two sides. The boys just stood up to the task and ended up winning quite well showing the character they have.
In the final Gowran provided the opposition. This game was very tight the whole way through. Again Ryan Corcoran started well. Billy O’Neill in midfield stayed plugging away and played excellently. Dean O’Brien was minding the posts for us and did he do well, just as he did in Clonmel making great saves keeping us in the mix. Aidan Cahill and Sean Roberts were pure power houses on the full back line. James Casey went to midfield and Aaron McEvoy switched to corner forward which proved to be a great move. Pat Purcell was excellent in all the matches but had to come off in the final due to an injury he picked up. Sean Dillion was excellent coming in and did a great job when called upon. Martin Brennan scored a vital goal here showing great determination. Early in the second half Gowran goaled to open up a lead but the boys worked hard and went on to secure victory.
TJ Reid presented James Casey, Captain of the day, with the Alyward Cup. Overall these guys deserve a lot of credit from winning back to back in Clonmel last week and Ballyhale today. Thanks to parents and all their support today and last Saturday.
Panel of Players: Billy O’Neill, Jeff Neary, Sean Roberts, Aaron McEvoy, Ryan Corcoran, Ryan Cody, Martin Brennan, James Brennan, Pat Purcell, Sean Dillon, Aidan Cahill, James Casey, Jake and Dean O’Brien.
