Saturday, June 28, 2008

County League Rd.7

Valentia 1-07 Cromane 1-06

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Saturday, May 31, 2008

Sunday, May 11, 2008

County League Rd.5

Na Gaeil 1-12 Cromane 2-05

Sunday, April 27, 2008

County League Rd.4

Cromane 1-06 St.Pats 1-09

Sunday, April 20, 2008

County League Rd.3

Glenbeigh/Glencar 1-11 Cromane 0-10

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Sunday, April 6, 2008

County League Rd.2

Cromane 1-10 Cordal 3-06

Sunday, March 30, 2008

County League Rd.1

Ballydonohue 1-14 Cromane 1-04

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Munster Junior "B" Championship Final

Cromane 1-08 St.Oliver Plunketts (Cork 0-08)

Cromane brought a second provincial title for the 2007 season back to the Kingdom as they survived a massive second-half onslaught by their opponents St Oliver Plunkett’s of Cork in the Munster Junior ‘B’ football final in Knockaderry, Co Limerick last Sunday. A strong, howling wind was always going to have a major say in the outcome of this game and Cromane better ability to take their scores in the first-half when they had the wind ultimately proved to be decisive on the day.
The difficult, underfoot conditions made free-flowing football almost impossible and there were some were patchy periods during the game for both sides. Cromane hit the ground running with Donnchadh Walsh dominating the exchanges at midfield and three- time All-Ireland medal winner Seán O’Sullivan giving the St Oliver’s defence no end of problems.
O’Sullivan fisted over for the game’s first score after two minutes before Conor McCarthy replied for the Cork side two minutes later. Cromane controlled the next 15 minutes as they used the conditions very much to their advantage. Walsh was key to the build up to Cromane’s next two points as he found plenty of space for both John Sullivan and Paul Patrick O’Sullivan to slot over. St Oliver’s difficulty to cope with the high balls Cromane were sending in was exposed in the ninth minute when Sean O’Sullivan’s skyscraper of a free caused confusion in the Cork side’s defence and allowed Niall Dennehy to pounce and fist the ball past St Oliver’s ‘keeper Brian Walsh into the net.
Cromane now had a commanding five-point lead but a succession of seven wides was a cause for concern amongst their travelling supporters. Despite not having much to do in the first-half, Cromane’s goalkeeper Liam Walsh had to be at his best to make a point blank save from St Oliver’s corner-forward Barry O’Driscoll in the 18th minute. Points from Donnchadh Walsh and Seán O’Sullivan put Cromane back on track as the game approached half-time although Cromane were given a sense of what the second-half would be like when Kieran Coffey pointed for St Oliver’s with three minutes left in the half before Liam Walsh had to repel another St Oliver’s goal effort from Coffey as Cromane went in six points ahead but with all to play for.
Despite playing into the wind Cromane opened the second-half scoring with Niall Dennehy working hard to point two minutes into the half.
St Oliver’s finally found their rhythm with two quick points from a Kieran Coffey free and a Conor O’Driscoll effort.
An injury to Sean O’Sullivan forced Cromane to take off their inter-county star, but Cromane were undeterred as the Walsh brothers, Donnchadh and Seán (who had three other siblings on the panel), restored their seven-point advantage with one from play and another from a free.
These were to be Cromane’s last scores of the match. The last 20 minutes were all St Oliver Plunketts as the Conor O’Driscoll/Kieran Coffey combination struck again to leave the game balanced on a knife edge with 15 minutes left. Cromane’s defence began to gain a foothold as they were beginning to crowd out the St Oliver’s forwards and force them to kick from long range which saw them fail to take advantage of the wind.
Keith O’Driscoll pointed in the 48th minute before Liam Walsh made another magnificent intervention for his side a minute later fielding a high ball under pressure. The last ten minutes saw both John Sullivan — afterwards named man-of-the-match — and James Foley stand out for Cromane as they marshalled the defence when grit, determination and concentration were now needed for Cromane to hang on.
All St Oliver’s could muster for their intense pressure was a single point from their captain Mike Pat Keohane in the last minute. Cromane breathed a huge sigh of relief at the final whistle and now follow in the footsteps of Mid-Kerry kingpins Laune Rangers in claiming provincial honours and can take huge credit in defeating a Cork side who had accounted for Clare’s Meelick and Tipperary’s Galtee Rovers on their way to the final.

Cromane: Liam Walsh; Peter O’Reilly, James Foley, Noel O’Reilly; John O’Sullivan (0-1), Colm Joy, Michael Teahan; Donnchadh Walsh (captain, 0-2), Francis Casey; Niall Dennehy (0-1), Paul Patrick O’Sullivan (0-1), Seán O’Sullivan (0-2); David Moroney, Eoghan Walsh (1-0), Sean Walsh (0-1).Subs: Micheál O’Shaugnessy for Seán O’Sullivan, Colin O’Sullivan for Eoghan Walsh, Clinton Griffin for David Moroney, Fionnan Walsh, JP McCarthy, Emmet Casey, Sean Reilly, Cian O’Keeffe, Liam Teahan, Connie Riordan, Colm O’Shea, Finbar Casey, David Galvin, Anthony Houlihan, Jerome Houlihan and Noel Foley.

Referee : Jim Long (Feenagh/Kilmeedy, Limerick)

— from The Kerryman, March 12th, 2008

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Mid Kerry League Rd.3

Cromane 1-08 Glenbeigh/Glencar 0-09

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Mid Kerry League Rd.2

Beaufort 0-11 Cromane 1-06

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Mid Kerry League Rd.1

Cromane 0-07 Milltown/Castlemaine 0-12

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Munster Junior 'B' Championship Semi Final

Cromane 2-20 Banogue 1-04

Kerry's ounty novice champions, Cromane, qualified for the Munster Junior B final with a comprehensive win over Limerick’s Banogue on Sunday last. The game, which was played at the competition’s host club Knockaderry, was never competitive with Cromane picking up where they let off in their county final win over Ballydonoghue last December.
Once corner forward David Moroney goaled in the 10th minute to put Cromane 1-3 to 0-2 ahead it was plain sailing for the seasiders. Soon after the hard-working Niall Dennehy blasted home the Mid Kerry men’s second goal (2-5 to 0-2) which all but sealed the victory with ten minutes still remaining in the first half.
In between Seán Walsh, Seán O’Sullivan and Paul Patrick O’Sullivan had some fine points as Cromane stretched their legs in their first outing of the year. At midfield Donnchadh Walsh and Francis Casey gave Cromane a great platform especially as they were up against two big strong opponents.
Cromane’s backline was never tested as Banogue’s attacks continually faltered under pressure from a tight-marking sextet. By half time Cromane had slipped over the horizon with a 2-7 to 0-2 lead. The Limerick men even though conceding defeat never wilted in the physical exchanges and kept Cromane honest for most of the second half.
Cromane though reverted to shooting practice with Clinton Griffin notching three second half points, having earlier smacked the crossbar and post in the same first half attack. Substitutes Colin O’Sullivan (back after a long-term injury) and Emmet Casey also kept the scoreboard ticking over.
It wasn’t all sweetness and light for Cromane as some sloppiness towards the end allowed the Limerick win to breach their with a late attack resulting in the ball deflecting off a Cromane defender into the net. The game though was a work-out, if nothing else, for the Kerry champions, who will now return to the same venue for the final. That decider will take place on Sunday, March and their opponents will be St Oliver Plunkett’s from Cork.
The Cork champions, from Ahiohill just outside Clonakilty, beat city side Passage (1-13 to 2-7) in the Cork Junior ‘B’ final back in September.

CROMANE: Liam Walsh; Peter O’Reilly, James Foley, Noel O’Reilly; Michael Teahan, Colm Joy, John O’Sullivan; Donnchadh Walsh (0-1), Francis Casey; Niall Dennehy (1-2), Paul P. O’Sullivan (0-2), Seán O’Sullivan (0-3); David Moroney (1-1), Clinton Griffin (0-3), Seán Walsh (0-6). Subs: Fionán Walsh for Colm Joy, Colin O’Sullivan (0-1) for David Moroney, JP McCarthy for Niall Dennehy, Emmet Casey (0-1) for Clinton Griffin, Seán O’Reilly for Noel O’Reilly.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Secretay's Report to Annual General Meeting

Secretary's Report to Annual General Meeting - 19/01/08

A chairde,

Welcome to our Annual General Meeting. This meeting will lay the foundation for both on field and off field activities for 2008. The AGM presents an opportunity for everyone to offer their opinions & suggestions. Members have received notification, motion forms and nomination papers. The more competition we have for positions on the committee and for other jobs the better. There is a general sense of goodwill towards the club and a genuine interest in taking it forward. The AGM is the opportunity to enhance club morale and a forum for healthy inclusive debate from all members.

The year finished on a great note with our Senior Team winning the Novice Co. Championship for the first time. This was a momentous occasion in the history of the club and shows that Cromane have the stomach for championship battle. The celebrations included a merry journey home from Tralee with a call in to Leen's bar and a long night in Jack's. We look forward to the upcoming Munster Championship campaign and a tilt at the Junior Championship in 2008 with relish. Division 4 however proved to be a tough competition and we did not achieve the goal of promotion as set out by the management & players at the beginning of the year. There were some good wins, some draws, some narrow losses and a couple of lessons give to us. This was a tough division and both teams that were promoted thoroughly deserved it. There was a lot to be learned this year and hopefully these lessons can be translated into further success next year. We were not helped by the fact that both of our county stars were not always available. This is likely to continue through 2008 with expected success for the Kingdom in the hunt for Sam Maguire. It is up to the rest of the players to find that bit extra in each of them to compensate when either of Sean or Donnchadh are not available. In the Mid Kerry Championship we put the eventual champions Milltown/Castlemaine to the pin of their collar for much of the game but the Division 1 side managed to pull away at the end. No fault to the team here as we had a reduced panel and many injuries going into the match. We also participated in the Mid Kerry league early in the season but did not progress to the knockout stages. I would like to thank the players for their commitment to the task over a long year when long periods went without any competitive fixtures being played. We had a panel of 33 for the Novice final which shows that the players are there. Hopefully we will see all stick with it through 2008. Well done to Colm Joy and his management team for keeping the motivation & momentum up. We look forward to 2008 with expectations raised.

The fielding of a junior team needs to continue to ensure a supply of players coming through. The B team gave a good account of themselves in the Mid Kerry B league with some closely contested games. In theory there should be enough players available between young players, panelists & retired seniors to facilitate this and have no impact on the senior team. It is also a way of keeping people involved in the club who may later become coaches, referees or club officers.

Sean O'Sullivan & Donnchadh Walsh brought glory through further All-Ireland medals to Cromane and were fine ambassadors for the Club. It's great encouragement for the underage scene to have two county players of this caliber. We wish them the best in 2008 in the quest to bring Sam Maguire back again.

Our minors had a good County League run and made it as far as the play offs but went down to the Gaeltacht. The Mid Kerry Minor League turned into a farce as points were deducted from Cromane/Listry by the Mid Kerry board after two games had been won on the premise that illegal players had been played. This was strongly contested by Cromane through an appeal to the Co, Board. Despite attending an oral hearing in September and several written and oral communications to the Co. Board, the appeals committee have to this day not made a ruling on this case using various excuses. This is not good enough and needs to be raised with the Co. Board early this year. The Mid Kerry board then took the decision not to allow Cromane/Listry play in the Mid Kerry minor Championship.

The U16s had a good run finishing 3rd in the County League and reaching the Mid Kerry B final where the lost out to Milltown. The U14s won the Mid Kerry B final this year and were runners up in the A final. The U12 won the Mid Kerry B final and were runners up in the A competition.
The U8 and U10 scene is excellent and well attended on Sunday mornings where there is great enthusiasm and fun. Great work is being done by the mentors. Those who look after these sessions deserve great praise. As we can see from the numbers coming through the future for the club looks bright.

On the refereeing front, the men in the middle must be thanked and the club is obliged to provide referees. Michael Healy and Danny Connor represent the club on that front.

The field committee has again had a busy year. The drainage work continues and has been a great success. All concerned deserve praise for work and time spent at the field both in maintenance and preparing for matches. The floodlights are a great facility for winter training. The sanding program has greatly improved the pitch. Also fencing was erected behind the goals and the goalmouth area resurfaced. The Co. Council has been out to see the roadway and will decide in March if and when this will be resurfaced. Further major building work is planned subject to securing National Lottery funding. This building will incorporate a gym, press box, meeting room, and further covered stand capacity. We are awaiting further news from the Department of Sport Arts & Tourism as to when a further release of funding will be come available. We will need to increase our own fundraising activity should this work commence to cover the remaining costs.

The Lotto has performed well again. Marion Casey, John & Olive Mulvihill and John & Kathleen Teahan were the big winners. It is great to see locals winning. The club is in an excellent financial state. The sellers work away every week and provide great service to the club and ensure that the cash keeps rolling in. Thank you all. You are the financial lifeblood of the club and each of you is held in high esteem by the club. To all members if you do not have time to sell tickets please make sure you buy them. Every ticket counts.

I would like to thank our sponsors also. The same group keep digging deep to fund the club and we have one or two new sponsors this year also. Thanks to Cromane Seafoods, D& R landscaping, The Red Fox, Jacks Bar, Mad Mix, CRL Oil, Paudie O'Shea, J & L Naughton, Raymond Griffin, Con McGuillicuddy Tarmacadam, MacNeill Tarmacadam & Kelly Farm Modernisation.

The annual Family Fun and Sports Days was again an excellent day and raised funds which went to local organisations.

Cromane GAA club will be 25 years old in November this year. It has been suggested that a committee be formed to put together a club history and look at appropriate celebrations. We cannot let such a landmark pass without appropriately marking the occasion.
The player's injury scheme worked well for Cromane players this year. I'll invite Stephen Scales to say a few words on this later under any other business. Suffice to say adherence to the procedure is critical to validate claims.

It remains for me to thank my club executive colleagues who put so much work into the running of this club. Coming into the role fairly green I have received good counsel this year from each of them. I must especially thank our Assistant Secretary Tomas for the thoroughly professional condition of the paperwork and the computerised material which he handed over to me. It made my introduction to the position very easy as I could reference in detail how the various tasks had been carried out previously as they came up. We must especially thank Michael Riordan Jnr. and Seamus O'Shea who will be stepping down from their respective roles this year for their great contributions to the club.

Last week saw the passing of our club vice president Fr Pat McCarthy. We extend our sympathies to Bob McCarthy, Mary Leen and all the extend families. Fr McCarthy was a great patron of the club and will be missed by all. May he rest in peace.

Finally, I wish everyone well in 2008 on and off the field. Cromane Abu!

Yours in sport,
Sean O'Suilleabhain,
Runai
Cumann Peile Realt na Mara CLG