SHAMROCKS - THE ARCHIVES

Under 12 Hurling - 20/8
Shamrocks played Tracton in the Semi Final of the hurling league last Monday night. Preperations had been very, very disrupted. And what do ya know? They were annihilated. (More to follow)

Junior B Football League - 21/8
Tracton 2-15, Shamrocks 1-7
The junior B football season is loimping slowly to an end and still no victory in sight (either in football or hurling). The objective at this stage is to avoid giving walkovers and incurring fines and being thrown out of the competition. Despite 34 players being contacted about this fixture, Shamrocks got only 12 players out and they actually did alright for 40 minutes of the game. They started much the brighter and Mike O'Neill had 3 early points on the board for Shamrocks. However, Tracton finally got all the kickouts after they broke upfield and put on 8 points in a row to lead 0-9 to 0-3 at half time. Shamrocks, despite not being as fit as Tracton and carrying a lot of young players (who did well it must be said), gave as good as they got in the second half and actually brought the deficit back to 0-4 with 20 minutes left. But thats when the wheels came off. Shamrocks were on a promising attack when a pass went astray, Tracton went down the field and punished the mistake by burying the O'Neills ball in the back of the net. The heads dropped after that, the legs seemed that bit heavier but at least Shamrocks battled to the end. Next Junior B Football game is away to Belgooly next Tuesday at 7.15pm (start).
Team: S. Hurley, C. Brady, R. Murphy, J. Browne, K. Griffin, D. Murphy, N. Hayes, C. Fitzpatrick, A. Sweeney, Dander, M. O'Neill, C. O'Sullivan, T. Barrett, D. Sheehan, P. Andrews

Week ended - 19th Aug 2007

City/SE Minor B Football League - 16/8
Delaneys 3-4, Shamrocks 5-7
Shamrocks minors? footballers completed their league campaign with a fine win away to Delaneys on Thursday night. Shamrocks played against a strong wind in the first half and after a very intense first 15 minutes they trailed by 2 points to one. However the game was once again turned on its head in a blistering 5-minute spell in which Shamrocks scored 3 great goals. The first arrived from Philip Brady and when his brother Joey billowed the net 30 seconds later Shamrocks were in complete control. Mike O?Neill added another goal and a point before half time to leave it 3-2 to 0-3 in favour of Shamrocks.
The second half should have been a formality but the loss of Paul Lordan through injury really hampered Shamrocks progress. The lively Cannice Caffrey and Gary O?Donovan knocked over 3 point between them but it wasn?t enough to put the game to bed. Delaneys came storming back and got 3 goals in 10 minutes to leave the score 3-6 to 3-4 with 5 minutes left to play. But all credit to Shamrocks as they put their heads down and drove on in the last 5 minutes and with Darragh O?Sullivan now operating at centre forward, they added 2-1 in the closing few minutes, the goals coming courtesy of Darragh and Mike O?Neill with his second.
On the night Donie Murphy and Jason Browne were the pick of the bunch. Both players had their best games of the year which augers well as Championship is just around the corner. Paul Lordan?s re-introduction in the second half was vital as he stomped out Delaneys dominance in midfield. Upfront Darragh O?Sullivan was full of running and Joey Brady worked his socks off around the square. Shamrocks have finished top of the league and are qualified for the league final at a later date.
Championship is fixed for Monday 20th August at home versus Carrigaline at 7pm. Any support is very welcome.
Team: Daniel Browne, Aaron Hickey, Cormac Horgan, Alan McCarthy, Donie Murphy, Ronan Murphy, Jason Browne, Gary Ronayne, Paul Lordan, Gary O?Donovan (0-1), Philip Brady (1-2), Cannice Caffrey (0-2), Mike O?Neill (2-1), Joey Brady (1-0), Darragh O?Sullivan (1-0).

County Board Draw
The following Shamrocks Mambers each won ?50 in the County Board Draw recently. Patricia Walters, Mary Hayes (Monkstown), James McGrath, Darragh Collins and Michael Twomey. Well done to all.

Junior B Hurling League - 14/8
Shamrocks 1-6, Ballinhassig 3-13
Shamrocks concluded their hurling season with a reasonable performance against Ballinhassig on Tuesday night in condidtion more akin to March than August. The Junior B's played all their matches this year wand while they didnt win any games, the main aim of the selectors of having a bit of craic and providing games for players in the club who wouldnt normally play was attained. The first half, in which Shamrocks played down the hill, was even enough. Ballinhassig seemed to be getting their scores a bit easier than Shamrocks and got in for 3 goals. Fordy flicked home a goal at the other end and Gary Ronayne and Ciaran Fitzpatrick with a first time strike were the Shamrocks point scorers. Half time 3-4 to 1-5 for the visitors. Ballinhassigs fitness and greater hurling ability told in the second half as they pulled away comfortably with a succession of points. Patrick Andrews got shamrocks lone reply. On the night Eoin Kiely was excellent in his new position of centre back, minor Ronan Murphy was outstanding in the corner back position while Jason Browne, Ciaran Fitz, Cruncher Cummins and Gary Ronayne had their moments. With a bit more dedication and training, some of the younger players can come on form this and next year the Junior B's can make more positive statements again in this competition.

Week ended - 12th Aug 2007

Under 14 Football Championship - 7/8
Shamrocks bowed out at the first hurdle of the under 14 football championship. Playing in the top grade this year just proved to be a bridge too far for some of these guys but hopefully the experience gained will help them in their developement as players down the line. Sliabh Rua won this game in the first half after which they led 5-6 to 0-1, having played with the breeze and sun advantage. The Shamrocks players tried hard throughout but couldnt match their much bigger opponents. The second half (not for the first time this year) brought about a big improvement from the Shamrocks lads in fairness. Cathal Kidney, young Aongus Boland and Jonathan Lynch played great stuff down into the bottom goal. Alan Dunne registered the Shamrocks goal. We'd like to thank the mentors who put in an effort throughout the year with this age group. Michael Kidney, John Jordan, Jim Ronayne, Partick Andrews and Barry Mulqueen along with John Socket and Sean Horgan who helped out when mentors were unavailable. Your help is very much appreciated lads.

City/SE Minor B Football League - 9/8
Whites Cross 1-6, Shamrocks 4-17
Shamrocks kept their good run in the minor football League going with a comprehensive win over Whites Cross in Whitechurch on Thursday night. 4-17 is some scoring against any opposition and surely Philip Brady set some kind of Shamrocks record by scoring 2-9, 2-7 from play. Shamrocks led 1-7 to 1-2 ta half time but really turned on teh style in the second half. Darragh O'Sullivan scored the other two Shamrocks goals. They play Delaneys away on Thursday night and if they win they qualify for the knock out stages of the league

Junior B Hurling League - 7/8
Shamrocks 1-6, Crosshaven 6-14
A bad first half from the home side and some great scores form Crosshaven set up this one sided affair in Shanbally on Tuesday night. Shamrocks conceded 2 goals in a minute early on followed by another not long after and the game was over as a contest by half time. Gary Ronayne was the best Shamrocks player in that half and he also had their only score, 3-7 to 0-1 at half time. With nothing to play for but pride Shamrocks were far more competitive after the break after a few switches. Patrick Andrews, fresh off the jumbo jet from California scored a beauty of a goal when introduced and Shamrocks had other good performances from Fergus O'Neill, Ronan Murphy, Cathal Fitzpatrick, Kevin O'Mahony and Darren Roche when he went out the field. Crosshaven finished with 3 quick goals to close out proceedings. Team: C.O'Neill, C. Fitzpatrick, I.Cummins, R. Murphy, K. O'Mahony, F. O'Neill, A. Geary, D. Murphy, G. Ronayne, C. Ronayne, C. Fitzpatrick, E. Kiely, K. Coveney, D. Roche, D. O'Neill. Subs used P. Andrews, I. Murphy

Week ended - 22th Jul 2007

Underage News

U-12 Hurling. We have started playing games again in this grade. On Monday night 16th July we entertained a very strong Douglas team who ran out very easy winners against us. The difference here between Shamrocks and Douglas was clear to see. We are totally out of our depth in the high grade which was highlighted by us at the start of the season. We can only keep going and try to do our best.

U-14 Hurling S/E Final. This game was played in Brinny last Tuesday evening against Ballygarvan. Both teams were short a number of players due to the holiday season. Ballygarvan started strong and were 2 goals up inside the opening 10 minutes. Shamrocks got back into the game with some fine points from Cathal Kidney and a Damien Kelleher goal left only a point between the sides at half time. At the start of the second half the sliothar was camped in the Ballygarvan half but we could only manage to score 2 points. With 15 minutes to go Ballygarvan scored a goal from a 20 meter free and soon followed up with 2 points to leave some daylight between the sides. Another Ballygarvan goal in injury time meant that they were crowned champions. It was truly a great effort by our lads in the past month. Special thanks must go to Jim Ronayne, Barry Mulqueen and the manager Michael Kidney for the Trojan work that they put in with this team.

U-16 Hurling. We played Sliabh Rua in Shanbally the night after the U-14 hurling final. We could only field 12 players again due to holidays. The difference in class here was all too evident from a very early stage. Slaibh Rua gave an exhibition of hurling at this age group. All over the pitch our players were struggling to keep up with the opposition. We were well beaten by the time the ref blew the final whistle. It was good to see Shane Horgan back playing in goal after a long lay off. Aaron Hickey, Johnny Tuohy, Alan McCarthy & Cathal Kidney were our best players on the night.

Junior Hurling Championship - 15/7
Shamrocks and Ballymartle must do it all again after this draw, in front of a good attendence at Carrigaline on Sunday last. The game was played at adecent apace from start to finish and there were some excellent scores from both sides. Ballymartle started the game very strongly, they had forceful players around midfield and their hurling was very sharp. Shamrocks were doing well to stay in touch at this stage. Shamrocks got just the tonic they needed midway through the half when a long delivery from defence was expertly broken down by full forward Peter Prout and quickest to react was "veteran" corner forward Darragh Collins who slammmed the ball home with a ground stroke for a great goal. Ballymartle however reacted very well and finished the half strongly to go in leading by 2 points 0-10 to 1-5. The second half was a ding dong affair played at a great tempo. Again Balllymrtle were quick out of the blocks and they surged into a 4 point lead. It was at this point that Shamrocks began to play their best hurling. The defence started to get on top en mass and the likkes of Barry Mulqueen, Todds and Steven O'Neill from placed balls started to have more of an influence. Shamrocks managed to drag thmselves into a 2 point lead with time running out. However two more frees by Ballymartles excellent free taker meant that the score read, 0-17 to 1-14 and the sides must resume the battle on Sunday next at 7pm at the same venue.
Impressive on the day for Shamrocks were Mike O'Neill in goal and the two Collins' Senan and Darragh.
Team: M.O'Neill, M.Prout, C.Brady, S.Andrews, O.Boland, B.Sweeney(0-1), S.O'Reilly, B.Mulqueen(0-3), j.Shanahan, S.O'Neill(0-7), S.Collins(0-1), C.O'Sullivan(0-1), D.Bourke, P.Prout, D.Collins(1-1)

Week ended - 15th Jul 2007

Underage News
U-10 hurling. This will recommence this weekend. Players will be notified when the games will be played.

U-12 hurling. This will also recommence this week with games to be picked up against Courseys & Carrigaline. We are at home to Douglas 1 next Monday 16th July

U14 Hurling. We played 2 championship games last week in 3 days. First up was Crosshaven in Shanbally. Both teams struggled to field 15 players due to holidays. The game was played in a very sporting fashion and resulted in a win for us. Both goalkeepers were outstanding with Tony O'Mahony for us and Daniel Crowley for Crosshaven. The scoreline would have been a lot more only for some excellent saves. Conor Walters, Aonghus Boland & Jack Breen from our U-11 team were excellent on the night. This win put us through to the semi-final where we were up against a very talented Kinsale side in Kinsale last Friday night. Both teams played good hurling in the first half and there was only a point in it at half time, with Shamrocks leading by 4pts to 3pts. An early goal in the second half settled us down again and we followed up with some fine points to put us 5 points to the good with time running out. Kinsale rallied and scored a goal and a point without reply to leave just a point in it. They soon drew level with a free and the game was now in injury time. A point from Roy Twomey had us back in front and then from the resulting puck out that we won, the sliothar found its way to Damien Kelleher won hit the back of the net. Another point from Damien straight away made sure that we were through to the final against Ballygarvan. All players played out of their skins. Again special praise must go to the U-11s who are helping us to field a team and also to the outstanding Cathal Kidney who stood out head and shoulders over every other player on the pitch.

Junior Games
There were two Junior matches played in the past week. On Tuesday last the junior b hurlers faced up to Ballygarvan in the league. Shamrocks lined out with some players iin unfamiliar positions in an experimental line up ahead of their forthcoming championship game. It was a close and hard fought game but Ballygarvan were able to grab a crucial goal midway through the second half that Shamrocks couldnt peg back. Impressive on the night for Shamrocks were Alan Geary and Kevin O'Mahony in the backs an dfurther forward Gary Ronayne and Peter Prout showed up well. On Thursday evening it was the turn of the junior A hurlers against Valley Rovers in the league. On a night more reminiscent of February, Shamrocks were well on top from start to finish and ran out comfortable winners in the end. Oisin Boland did well at centre back and David Bourke looked very sharp up front helping himself to 2-3.

Week ended - 8th Jul 2007

Under 10 Hurling v Carrigaline
Another hard and fair game last Tuesday night against Carrigaline showed more improvement by our lads. Shamrocks started well and should have had the first score only to be denied by Carrigs keeper who had a good game .Again Darragh Scriven was doing a lot of overtime. A Carrigaline goal came against the run of play , and then it was Carrigs turn to hit form. A well taken point was followed by a goal for the home side. Shamrocks did'nt fade and finished the half the stronger. Patrick Murphy and Sean Kidney getting more involved. Strong words at half time were heeded and Shamrocks game now showed more promise . A lovely point by Andrew O Grady and a goal by Darragh put Shamrocks back in it. Carrigaline got another goal as Shamrocks pushed forward and got caught. With only minutes left, Killian Murphy with the aid of his boot hit the Carrig net to put only four points in it. Time was against the greens and they were the more hungrier now but Carrigaline had more hurling in them on the night..Final score was Carrigaline 3-2 Shamrocks 2-1.

Other underage news
U-12 hurling is recommencing next Mon 9th July with an away match Vs. Carrigaline at 7PM.
U-14 hurling. We have a championship match this Wed 4th July Vs Crosshaven. Details will be sent to the players
Congratulations to Cathal Kidney who made the Carrigdoun U-14 panel for the recent U-14 hurling inter divisional Championship. They were beaten in the semi-final after having 2 great wins earlier in the week.
U-16 hurling.
Our first league game is on next Mon 9th July in Kinsale at 7PM.
Congratulations to Cannice Caffrey & Darragh O'Sullivan who are on the Carrigdoun U15 football team. They defeated a very strong Duhallow team last Friday night. Also congrats to Aaron Hickey & Alan McCarthy who are on the Carrigdoun U-16 football panel. Training is ongoing with matches ready to start.

Junior Games
Quiet enough week again on the junior fixture front. The hurlers are continuing their preperation for their championship clash with Ballymartle, with a league fixture against Valley Rovers at Shanbally on Thursday next, throw in is at 8pm.

Week ended - 1st Jul 2007

Under 14 Hurling
U-14 hurling championship vs. Crosshaven is pencilled in for Wed 4th July in Shanbally. Training is ongoing twice a week.
We would also like to congratulate Cathal Kidney in making the Carrigdoun U-14 hurling panel. The played two matches last weekend, winning both games. They are now playing again this Thursday and a win here will see them through to the premier county next Saturday.

Under 10 Hurling - 22/6
U-10 hurling @ away to Ballygarvan. This game was played in Ballygarvan last Friday evening. This was a much improved performance compared to our first game. Some excellent defending throughout the game kept the score down to a 5 point defeat. This team will benefit from the games that they are playing and no doubt will get their just rewards in the near future. Special thanks must go to Dick Andrews & our referee Sid Kidney who kept the game flowing and also looked after the team. Thanks also to the parents who once again travelled in numbers to watch the children perform.

Under 12 Hurling
Our U-12 hurlers have no game this week and will be resuming the week starting 9th July. Training is continuing.

Junior Games
A very quiet week on the junior scene with just one game to report. A severley understrength Shamrocks side were beaten by Kinsale on Thursday last in very soft conditions at Shanbally. Shamrocks led for most of the game with first half goals from Senan Collins and Joeseph Shanahan keeping them ahead. In the second half howecer, Shamrocks never got going and a late flurry of Kinsale scores meant they ran out winners on a scoreline of 1-12 to 2-7. On a positive note it was good to see the return of Tadgh Forde in the green jersey for the first time since his recent return from Austrailia.

Retirement
We would like to wish a very happy retirement to the principle of Ringaskiddy Lower Harbour National School, Mrs. Mary McAleese. Our President Mr. Donal Brady presented Mary with a lovely crystal vase at her retirement mass and function in the school last Friday. The school is a major supporter of our club and the commitment that Mary gave to us during her long reign in charge of the school was deeply appreciated by all concerned

Week ended - 24th Jun 2007

Under 14 Hurling
2 games played. Firstly home to Tracton. This was a very exciting match played by two sporting sides. Shamrocks lead throughout most of the match after goals from A. Boland & Daniel Breen. Some fine free taking from Roy Twomey meant the home team were leading by 5 points coming to the end of the game. Shamrocks tired and allowed Tracton to score two goals to lead by a point. A free in the 3rd minute of injury time for the home side left both teams earning a well deserved point. Final score 2-05 to 2-05.
Secondly against Carrigaline 2. This game resulted in a win for Carrigaline by 4 points. 1-09 to 2-03. After a very poor first half performance Shamrocks made some positional switches for the second period. These moves helped us get back into the game. Tony O' Mahony in goal, along with Cathal Kidney were our best players on the night. With a bigger effort in training and a small bit more commitment on match days then this team can only improve and play the hurling that they are well capable of.

Under 10 Hurling
U-10 hurling @ home to Tracton. Our first hurling match of the season for these lads ended in a defeat to a much stronger Tracton outfit. A lot of effort was put in by the players who kept going to the very end. Some fine displays especially from Darragh Scriven who was our best player by far on the night means that with a bit of training & effort these lads will perform to their ability in the near future.

Under 12 Hurling
U-12 hurling Vs Douglas 2 in Shanbally. This was a very evenly matched game with both sides playing quiet enjoyable hurling. The final result showed Shamrocks winning by 4 points. Shamrocks had some fine displays namely from Conor Walters, Daniel O'Reilly, Gary Hartnett, Mathew Garvey & Jack Breen. The man of the match award must surley go to Aonghus Boland with an outstanding display of heart, skill & shear determination.

Week ended - 17th Jun 2007

John Kerins Memorial - 9/6
This prestigious tournament was played in Brilliant sunshine in Pairc Ui Rinn on Sat 9th June. This competition is getting bigger each year. The support for all teams was unbelievable. Shamrocks qualified for the finals of this by winning the qualifiers that were held in Shanbally in early May. There we beat our near neighbours Passage, also a talented Ballypheane team and a very sporting Ballygarvan side.
The semi-final of the county section saw us drawn against Whitechurch. The game started very well for Shamrocks and after 2 early goals from Brian Coffin and points from Jack Breen and Aonghus Boland saw us lead at half time by 2-02 to 0-01. Whitechurch came back at us early in the second period and after scoring a goal and a point the lead was now down to a mere kick of a ball. A goal from Darragh Scriven settled the team down again and 2 more points saw us hang on to earn a place in the final for the third consecutive year.
In the final we were up against our old friends from Donoghomore. We again started very well and goals from Aonghus Boland and Brian Coffin saw us into an early lead. Donoghomore came storming back at us and they also scored two goals to leave the sides level at half time 2-02 each. A Jack Breen goal and three excellent points in the second period proved to be the difference between the two teams. A late Donoghomore goal left just 2 points in it as we approached the final whistle. The last two minutes were played in an unbelievable tense finale. When the whistle blew the scenes that greeted that whistle will live in the memory for the children for many a long day. We are not in a position to single out any players who played well as every player played their hearts out for the team. I would like to thank also the subs who played their part on the day and also in the earlier rounds. Their day will come in the not too distant future. They were a credit to the large number of supporters that we had on the day. Special thanks must go to the parents and teachers for making this group a pleasure to work with.
On the day we had a panel of 23 players and each one received their winner?s medal from the wife of the late John Kerins. Special praise must go to Ian Breen, Pat Cusack, Oisin Boland, John Jordan & the man himself Dick Andrews who has worked wonders with this group of children. I would also like to thank the Gardai for organizing this tournament in recognition of the late John Kerins who we all remember as one of the great goalkeepers in Cork GAA.
Panel, R. Corkery, K. O? Grady, D. Raleigh, S. Kidney, D, O?Reilly, G. Hartnett, A. Boland, A. O?Sullivan, J. Breen (Capt.), P. Murphy, D. Scriven, B. Coffin, B. Crowley, C. Hayes, A. O? Donavan, C. Corkery, J. Lynam, K. Murphy, J. O? Keefe, M. Hitchmough, A. O? Grady, D. Andrews, S. Kelleher.
Fixtures for the coming week.

Week ended - 10th Jun 2007

Junior Hurling Championship - 4/6
Shamrocks 0-15, Tracton 0-10
Shamrocks adavanced to the quarter final of the junior hurling championship with a hard fought but well deserved victory over tracton on monday last. In perfect conditions shamrocks began very brightly and put over some nice scores with Senan Collins very effective at centre forward early on. Shamrocks proceeded to play without doubt their best hurling of the year for the remainder of the half but they couldnt convert their dominance into scores and Tracton were able to stay in touch mainly through frees. At the short whistle shamrocks held a two point advantage on a scoreline of 0-8 to 0-6. The second half was a very tense affair as Tracton had their best period of play and drew level on 0-9 apiece. It was at this stage though that shamrocks upped a gear with Joe Shanahan doing an amount of work around midfield, Darragh Collins and Stevie o'Neill coming more into the game and todds producing an incredible score from way out the field, Shamrocks began to pull away. Tracton Though always carried the threat of a goal but the Shamrocks defence held firm and held on for a five point victory on a scoreline of 0-15 to 0-10. Team: M.O'Neill, M.Prout, C.Brady, S.Andrews, S.O'Reilly, B.Sweeney, O.Boland, J.Shanahan, B.Mulqueen, S.O'Neill, S.Collins, D.Bourke, D.Collins, O.Kiely, C.O'Sullivan sub: S.Bourke.

Week ended - 3rd Jun 2007

Shamrocks Hurling and Football Academy
The Academy has finished with a fanfare. Over 60 kids who participated all year came to our last event ( in the rain) of the year, a march through the village complete with bagpiper on Saturday morning. Afterwards, along with the obligotary training etc for the kids by the many coaches who turned up involuntary, the kids and parents were treated to a party by the club. We hope to see everyone back in September again plus more besides. Speakers on the morning included the 2 John Twomeys and underage club President Donal Brady who were loud in their praise of the venture, its first year. www.shamrocksgaa.com would like to thank most sincerely, without naming names (because a few who gave 10's of hours to the Academy this year do really deserve this but are too modest to admit) everyone who contributed to this venture this year, from the players to the parents to the committe behind the scenes to the two club committes to the girls in the kitchen to the junior players who coached every Saturday and Friday night to everyone at all who contributed in any small way to one of the most invinitive projects in underage Shamrocks history. Tᠳ?gainn go bhfeicimid sibh san fhomhair bheag seo ar��.

Under 14 Hurling - 1/6
Kinsale 1-5, Shamrocks 2-5
It must have been the fact that they got their summer holidays that day or something but Shamrocks put in their best performance of the year with a great victory over Kinsale in Kinsale on Friday night. This was a reat win for the players and mentors who have had to put up with a lot of hardship so far this year and hopefully this win will inspire them to greater things later on. Daniel Galvin was the Shamrocks MoM as he brought off some superb saves in goal and really was the matchwinner for the greens. Cathal Kidney, David Barton, Jack Breen and Daniel Breen were others to shine for Shamrocks in a physical game of ball while Tony O'Mahony up front got a goal inside the first few minutes. Well done to all

Week ended - 27th May 2007

Junior A Football Championship - 25/5
Shamrocks 2-12, Ballymartle 2-8
Shamrocks A team finally got a much needed victory that they so desperately sought with a hard fought win over Ballymartle on Friday night at Carrigaline. Shamrocks played with the breeze and sun in the first half and despite an early Ballymartle point, went on to dominate the rest of the half. Stephen O'Neill had the ball in the back of the Bally net after 2 mins after Mickey Prout's surge forward while a neatly worked second after 16 from Seanan Collins, after a Bally defensive mistake, had Shamrocks firmly in the driving seat, 2-4 to 0-2. Stephen O'Neill tormented the Ballymartle defence all night and he was the point scorer in chief, assisted by Todds Sweeney and Nickey Hayes in the first period. Half time 2-7 to 0-3 for the greens. The deficit was maintained for the first 15 minutes of the second half as possession was more or less shared, while the Shamrocks backs were coping well with the direct long ball Ballymartle were employing. However, a tiredness at midfeild let Ballymartle in for 3 quick points followed by an own goal from a Shamrocks defender and they were back in it 2-9 to 1-6. Shamrocks kept Ballymartle at that 6/7 point gap until a minute into injury time when Ballymartle scored a goal after a sustained period of pressure. But Shamrocks held on as time ran out. Shamrocks will have to improve their fitness bigtime to make any impact later on as in most of their matches this year, they have finished second best. Team: Fergus O'Neill, Kieran Hegarty, Peter Prout, Senan Andrews, Mickey Prout, Karl Griffin, Colin Brady, Stephen O'Reilly, Nicky Hayes, Oisin Boland, Brian Sweeney, Cian Ronayne, Tomas Barrett, Seanan Collins, Stephen O'Reilly. Subs used Joseph Shanahan, Dave Bourke. Shamrocks next play Belgooly in the quarter final on a later date

Under 14 Hurling - 24/5
Shamrocks 1-4, Ballygarvan 8-14
Yet another anniliation for the under 14's, this time in the bottom grade hurling league. This is a disasterous result for hurling in the club. Too many players hadnt a clue what to do out on the field with a camᮠand sliotar and Ballygarvan did as they pleased. The talent is just not there in sufficent numbers. For the record, Tony O'Mahony and Roy Twomey were on the scoreboard for Shamrocks while Cathal Kidney and Daniel Breen tried their heart out.

U14 Football League - 22/5
Shamrocks 3-7, Sliabh Rua 6-9
Shamrocks left their best display until the last game of the season against Slaibh Rua on the bottom pitch in Shanbally last Tuesday. Sliabh Rua started much the better and had 2 goals inside 10 minutes. However, Shamrocks made a few positional switches and it seemed to work as they came more into it. Damien Kelleher stabbed home a goal while Stephen Healy flaked over a few points. Sliabh Rua tagged on a few more points to lead 3-5 to 1-3 at half time. Shamrocks played up the hill in the second half and played their best football of the year. They brought the defecit down to a goal with 10 minutes left with goals from Cathal Kidney and Tony O'Mahony and some excellent performances from Cal O'Mahony in goal, the aforementioned Kidney, Daniel Breen and Matthew Garvey and sub Jonathan Lynch. However, Slaibh Rua started as they finished with a couple of goals to wrap things up. A difficult under 14 football season which had numerous player shortages came to an end for now (Shampionship later on in the summer). Team: C. O'Mahony, D. Barton, D. Galvin, D. Sheehan, J. Raleigh, D. Breen, R. Twomey, C. Kidney, A. Dunne, M. Garvey, D. Barry, T. O'Mahony, D. Kelleher, S. Healy, F. Boland. Subs used - J. Lynch, J. Hanlon, D. Hayes

Non Exam Football League - 22/5
Clondrohid 4-18, Shamrocks 1-6
Shamrocks Minors were hammered out the gate out in Clondrohid on Tuesday night. My sources at the game indicate that Shamrocks were only behind 0-7 to 0-2 at half time but that they got overrun completely in the second half. And that nobody played well. Nobody!

SE Junior B Football League - 22/5
Shamrocks 0-4, Crosshaven 3-8
This has to go down as one of the most inept Shamrocks performances of recent memory. Crosshaven won by 13 points in the end - it should have been nearer 30 in reality. The home teams showed a complete lack of football, training, know how on the ball, spirit, effort and obviously scores on the board. The visitors to Shanbally on Tuesday night won pulling up and were miles ahead of the Shamrocks team. Crosshaven had the game won before half time, 2-4 to nothing. The Shamrocks defence were coming under severe pressure as Shamrocks couldnt even get the ball out of their own half. Things improved a bit in the second half but Crosshaven were always too strong for the Shamrocks lads. Pitiful. Patrick Andrews was the top scorer for Shamrocks after coming on as a sub in the second half - and thats saying something!

Week ended - 20th May 2007

Non Exan Minor Football League - 15/5
Shamrocks 4-9, Clyda Rovers 2-16
The visitors to Shanbally on Tuesday night just about made the trip worthwhile by sneaking a last minute win over unlucky Shamrocks. Again a very open game of football could have gone either way and Shamrocks could say that they threw this one away. The first half saw Darragh O'Sullivan operating at centre forward dominate the first 20 minutes, registering a personal tally of 2-2. However, as was the case the previous week, Shamrocks lost concentration and allowed their opponents back into the game. The half time score was 1-11 to 2-4 for Clyda. Darragh O'sullivan slotted home a penalty to complete his hatrick with 10 minutes left and put Shamrocks a point up but Clyda went up the field and scored 2 points. Shamrocks came down the field and scored a great goal through Brian Cusack but Clyda straight back up the field won their own penalty and slotted it under Tomas Pierce to register a close win. So Shamrocks wait for their first victory goes on

Week ended - 13th May 2007

Junior A Hurling Championship
Carrigaline 1-13, Shamrocks 0-13
Carrigaline condemed Shamrocks to the hurling back door with a goal victory after a pulsating hours hurling on Saturday night in Ballygarvan. Carrigaline have now recorded a championship double over a hapless Shamrocks. This replay was no different from the first game - tight and hotly contested all the way. Both teams shot over some excellent early scores - the Shamrocks ones coming from Mickey Prout, Stevie O'Neill, Gary Ronayne with two and Colin O'Sullivan from frees. The half time score was 0-6 each and all was to play for in the second half. Again, the teams were deadlocked together at 0-9 each when Carrigaline were awarded a penalty and the Carrigaline keeper made his trek upfield worthwhile by whipping home a bullet of a ground shot after he'd fluffed the pick up. Shamrocks were now facing an uphill battle and despite a few scores from Darragh collins and Seanan Collins, they never threatened that all elusive goal. Shamrocks now play the losers of Tracton/Ballymartle later on. Team: M.O'Neill, S. Andrews, P. Prout, S. O'Reilly, O. Boland, S. Collins, C. Brady, G. Ronayne, B. Sweeney, S. O'Neill, D. Collins, M. Prout, C. O'Sullivan, B. Mulqueen, D. Bourke

Under 14 B Football - 11/5
Shamrocks 1-5, Bandon 6-14
Bandon trounced Shamrocks in the football league last Friday night. When you play regular football together (Bandon) against a team who only have a maximum of 10 training at any one time and lack committment in general from many players (Shamrocks), you are going to get scorelines like this. Shamrocks were destroyed in the first 20 minutes as Bandon did as they pleased, waltzed through for scores at will and were given 23 Shamrocks passes into their hands (I counted!). 3-5 to 0-0 against the wind and the game was over on the scoreboard. To be fair to the Shamrocks lads, they played well and competed for the rest of the game against much bigger Bandon players. Stephen Healy had his best game of the year and was a real leader on the field (scored 1-2). Cathal Kidney and Daniel Breen tried their hearts out as did Josh Hanlon and David Barton. Declan Sheehan had a good enough game at full back for a fella who had no training done. Half time 3-7 to 0-3. Bandon played with the strong wind in the second half but despite putting up a further 3-7, they were at least made to work hard for these scores. The Shamrocks team competed much better and can be reasonably proud of their committment in that 30 minutes. Team: J. Lynch, D. Galvin, D. Sheehan, D. Barton, J. Raleigh, D. Breen, J. O'Driscoll, A. Dunne, C. Kidney, R. Twomey, S. Healy, J. Hanlon, C. O'Sullivan, T. O'Mahony, D. Kelleher. Subs used - L. Fidgeon, M. Garvey, M. Howard

Junior B Hurling League - 9/5
Ballymartle 1-15, Shamrocks 1-10
Shamrocks put up a brave display before sucumbing to Ballymartles greater cuteness with ball and hurling ability at Riverstick on Wednesday night. While short a few regulars, the 13 players on duty (this is a 13 a side competition) did not let themselves down and maybe with a bit more scoring power up front would have rattled the scoreboard more. Darragh Collins did most of the Shamrocks scoring, bagging 1-7 and was a class apart up front. But this is where one problem lay - he was being relied upon too much. At the other end Patrick Andrews was clearing a world of ball all over the place. He was ably assisted by the younger players Fergus O'Neill, Rob hourihane and Donie Murphy who demonstrated what could be done if more hurling was played in the club. This was their second match and their performances were way above the first one. Alan Geary found the transition from full forward to half back an easy one. Nicky Hayes (another who will improve with hurling) hit a nice first half point as did Cian O'Neill. It was a good game with Ballymartle getting a vital goal just on half time to lead 1-6 ti 0-8 to turn to play with the wind. But Shamrocks stuck with them right up to the very end. Team: D. O'Neill, F. O'Neill, R. Hourihane, A. Geary, P. Andrews, D. Murphy, N. Hayes, C. Fitzpatrick, K. Hennerty, D. Collins, E. O'Rahilly, K. Coveney, C. O'Neill

Under 10 Football - 8/5
Shamrocks 7-3, Carrigaline 2-3
Shamrocks kept their promising season going by beating Carrigalines second team comfortably at Shanbally on Tuesday night. Dick Andrews was proud of each and every one of his players afterwards and both Shamrocks and indeed the Carrigaline lads contributed to a great game of honest Football. Well done to everyone who played.

Non Exam Minor Football League - 8/5
Shamrocks 2-8, Bishopstown 4-9
Shamrocks have entered a team in the 12 a side County wide Non Examinations Football League and drew Bishopstown in their first game on Tuesday night. This was played straight after the above mentioned under 10 game and in fairness the quality didnt drop. (Both teams decided to play 15 a side). The fare was honest, fair and tough and some very open passages of play were registered by both sides, resulting in some fine scores. The game was actually quite even throughout except for one 7 minute spell just after half time when Bishopstown stretched 4-7 to 1-6 ahead after the teams were level 1-6 apice at half time. The first half was open and fast as Darragh O'Sullivan scored the Shamrocks goal along with Mickey O'Neill and Brian cusacks points. But that lapse after half time effectively cost the home team the game as Bishopstown scored 3-1. Shamrocks couldnt get the ball outside their own 45 in that time and the problems stemmed from the kickouts. However, some positional switches on the home side worked and they dominated the last 13 minutes but couldnt break down the visitors defence despite Mickey O'Neill grabbing 1-1.
Team: T. Pierce, J. Tuohy, S. Hurley, D. Murphy, I. Humphreys, A. McCarthy, S. Walters, J. Browne, P. Lordan, B. Cusack, J. Brady, C. Murphy, M. O'Neill, D. Browne, D. O'Sullivan. Subs used - C. Cafferey, S. Downey

Junior A Hurling Championship - 7/5
Carrigaline 1-12, Shamrocks 1-12
Shamrocks and Carrigaline battled away for an hour at Ballygarvan on Monday afternoon last and after a pulsating encounter, Shamrocks will probably be more relieved that they get a second bite of the cherry (provisionally fixed for this coming Saturday night in Ballygarvan again). They were behind for 90% of the match and for that reason alone they wil be very grateful to Stevie O'Neill who curled over a wonderful sideline ball with the second last puck of the game to level it up. Carrigaline played with the aid of the very strong breeze in the first half and were faster to settle and put over some long range points early on to open up an early 3 point lead. Colin O'Sullivan was the only Shamrocks player to pose an early scoring threat and he kept Shamrocks within touching distance of Carrigaline. Carrig had moved into a commanding 0-8 to 0-3 lead with 20 minutes gone but Shamrocks and in particular Brian Sweeney came more into the game in the lead up to the half time whistle. Todds scored one before half time to leave the score 0-9 to 0-6 in favour of Carrigaline at the short whistle. He added another straight after the break but Carrigaline stymied the Shamrocks momentum with a vital goal of their own at the other end and they looked good for victory at 1-9 to 0-7. But Shamrocks put the head down and scored 1-2 without reply from O'Sullivan (major) and Sweeney (minors x2). The game was in the melting pot again. Carrigaline responded to go 1-12 to 1-10 ahead with time almost up but Mickey Prout and that O'Neill special earned Shamrocks a somewhat lucky draw
Shamrocks team: M. O'Neill, S. Andrews, P. Prout, S. O'Reilly, B. Sweeney, S. Collins, C. Brady, G. Ronayne, O. Boland, D. Bourke, E. Kiely, S. O'Neill, J. Browne, C. O'Sullivan, M. Prout. Sub used - K. Hennerty

Week ended - 6th May 2007

Under 12 Football - 3/5
Carrigaline 1 beat Shamrocks by one point in the league last thursday night. Report will be posted if made available. This all means that Shamrocks have qualified for the semi-finals (of the second tier competition) verses Courcey Rovers. This game wil be played on Bank Holiday Monday away in Ballinspittle at 7pm

Junior B Hurling League - 3/5
Tracton 1-13, Shamrocks 2-6
Shamrocks are late getting their hurling season underway but the performances have slowly but surely been getting better with each performance and this game was no different. Although on the end of a 4 point defeat to Tracton at sunny Minane on Thursday night, Shamrocks contributed to a good game of hurling. Tracton were first on teh ecoreboard but Dave Bourke at the other end pounced on a loose Tracton ball to slap home goal number 1. Shamrocks actually had more posession in the first half with the backs playing well but tracton were more economical with theirs. They led at the break 1-6 to 1-3. Tracton began to dominate early on and added more points to their total. Shamrocks were finding it hard in the forward division and when tracton had gone 1-12 to 1-3 ahead with 10 minutes left they looked on cource for a comfortable victory. But the Bomber, Ken Coveney announced his comeback with a typical opportunist 'back flick' goal and Oisin Boland slapped over a few frees to put a more respectable look on the scoreline.
Team: M. O'Neill, P. Andrews, C. Brady, R. Hourihane, T. Barrett, O. Boland, J. Browne, C. Fitzpatrick, C. O'Neill, D. Collins, K. Hennerty, K. Coveney, A. Geary, E. O'Rahilly. Sub used- D. Murphy

Week ended - 29th April 2007

John Kerins Memorial (under 11 Football) - 28/4
Shamrocks hosted Ballygarvan, Ballyphehane and Passage in the Track on a lovely Saturday morning last. Each team played each other once in 12 a side, 12 minutes a half games. Shamrocks beat Passage in the first game by 4 points after a hard fought game. Next up was Ballyphehane and a 5-2 to 3-2 win for Shamrocks meant that they qualified for the finals which are being held in Pᩲc Ui Rinn on Saturday,June 9th. The 5-7 to 0-0 win over Ballygarvan in the last game meant that Shamrocks finished top of the group. Well done to everyone who organised the event on Saturday morning, in particular Socket, Sean Horgan, Trish Horgan and Evanna O'Keeffe. Also to the managers Ian Breen and Dick Andrews who coached the team to victory. The following were the players used - Ronan Corkery, Koby O'Grady, Aonghus Boland, Sean Kidney, Brian Coffin, Jack Breen, Jack Howard, David Raleigh, Patrick Murphy, Dave Andrews, Mark Hitchmough, Darragh Scriven, Christopher Hayes, Brendan Crowley, Eoin Horgan, Joseph O'Keeffe and David Murphy. We wish Brendan Crowley a speedy recovery from his hand injury which meant he had to go to hospital during the first game.

Junior A Hurling League - 28/4
Ballinhassig 2-15, Shamrocks 0-9
Shamrocks played only their second match of the year on Saturday night and similar to the Ballymartle game during the week, played very well for 40 minutes before lack of hurling and Ballinhassigs greater strength in depth and fitness on the night came through. Short a number of players due to various reasons, Shamrocks turned in a reasonable first half display, being behind 0-6 to 0-5 at half time and within sight of a moral boosting victory. Darragh Collins and Mickey Prout scored the Shamrocks points, but some wayward shooting, in particular to the right of the posts where there seemed to be a magnet attracting most Shamrocks shots, cost them ultimetly in the end. The second half saw Ballinhassig gradually get on top and they ground out a deserved win in the end. Training continues this Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7pm in preperation for the first round of the championship next Monday V Carrigaline in Ballygarvan at 3.30pm. Team: B. Sweeney, P. Andrews, P. Prout, C, Brady, S. Andrews, S. Collins, O. Boland, S. O'Reilly, M. Prout, G. Ronayne, D. Collins, D. Bourke, C. O'Sullivan, D. Roche, D. O'Neill

Under 12 Football League - 25/4
Shamrocks made the trip to Kinsale on Thursday night and were very unlucky to come away with a 2 point defeat. More to follow here when report available. They also lost Monday night but bounced back on Wednesday night when they won against Ballinhassig. Again if and when report available, I will post it

Under 10 Football League - 25/4 and 27/4
Along with the above mentioned under 12 game and the below mention junior hurling game, this game was played in Shanbally on Wedneday night making for a very busy night for the home teams. The underage success continued as the under 10's, in only their second ever match, scored a goal with the last kick of the game from Darragh Scriven to beat Ballygarvan by a single point. This was no more than Shamrocks deserved as they fought back valiantly from being a goal down at half time, 3-2 to 2-2. Shamrocks had many hero's on the night but credit must go to everyone involved including Dick Andrews and Sean Horgan on the line and to the many parents who came up and supported. Then on Friday they made the journey to Crosshaven and lost out by a point on a scoreline of 2-8 to 4-1. Tjhe following were the players to feature verses Crosshaven. Mark Hitchmough, Andrew O'Grady, Alex Walsh, Crost󩲠Corkery, Koby O'Grady, David Andrews, Killian Murphy, Ronan Corkery, Joseph O'Keeffe, Eoin Horgan, Sean Kidney, Richard Carroll, Cormac Scriven, Brendan Crowley, Darragh Scriven, James Lynam, Christopher Hayes, David O'Sullivan, James Barrett, David Barry and Adam O'Donovan.

Junior A Hurling League - 25/4
Shamrocks 1-5, Ballymartle 3-15
Shamrocks went into this first hurling game without a lot of things. They had no previous hurling done, either a match or even a training session. They had no manager to organise things and even pick a team. They were down a few players. So basically they started from the lowest possible point. And they scraped a team together at the last minute. Therefore, the above result was no surprise then. Ballymartle had been well prepared in the art of playing hurling up to this game and it showed, but only in the final 20 minutes when they pulled right away. A makeshift Shamrocks turned in a spirited and encouraging performance for 40 minutes of this game when they were led by only 4 points. Senan Andrews, Oisin Boland with points and a Darragh Collins goal had left the half time score 1-5 to 1-2 in favour of Ballymartle. But the concession of some soft goals and the lack of hurling and direction from the line proved too much as the Ballymartle half back line and midfield lorded the rest of the game to run out convincing winners. The championship is on on Monday week and it will take a miracle from Shamrocks to be even competitive in this one. Right now, the hurling is in a shambles. Team: Todds, P. Andrews, C.Brady, D.O'Neill, S.Andrews, S. Collins, F. O'Neill, O. Boland, G. Ronayne, E. Kiely, E. O'Rahilly, S. O'Neill, J. Browne, D. Collins, D. Bourke. Sub used - C. O'Sullivan

Junior B Football League - 24/4
Shamrocks 1-7, Carrigaline 3-4
Shamrocks managed to get a team out which did themselves justice alright but ultimetly failed by the odd goal to Carrigaline on Tuesday night. The game was played in thick fog throughout so we'll blame the wayward Shamrocks shooting on that. It was almost a carbon copy of the previous nights A championship display. Shamrocks lost this game in the first 15 minutes - they conceded 2-2 without even realising it in that time. However, midfield came right into it and Shamrocks dominated up to half time to bring the deficit back to only a point at half time, 2-2 to 1-4 (Terence O'Sullivan and Cian O'Neill with the points and Jason Browne with the goal). Shamrocks continued to own the ball in the second half but a tendency to shoot (wide) from 40 metres and some woeful wides from in front of the posts kept Carrigaline in it. When Carrigaline finally got hold of possession with 10 minutes left they added on 1-1 to hold on for the victory. Shamrocks literally kicked this game away and can have only themselves to blame - however, the comittment from the 16 players used was second to none and bodes well for the season ahead. Team: T. Pierce, D. Bourke, D. Hayes, D. O'Neill, S. Bourke, D. Roche, K. Hennerty, T. Conneelly, T. O' Sullivan, J. Browne, D. Stuart, C. O'Neill, A. Sweeney, K. Wills, R. McCarthy. Sub used - P. Andrews. Next game is Junior B Hurling away to Tracton next Tuesday night

Junior A Football Championship - 23/4
Carrigaline 2-7, Shamrocks 1-8
A disappointing result for Shamrocks as they go into the losers group after this narrow defeat to old rivals Carrigaline at a wet and murky Minane Bridge on Monday evening last. The game didnt really spark into life until 15 minutes from the end when SeanᮠCollins pounced on a loose ball in the Carrig area to drill home a ground shot to put a resurgent Shamrocks team in front playing against the breeze. A further point from Stevie O'Neill put a dominant Shamrocks team the dreaded 2 points up. But then came a crucial decision by Shamrocks to try and walk the next ball into the net where a point would have been the sensible option. The ball broke, was carried down the field and Carrigaline scored 2-1 off it over the course of the next 5 minutes, the first a fisted effort after the ball came off Fergus O'Neill in the Shamrocks goal and the second a penalty expertly dispached to the back of the Shamrocks net. With the game slipping away Shamrocks mounted one last effort and Collins and Gary Ronayne (who made a huge difference when introduced as did Philip Brady) pegged it back to 2 points. But the elusive goal wouldnt arrive and that was it. Shamrocks had played with the aid of the breeze in the first half and found it very hard to get the motor running. Carrigaline had the advantage of playing 2 championship matches previous to this and it certainly showed as the dominated for long spells into the wind. Shamrocks were over reliant on Stephen O'Neill for scores, particularly in the first half, as they led by 0-4 to 0-3 at the break. It required a massive effort in the second period and things were looking very rosy in the Shamrocks garden until the dark cloud of indecision descended later on to turn the game. Shamrocks now play Ballymartle in the losers group on a date yet to be decided - it wont be for a while yet. Team: F.O'Neill, S.Andrews, P.Prout, C.Brady, O.Boland. K.Griffin, S.O'Reilly, N.Hayes, B.Sweeney, C.Ronayne, S.Collins, M.Prout, T.Barrett, D.Sheehan, S.O'Neill. Subs used - G.Ronayne and P. Brady

Week ended - 22th April 2007

Under 14 B Football League - 20/4 and 22/4
Shamrocks are finding life in the top grade in football very tough indeed as they struggled in two games played in the last week. On Friday night, with 14 players, they played well against Ballinhassig in Ballinhassig up until half time when they were behind 2-5 tgo 1-2, Damien Kelleher with the Shamrocks goal. However, Ballinhassig got 3 goals straight after half time to knock the stuffing out of Shamrocks and that was that. They steamrolled to a 7-8 to 1-4 victory in the end. Cathal Kidney tried his heart out at midfield while Darren Barry made some great runs forward. Shamrocks welcomed Courcey Rovers to Shanbally on Sunday nmorning for a refixed game (AGAIN with 14 players - some fellas just didnt bother showing up). However, unlike the capitulation to Ballinhassig, this was a much better performance by the Shamrocks lads. While they lost on a scoreline of 4-5 to 2-2, the attitude and spirit could not be faulted and the selectors of Patrick Andrews and Jim Ronayne with Sid Kidney helping out expressed themselves happy overall. Shamrocks scored a great early goal through Darren Barry before Courcies came back to register 2 goals and 3 points before half time. The Shamrocks lads battled to the end even after they went further behind and Damien Kelleher again scored a Shamrocks goal to give them hope. But the visitors held on comfortably in the end despite some great performances from James Raleigh, who gave 100%, David Barton, Jonathon Lynch who brought off some good saves, Alan Dunne, Jamie O'Driscoll and Daniel Breen.Players used in both games - Fionn Boland, David Barton, Lorcan Fidgeon, Jamie O'Driscoll, Daniel Breen, Alan Dunne, James Raleigh, Cathal Kidney, Roy Twomey, Darren Barry, Daniel Galvin, Jonathan Lynch, Damien Kelleher, Josh Hanlon, Stephen Healy

Under 12 B Football League - 16/4
Shamrocks 5-2, Douglas 2 2-9
Shamrocks came with a late surge against Douglas 2 in a very exciting game against Douglas second team at Shanbally on Monday evening. Douglas were just about on top in the first half and led by a point at half time. They surged ahead in the early stages of the second half and were on top in most sectors about the field. But some astute positional switches and increased levels of performance from some of the Shamrocks team, in particular the backs saw Shamrocks score 3-2 in a 10 minute spell along with a last minute goal. It was tough on the Douglas lads but they played their heart out as well. Shamrocks were best served by David Raleigh, Jack Breen and O'Sullivan at midfield.

Week ended - 15th April 2007

City/SE Junior B Hurling League - 13/4
St Finbarrs B 3-15, Shamrocks 1-6
Shamrocks suffered a heavy to the Barrs second team last Friday night. The fire and determnination that was evident against Carrigaline the previous weekend was sadly missing this time around. They were comprehensively outhurled by the Barrs second team who had far too much hurling for Shamrocks. Only for Mickey O'Neill in goal, Gary Ronayne, Ronan Murphy and Jason Browne, the defeat could have been of record proportions.

Under 16 Football League - 11/4
This game was played in the second pitch in Shanbally on Wed 11th April. We had a very young team out and they can really hold their heads up as this was a fine performance against a very strong Sliabh Rua side. We had a few players on Easter vacation but the 14 that played did so with great heart & determination. Tony O?Mahony in goal played very well and couldn?t be faulted for any of their scores. Captain Arron Hickey was outstanding at full back along with Alan McCarthy at centre back. The midfield pairing of Joey Brady & Cannice Caffrey had a ding dong battle with their opponents. Cathal Kidney played his best game of the season so far. Darragh O?Sullivan at centre forward and Daniel Brown at full forward were always a danger to the opposition. Sliabh Rua ran out winners by 7 pts. but this didn?t reflect on the closeness of the game as 2 breakaway goals were scored in the last few minutes when we were chasing the game. Special thanks must go to Mark Hickey, Sean Horgan, Pat McCarthy & John Herlihy who have spent a great deal of their time working with this group of lads. Team, T O?Mahony, Johnny Tuohy, A. Hickey, D. Breen, A. Dunne, A. McCarthy, C. Kidney, J. Brady, C. Caffrey, R. Twomey, D.O?Sullivan, D. Murphy, J. Lynch, D. Browne

Under 10 Football League - 11/4
This is a very young team that have started together for the first time in the playing field. This is the first team that has come out of our Academy. There was some mighty performances mainly from Mark Hitchmough, Ronan Corkery, Darragh Scriven, & David Andrews
Tracton led by 2 pts. at half time but were the better team in the second half. It was a joy to behold watching some of these young lads as young as seven playing their first game for the club. The future looks bright and I?ve no doubt that these lads will do their parents, teachers & club proud n the coming season. Special thanks must go to Dick Andrews & Sid Kidney for looking after the U-10s. (They are now known as the Terry Venables, Steve McClaren team, Sid being Venables, unable to get a spoken word in). I would like to wish Brendan Crowley a speedy recovery, hope to see him back wearing the green jersey in the very near future. You were badly missed by your team mates and friends.

Week ended - 8th April 2007

City/SE B Hurling League - 8/4
Carrigaline B 1-16, Shamrocks 3-6
For both teams first game of the season, this was a cracking game of hurling played on Carrig's second field in brilliant sunshine last Sunday morning. Both teams contributed to a great mornings hurling as Carrigaline obvious greater hurling ability was matched by Shamrocks never say die attitude. Shamrocks put up a great display against a strong Carrigaline line up and can take lots of positives from the game. Shamrocks led 2-4 to 0-9 at half time, despite being outplayed for almost the entire first half, Colin Murphy and Philip Brady with the Shamrocks first half goals. Carrigalines forwards were far more skillfull than Shamrocks ones and it told in the end after Shamrocks had contributed to a high class game of ball. Carrig pulled away with 4 points on the trot in the last 5 minutes. Joey Brady scored the second half Shamrocks goal. M.O'Neill, B. Cusack, S. Hurley, J. Tuohy, D. Murphy, R.Murphy, A.McCarthy, J.Brady, G.Ronayne, J.Browne, P.Brady, A. Hickey, S.Downey, P.Lordan, C.Murphy

SE Football League - 2/4
Ballymartle 0-9, Shamrocks 4-8
Shamrocks have now won 3 league games in a row to move themselves into a possible playoff position after this win over Ballymartle in Riverstick. Shamrocks decided to play with the wind and the hill in the opening half and they sure made the advantage pay as they chalked up 4-6, all from play before the half time interval. They were playing well as a unit and anytime the home side attacked the Shamrocks backs were all over them. At the other end, the greens put together some nice passages of football, in particular when the two midfielders of Nicky Hayes and Todds were running at them with posession. Seanan Collins ahd the first goal followed by "Ratzo" making his yearly debut at full forward and played well. Nickys outfield lob ended up in the back of the Ballymartle net for uimhir a tr��nd Stevie Neill finished a flowing move to the same net for uimhir a ceathar. Todds and Oisin with a left footed beauty added points to leave the half time situation 4-6 to 0-2 in favour of the visitors to ?h an Mhaide. To be fair to Ballymartle, they came way back into the match in the second half without never really threathening to trouble the Shamrocks lead. Cian Ronayne kicked the two second half Shamrocks scores.
Team: B. Mulqueen, S. Andrews, P. Prout, B. McCarthy, O. Boland, K. Griffin, C. Brady, N. Hayes, B. Sweeney, G. Ronayne, S. Collins, C. Ronayne, D. Bourke, E. O'Rahilly, S. O'Neill. Subs used - T. Barrett, D. Stuart, J. Sweeney

Week ended - 1st April 2007

SE u21 B Football - 29/3
Courcey Rovers 4-14, Shamrocks 0-8
Shamrocks played their only game of the Football championship at this grade last Saturday night and it was a lesson for everyone involved. An extremely strong and skillful Courcey Rovers side put Shamrocks to the sword in clinical fashion. Its usless coming up with excuses after a defeat like that but Courceys experience of playing a game together the week before told especially in the first half as they tore the Shamrocks team to shreads playing with the wind. It was 3-7 to 0-2 at half time and the game was as good as done and dusted. To their credit Shamrocks never gave up and made a decent fist of it in the second half without ever threathening to come anywhere close to Courceys. Shamrocks would like to wish David Hurley, Courceys half forward, a speedy and healthy recovery from his serious looking injury which meant the game was actually called 2 minutes early when the result was beyond doubt.
Team: F. O'Neill. I. Murphy, R.Murphy, S. Bourke, O. Boland, C. McCann, T. O'Sullivan, G. Ronayne, T. Conneely, T. Barrett, P. Lordan, P. Brady, C. O'Neill. Subs used - D. Murphy, J. Browne, B. Cusack, R. Hourihane, S. Hurley,

SE u14 B Football - 29/3
Shamrocks 1-0, Valley Rovers 1 4-12
The under 14's are going to find life very tough in the top grade this year and nowhere was this more reinforced than at Shanbally on Thursday night. Shamrocks actually started very well for the first 20 minutes before Valleys turned the screw and their physical presence shone through on the scoreboard. Roy Twomey scored the Shamrocks goal inside the first 5 minutes and Shamrocks were in control playing up the field into the wind. They held their own for the next 10 to 15 minutes but then Rovers seemed to attack once and the ball stayed at the other end of the field for the rest of the game, eventhough Shamrocks had the wind in the second half. The mentors stressed the positives afterwards, obviously the first 20 minutes. The next game is home to Courcey Rovers on Friday the 13th!
Team: C. O'Mahony, D. Barton, D. Sheehan, J. O'Driscoll, D. Breen, A. Dunne, J. Raleigh, C. Kidney, T. O'Mahony, R. Twomey, S. Healy, J. Lynch, D. Hayes, C. O'Sullivan

SE u16 C Football - 28/3
Shamrocks 5-2, Tracton 1-9
Shamrocks scored 2 late goals to steal victory in their second league match, which was played in teh top pitch in sunny Shanbally on Wednesday night. They led for most of the match until about 10 minutes from the end when Trsctons pressure enabled them to score a goal and 4 points in the middle of the second half to forge ahead by 2 points with all the momentum behind them. But Shamrocks broke forward and first sub Stephen Healy and then James Raleigh forced home the winning scores to send a gallant Tracton home empty handed. Daniel Browne was also on the goal scoring sheet for Shamrocks with 2. More later.
Team: J. Wilson, D. Breen, A. Hickey, J. Tuohy, J. O'Driscoll, A. McCarthy, A. Dunne, J. Brady, D. Lynch, R. Twomey, C. Caffrey, J. Raleigh, J. Lynch, D. Browne, T. O'Mahony. Sub used S. Healy

SE u12 B Football - 26/3
Shamrocks 3-8, Douglas 1 2-5
Shamrocks under 12's under the guidance of Pat Cusack, Ian Breen and John Jordan got their league season off to the best possible start in Shanbally on Manday night. Summer is definetly on the way when you see the 12's starting their matches on lovely sunny evenings. Douglas play in the South East leagues every year and brought down a mixture of their first and second teams. Still, Shamrocks did very well to win this game, playing in the top grade this year. Shamrocks owed their victory to their first half display playing down the hill, they led 2-5 to 0-1 at half time in a good team performance. The second half was more even as Douglas came back strong but shamrocks held on for a merited victory. Matthew Garvey at midfield scored 2-1, Aongus Boland got 0-2, Jack Howard also at midfield got 1-2 while Daniel O'Reilly and Daniel Dreen chipped in with a few scores as well. Their next game is against Valley Rovers 1 at home next Monday night

Week ended - 25th March 2007

City/SE Minor B Football - 25/3
Shamrocks 3-3, Crosshaven 2-9
Shamrocks Minor Footballers suffered their first defeat of the league to a more focused Crosshaven team on a scoreline of 2-9 to 3-3. The first half was a very close affair with both teams swapping points throughout, before Crosshaven led at the interval on a scoreline of 4 points to 0-3. Shamrocks? scores came from Gary Ronayne, Joey Brady and Brian Cusack. Ronan Murphy was outstanding during the first half at centre back and only for him Shamrocks? would have found themselves much further behind, and Tomas Pearce also made some superb saves in goal once again. The second half was Shamrock?s worst half of the year so far. Their failure to go down on the ball, hold onto possession when tackled and pick up the extra men running through cost them dearly as Crosshaven scored 2-5 without reply during the first 20 minutes of the half. It was only with ten minutes to go and 2-9 to 0-3 in arrears that Shamrocks? began to show what they can do. A great poachers goal by Colin Murphy, a great solo effort by Philip Brady and a late Mike O?Neill strike gave Shamrocks hope but ultimately they ran out of time. Crosshaven have their keeper to thank for keeping them in the game as he made a string of outstanding saves from Gary Ronayne, Jason Browne and Philip Brady. Shamrocks also missed a penalty late on but the result was never in doubt. Ronan Murphy was head and shoulders above everyone else at centre back on the day and tried to rally his troops as much as he could. Shamrocks still sit on top of the league tied on points with Crosshaven and Bishopstown, and with two games remaining during the summer; Shamrocks still have their faith in their own hands.
Team: Tomas Pearce, Stephen Walter, Stephen Hurley, Alan McCarthy, Aaron Hickey, Ronan Murphy, Donie Murphy, Paul Lordan, Gary Ronayne (0-1), Joey Brady (0-1), Philip Brady (1-0), Brian Cusack (0-1), Jason Browne, Mike O?Neill (1-0), Colin Murphy (1-0).
Subs: Cormac Horgan for Stephen Hurley (h/t), Stephen Downey for Joey Brady (45), Johnny Tuohy for Brian Cusack (50).

Week ended - 18th March 2007

U16 C Football league - Lᠬe Pᤲaig
Ballygarvan 3-4, Shamrocks 7-8
After all the training, Shamrocks finally got their playing season underway on St Patricks Day with a good away win over Ballygarvan. They actually were losing by 5 point sat half time but the performance in that half was excellent and the selectors beleif in the playrers manifested itself on the scoreboard in the second period. Jonathan Tuohy at corner back gave an exhibition of defensive play while Aaron Hickey, Joey Brady, Cannice Caffrey and Darragh O'Sullivan werent far behind. So a good start for the 16's. More to follow

City/SE Minor B Football - 18/3
Shamrocks 3-6, Carrigaline B 4-2
Shamrocks won their 4th league game in a row in Shanbally on Sunday morning last. Weather conditions couldnt have been worse for both teams - a howling wind which blew mostly across the bottom pitch made life very difficult for the young lads to display their footballing talents, especially when heavy showers of rain and at one stage hailstones threathened to completely destroy the game. However, there was no lack of effort on either side thats for sure. Shamrocks started slowly but gradually got on top and with Darragh O'Sullivan in particular sparkling at corner forward, they led by 1-5 to 0-1 at half time. Shamrocks had plenty of possession in that half but many dropped balls and misdirected passes let them down. Carrig's score came just before the break. They could have gotten a goal mid way through but Tomas Pierce spread himself well to block the shot. However, the Carrigaline goal threat resurfaced in the second half with much better effect. They scored one to make it 1-5 to 1-1 and by that stage it was noticable that Shamrocks should have been out of site at that stage but all their possession went astray. When Brian Cusack finished to the net it should have been curtains for Carrig especially when Mickey O'Neill punished a weak Carrig kick out to bury the ball in the back of the net. But Carrigaline, to their credit, they came storming up the field and scored 2 goals in as many minutes to leave a Philip Brady point between the teams. But Shamrocks just held on to preserve their unbeaten record. On the day, Stephen Walters, Alan McCarthy, Donie Murphy, Gary Ronayne and Paul Lordan at midfield and scorers in chief Brady, O'Neill and Cusack were on top form for Shamrocks along with Stephen Downey who kicked a lot of ball when he came on.

Junior A Football League - 19/3
Shamrocks 1-10, Valley Rovers 0-10
Shamrocks just about held on in the dying minutes of this league game, again played in very difficult conditions at Shanbally on Monday afternoon last. The wind played havoc with the match, and Shamrocks playing into its teeth in the first half found it hard even to work the ball past half way to even get within an asses roar of taking a shot. Typically, Rovers were tough out and controlled the game in the first half and led by 0-7 to 0-3 at half time, the wind playing an obvious advantage and it was easiy worth a 5 points half time advantage, which Valleys enjoyed before Joe Shanahan scored a moral boosting and classy point just on HT to leave it 0-8 to 0-3. Shamrocks can count themselves happy with their first half (rearguard) display. However, it wasnt so easy in the second as Valley Rovers controlled the first 10 minutes and indeed added to their advantage, 0-9 to 0-3. The defining score came from Seanan Collins who brilliantly fisted a long delivery to the Rovers net and suddenly Shamrocks had the momentum and belief. Peter Prout, Senan Andrews and Colin Brady were soon on top of the Rovers forwards and the scores began to flow at the other end from Dave O'Neill, Nicky Hayes, Joseph Shanahan sub Cian Ronayne and Minor Philip Brady. They led 1-10 to 0-10 entering te last 5 minutes and Shamrocks just held on to record their second win in a row. Team: B. Mulqueen, K. Hegarty, P. Prout, S. Andrews, O. Boland, C. Brady, S. O'Reilly, B. Sweeney, N. Hayes, T. Conneely, S. Collins, T. Barrett, D. O'Neill, J. Shanahan, P. Brady. Subs used - G. Ronayne, C. Ronayne, D. Bourke, E. O'Rahilly, S. O'Neill

Week ended - 4th March 2007

City/SE Minor B Football League - 4/3
Shamrocks 4-5, Bishopstown 3-5
Shamrocks got their third straight win of the season on Sunday with a hard fought win against a strong Bishopstown challenge. Conditions in Shanbally were very heavy underfoot with driving rain and wind.
Shamrocks started brightly and were first on the scoreboard with a point from Philip Brady, but gradually Bishopstown dragged themselves back into the game and with the help of a fortunate goal led at the quarter mark by 1-3 to a point. A great move from Shamrocks, which started with Aaron Hickey at the back, and involved Stephen Walters, Philip Brady and eventually Brian Cusack, resulted in the latter popping the ball over the bar. It was a move any team would have been proud of and helped Shamrocks claw themselves within touching distance once again. But the concession of another soft goal before the break meant Shamrocks trailed 2-4 to 0-3 at the break.
The second half was a totally different affair and Shamrocks dominated for long periods. Every time Shamrocks went forward they looked dangerous and a couple of quick fire goals from Brian Cusack and the hard-working Mike O?Neill bought Shamrocks back to within a point of Bishopstown. During this period Joey Brady made a massive contribution in his first start of the year, winning kick outs and leaving the ball off cleverly. Midway through the half Shamrocks finally got in front thanks to a goal and a point from Philip Brady. Another goal from Gary Ronayne, a rasper that went through the net, gave Shamrocks a bit of breathing space but it was short lived as Bishopstown struck back immediately with a goal. Shamrocks however had the last say of the day with a point from Philip Brady, set up by his brother Joey, and it was a fitting end to the game.
The last 5 minutes, and 4 minutes of stoppage time, was a backs to wall exercise for Shamrocks. Everyone fought hard and showed a tremendous work effort and will to win. Donie Murphy cleared loads of ball and Tomas Pearce made a great save from right under the crossbar at the death. Credit must go to both teams for playing in horrible underfoot conditions on a very heavy pitch. On the day Aaron Hickey and the imperious Ronan Murphy led from the back and Paul Lordan and Gary Ronayne worked tirelessly at midfield. Up front Philip was once again scorer in chief with 1-3, while Darragh O?Sullivan in the corner set up many scores.
Team: Tomas Pearce, Aaron Hickey, Stephen Hurley, Alan McCarthy, Stephen Walter, Ronan Murphy, Donie Murphy, Gary Ronayne (1-0), Paul Lordan, Joey Brady, Philip Brady (1-3), Brian Cusack (1-1), Colin Murphy, Mike O?Neill (1-1), Darragh O?Sullivan.
Next Game is Sunday 18 Mar 2007 @ home vs. Carrigaline at 11am

Week ended - 25th February 2007

Trath na gCeist
Shamrocks entered a team in a Table Quiz as Gaeilge last Wednesday night in aid of Bord na n-ӧ. It was open to all clubs in the county and was held in Bishopstown GAA. The team of Patrick Andrews (captaen), his brother Peter, Colin Brady and ?ne O'Callaghan did the club proud by coming second (in a tie breaker) to Killeagh GAA. Comhghirdeas to all involved. Both teams now go on to represent Corcaigh in the Munster final on Wednesday week in Mallow. Imagine that, Shamrocks in a Munster final!. When's the last time that happened?

Junior A Football League - 25/2
Shamrocks 1-10, Ballinhassig 0-10
Shamrocks got their first win of the season on Sunday with a hard fought win against a strong Ballinhassig challenge. Shamrocks were short a few players on the day but managed to scrape together a team featuring old and young which did themselves proud. Shamrocks played with the wind advantage up the hill in the first half and kicked some wonderful scores, in particular from Mickey Prout and Joseph Shanahan who were on top form. Peter Prout and Ivan Murphy in the full back line and Karl Griffin and Kieran Hegarty in the half back line were to the fore in that half as Ballinhassig had plenty of possession (in particular from kick outs) but they met with a strong Shamrocks defensive resistance. Minor Philip Brady was showing well at corner forward and another minor Gary Ronayne was competing well at half forward. The second half was mostly Ballinhassig's as they won most of the possession and they closed to within a point of Shamrocks at 0-9 to 0-8 with 10 minutes remaining. But then Philip Brady scored what can only be described as a wonder goal when he collected the ball at half way out on the left wing and weaved his way through what must have been at least 5 defenders to plant the ball home for the match winning goal. Shanzy dinked over another point and after Ballinhassig had brought it back to a goal difference, some heroic shamrocks defending made sure the points were staying at home. Team: B. Sweeney, I. Murphy, P. Prout, P. Andrews, O. Boland, K. Griffin, K. Hegarty, M. Prout, S. Andrews, C. Ronayne, J. Shanahan, G. Ronayne, P. Brady, D. Sheehan, R. Murphy. The minor game that afternoon away to Delaneys was called off

Week ended - 18th February 2007

Junior A Football League - 18/2
Tracton 2-11, Shamrocks 0-7
Shamrocks suffered their second defeat, this time away to Tracton on Sunday afternoon last. While the scoreline does look like Tracton gave Shamrocks a beating, the scoreline is flattering to them as Shamrocks had plenty of possession but a lack of penetration up front cost them dear. It was 0-7 to 0-5 after an entertaining first half (both sides having their moments on top) but in a carbon copy of last weeks game, Shamrocks conceded 1-2 within 2 minutes of the second half starting and the game was over as a contest. They did concede another goal midway through but kept battling to the end without much luck in front of goal. Shamrocks scorers over the hour were Joseph Shanahan, Seanan Collins and Nicky Hayes. Team: B.Mulqueen, C.McCann, P.Prout, S.Andrews, O. Boland, S.O'Reilly, C. Ronayne, M.Prout, N. Hayes T.Barrett, S.Collins, J.Shanahan, D. Bourke, D. Stuart, E.Cole.

City/SE Minor Football League - 11/2
Shamrocks 4-9, Bsllygarvan 1-1
Shamrocks continued their impressive start to the league campaign with a facile victory over Ballygarvan at Shanbally yesterday morning. Shamrocks have no won more games in 2007 than they did in the whole of 2006 (in both codes. Shamrocks opened very brightly and led by 1-5 to no score after 15 minutes thanks to a few well-taken points by Darragh O?Sullivan and a goal from Mike O?Neill. Shamrocks played with a very strong wind in the first half and with the help of Stephen Downey, who did some great work on the wing in that half, led at the break on a score line of 2-8 to 0-1.
The second half was a much closer affair and Shamrocks were up against it playing up the hill. All the backs played excellent again particularly Ronan Murphy, who was unbeaten all day at centre back, and Alan McCarthy who had a great game in the corner. Gary Ronayne worked like a Trojan in midfield all day and a couple of scores from substitutes Jonathan Cooke and Colin Murphy helped Shamrocks to a well-earned victory on a score line of 4-9 to 1-2.
Joey Brady made a positive impact when introduced at wing forward in the second half and Jason Browne also stood out at centre forward with some great link-up play between himself and Mike O?Neill. Stephen Walters never put a foot wrong at wingback and Brian Cusack worked hard on the wing.
Team (13 a side): Tomas Pearce, Stephen Hurley, Alan McCarthy, Donie Murphy, Ronan Murphy, Stephen Walter, Paul Lordan, Gary Ronayne (1-1), Stephen Downey (0-1), Jason Browne, Brian Cusack (0-1), Darragh O?Sullivan (0-2), Mike O?Neill (2-3).
Subs: Colin Murphy (1-0) for Darragh O?Sullivan (h/t), Aaron Hickey for Stephen Hurley (40), Joey Brady for Stephen Downey (40), Eoin Healy for Stephen Walter (40), Jonathan Cooke (0-1) for Jason Browne (40).
Next Game is Sunday 25 Feb 2007 away vs. Delaneys

Week ended - 11th February 2007

Junior A Football League - 11/2
Ballygarvan 2-9, Shamrocks 0-7
Shamrocks entered this football game with a severly interrupted preperation (whats new?) but emerged with credit despite going down by 8 points. Ballygarvans greater fitness told in the end as Shamrocks wilted in the second half. The garvans played with the aid of the very strong breeze in the first half and raced into a 0-8 to 0-3 lead at half time, which wasnt too much of a barrier to break down as Shamrocks had played some good football in that difficult half, in a backs to the wall situation. The defence was defending well especially debutant Cain McCann at corner back and Mickey Prout at midfield for Shamrocks was outstanding.

However, the second half comeback never materialised as Shamrocks ran out of steam. Ballygarvan owned posession overall due to their dominance around the middle and controlled affairs. They got an early goal to effectivally kill off the game and Shamrocks first score playing with the wind didnt come until 12 minutes into the second half, way too late. However, they battled gamely to the end. Stephen O'Reilly, Stephen O'Neill, Joe Shanahan, Tomas Barrett and Prout were on the scoresheet for the greens over the hour. Team: B.Mulqueen, C.McCann, P.Prout, K.Hegarty, D.Roche, C.Brady, D.Bourke, M.Prout, S.O'Reilly, T.Barrett, S.Collins, T.Conneely, J.Shanahan, D.O'Neill, S.O'Neill. Sub used - D. Stuart. Next game is next Sunday afternoon at 3pm away to Tracton

Shamrocks 2-9, St Finbarrs 1-7
City/SE Minor Football League - 11/2
Shamrocks 2-9, St Finbarrs 1-7
Shamrocks got their season off to a great start against the Barrs second string at Shanbally on Sunday morning last.
Shamrocks started brightly and were 2 points up inside 10 minutes after playing up the hill and against the wind. But the Barrs fought back strongly and led by 3 points to 2 after 20 minutes. However, Shamrocks came storming back into the game with 3 unanswered points before half time from Philip Brady and the impressive Brian Cusack, and they led at the interval by 5 points to 3. Shamrocks can thank their resolute defence for holding the Barrs to only 3 points in the first half, particularly the half back trio of Alan McCarthy, Gary Ronayne and Stephen Walters.

Shamrocks scored 1-3 without reply in the first 10 minutes (the goal a great solo effort from Philip Brady) to put them in the box seat. A couple of positional switches were made, which saw Brady move to midfield and Mike O?Neill move to centre forward where he had an influential second half, which helped to give Shamrocks a strangle hold on the game. A second goal midway through the half (another peach from Brady) effectively ended the game as a contest. Further points from Gary Ronayne and Mike O?Neill ensured that the Barr?s late goal was only a consolation.
On the day there were many impressive performers, most notably Gary Ronayne, Alan McCarthy, Philip Brady and Brian Cusack. The discipline of the Shamrock players was excellent throughout and they showed a great work ethic right up to the final whistle. Many thanks to Sean Horgan and John Twomey (Ringaskiddy) who took care of the team on the day in the absence of the selectors who were on Junior Football duty
Team: Stephen Hurley, Eoin Healy, Ronan Murphy, Donie Murphy, Alan McCarthy, Gary Ronayne (0-1), Stephen Walters, Paul Lordan, Jason Browne (0-1), Brian Cusack (0-3), Philip Brady (2-2), Jonathan Tuohy, Colin Murphy, Mike O?Neill (0-2), Stephen Downey.
The team and selectors are pictured in the Photos section

Week ended - 24th January 2006

Underage Club AGM - 11/1
The underage section held its AGM on Thursday January 11th before its biggest crowd in years. The outgoing committee gave their as usual very detailed reports and its great to see the club in such a healthy financial state. Officers for 2007. President - Donal Brady. Chairperson - John (Socket) Twomey. Vice Chairperson - Sean Horgan. Secretary - Paddy Andrews. Treasurer - Gretta Sweeney. PRO - Colin Brady. Paddy Andrews will continue as SE Board Delegate

Week ended - 17th December 2006

Club AGM - 4/12 and 11/12
The following officers were elected at the clubs recent AGM, held in the Grace McCarthy rooms in Shanbally. Chairperson - John Twomey. Vice Chairperson - Pat O'Neill. Secretary - Patrick Andrews. Treasurer - Sean Horgan. Registrar - Finny O'Flaherty. PRO - Colin Brady. County Board Draw coordinator - Lorcan Aherne. South East Board delegates - Pat O'Neill and Declan O'Neill. Groundsmen - Pat O'Neill and Jimmy O'Neill. A new Finance Committee was set up consisting of Sean Horgan (chairperson sub-committee), Patrick Andrews, Peter Prout and Dave O'Flaherty. A Pitch Committee was set up to assist Pat and Jimmy O'Neill and it consists of Tony O'Sullivan, Liam Shanahan and Dave O'Neill. Football and Hurling managers would be selected at a later date.

Underage Presentation night - 15/12
The club held a very enjoyable and well attended presentation night last Friday night in Pfizers sports club. It was great to see so many young players and their parents in attendance. Thanks to John 'Socket' Twomey who was the main organiser of te event and to all others who helped out in any way. The successful underage teams in the club in 2006 received their medals from Cork Senior Footballers Micheal Prout and Graham Canty.

Week ended - 26th November 2006

County Board Draw
The 2006/2007 version of the best GAA draw in Ireland is up and running again for the year and for the second year in a row, Shamrocks have increased their number of members which is excellent financial news altogether. We would really like to thank everyone who bought a ticket and wish you luck in the forthcoming draws. Also to our ticket sellers, whether you sold one or 25, it dosent matter, they all count. Without you it wouldnt be worth the bother so thank you to all them as well

Week ended - 5th November 2006

Under-13 Football - 5/11
The under 13 season finished last weekend as the boys lost to a strong Ballinhassig side. Thanks to all the players, supporters and in particular the mentors as well.

Week ended - 29th October 2006

Under-11 Football - 22/10 & 23/10
The under 11s played two matches last Sunday and Monday and came away with two victories. The Sunday match was played straight away after the U-13 match on the second pitch in Shanbally. A much stronger Ballinhassig team was soon causing a lot of problems for us in all positions. They led 1-05 to 0-01 at half time. A lot of strong words were spoken by the selectors at half time. At the restart some fine points was scored by a much transformed Shamrocks team. A Mathew Garvey pile driver of a free to the back of the net left us trailing by only 1 point entering the last few minutes. We were awarded a 45 and to the delight of the very large crowd, Michael Howard won a great ball and found the back of the net to leave us victorious by 2 points. Then on Monday night, they made the trip to Ballygarvan to play the home team under lights. They had a comfortable victory. This puts them in a good position to qualify for another final with one game to go against Kinsale. The club would like to thank the Ballygarvan club for facilitating the game, especially Teddy McCarthy. This team is giving us much enjoyment throughout the long season. Great credit is due to the parents and selectors who are giving up so much of their time to support this very successful underage team

Under-13 Football - 22/10
This game was played in Shanbally last Sunday morning in brilliant sunshine. It was played on the second pitch which was in great condition for this time of year. Shamrocks started brightly and got an early goal to settle them down. Kinsale replied with some great points and scored two goals at either side of half time. The movement of the Kinsale forwards and the link up play from midfield was causing us all sorts of trouble. We were trailing by 11points with 20 minutes to go. Some switches were made by the selectors and the lads responded in great fashion. We scored 3-05 with out reply to run out winners of a great game. Best for Shamrocks were Cal O?Mahony in goal, Jamie O?Driscoll, Cathal Kidney, Roy Twomey, Shane Horgan, Steven Healy. We have one game left to play in this Vs Ballinhassig next weekend.
Team: C.O?Mahony, D.Breen, D, Barton, J.Raleigh, C.Kidney, J.O?Driscoll, A.Dunne, R.Twomey, S.Horgan, T.O?Mahony, D.Barry, D.Kelleher, S.Moore, S.Healy

Presentation of Jerseys
Special thanks must also go to Mark Hickey and his staff of the Shamrock Bar for presenting us with a new set of jerseys for the U-10s. He provided us with entertainment, food and drink last Saturday night. Banisteoir Dick Andrews accepted the jerseys from Mark and thanked him for the support he has given us over the last few years. Our U-14s also received a new set of jerseys this week thanks to Supervalu Carrigaline. Manager Michael Kidney thanked Barry Collins of Carrigaline in his speech for the promotion that was held during the summer that enabled us to get these jerseys. This new jersey can be ordered from any committee member as we will be selling replicas of these in adult and the children sizes for 30 euro

Week ended - 22nd October 2006

Under-13 Football - 16/10
Ballygarvan 2-07 Shamrocks 2-04
This game was played under floodlights in Ballygarvan on Monday Night last. We started very well and had 1-03 on the board before Ballygarvan opened their account. At half time we led by 5 points but only scored 1 more point in the second half to add to our first half score. A lot of the players didn't play to their full potential on the night but there were some positive displays especially from our backs. The next game is in Shanbally next Sunday morning at 11AM vs. kinsale. Special thanks to Ballygarvan for holding this game under lights
Team J.Lynch, P.Barry,D.Breen,D.Barton,J.Raleigh,C.Kidney,J.O'Driscoll,A.Dunne,D.Sheeh an, R.Twomey, T.O'Mahoney, S.Horgan, D.Kelleher, S.Healy, S.Moore, Subs, D.Raleigh, C.O'Mahoney, D.O'Rielly, M.Howard, C.Walter, J.Breen.

Week ended - 15th October 2006

Under-11 Hurling Final - 15/10
This game was played in very windy conditions in Kinsale on Sunday 15th against Crosshaven. A very large following for both sides witnessed Shamrocks best performance of the season. We started very well playing with the wind and got some vital early scores to settle the nerves. We were well on top in most positions against a very sporting Crosshaven side that can play a lot better than they did last Sunday. With the backs in control and our midfield players linking up very well with the forwards, it became obvious that the lads were well in control of the match. At the half time break Shamrocks had a good lead but were now playing into a very strong wind for the second half. Two early scores settled the team down again and they were never going to be beaten after some more scores before the end. At the final whistle there were great scenes of joy. Teddy McCarthy, chairman of the South east bord Na Og presented the winning shield to Michael Howard captain of Shamrocks. Crosshaven never gave up and to their credit they were very gracious in defeat. Special mention must go to the parents of the children who came out in strength to support the kids and especially to the team management of Dick Andrews, Ian Breen, Jim Ronayne & Steven O?Rielly who have looked after the U-10s, U-11s & U-12s all season.
Team. Gary Hartnett, Coby O? Grady, David Raleigh, Lorcan Fidgeon, Jack Breen, Mathew Garvey, Jack Howard, Michael Howard, Aongus Boland, Patrick Murphy, Daniel O?Rielly, Darragh Scriven, Brendan Crowley, Conor Walter, Andrew O? Grady, Subs, Cormac Scriven, David Andrews, Mark Hitchmough, Sean Kidney, Shane Kelleher, Christopher Hayes.

Week ended - 8th October 2006

Junior Football Championship Quarter Final - 8/10
Belgooly 1-8, Shamrocks 1-3
Well, the football side of things came to its inevitable sorry conclusion at Ballygarvan last Sunday morning. Belgooly ran out comfortable winners to finally put Shamrocks out of their football misery. Twas a sorry bunch of players and officals that trooped off the field at the end and serious questions have to be asked all round as to how this was the worst prepared Shamrocks team that probably ever went onto the championship battlefield. The players cannot be blamed - they had no guidance and direction from day one and the air of negativity in the air before they went onto the field and during it was a disgrace. . Belgooly started brightly with 2 points after Shamrocks had wasted two good opportunities at the other end. They got on top around the middle and fed their forwards plenty of ball. Shamrocks actually looked threathening the few occasions they did attack but the final ball more often than not let them down. Brian Sweeney scored two points before half time for Shamrocks but at the other end Belgooly had posted another 1-2 to leave the half time score 1-4 to 0-2 and the inevitable defeat looked on. And so it was. Belgooly stretched 1-7 to 0-2 ahead strainght after with 3 quick points and despite Terence O?Sullivans cracker of a goal, the disaster of a football season had finally been put to bed. Team: B. Mulqueen, S. Andrews, P. Prout, M. Prout, O. Boland, C. O?Neill, C. Brady, B. Sweeney, K. Griffin, T. Barrett, J. Shanahan, T. O?Sullivan, S. O?Neill, D. O?Neill, S. Collins. Subs used ? C. Ronayne, B. Hickey, K. Hegarty

Shamrocks Hurling and Football Academy
Our underage Academy started last Saturday (12 to 2) and the early signs were encouraging. Numbers were high and we'd like to thank all the parents and the junior players especially who came up and coached the stars of tomorrow, after having been beaten in the championship the night before. Fair play to Mickey Prout, Joe Shanahan, Terence O'Sullivan, Todds Sweeney, Stephen O'Reilly, Oisin Boland and Jason Browne. John Socket Twomey and Tony Sull were doing their best Gentlemans Quarters impression measuring the sizes for each child for when they get their gear. There are still places available for 7 to 12 year olds so just turn up at 12 on the day. Lets hope to increase the numbers each week

Under-10 Hurling winners
We want to congratulate Dick Andrews and his support cast of mentors who trained the Under 11 hurlers to win the hurling league recently. They were beaten in only one game but topped the 8 team league. They certainly are our most sucessful club team this year and in fact are only 2 wins away from capturing the football league. Well done!

New Secretary
As you may know, our Runa��f the last few years Tadgh Forde has departed these shorelines for a year sabattical over in Oz. We all here at shamrocksgaa.com wish him bon voyage and hope that it wont be long before we see him up the Track again after a wonderful year travelling the world. Patrick Andrews is taking over as Secretary for the rest of the year (at least) and we wish him well at that.

Junior Hurling Championship Semi Final - 29/9
Ballymartle 3-9, Shamrocks 0-10
Shamrocks hurling season ended in disappointement in Minane Bridge last Friday night as Ballymartle finally put paid to Shamrocks up and down season by eliminating them from the championship after a fully deserved 8 point victory. This win was bourne out of pure hunger - Ballymartle wanted it more than Shamrocks and drove them back with the ferocity of their hurling and gave them a beating out the gate at the same time. Goals win games they say and one look at the scoreline suggests this statement is very true. Ballymartle struck for 3 second half goals at crucial times while Shamrocks didnt create one sniff of a chance all through, on a night where not much went right for the reigning champions, despite multiple switches in personnel. Colin O'Sullivan with some early monster frees and Mickey Prout put Shamrocks ahead 0-5 to no score after 10 minutes and a rout looked on. But that was the end of their good spell and amazingly they scored only 2 more points from play in the remainder of the match. Ballymartle slotted over 5 of their own and the match was on. The teams were level at half time. The switches werent working and despite Joe Shanahans early point, which should have lifted the team, Shamrocks were more or less outhurled for the rest of the game, despite some outstanding displays from Senan Andrews, Brian Sweeney and Barry Mulqueen (first half). Unfortunalely, the three mentioned players are all backs - Shamrocks just didnt have the penetration up front. Ballymartle got their first goal from a high ball that went all the way to the net; they moved 4 points up with their second and their superiority was underlined by their third late goal to seal a deserved 8 point win. This was the end of a disappointing season for Shamrocks hurlers

Week ended - 30th September 2006

Under 11 Hurling - 24/9
This game was played in Crosshaven last Sunday morning. It resulted in a great victory for our lads. It was a very close game at the half time whistle with only 3 points separating 2 evenly matched sides. With Aonghus Boland, Michael Howard & Matt Garvey taking control around the middle of the pitch it enabled of forwards to pick off the scores in the second half. Dan O'Reilly & Conor Walters were the main scorers for Shamrocks. Their manager (of the year) Dick Andrews is enjoying a well earned holiday with his family and the result was the perfect start to their holidays

Junior Hurling Championship Semi Final - 29/9
Shamrocks 0-9, Ballymartle 3-10
Shamrocks bowed out of the hurling championship that they won last year with a whimper at Minane. This was one of their worst displays of the year but the fact is this - it was coming from a long time. Times are bad indeed when a clubs second team can out hurl you and inflict an 8 point defeat on you. Only Senan Andrews, Brian Sweeney and Barry Mulqueen (first half) came out of the game with any credit. The Shamrocks numbers 1, 2 and 3 were the only players to stay in their positions for the match - umpteen switches were made from the first minute, disrupting the team and none of them worked. Team: D.O'Neill, D.Roche, P.Prout, S.Andrews, SO'Reilly, B.Sweeney, B.Mulqueen, T.O'Sullivan, C.O'Neill, S.O'Neill, J.Shanahan, G.Ronayne, M.Prout, S.Collins, C.O'Sullivan. Subs used - D.Bourke, O.Boland

Week ended - 23rd September 2006

Under 16 Hurling League Semi Final - 19/9
Shamrocks 6-2, Kinale 5-15
Shamrocks closed out their season on Tuesday night after a gallant effort against an obviously better Kinsale team. They fought right till the end without ever threathening to win the game and must be commended for that. Kinsale led 3-11 to 1-2 at half time, Philip Brady with the Shamrocks goal. They played with the aid of the strong breeze in the second half and rattled in 5 goals, 3 of them coming from the stick of Philip Brady who was threathening all through. Tom᳠Pierce also got on the scoresheet with a major. Shamrocks had the deficit back to 3-11 to 3-2 at one stage in the second half but that was as close as they got as Kinsale held them at bay for the rest of the game. On the night Mickey O'Neill in goal, Donie Murphy and Joey Brady in defence, the two midfielders of Alan Mac and the aforementioned Philip Brady and Darragh O'Sullivan and Stephen Walters in attack were Shamrocks best players. We'd also like to thank the selectors for their efforts during the year in what turned out was a difficult age group (all their fixtures were fulfilled) - Diarmuid Murphy, Pat Mac, Patrick Andrews and Colin O'Sullivan. Team: M.O'Neill, E.Healy, S.Hurley, D.Browne, J.Brady, D.Murphy, B.Cusack, P.Brady, A.McCarthy, D.O'Sullivan, S.Downey, S.Walters, C.Murphy, T.Pierce

Week ended - 17th September 2006

Under 14 Football - 17/9
Ballinhassig 1-10, Shamrocks 3-3
This game was played last Sunday morning before a large crowd in sunny Belgooly. It took Shamrocks a while to settle against a much bigger Ballinhassig side. Ballinhassig?s early 4 points were cancelled out by a great Darragh O?Sullivan goal. The sides were level when the same player got a point but this proved to be our last score in the first period. H/T score 1-08 to 1-02. Some very harsh words were spoken at the interval and this proved effective as the 2nd half turned out to be a cracker. A Joey Brady goal had the lead now to 4 pts and this was soon cut to the bare minimum with a Cathal Kidney goal. The last 6 minutes were played at a frantic pace but the equalising point that we thoroughly deserved was not coming. At the final whistle there was heartbreak all around for the Shamrock lads who done themselves, their families & the club proud

Under 11 Hurling - 15/9
Shamrocks had a good win over a gallant Kinsale side at Shanbally on Friday evening last. Result 4-03 to 0-04. Mathew Garvey had an excellent game and finished our top scorer with 2 goals. The backbone of this team is spearheaded by our successful U-10 team. Many thanks to the parents and mentors for looking after this group of lads.

Week ended - 9th September 2006

Junior Championship Replay - 9/9
Shamrocks 2-8, Kinsale 1-6
Shamrocks overcame a dogged Kinsale at the second time of asking at Minane Bridge last Saturday afternoon last to book a semi final date against Ballymartle on Saturday/Sunday week. Shamrocks were the better team on this occasion and Kinsale can have few complaints as the simply didnt score enough on the day. The game was a dour struggle between two teams whose defences were on top throughout. Shamrocks had opened a 6 points to 2 lead after 20 mninutes through scores from colin O'Sullivan (frees), Seanan Collins and Joe Shanahan. But Kinsale fought back coming up to half time and had the deficit down to 2 points at the break, 0-6 to 0-4 for Shamrocks. The wind was hard to judge for both team, it seemend to be blowing across rather than up the field. Kinsale had a quick goal after the restart to move 1-4 to 0-7 level about 10 minutes into the second half. They're tails were up at this stage but Shamrocks refused to panic. The half back line came more into it and after a few more minors, Dave Bourke crept in behind the cover to flick home an all important Shamrocks goal that really invigorated the team. Shamrocks dominated the rest of the game posession wise but found stout resistance in Kinsale who refused to ga away. However, their goose was finally cooked late on when sub Stevie O'Neills speculative shot eluded the Kinsale keeper and ended up in the back of the net. Game over. Over the hour, Senan Andrews was unbeatable at corner back, particuraly in the second half, as were the other two full backs Peter Prout and Darren Roche who got in some vital blocks at various times. Todds Sweeney played great stuff late on and Mickey Prout was his usual busy self. His midfielf partner Chris O'Neill was outstanding in the first half while Joe Shanahan as always caused the Kinsale defecne problems. Subs Stevie O'Neill, Stephen O'Reilly and Eoin Kiely played their part also. Team: D.O'Neill, D.Roche, P.Prout, S.Andrews, B.Mulqueen, B.Sweeney, C.Brady, M.Prout, C.O'Neill, T.O'Sullivan, J.Shanahan, G.Ronayne, C.O'Sullivan, S.Collins, D.Bourke. Subs used - S.O'Reilly, P.O'Sullivan, S.O'Neill, C.Ronayne, E.Kiely

Under 12 Hurling County - 11/9
Shamrocks 3-9, Ballinora 4-9
This proved to be one of the best underage hurling matches the club has played in the last number of years. This was a game played with great pride, determination and skill. Up to the final whistle the game was still there for the taking. Shamrocks team consisted of 7 U-10 players. This is a fantastic achievement by the club. At half time Ballinora led by 3 points 2-06 to 2-03. We conceded 2 early second half goals but came storming back into the match and were only 2 pts down nearing the final whistle. We were so unlucky not to score with 2 65s cleared of the line. At the end the players can feel very proud of themselves because of the fantastic effort that they put in against a much bigger Ballinora team who are favourites for the county. Team. M.Howard, J.Raleigh, C.O?Mahony, G.Hartnett, D, Raleigh, j.Howard, R.Twomey, T.O?Mahony, A.Boland, D.O?Reilly, C.Walter, S.Moore, J.Breen. Subs J.Hanlon, M.Garvey, C.Cusack, D.Hayes, M.Murphy. E.Sheehan L.Fidgeon
Under 10 Football - 11/9
This resulted in a great win for the Fe-10s verses Carrigaline 2. Great credit is due to the players who again turned up in great numbers. A lot of hard work is now really starting to tell with the results that are coming our way with this fantastic group of children

Week ended - 2nd September 2006

Junior Hurling Championship - 27/8
Shamrocks 0-14, Kinsale 0-14
The repeat of the 205 final ended all square at Minane Bridge on Sunday afternoon last and both sides will be happy that they are both still in the competition, especially Shamrocks who played second fiddle to Kinsale for long periods of the game. Shamrocks played against the breeze in the first half and started brighly enough, especially Joe Shanahan who was causing all sorts of problems from centre forward when he had ball in hand. He had the opening Shamrocks scores from play (along with Terence O'Sullivan) and finished with 0-5 from play in total. Kinsale were also troubling the scoreboard operator at the other end and the sides were level after 15 minutes, 0-4 each. It was from here to half time that Kinsale built up a 4 point lead that very nearly won them the game in the end. They started to get on top around the middle and moved 0-11 to 0-7 ahead coming up to half time (Colin O'Sullivan and Mickey Prout from frees the Shamrocks scorers), however Shamrocks replied with 2 vital points before half time to leave just 2 points between the teams at the break, 0-11 to 0-9. It took Shamrocks a long time to get motoring in the second half (playing with the wind), indeed Kinsale had moved 0-13 to 0-10 ahead entering the final quarter. However, the introduction of sub Stephen O'Neill to the wing (he scored 0-2 from play) and improved play from Peter Prout, his brother Mickey when moved to wing back, the always consistant Brian Sweeney at center back and Barry Mulqueen who had a great last 15 minutes brought Shamrocks right back into the game and indeed they went ahead 0-14 to 0-13 entering injury time (after Stevie Neill put over a great strike off his left). Kinsale had one last attack and could even had snatched victory as their player bore down on goal but his shot went just over the bar to leave it a deserved draw at the end. Shamrocks team: D.O'Neill, D.Roche, P.Prout, S.Andrews, B.Mulqueen, B.Sweeney, C.Brady, C.O'Neil, S.O'Reilly, M.Prout, J.Shanahan, G.Ronayne, D.Bourke, T.O'Sullivan, C.O'Sullivan. Subs introduced - S.O'Neill, E.Kiely, C.Ronayne

Under 16 Football - 30/8
Courcey rovers 4-8, Shamrocks 1-6
This was a playoff to decide who went into the B county and Courceys ability to score goals was the obvious difference. Shamrocks actually played well over the hour but the concession of goals at vital times wa to prove the difference. Their second half performance once again was in total contrast to the first half performance. Shamrocks best players on the night were Alan McCarthy, Mickey O'Neill and Philip Brady who tried hard all through. Final score 5-8 to 1-6 in favour of the home team.

Week ended - 26th August 2006

Under 14 Football - 25/8
Tracton 5-7, Shamrocks 7-3
This was played in ideal conditions in Minane. Both sides played some great football and it was played in a great manner. At h/t Shamrocks led by 2 pts. But Tracton came storming back into the match and were 5 points up with 10 mins. to go. Some excellent forward play resulted in Shamrocks scoring 2.01 in the last few minutes to leave just 2 points between the sides in favour of Shamrocks at full time.
Best for Shamrocks were D. Breen. C. Kidney, T, O? Mahoney (1-01) C, Caffrey (0-01), Roy Twomey (3-00) & sub Darragh O? Sullivan (2-00)
Team, J.Wilson, D, Barton, J.Tuohy, D, Breen, C.Kidney, S.Healy, J.Brady, D.Sheehan, T.O?Mahoney, C.Caffrey, J.Raleigh, R.Twomey, J.O?Driscoll. Subs, S.Horgan, D.O?Sullivan, D.Kelleher, & A.Dunne.

Under 10 Football - 25/8
This resulted in a very one sided game with Shamrocks winning comfortably. A lot of the lads are now after the holidays and are looking forward to going to school during the week. We have 3 more games to play in this section so a bit more training will be done to get everybody back into the full swing of things again. A lot of this team will be the backbone for the upcoming U-11 leagues which will be starting soon

Under 12 Hurling - 26/8
Some extra notes, Saturday 26th August U-12 hurling Cecil Gash memorial in Minane. We beat a very sporting Douglas team in the semi-final 1-05 to 0-02. There were some great performances especially from the younger players Jack Howard, Aonghus Boland, Daniel O'Reilly & David Raleigh. The final against a very strong Tracton team proved to be too difficult a task for an under strength Shamrocks team. We are deeply thankful to our friends in Minane for the wonderful hospitality that they gave us. The medals were presented by Corks great no.5 John Gardiner who took time out to make the children's day. He signed autographs & posed for photos for all those involved.

Week ended - 19th August 2006

Junior Hurling Update - 15/8
Shamrocks 1-14, Rathpeacon 1-6
Shamrocks played their first match in about 4 weeks at dark Shanbally on Tuesday night and recorded a moral boosting victory over a tough Rathpeacon team. Colin O'Sullivan lashed home a goal from the opening attack after being set up by Joseph Shanahana, who ran at and tormented the Rathpeacon defence all night and eventally finished with a personal tally of 0-6, 0-5 from play and all brilliantly exectuted. It was obvious from an early stage that Shamrocks were going to win the game handy enough as they prepare for an upcoming championship fixture. They tagged on a few points, mainly through Shanahan to lead by 1-7 to 0-4 at half time. Rathpeacon scrambled home an early goal to make the second half more competitive and as the light almost completely faded, Shamrocks closed out the game with scores from O'Sullivan, Shanahan and Barry Mulqueen. Shamrocks completed their preperation for the Kinsale game on Sunday by beating Douglas at Shanbally on Monday night (21/8) by 0-13 to 1-8. douglas are always strong at junior level and this was a good result for Shamrocks, after a strong second half showing. Mickey Prout (after playing in Croke Park the day before) was the star this time, hitting 0-6, 0-4 from play and generally working very hard throughout. Shamrocks were behind at half time by 1-6 to 0-6, Gary Ronayne and Brian Sweeney the other Shamrocks scorers. The second half produced much better fare, especially from Shamrocks who tightened up considerably in defence and Prout had a major influence on the game. Terence O'Sullivan also scored an inspirational point mid way through the half to lift the team

Week ended - 12th August 2006

U16 C Hurling Championship Final - 9/8
Ballygarvan 7-10, Shamrocks 3-4
Ballygarvan qualified for the C County championship by virtue of this comfortable victory over a gallant Shamrocks team at Belgooly on Wednesday evening. The scoreline doesnt tell the full story of the game. True, Ballygarvan were fully deserving winners and had by far the better hurlers on view but Shamrocks kept plugging away in the face of adversity and produced some admirable performances. Despite an even enough opening, Shamrocks couldnt hold onto the Ballygarvan corner forward and once he got inside the cover after 10 minutes to hammer home a goal the game was all over because he waltzed through 4 more times before half time, not to mention a few points as well to finish the game as a contest. Shamrocks were deflated but they showed courage in the second half and after Ballygarvan relaxed a bit, they came thundering back at them and Philip Brady scored 3 goals and a point in 5 minutes to put a bit of respectability on the scoreboard. However, Shamrocks had nothing like the scorepower that Ballygaravn had up front. Daniel Browne at corner back, playing his first hurling of the year was outstanding and showed with a bit of bottle and determination you can achieve anything. The two Bradys were always to the fore and Alan McCarthy and Donie Murphy (who controlled the Ballygarvan dangerman after half time) tried hard while Brian Cusack had his moments. One thing that was noted was the lack of Shamrocks support at the game. There were 5 Shamrocks supporters at the game, Ballygarvan had way more and eclipised the Shamrocks numbers numbers-wise and vocally. We must be the worst supported club in the division. Team: M.O'Neill, D.Browne, J.Brady, D.Murphy, A.McCarthy, J.Tuohy, T.Pierce, P.Brady, C.Murphy, S.Downey, B.Cusack, S.Healy, C.Caffery.

Super Value Promotion
The club is asking for your support in helping the underage teams get a set of jerseys by collecting tokens in Barry Collins' in Carrigaline. If you spend ?10 worth in Barry Collins, you are entitled to a token. When you have finished your shopping, just present your receipt at customer services in the store and you'll pick up your tokens. Just pass them on to club officials. You might even get your friends to do the same, ie pass on the word. We're calling on all members of the club and parents to help us out on this one as we are slightly behind target. The closing date is August 21st. Even old receipts will do, just present them

Cork County Board Training
The Cork County Board training scheme reaches Shamrocks for the next month. This will be specialised hurling coaching for under 11's and under 13's by specialised coaches, among them Darragh McSweeney who played with Cork in this years league and is Corks centre back on the Intermediate team who are in the All-Ireland final. The other coach is last weekends hero Cathal Naughton! Its free and well worth a visit and its open to all members of Shamrocks at that age group. It started Thursday August 3rd at 9.45am until 11.30am and will run every Thursday morning thereafter

Miscellanous
The club would like to thank Teresa Clifford who has presented a load of training gear etc to the underage. We very much appreciate the offer Teresa and m�� bu��has. Well to Mickey and the rest of the Cork footballers on Saturday at Croker in the Quarter Final of the football championship where they beat Donegal by a point to set up a meeting with Kerry in the Semi final of the All-Ireland. It was a close run thing but we won and it just adds to the expense we're dishing out following Cork teams this year, but I for one aint complaining. The club ran a bus to Croke Park on Sunday for the hurling Semi final against Waterford and it was a very successful trip. Everyone was well behaved and had a great time and of course Cork won to send all Rebel supporters home happy

Week ended - 5th August 2006

Minor B Football Championship - 27/7
Shamrocks were well beaten by Carrigaline B in the Championship last Thursday night. Hopes were high of a win at this stage as Shamrocks had already beaten Carrigaline in the league but as preparations weren?t great through holidays and what not, Carrigaline deservedly went on to the next stage. The half time score was 1-3 to 0-1 for Shamrocks and Shamrocks ran out of steam in the second half, conceding some late goals. The best Shamrocks players on the night were all in defence - Jason Browne at corner back, Alan McCarthy at half back and Ivan Murphy at full back. However, Cormac Horgan at centre back gave an exhibition and it was unfortunate for him that he was on the losing side- in this writer?s opinion, and this is taking nothing away from the Carrigaline players, he was by far the outstanding player on the field. The club would like to thank Joseph Shanahan, Oliver McCann, Todds Sweeney and Tadhg Forde who took over the Minors at the start of the year when nobody else wanted it and thought we wouldn?t get a team out. The amount of phone calls made to certain players who unfortunately didn?t respond was staggering

County Board Draw winners and others
Shamrocks had some recent winners in the county Board Draw, which will be up for renewal by the way in October. Mr Denis ?Bengy? O?Brien of Ringaskiddy and Blackrock should certainly do the Lotto soon as he won twice in the last couple of months; he won a weekend for two and ?150 in separate draws. Other winners include Elizabeth Tuohy, Jimmy O?Neill, Pat Tuohy and John Dineen. Well done to all our winners and best of luck to everybody in the remaining draws. Also, thanks to our draw co-coordinator Lorcan for all the time and effort you put in. I don?t think we realize the effort that goes on behind the scenes. And while we?re on the Ahernes, Lorcans father Thomas was spotted adding some freshness to the lower gate and wall recently. Sun tanning and painting at the same time is a new phenomenon in Ireland in the last few year and Thomas was leading the way during the recent hot spell. Seriously, nobody asked him to do anything and yet he went up there and painted away by himself. Fair play to you sir. And finally, the best of luck to Mickey and the rest of the Cork footballers on Saturday at Croker in the Quarter Final of the football championship verses Donegal. The club is running a bus to Croke Park on Sunday for the hurling Semi final against Waterford. Let me put things this way ? let?s hope that Cork supporters are going to have to dig deeper into their pockets for the rest of the summer. If either Cork team reach an All-Ireland final, the GAA are rumoured to be playing the first half on the Saturday and the second half on the Sunday

Week ended - 22nd July 2006

Under 12 C Hurling Playoff
Shamrocks 2-4, Ballygarvan 1-5
Shamrocks and Ballygarvan played off to decide who?d go forward to play in the C County championship, beginning this Wednesday. This was an unexpected but deserved win for Shamrocks as Ballygarvan had already beaten Shamrocks well earlier on in the league. Roy Twomeys early goal settled Shamrocks and they were to be the dominant force in the first half; Ballygarvan took a while to get going. The Shamrocks keeper and full back line were well on top. Shamrocks led at half time by 1-1 to 0-3. The second half was much the same with Ballygarvan finding it hard to break down the Shamrocks rear guard. Roy Twomey got another goal and he, along with Tony O?Mahony and Aonghus Boland worked their socks off around the middle of the field. Ballygarvan got a late goal. Shamrocks qualify for the county, to be played at home against Ballinora this Wednesday (19th), please come out and support them. Team: Michael Howard, James Raleigh, Cal O?Mahony, Jack Howard, David Raleigh, Gary Hartnett, Roy Twomey (2-1), Tony O?Mahony (0-2), Aonghus Boland (0-1), Josh Hanlon, Michelle Murphy, Jack Breen, Stephen Moore, Eoin Sheehan, David Hayes. Our thanks to the mentors and helpers Ian Breen, Jim Raleigh, John Jordan ,Stephan O?Reilly, and the absent on this occasion Jim Ronayne and Pat Q

Junior B Football League - 18/7
Shamrocks 2-7, Belgooly 1-8
Shamrocks had a come from behind victory against Belgooly who put up a great challenge on Tuesday on another swelteringly hot night. Shamrocks football certainly wasnt hot in the first half - in fact it was appauling and Belgooly only led by 1-6 to 0-3 after dominating the first 2o minutes completely. But Shamrocks showed signs of recovery coming up to half time with 2 quick points from Stephen Jordan (on free taking duty for the night) and Dave Bourke. Shamrocks were a transormed team in the second half and Bernard Hickey's switch to corner forward worked within 1 minute of the restart after he finished a good move over the bar. Furter points from Jordan and Shamrocks were right back in the game. Dave Bourke finished a sweeping move to the back of the Belgooly net and as the game opened up considerably in the heat (also 13 a side), Shamrocks were on top and pressing. Dave O'Neill latched onto a goalkeeping mistake to bury the ball in the net to put Shamrocks a point up for the first time in the match with 10 minutes left. Belgooly tried hard to recover and did with 5 minutes left with a point of their own. But wing forward Patrick Andrews started and finished his own move with only a minute left to send the ball over the bar for the winner and try as Belgooly did in the remaining time, they couldnt get the equalising score to deny this Shamrocks team the victory. Team: R.O'Sullivan, B.Hickey (0-1), D.Roche, K.O'Mahony, D.Sheehan, S.Bourke, S.Kelly, S.Jordan (0-4), D.Bourke (1-1), R.Lannon, P.Andrews (0-1), J.Sweeney, K.Hennerty. Subs used - K.Hegarty, D.O'Neill (1-0), R.McCarthy, I.Cummins, A. "Jockey" Sweeney

City Junior A Hurling League - 20/7
Passage 2-13, Shamrocks 0-8
Passage won this City junior hurling game quite comfortably in Passage on Thursday night. Only 15 players turned up for Shamrocks at the start (another after 15 minutes) so with about 4 or 5 starting players carrying injuries your staring into the barrell of a gun against an "up for it" and fitter and fresher Passage and a hard surface. Shamrocks played with the aid of a strong breeze down the hill in the first half and the damage was done by half time. Passage led by 1-5 to 0-6, 5 of the Passage points coming from frees, each and every one conceded when a Shamrocks player chopped down on an opponent. The second half was a bit of a disaster from a Shamrocks point of view - Passage played well and took some great scores while Shamrocks had to bring off fellas, bring them back on etc through a succession of injuries and there was no pattern/rhythm to their play. It was decided afterwards in the dressing room, between the gigs and the reels, to take a 2 week break from everything to recharge the batteries as the championship matches wont be played for many weeks yet. We'll keep you posted. Team: D.O'Neill, B.Hickey, P.Prout, S.Andrews, B.Mulqueen, B.Sweeney, D.Roche, C.O'Neill, S.O'Reilly, C.Ronayne, S.O'Neill, J.Shanahan, P.Andrews, R.Lannon, C.O'Sullivan. Sub used - S.Bourke

Under 16 Hurling League - 17/7
Shamrocks were well beaten by Kinsale in their second match in this competition. Not for the first time this season, Shamrocks were all at sea in the first half and after conceding some early goals the heads dropped and it was all Kinsale until half time, slotting over score after score. However, after being reminded that you just dont give up like that in sport, the Shamrocks lads turned in a great second half performance and matched Kinsale, without ever threathening to get anywhere near level. Joey Brady was excellent as was Stephen Downey in the second half, along with Philip Brady and Jonathan Tuohy

Week ended - 16th July 2006

Well done Mickey
We all here at shamrocksgaa.com wish to congratulate our own Micheal Prout on his brilliant display at corner/wing back for Cork on Sunday last in Corks thrilling win over Kerry in the replay of the Munster football final. Mickey was simply outstanding and was Corks best defender on the very hot day. Another medal for the collection. Well done Cork!!

Junior B Hurling League - 15/7
Valley Rovers 1-8, Shamrocks 1-8
Shamrocks made the trip to Brinny a mildly successful one as they staged a late comeback to snatch a draw against Rovers on a sweltering Saturday night. Shamrocks were led throughout the entire game until a late Pat O'Sullivan goal and a monster Barry Mulqueen free from way out the field tied up the scores for the first and last time. Fielding an experimental side, Shamrocks were slow to settle, finding themselves 0-4 to no score down after 15 minutes. But the best line on the field, the half back line of Snotser, Barry Mulqueen and converted goalie Patrick Andrews started to get on top and started delivering plenty ball to the forwards. Deccy O'Neill (who later swopped with Dave O'Neill in goal) got a few close in frees and using all his "33" years on this earth a 'lob' over the keeper which unfortunately for him lobbed over the crossbar as well! Kieran Hennerty, Mulqueen, Sean Kelly and Snotser were the other scorers along with Dave O'Neill who found himself stationed in the forwards in the second half. Overall, a worthy draw as Shamrocks got the better of Rovers at the end of each half. PS Darcy made his "tri-annual" appearance for the club and didnt let the side down, throwing his body and face about the place!
Team: D.O?Neill, B.Hickey, P.Prout, K.Hegarty, D.Sheehan, B.Mulqueen, P.Andrews, C.Ronayne, S.Kelly, K.Hennerty, P.O?Sullivan, T.Barrett, Darcy, K.O?Mahony, D.O?Neill

Under 16 Hurling League - 12/7
Shamrocks 2-8, Ballygarvamn 5-12
The main objective of the under 16 this year is to fulfil their 6 fixtures and to try and bring the players on a bit. They played Ballygarvan in their first game of the year at Shanbally last Wednesday night. and with interrupted preparation and players missing on holidays they turned in a decent performance. To be fair Ballygarvan were down a few as well and there is no doubt they fully deserved their comfortable victory but after a first half best forgotten from the home side, they were ?got after? at half time and in fairness to the boys they played with a lot more spirit and pride in the second half. Ballygarvan were all over rusty Shamrocks in the first half and playing down the hill they led 4-5 to Mickey O?Neill?s point at half time. Some re-gigging at half time and Shamrocks second half display was full of promise. With a bit more training they could improve further. Mickey O?Neill went in goal and proceeded to play the proverbial blinder, saving at least 10 goals easily. The backs tightened up and Alan McCarthy and in particular Donie Murphy played some great stuff. Stephen Hurley and Jonathan Tuohy also benefited from new positions and Aaron Hickey got on the score sheet. Brian Cusack and Darragh O?Sullivan finished strong

Week ended - 9th July 2006

City/South Minor B Hurling League - 3/7
Shamrocks 1-8, Delaneys 4-11
Shamrocks lost thier first game in the City/Carrigdhoun hurling league in a game played in Shanbally last Monday night. Shamrocks only had the bare 13 players due to holidays and what have you and played well in patches. However they werent able to sustain their pressure. They were behind at half time by 1-5 to 0-3. Mickey O'Neill got the Shamrocks goal while other players to get on the scoresheet were Gary Ronayne, Jason Browne and Rob Hourihane

Under 21 B Hurling Championship - 4/7
Kinsale 2-12, Shamrocks 1-13
I said earlier above that Shamrocks would be looking to win this tournament this year as they step down a grade after playing A for the last few years. Well, this result can only be described as an unmitigated disaster then. Lets get to the point here. This was not the greatest Kinsale team ever and it just puts the Shamrocks performance and approach into perspective. To be fair, Shamrocks players are thin on the ground at this level and with four starters missing last night through J1 visas and holidays and infighting it didnt help at all. Too many players were being carried on this 13 a side team. However, it still cant mask the disappointement that this defeat brings. Shamrocks just about led throughout the match but couldnt get away from Kinsale. The Shamrocks backs were well on top but it was the age old problem of the forwards being unable to score that was to be their undoing. And eventhough Kinsale didnt score from play in the second half, absolutely needless fouls out the field were punished by the Kinsale freetaker and they scored the last five points to win. As far as I know, there is no backdoor. Team: Mickey O'Neill, S.Andrews, D.Hayes, Fergus O'Neill, S.O'Reilly, S.Bourke, Chris O'Neill, B.Mulqueen, G.Ronayne, J.Shanahan, R.Murphy, J.Browne, Cian O'Neill

7th June - 2nd July 2006

Under 10 Hurling Update
The lads have played 4 games in this period recording 3 wins. The only loss came against Carrigaline some weeks back, the final score being 3-3 to 1-1. David Raleigh got the Shamrocks goal and Gary Hartnett, Patrick Murphy and Conor Walters were outstanding. The lads were back to winning ways by beating Tracton the following week by 6-6 to 3-4. Jack Breen and Michael Howard were in scoring form. There were great displays from Brendan Crowley, Koby O?Mahony, Christopher Hayes, David Andrews, Aonghus Boland, Daniel O?Reilly and David Raleigh. Next up were Ballygarvan in Shanbally. Shamrocks got off to a great start with two early goals from Darragh Scriven. Patrick Murphy and Daniel O?Reilly hit a lot of ball. David Raleigh at centre back kept all the backs on song. Daniel hit over a few frees to finish the half. There was more of the same in the second half with goals from Conor Walters. Again as is the norm, all players got a game in which the final score was Shamrocks 5-4, Ballygarvan 1-1. The last game in the league was away to Ballinhassig on Friday night (23rd June). With players now going on holidays, we barely had a team. But the lads on show played their best hurling of the year. Coby at full-back was a rock, Nathan Hayes showed great heart, Darragh Scriven and Gary Hartnett got 2 goals each. Mark Hitchmore played the full game with Brendan Crowley, Chris Hayes, Joseph O?Keeffe, Andrew O?Grady and Eoin Horgan doing well also. Dave Andrews got a fortunate late goal to leave the final scoreline Shamrocks 5-2, Ballinhassig 1-2

Under 10 Football
Shamrocks had a good win over Crosshaven on Monday night (12th June)

Under 12 Hurling (Week of the 19th June)
Shamrocks 1-5, Douglas 2-3
The lads went down to a strong Douglas side at Shanbally on Monday night. Cal O?Mahony, James Raleigh, Gary Hartnett, Daniel O?Reilly and Josh Hanlon played well. Team: Conor Walters, Cal O?Mahony, James Raleigh, Daniel Galvin, Gary Hartnett, David Raleigh, Josh Hanlon, Tony O?Mahony, Roy Twomey, Aonghus Boland, Daniel O?Reilly, Matthew Garvey, Daniel Hughes, Stephen Moore, Eoin Sheehan. They later played Ballygarvan on Monday June 25th and were well beaten

Carrigdhoun Grade B Hurling Blitz
Ringaskiddy won this competition played at Shanbally on Thursday June 8th. Ringaskiddy NS won all their group games which were against Ballinadee, Gaelscoil Charraig Ui Leighin, Minane Bridge and Castlelack. The final against Guarranes was a close run affair with scores level at 1-0 each at half time. However, second half goals from Tony O?Mahony, Daniel Breen and Damien Kelleher ensured a deserved victory to make up for last years disappointment. Ringaskiddy have now captured hurling trophies and Sciath na Scol (Cork) and Sciath na Scol (Carrigdhoun) both indoor and outdoor. Team: David Barton (Capt), R.Twomey, David Drinan, Cathal Kidney, T.O?Mahony, Damien Kelleher, D.Breen, J.Breen, Michael Howard, Josh Hanlon and Daniel Galvin

Carrigdhoun Camogie Blitz
Ringaskiddy had a victory over Guarranes in their first game with goals from Nicky Twomey, Shannon O?Gorman and Michelle Murphy. They were subsequently beaten by Knockville NS. Team: Shannon Twomey, Katie McCarthy, Shannon O?Gorman, Michelle Murphy, Cleo Kelleher, Nicky Twomey, Fia Coughlan, Aisling Gibson, Sarah Jones, Sophie Galvin. Special thanks to John Herlihy NT on his efforts with the teams this year

Junior Update
The Junior A hurlers have played three games in this period and three losses were the outcome. They were beaten 2-8 to 1-6 by Glen Rovers on Friday 9th June and by a single point by Brian Dillons, both in the City League. But it was the loss to Ballinhassigs Junior team that caused the most distress. Plenty of hard talking and thinking was done after the 5-16 to 0-6 humiliation a few weeks back. The junior B hurlers lost league games to Crosshaven and Ballymartle (3-11 to 1-13) in the meantime, while the Junior B footballers were well beaten by Courcey Rovers on Tuesday June 16th in Ballinspittle.

Junior B Hurling Championship - 30/6
Ballinhassig 0-11, Shamrocks 1-4
Shamrocks didnt have much hope entering this game on Friday night last but turned in a commendable performance on the night. Again short some regulars, they were forced to employ players in unusual positions. Ballinhassig had a young team out and had more hurling than Shamrocks but the men in green just hung in there through heart and determination and with a bit more accuracy and luck in front of goal could have at least snatched a draw. Shamrocks had plenty of early possession but couldn?t convert it to scores and rued later on some decent scoring opportunities. All they had to show for their efforts was a Stephie O'Neill pointed free. Ballinhassig led 0-4 to 0-1 at half time. It was clear that Shamrocks needed a goal to get anywhere near winning this game but it came far too late via Peter Prout, who had been moved to full forward at this stage. O'Neill again was the sole Shamrocks point scorer in this half, all from frees. Shamrocks did finish strongly with a succession of fruitless 65's which were dropped in around the house to no avail. Bernard Hickey, Keith Roche, Colin Brady and Barry Mulqueen can be happy with their contributions. Team : D.O'Neill, B.Hickey, P.Prout, K.Roche, C.Ronayne, B.Mulqueen, C.Brady, S.O'Neill, G.Ronayne, T.Barrett, J.Shanahan, G. Ronayne, R.McCarthy, K.O'Mahony, J.Sweeney. Subs used - S.Bourke, P.Andrews

Under 12 Hurling League ? 26/6
Ballygarvan beat Shamrocks well in this playoff game last week. More to follow on the game itself later. Circumstances dictate that Shamrocks play Ballygarvan next week to determine who (the winners) goes into the County Grade C Championship

Week ended - 6th June 2006

Junior B Football League - 6/6
Shamrocks 2-8, Tracton 1-6
Shamrocks Junior B team grabbed their first win of the season with an exciting win over Tracton at sunny Shanbally. It was hot out there and there were many tired players trooping off the field at the end. Shamrocks were the first to settle with scores from Patrick Andrews, Rob Lannon and Colin Brady in reply to Tractons sole point at the other end. Shamrocks were dominating possession to a large degree but their shooting and short passing let them down at times (rustiness). They still led at half time 0-4 to 0-1 with the back as a unit playing extremely well. They got the boost of an early Dander goal playing up the hill after nice work between Andrews and sub Rob McCarthy. In fact, each and every sub brought on by the inspired Shamrocks think-tank on the line made a vital contribution. McCarthy was involved in a few other scores while the Jockey Aaron Sweeney finished a centre from the captain supreme, Jamie Sweeney (team captain that is) to the net. And Tiger Cummins, aka Cruncher scored two outrageous points from play, the man was standing behind the end line and still they sailed over. And then Sweeney took a quick free on the 21 to none other than Rochie, of the Darren variety. He nearly incurred a speeding fine and a nose bleed all at once; he was so far up the field. Anyway, he closed his eyes, pulled the trigger and over she sailed. We just knew it was going to be our night. The half back line of Sean Bourke, Roche and Karl Griffin were outstanding in particular. Team: C.O'Sullivan, K.Hegarty, D.Roche, D.O'Neill, S.Bourke, K.Griffin, D.Roche, B.Hickey, C.Brady, P.Andrews, R.Lannon, D.Stuart, J.Sweeney, E.O'Rahilly, K.Hennerty. Subs used - R.McCarthy, D.Bourke, I.Cummins, A.Sweeney

Week ended - 4th June 2006

Under 10 hurling - 4/6
The under 10 hurlers have played 3 matches in the last week, resulting in 3 straight victories against Vally Rovers, Kinsale and Crosshaven. Firstly the Rovers on Wednesday night away in Brinny and what a great victory for the lads over a strong Rovers team. Shamrocks won 4-2 to 1-4 in a game that is played over four quarters. Shamrocks had goal scorers in Jack Breen, Jack Howard, Daniel O'Reilly and David Andrews. It was a draw at half time but Shamrocks pulled away in the last quarter. Next up it was Kinsale at home and Shamrocks won 4-8 to 1-0. Man of the match was undoubtly Aonghus Boland who scored 2-4 from play. Killian Murphy (No 7's son, not the actor) also chipped in with a goal as did David Andrews. Micheal Howard in goal, Daniel O'Reilly and Andrew O'Grady played well also for Shamrocks. And the good ship Shamrocks sailed merrily along against fellow harboursiders Crosshaven on Sunday morning by winning 4-5 to 2-1. Daniel O'Reilly had 2 goals, Andrew O'Grady had another and young David Howard, who is only 6, became surely the youngest Shamrocks scorer ever when he came off the bench to score another goal. The next game is against Carrigaline on Thursday night at home. This will be a massive test for the young lads as Carrig will have a very strong pick. A feature of the 3 matches played so far is the tremendous numbers togging out. Also thanks to an Bainisteoir Dick Andrews and his assistants Ian Breen and Stephen O'Reilly for their tirless work with the young guns. Also thanks to all the parents who help out in any way and travel to support the team. Thanks to Socket who does a pile of organising for the team behind the scenes like setting up the pitch and so on. The lads (and one lassie) will be playing Tracton, Ballygarvan and Ballinhassig over the next few weeks

Under 12 hurling - 5/6
We played 2 games over the bank holiday weekend. First up was Kinsale last Friday evening in Shanbally. We had a much depleted team out for this match. Indeed only for the U-10s who had just played Kinsale, we would not have been able to field a team. Against a strong & sporting Kinsale team the lads put up a great first half performance but tired obviously in the second half. They got some lovely scores from play but at the end 2 games in just over an hour in brilliant sunshine took its toll for this very young team.
On Monday we played Tracton in Shanbally again in brilliant sunshine. This proved to be a cracker with Tracton winning in the end by a mere point 2-04 to 2-03. Some excellent hurling was played on both sides and if the lads can produce a performance like this again then the hard work by Jim Ronayne, Ian Breen, Jim Raleigh, Steven O?Reilly & Pat Q will reap its rewards in the near future.
Panel used. M. Howard, J. Raleigh, G. Hartnett, J. Howard, D. Raleigh, M. Garvey, R. Twomey, T. O? Mahony, A. Boland, C. Walters, D. O? Reilly, J. Breen, C. Cusack, C. O? Mahony, J. Hanlon. S. Moore

Shamrocks golf Classic 2006 - 2/6
The club held its biennial golf classic in Monkstown Golf Club in glorious sunshine last Friday and it proved to be a very successful event. There was a full quota of teams on the day with victory going to Neallie O?Mahonys team of himself, Mark Hickey and Ian ?Cruncher? Cummins. Well done to them and to the organisers of the event who put in many hours on the nineteenth hole - Alan Geary, Neallie O?Mahony, Darragh Collins and John Twomey. Also thanks to everyone who took part and to our three main sponsors - Ford, Right Price Tiles and Toyota Avensis

SE Junior A Hurling League - 1/6
Shamrocks 2-18, Kinsale 2-7
This was played on a very sunny evening in Shanbally (almost too sunny) and it resulted in a comprehensive win for the home team. To be fair to Kinsale, they were very short on the night and not too much could be read into the scoreline regarding possible meetings in the championship later on. Shamrocks beat what was put in front of them and in the process racked up a big score for the second game in a row. They led by a whopping 0-14 to 0-1 at the break with many fine scores from Senan Collins, who was on 65 duty, Todds with a mighty one from play, Stevie O'Neill, Rob Lannon, Gary Ronayne (whom scored 3 points frokm play from corner forward in the 2nd half), Dave Bourke, Chris O'Neill and Ciaran Fitzpatrick who scored 2 beauties from play and played his best match in a Shamrocks jersey in a while. The first half served as shooting practice in reality. Kinsale obviously got a drubbing at half time as they were a transformed team in the second half without even remotely threathening to mount a serious comeback. They got a few goals to put respectibility on the scoreboard while at the other end Stevie O'Neill scored 2 Shamrocks goals (rather luckily to be fair Stevie!). The next game is Junior B Football on Tuesday night followed by Ballinhassig on Wednesday night in a game that doubles up as a City and South East hurling league game

Junior B Hurling League - 29/5
Belgooly 5-17, Shamrocks 4-8
The fellas who didnt play in the A championship got a run out in the B league at sunny Belgooly on Tuesday night. Well some of them because Shamrocks struggled to put a team together on this occasion because some other fellas just didnt bother turning up. The boys that did turn up did reasonably well in the face of adversity. The thirteen aside game makes the game very open with planty of goal opportunities and scores in the offing. Stephen O'Neill and Pat O'Sullivan, playing against all his budies, got the two Shamrocks goals in the first half, 2-10 to 2-2 to Belgooly at half time. The second half was very open with plenty of scores, O'Neill again and Gary Ronayne adding to some points from Barry Mulqueen to see out the Shamrocks scores. But Belgooly had the game well sown up at the other end

Week ended - 28th May 2006

Junior Championship 1st Round - 25/6
Shamrocks 2-20, Ballygarvan 0-1
Shamrocks had an easier than expected victory over Ballygarvans second team last evening at Carrigaline to progress to a meeting with either Carrigaline or Valley Rovers in the next round. Shamrocks approached this game in the right frame of mind and took nothing for granted against a Ballygarvan team who had ran Kinsale close in the previous round. Rob Lannon was causing all sorts of problems at full forward and he was directly and indirectly responsible for the first 5 Shamrocks point, either slapping over a few himself, setting them up or getting fouled in possession. After it being tied 0-1 apiece early on, Shamrocks raced away to lead 0-7 to 0-1 and then Colin O'Sullivan scored 1-2 from play in 5 minutes. The forwards were getting on the scoreboard from all over along with Stephen O'Neill at midfield. Half time it was 1-13 to 0-1 and the game was well and truly over as a contest. The second half meandered to its inevitable conclusion with it serving as no more than shooting practice for Shamrocks. Team: C.O'Neill, D.Hayes, S.Collins, S.Andrews, D.Roche, B.Sweeney, O.Boland, C.O'Neill, S.O'Reilly, T.O'Sullivan, C.Fitzpatrick, M.Prout, D.Bourke, R.Lannon, C.O'Sullivan

Underage Notes - 29/5
Ringaskiddy NS 0-7, Crosshaven NS 0-1
Ringaskiddy NS 0-07 Crosshaven NS 0-01. Ring played into a strong breeze in the opening half and were leading at half time 0-03 to 0-01. Tony O Mahony played some excellent and determined hurling. He led to lads on by example by scoring 2 great long distance frees. Daniel Breen scored the other point. A very effective half time talk was held and the lads started the second period in fine style with Daniel Breen scoring a great point. Tony O? Mahony added 2 more points and the ever dependable Cathal Kidney scored another. Special mention must go to the 3 girls who played excellent throughout the campaign. Nikki Twomey, Michelle Murphy & Chloe McCullough. Roy Twomey in goal made 2 good saves and was protected well by David Barton, David Drinan in midfield done some trogan work and both Jack Breen & Damien Kelleher in the forward line were also impressive. The 2 subs, Michael Howard & Josh Hanlon did their bit for the team when they came on in the 2nd half. Special praise must go to John Herlihy who trained this team and who has showed his support for this team for the last 6 years. His knowledge and experience is well known both at school & club level.

Week ended - 21st May 2006

John Kerins Memorial Trophy Finals - 20/5
Shamrocks played Whites Cross in the semi-Final and came away with a great victory to secure a place in the final against Donoghmore. This proved to be a very difficult game and even though we were beaten the team can hold their heads up high as they gave 110%. This is a very young team with many of the children coming from Dick Andrews School of excellence on Saturday mornings. A large group of parents, supporters & mentors traveled last Saturday in what turned out to be a most enjoyable occasion for the children. Special thanks most go to Ian, Jim Raleigh, Pat Q, Oisin, Steven & Dick for looking after this team. Thanks also to the Gardai for organizing this event & for the refreshments that the teams got throughout the day.Ringaskiddy N.S. hurling final is on in Pairc Ui Rinn next Friday 26th May @ 2.30 PM. A special bus is leaving the school at 1.00PM (Moog Cross) for any member interested in traveling. Please give your name ASAP to the school as seats are limited.There was no U-14 action last weekend as all our selectors jump ship and joined the Rugby Brigade. Sid, Oliver, Sean & Kieran were last seen in Cardiff Saturday night trying to get new players from overseas to join our club. There is a limited number of the club gear bags left for sale. Contact John Twomey or Sid
Heineken Cup connection
Im sure most members of the club were watching Munsters great victory over Biarritz in the Heineken Cup Final in Cardiff last Saturday. Well, Munsters number 7 David Wallace is from Monkstown and his brother Paul played for Shamrocks up until he was a Minor/Under 21. Paul later went on to represent the Lions in South Africa in 1997. In fact this writer met David last year in Limerick after a match "over a few jars" and he was enquiring as to the current health of the club. Needless to say it took me a long time into the night to inform him of how we were doing! The guy is a gentleman. We congratulate him and all the rest of the players on a well deserved triumph
Sciath Na Scoil - 12/5
Ringaskiddy 5-06 Rathduff 3-01
This game was played in Shanbally last Friday and resulted in a great win for the local lads. All the team played well especially Daniel Breen, David Drinan & David Barton. They led 2-01 to 1-01 at half time thanks to goals from the Breen brothers. They added further scores in the 2nd half to set the school up for a famous win. They are now playing Crosshaven in the final next Friday 26th May in Pairc Ui Rinn @ 2.30 PM. A bus is leaving the school at 1.00PM for all parents and children. Our best wishes to them. This is their first appearance in a hurling final since 1999.
Best wishes are also extended to Daniel Breen (Hurling) & to David Drinan (Football) in their trails for the Dairygold Cork schools teams.

Week ended - 14th May 2006

South East Junior Hurling Update - 10/5
Shamrocks 0-17, Ballymartle 2-12
This was a fast paced South East league game played under perfect conditions for once after the recent rain. Both teams can be happy with the high scoring on both sides with the visitors obviously also enjoying a one point victory in the end, in a game that served as a nice warm up for the upcoming championship. It was the two first half goals for Ballymartle that really carved open the contest in their favour as otherwise both teams were fairly evenly matched throughout the tight hours hurling. Shamrocks had 11 points on the board at half time, Barry Mulqueen and Mickey Prout shining brightest for the home team in that first half, accounting for the majority of the scores. However, Ballymartle had been chipping away at the other end also and had accumulated 2-7 of their own by the short whistle. All to play for in the second half and Ballymartle just stayed that point or two in front of Shamrocks despite good play from Todds Sweeney at centre back, Darren Roche at half back and SeanᮠCollins as an emergency full back, as the back line as a unit tightened up. But the forwards lacked that cutting edge in front of goals to mount an assault on the Ballymartle goal to score that goal that probably would have won the game for Shamrocks. Team: P.Andrews, D.Hayes, C.Brady, S.Collins, D.Roche, B.Sweeney, C.Ronayne, C.O'Neill, B.Mulqueen, T.O'Sullivan, C.Fitzpatrick, M.Prout, D.Bourke, R.Lannon, B.Hickey. Subs used - S.O'Reilly, P.O'Sullivan, C.O'Sullivan, G.Ronayne

City Junior Hurling Update - 11/5
Shamrocks 3-8, Na Piarsaigh 2-18
Shamrocks played their second game in 24 hours, this time in the City league and went down to a slick Piarsaigh. Shamrocks gave run outs to many players who didnt feature the night before and I suppose in a way it contributed to the defeat because the championship teasm wasnt out. However, on the night, the home side were outhurled by Na Piarsaigh who featured some players who had played Senior last year. Piarsiagh blew Shamrocks away in the first 10 minutes and led 1-5 to 0-0 before Shamrocks scored a goal. The half time score was 1-12 to 2-3, Gary Ronayne with the other Shamrocks goal. Shamrocks were under the cosh but came more into it after the restart with some positional changes and came within 5 points of Piarsaighs. But, this would have been an unlikely victory and Piarsaighs finished with a flurry of points and a goal to settle the issue. Team: C.'Neill, C.Brady, S.Collins, S.O'Reilly, D.Sheehan, B.Sweeney, O.Boland, B.Mulqueen, M.Prout, C.Fitzpatrick, T.O'Sullivan, D.O'Neill, C.O'Sullivan, K.Hennerty
Whitechurch 0-15, Shamrocks 1-6
Shamrocks made the long trip to Whitechurch on Monday night and might as well have stayed at home such was the ineptitude of the display. It was rubbish and they were outplayed by a limited team. Shamrocks have ambitions for the year and losing 4 on the trot is not one of them, players missing or not. Whitechurch went into an early lead and never looked back. They tagged on some scores while Shamrocks replied through Colin O'Sullivan and Barry Mulqueen. Whitechurch led at half time 0-8 to 0-4. The second half wasnt much better into the wind for Shamrocks. They needed some early scores but couldnt with a rearranged team. After Whitechurch had stretched ahead 0-10 to 0-4 Cian Ronayne tapped home a goal but this was as close as Shamrocks came. All their huff and puff was in vain as Whitechurch tagged on a few insurance scores.

Under 14 Hurling
The under 14 hurlers were well beaten by a very strong and big Crosshaven team in Camden last week and now are out of the competition. The club would like to thank Sid Kidney, Oliver McCann and Sean Horgan who put in the effort with the team in the last few months

Under 12 Hurling - 15/5
If anyone doubted the problems we?re encountering in underage hurling then Brinny was the place to be on Monday night. Shamrocks were absolutely beaten out the gate by Valley Rovers second team. Only the goalkeeper Moore and the fullback line of the Howard brothers and Daniel Fleming were up to scratch

Week ended - 7th May 2006

Under 12 Football Semi Final - 3/5
Shamrocks lost to a very strong Kinsale side at the Semi Final stage. What happened this year was that the bottom two from the B grade (Kinsale being of of them) played off against one of the top two from the C grade (Shamrocks). Shamrocks started very well and were 4 points up early doors. They then conceded a goal after a goalmouth mix-up but responded with 4 unanswered points at the other end. Shamrocks conceded another goal and a point before half time. The second half saw Kinsale score 2 early goals forcing the Shamrocks lads to chase the game thereafter, without ever looking like they would do it. So Shamrocks football season comes to an end but they are a very young team who accounted well for themselves this season. Special thanks to the mentors Pat Q, Ian Breen, Jim Ronayne and Jim Raleigh who have given so much of their time to this team this year. Training for the under 12 hurling starts next Monday at 7.30 at the Track

Schools mini 7's hurling - 3/5
This competition was played in Shanbally last Wednesday. Eight teams took part in what was an excellent days hurling on the two pitches. Ringaskiddy NS beat a very strong Glountane NS 2-5 to 2-2 in their opening game and followed this up by beating Glenville 1-4 to 0-2 to set up a final with St Anthonys boys school of Ballinlough. This proved a step too far for the Ring lads as they lost 4-5 to 1-3. Team: Roy Twomey, Dan Breen, David Barton, Cathal Kidney, David Drinan, Mick Howard, Tony O'Mahony, Josh Hanlon, Damien Kelleher and Daniel Galvin. Special thanks were given to the Shamrocks club for the use of their facitities and to Tony O'Sullivan for setting up the 2 pitches. They also beat Aghada this week
Ring school made up for the disappointment in losing that day by qualifying for the final of the Sciath na Scol the next day. They beat a very sporting Rennies team who has had a great relationship with the school over the years. These two schools have playes challenge matches against each other in all kinds of weather over the course of the year and it just shows how our national sports can bring these two small schools together

City Junior Hurling Update - 3/5
Shamrocks 2-10, St Finbarrs 2-8
Played in swirling wind conditions, Shamrocks were a tad fortunate to come away with the 2 league points to continue their revival in the City league in a game played in Shanbally. Shamrocks were never actually led and only for a late surge by the Barrs would have won by more. They spread their scorers around much better in this game in contrast to other games and over the hour Mickey Prout, Todds Sweeney, Barry Mulqueen, Dave O'Neill, Colin O'Sullivan from frees, SeanᮠCollins from frees as well and sub Cian Ronayne got on the score sheet. SeanᮠCollins long free in the first half went all the way to the Barrs net and this was quickly followed by Barry Mulqueens admittedly weak shot (Barry told me to say he put spin on it after reading this!)which somehow managed to evade the keeper and end up in the back of the same net. Shamrocks were well in control in the first half, however they seemed to switch off in the second especially up in the forwards were there was a cutting edge lacking. The barrs got a late goal to add to their first half effort but they couldnt quite close the gap. On the night, Senan Andrews, Keith Roche, Reilly, sub Dave Hayes, Oisin Boland (2nd half), Todds and Mickey Prout who slotted over some nice points from play were the pick of the bunch. Team: C.O'Neill, S.Andrews, K.Roche, S.O'Reilly, O.Boland, S.Collins, D.Roche, B.Sweeney, C.O'Sullivan, M.Prout, C.Fitzpatrick, T.O'Sullivan, B.Mulqueen, R.Lannon, D.O'Neill. Subs used - D.Sheehan, P.O'Sullivan, D.Hayes, C.Ronayne

South East Junior Hurling Update - 4/5
Carrigaline 2-5, Shamrocks 2-3
Shamrocks will have to buck up a notch or two in the South East League, of which they are the reigning champions, if they are to regain their trophy this year. They were straight out again the night after, and chances were given to some of the players who hadnt featured against the Barrs the night previous. For far too long in this game Shamrocks seemed disinterested and lots of work lay ahead in the coming weeks and beyond if they are to have as productive a campaign as last year. Conditions were very greasy but thats no excuse. The forwards wasted a world of ball in the first half in which Shamrocks scored a paltry 2 points, both from placed ball from Seanan Collins, one of them a penalty. Carrigaline scored an early goal when the defence gave their scorer no less than three chances to bury it. The second half was all huff and puff from Shamrocks again. It did come alive with 15 minutes left as Shamrocks scored 2 goals in a minute through Dave Bourke and Terence O'Sullivan to leave them ahead undeservedly by a point. But Carrigaline scored the winner with a rasper with 3 minutes left and just held on. Team: P.Andrews, S.Andrews, K.Roche, D.Hayes, S.Collins, D.Roche, D.Sheehan, B.Sweeney, C.Brady, C.Ronayne, T.O'Sullivan, B.Mulqueen, D.O'Neill, B.Hickey, D.Bourke. Subs used -J.Sweeney, G.Ronayne

Junior B Football League - 2/5
The Junior B's are suffering from a complete lack of football at the moment and its all too evident in their league performances. They were comprehensively beaten by Crosshaven (1st team) in Camden on Tuesday night. While getting numbers out isnt a problem, putting scores on the board is. Shamrocks played against a gale of a wind in the first half and couldnt really have done any better than to be behind by only 1-5 to 0-0 at half time. But Crosshaven showed that they have been football training recently by racking up a big score in the second half to run out easy winners. Shamrocks did mount a challenge midway through the scond half with some scores from Dave O'Neill and David Bourke and got within 2 goals of the home team. But after they got their 3rd goal the bubble burst on the Shamrocks team and the heads went down, caving the way for a productive last quarter for Crosshaven. Sean Kelly scored the Shamrocks goal, final score Crosshaven 5-14, Shamrocks 1-5. Team: P.Andrews, C.Brady, K.Roche, D.Bourke, K.Griffin, D.Sheehan, S.Kelly, R.Lannon, J.Sweeney, C.Fitzpatrick, B.Hickey, D.O'Neill, K.Hennerty. Subs used - R.McCarthy, A.Sweeney (13 a side)

Week ended - 30th Apr 2006

City Junior Hurling Update - 26/4
Shamrocks 1-12, Donoughamore 1-10
Shamrocks played out a tough encounter with Donoughamore who made the long trip to Shanbally on Wednesday night before emerging with a deserved 2 point victory. This was a tough hours hurling between two committed teams and it certainly wasnt for the faint hearted. Shamrocks scored a goal with the very first attack through Bernard hickey and this proved to be a vital score in the context of the game. Both teams found scores hard to come by thereafter as defences were on top but Shamrocks managed to lead at half time by 1-4 to 0-6, points from Rob Lannon and Mickey Prout operating at wing forward. The second half was tit for tat all the way and after Donoughamore scored a goal to go ahead by a point they looked good for victory. But the introduction of a few subs by shamrocks seemed to work and Rob Lannon, Ciaran Fitzpatrick and Colin O'Sullivan slapped over some nice points to leave Shamrocks leading by a solitary point entering the last 8 minuts. These last few minutes were frantic before sub Pat O'Sullivan whipped over a beauty to slam the door shut on Donoughamore's hopes. Team: C.O'Neill, S.Andrews, P.Prout, S.O'Reilly, D.Roche, S.collins, O.Boland, b.Mulqueen, T.O'Sullivan, S.O'Neill, C.Fitzpatrick, M.Prout, B.Hickey, R.Lannon, D.O'Neill. Subs used - B.Sweeney, C.O'Sullivan, P.O'Sullivan

U14 Hurling League - 27/4 and 28/4
Shamrocks played a game each on last Thursday (27th) and Friday (28th) nights They had a comfortable win over Douglas 2 on the Thursday and played a great match against Tracton on Friday night before going down by 1-4 to 0-3. The lads have definetly improved as the season has gone on and more training is planned. Tracton finished the stronger on Friday night, the Shamrocks lads feeling the effects of 2 games in 2 days. Jonathan Tuohy at full back is playing great hurling at present as is Joey Brady on the half forward wing.

Senior Championship
Eight different players from the Shamrocks club have played Senior County Championship over the last week, all with Carrigdhoun. Mickey Prout, Chris O'Neill, Joe Shanahan and Brian Sweeney all played with the footballers in their win over Avondhu last Sunday and Mickey Prout, Brian Sweeney, Seanan Collins (captain), Senan Andrews, Colin O'Sullivan and Rob Lannon (bloodsub) all played in their home ground of Shanbally for Carrigdhoun against winners UCC last Tuesday.

Week ended - 23rd Apr 2006

John Kerins Memorial Trophy (U11 Football) - 22/4
This is a very important tournament that Shamrocks participate in every year. This year we played 3 qualifying games in Ballygarvan which went as follows: Firstly up Shamrocks beat Passage (who beat us in the final last year) 2-0 to 0-2 (Jack Breen and Aonghus Boland with the goals). Our second game was against Ballinora which we lost agonisingly to a last minute goal (Daniel O'Reilly with the Shamrocks goal). Finally, in the last game against Ballygarvan, Shamrocks won, much to the delight of the players, mentors and parents. The scoreline was 3-3 to 0-0 (Daniel O'Reilly with a penalty; Conor Walters, Aonghus Boland and Jack Breen being the other scorers). This victory sent us into the finals which will be held in Pairc Ui Rinn on May 20th. This is an extremely young Shamrocks team and great credit is due to Ian Breen, Pat Q, Jim Raleigh and Oisin Boland for looking after the team. A special mention also to the members of the u8?s and u9?s who made their debuts for the club, namely Mark Hitchmough, Brendan Crowley, Koby O?Grady, Christopher Hayes, Andrew O?Grady and all the other lads who were training hard all year every Saturday morning. A special word of thanks to the parents who went out in support of the team

U16 Football League - 19/4
Sliabh Rua 6-14, Shamrocks 5-6
Shamrocks and Sliabh Rua played out a very high scoring game at Riverstick on Wednesday night last. Sliabh Rua sportingly agreed to play 13 against 13 as Shamrocks already limited panel were short a few on the night. Even though Shamrocks elected to play down the hill in the first half, they found themselves 3 goals down by half time. Shamrocks did however play very well on the resumption and played their best football of the night in this period and actually had the deficit down to one goal. But their luck wasn?t in and Sliabh Rua went down the other end and reasserted themselves on the scoreboard. Shamrocks missed loads of chances on the night when the play was open and fast. Next game is away to Courcey Rovers on this Wednesday night, players meeting at Shanbally church at 5.45 for the journey

U14 Hurling League - 18/4
Carrigaline2 1-0, Shamrocks 1-8 Shamrocks recorded their first hurling victory of the season last Tuesday week. The effort the boys have been putting in on the training field showed itself. Jonathan Tuohy was outstanding at full back, Cathal Kidney likewise at centre back while up front Joey Brady kept himself busy at half forward. Darragh O?Sullivan was the free taker and he got most of the Shamrocks scores. There might be a game for this group this Thursday night, if not there?s training at the track.

U12 Football League - 21/4 and 24/4
Shamrocks played two matches in the last week and it resulted in 2 victories which puts Shamrocks in the semi finals, to be played next Monday against yet to be revealed opponents. Friday night produced a very exciting game of football between two evenly matched teams in Shamrocks and Crosshaven in excellent conditions- the pitch had just been cut before the match by Pato. Crosshaven led early on with some good points . Halt time and the visitors to Shanbally were leading 0-8 to 0-3. Shamrocks played a lot better in the second half after some strong words form Pat Q and Jim Ronayne. With 10 minutes left Roy Twomey got a great goal to leave Shamrocks trailing by 2 points. With a minute to go the same player scored a goal from a free that Beckham would have been proud of. A point followed from the kick out to leave Shamrocks winners by a solitary point. The defence was outstanding especially Peter Barry who came back early from his holidays to play and also Cal in goal. Jack Howard and David Raleigh, both u10 players, showed the rest of them how to do it. Tony O?Mahony scored 6 points throughout the game. On Monday night, Shamrocks had a comfortable victory over Carrigaline?s second team. This was a very young Carrigaline team and Shamrocks best players on the night were the younger brigade again, led by Aonghus Boland, Daniel O?Reilly and James Raleigh.

Club Presentation - 19/4
The club made a presentation to John Twomey last Wednesday night at Pfizers Sports Club in lieu of his recent Presidents award in Dublin. It was just a small appreciation from the club to which John has given over the last 40 odd years of his life. It seemed a very enjoyable night where past and present Shamrocks players mingled with invited guests Con Murphy, Jim Forbes, Liam Webb and members of his family

Another All-Ireland Champion
Believe it or not Shamrocks have another All-Ireland champion. Junior panelist and club PRO Patrick Andrews take a bow. The ASTI (Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland) held their annual convention in Ennis during the week and Pa was a member of the Cork South delegation. A puc fada competition was held on Wednesday afternoon for all delegates and in the hollowed grounds of Saint Flannans College Pa brought the title back to Cork and Shamrocks. He was actually third with one puck left but there was a sudden miraculous gust of wind and showing all his Leaving Cert Geography knowledge he drove it back towards Cork and Shanbally and the ball (which handily enough was a Cummins) landed 20 yards beyond some fella from Tipperary. Christ if he'd failed to beat a Tipp man he'd have been met at the county bounds in Charleville by a not so nice gang of Corkmen shall we say. Seriously, another All-Ireland champion from the club was created and we say well done. Patrick won a choice of stand tickets for the Munster or Leinster hurling finals (have a guess his choice) and a lovely trophy of Cuchullainn, which just happens to be on the missing list these past few years! If you know where it is, please get onto Pa as its the only thing he's ever won

Junior Hurling Update - 21/4
Once the first round of the football championship is over hurling kicks in and Shamrocks have played two matches since beating Ballymartle on Easter Sunday. They started with a City League victory over Delaneys at the Track last Wednesday week (19th). Shamrocks were always on top in this one despite being short a few regulars. Colin O?Sullivan and Rob Lannon in the full forward line were the Shamrocks goal scorers on the night, when the final scoreline was 2-11 to 0-8. More on this later. On the following Friday afternoon they travelled to play Courceys second team in the South East league and emerged with a valuable two point victory after a tough hours hurling against a decent home side. Shamrocks were led 2-7 to 1-8 at half time, full forward Rob Lannon plucking a high ball out of the air before billowing the Courceys net for the Shamrocks goal. It took Shamrocks a long time to wear the plucky home side down in the second half and after Courcey Rovers led by three points Shamrocks got on top mainly through Colin O?Sullivans bullet like semi penalty to the net and a few frees from same. SeanᮠCollins also added a terrific score from long range. O?Sullivan (1-9) played a great game at midfield as did Senan Andrews in the backs. Final score 2-14 to 2-12. Darren Roche, Todds, Oisin Boland and Rob Lannon had their moments. Players used over both games: C.O?Neill, S.O?Reilly, P.Prout, S.Andrews, K.Roche, D.Roche, S.Collins, S.Bourke, B.Mulqueen, S.O?Neill, C. Fitzpatrick, T.O?Sullivan, C.O?Sullivan, R.Lannon, C.Ronayne, J.Sweeney, D.Hayes, D.O?Neill, B.Hickey, P.Andrews

Junior B Football League - 18/4
The Junior B?s lost the first game in the South East league on Tuesday night. This is a thirteen a side competition but if both clubs are agreed 15 start which was the case against Rochestown on the following Sunday. Shamrocks were well beaten on the night and had no answer to Ballygarvans style of football, the final score being 2-13 to 0-6. Karl Griffin was Shamrocks most consistent performer on the night. On Sunday morning a patched up Shamrocks team (they had no footballs, jerseys or personel to pick the team) were deservedly beaten by Rochestown in Rochestown. Shamrocks played in black and amber jerseys due to a mix up in communication. The final score was 3-9 to 0-10 and the three goals, well, you'd travel a long way to see bigger mess ups than those. They were just pure comedy. Pat O'Sullivan, Karl Griffin at full back, Bernard hickey, Rob Lannon when brought out the field, Dave Bourke and Patrick Andrews were the only Shamrocks players who came out of the game with any credit while Rob Lannon, Jason Deasy, Colin O'Sullivan and Dave O'Neill did the scoring. Next game in next Tuesday night away to Crosshaven

Minor Update - 11/4
The minors played Kinsale last Friday night in the hurling league. Report to follow after the match and were thouraghly outplayed by our visitors. The gulf in class was all too evident. While Shamrocks gave em timber and werent afraid to get stuck in, they were limited overall compared to Kinsales greater class and skill, which carried the day in the end. Gary Ronayne at midfield and John Cronin at half forward were the two Shamrocks players to emerge form the game with reputations intact. Team: J.Browne, I.Murphy, R.Murphy, R.Hourihane, F.O'Neill, S.Hurley, G.Ronayne, P.Brady, J.Cronin, P.Lordan, S.Downey, M.O'Neill, C.McCann, (13 a side). Sub used S.Walters

U16 Football League - 19/4
Sliabh Rua 6-14, Shamrocks 5-6
Shamrocks and Sliabh Rua played out a very high scoring game at Riverstick on Wednesday night last. Sliabh Rua sportingly agreed to play 13 against 13 as Shamrocks already limited panel were short a few on the night. Even though Shamrocks elected to play down the hill in the first half, they found themselves 3 goals down by half time. Shamrocks did however play very well on the resumption and played their best football of the night in this period and actually had the deficit down to one goal. But their luck wasn?t in and Sliabh Rua went down the other end and reasserted themselves on the scoreboard. Shamrocks missed loads of chances on the night when the play was open and fast. Next game is away to Courcey Rovers on this Wednesday night, players meeting at Shanbally church at 5.45 for the journey

Week ended - 16th Apr 2006

Junior Football Championship - 16/4
Shamrocks 0-12, Ballymartle 0-9
Shamrocks survived a stern test from a committed Ballymartle side at Minane Bridge last Sunday morning. This was a tricky opening assignement and midway through the second half it looked as if the men from the Riverstick direction would prevail as the went 2 points up against an underperforming Shamrocks side and had the wind and the momentum behind them. But Shamrocks managed to salvage something from this low point and more. They outscored Ballymartle 5 points to 1 in that closing period. Ballymartle scored first after 2 minutes but Shamrocks took over completely and were much the better team for the next 15 minutes ? if you can call 7 wides in 9 minutes being better than the other team. They simply couldn?t score but eventually Seanan Collins settled the early jitters with Shamrocks first point. They went on to lead 0-4 to 0-1 through Stevie Neill and Joe Shanahan before Ballymartle came into it to level 4 all. Brian Sweeney and debutant Tomas Barrett slotted over points to leave Shamrocks looking good coming up to half time, 0-6 to 0-4. Ballymartle started the second half on top and went a point in front and looked set for victory before Shamrocks much improved their play, their best of the season so far. The back line held firm in the last 5 minutes when Ballymartle came looking for the elusive equalising goal. Team: B.Mulqueen, D.Hayes, P.Prout, S.Andrews, M.Prout, S.O?Reilly, O.Boland, C.O?Neill, T.O?Sullivan, C.Ronayne, S.Collins, T.Barrett, J.Shanahan, B.Sweeney, S.O?Neill. Subs used ? K.Griffen, S.Kelly

Minor Update - 11/4
Bishopstown 4-8, Shamrocks 4-3
Shamrocks have played three games in the last 4 days, losing all three. First they lost away to Bishopstown by 4-8 to 4-3 in the City football League in Bishopstown on Saturday (8th)(see other report below). Philip Brady was once again the main scoring threat, scoring a fabulous 2-2. Jonathan Cook chipped in with 2 goals along with Stephen Downeys point. They played their first hurling game away to the Barrs on Monday night and lost 4-11 to 1-8. A dismal first half display left them behind 2-8 to 0-2 at the break (soft goals conceded) but in fairness to the lads they got stuck in in the second half and really made a fist of it. The switch of Gary Ronayne to centre forward was the catalyst for the improvement as he scored 1-3. Mickey O'Neill went outfield for the second half in a swop with Jason Browne and both made excellent contributions. The game on Tuesday was against Whites Cross in the football league and is a game best forgotten. Shamrocks were appauling and conceded 8-8 against 2-1. Whites Cross werent extended in any way and won as they pleased. They Shamrocks players who did turn up lost heart after about the 3rd Whites Cross goal, and simply gave up and when they did gain posession it was straight up into the air with it, no thought at all. It must be said that the lack of Minor players is coming against Shamrocks. On all three occasions over the last 3 games loads of players have been missing and letting us down. The mentors have called a meeting for next Tuesday night to see where they go because they arent getting the committment - everything from pitch and putt to scouts to discos to God knows what are impinging on the team

U12 Football League - 10/4
Douglas2 3-9, Shamrocks 3-7
Douglas just about came out on top in this thriller of a game of football in Shanbally Monday night. This was Douglas' second team of three but dont let this fool you; they are a very strong set up and are actually the county champions so Shamrocks can be proud of their performance. Shamrocks record now reads 3 wins, 2 loses and a draw so they are well in the hunt to qualify for the semi finals in a few weeks. Douglas overpowered Shamrocks in the first half and led 3-5 to 0-1 at the break. But Shamrocks came roaring back in the second half mainly through great play from Peter Barry (son of Kevin John and grandson of the great Cmdt Kevin Barry) at full back, Jack Howard, Gary Hartnett, David Raleigh and Matthew Garvey and the two girls Michelle Murphy and Amy Prout. Tony O'Mahony scored 2-3 while Roy Twomey scored 1-3. Our thanks to our mentors Ian Breen, Jim Raleigh and Pat Q who are keepig this lively bunch going.

Week ended - 9th Apr 2006

Junior Football League - 7/4
Shamrocks went down to a 3 point defeat to Carrigaline in Shanbally on Friday night. The result of this game actually didn?t matter to either team league position wise and there was a certain air of a challenge match to it. Carrigaline deserved their win on the night and played some good football like when dispatching the ball to the Shamrocks net with the very first attack of the game. Shamrocks played catch up for the rest of the match and lead 0-7 to 1-3 at half time through some nice scores from Joe Shanahan, Terence O?Sullivan, Dave Bourke and Dave O?Neill. Carrigaline were the better team in the second half and Dave O?Neill?s goal at the end for Shamrocks came just that bit too late to have an effect. Carrigaline won 1-13 to 1-10 on a night when both teams benefited from the exercise with championship around the corner. Shamrocks play the first round of the championship this coming Easter Sunday versus Ballymartle in Minane Bridge with a 11.30 throw in

U16 Football League - 5/4
Shamrocks 0-5 , Kinsale 4-10
The under 16's continue to struggle in the top grade at football but this was one of those scorelines that just didnt do justice to them at all. Kinsale arrived having beaten Carrigaline and Valley Rovers and were expected to stroll all over Shamrocks. But the home side put in an encouragibg display. Kinsale started brightly and were 1-3 to no score ahead after 10 minutes. But Shamrocks lifted their game for the next 30 minutes of the match and more than held their own. They had fought back to 2-5 to 0-3 behind at half time but their spell after half time was their best all year. They pinned Kinsale back playing up the hill against the wind with some great performances from Stephen Hurley and Walters, Eoin Healy, Donie Murphy, Philip Brady (0-5), Darragh O'Sullivan and Cannice Caffery at corner forward and were unlucky not to have got a goal or two. At 2-5 to 0-5 down, Kinsale got 3 quick fire points in a row and the brave Shamrocks fight was over, despite 2 great saves from Tom᳠Pierce in the Shamrocks goal. Team: T.Pierce, A.Hickey, S.Hurley, S.Walters, E.Healy, A.McCarthy, D.Murphy, P.Brady, C.O'Neill, D.O'Sullivan, B.Cusack, B.Murnane, C.Caffrey, J.Brady, C.Murphy

U14 Hurling League - 7/4
Ballygarvan 1-11, Shamrocks 1-3
Shamrocks opened their hurling league account in Ballygarvan on Friday night and the verdict is that a very young Shamrocks team have a lot of work ahead of them this year to make any strides at this grade. Joey Brady got the Shamrocks goal and only for Tony O?Mahony in the Shamrocks goal (who was outstanding), this could have been a cricket score. He was simply unbeatable.

Minor Football League - 8/4
Bishopstown 4-8, Shamrocks 4-3
Shamrocks turned in an average performance in this league game played in Bishopstown on Saturday afternoon last. Shamrocks only played in fits and starts and couldn?t really complain about the final scoreline. Philip Brady was again the main scoring threat for Shamrocks and scored 2-2 from midfield, his two goals being of the highest quality. Jonathan Cook also got 2 great goals, while Stephen Downey completed the Shamrocks scoring with a point. Besides the afore mentioned players, Alan McCarthy, Jason Browne, Gary Ronayne and Donie Murphy played well for Shamrocks on an afternoon when Shamrocks were again minus a few notable players.

Week ended - 2nd Apr 2006

Presidents Awards

One of the hardest working men in the GAA got a very fitting award last Saturday in Croke Park when the president of the GAA presented John Twomey with a president awards. This was in recognition of his life long service to Shamrocks and Carrigdhoun GAA matters. After playing with the club from 1957 to 1991, our current club chairman went on to distinguish himself off the pitch by becoming one of the best administrators around, while still maintaining a high level of humour and courtesy to all who he encountered. From all at the club here in your beloved Shamrocks we congratulate you John and if this seems like your epitath then you can think again because no-one in the club can come near your administrative skills just yet so plough on and here?s to many more productive years ahead

U12 Football League - 3/4
Shamrocks 4-6 , Valley Rovers 3-7
Shamrocks won this absolute thriller of a game of football to keep up their good run in the league. Rovers had a strong team out and can count themselves most unlucky to be going home with no points from Shanbally. Shamrocks fought off a strong second half comeback from the visitors with a late Daniel Hayes goal and a Tony O?Mahony point being the deciding scores from a Shamrocks point of view. Shamrocks led 2-4 to 0-3 at half time and appeared home and dry through scores from Jack Breen and Roy Twomey amongst others. But Rovers really came back strong in the second half and Shamrocks had to battle very hard for the win, especially James Raleigh at centre back, Michael Howard at corner back, Tony O?Mahony at centre field and Roy Twomey in the forwards Team: Cal O?Mahony, Jack Howard, Peter Barry, Michael Howard, David Raleigh, James Raleigh, Gary Hartnett, Tony O?Mahony, Matthew Garvey, Aonghus Boland, Roy Twomey, Conor Walters, Conor Cusack, Jack Breen, Daniel O?Reilly. Subs Michelle Murphy, Owen Sheehan, Daniel Hayes

Week ended - 26th Mar 2006

City Minor Football League ? 22/3
Carrigaline B 1-7,Shamrocks 2-9
The Minors had a great win under lights on Wednesday night in Carrigaline's second pitch. They had been struggling on since the start of the year with limited resources and bad luck and this was a well deserved win for everyone involved, selectors and players alike, many of them under 16's (7 of them in Fact). This win certainly came out of the blue as Shamrocks raised their game against their opponents. The early exchanges were even enough with Gary Ronayne and Philip Brady pointing for Shamrocks. Carrigaline struck back and led 1-3 to 0-3 before half forward John Cronin struck home a rebound to bring Shamrocks level. Gary ronayne long free was added to by Rob Hourihane before bouncing over the bar to leave Shamrocks a point ahead at the break. The second half was very exciting. Shamrocks opened a 4 point cushion through Mickey O'Neill, John Cronin and Jonathon Cook points from play before Carrigaline put in a storming last 10 minutes. They added a few points while Fergus O'Neill in the Shamrocks goal managed to get his fingertips to a low goalbound shot to keep Carrigaline out. This was the lift Shamrocks needed and they sealed the deal with a great Jason Browne breakaway goal and a few Philip Brady frees. Next game is next Monday night in Camden, the players meet at the Cross in Shanbally at 5.45. We congratulate Carrigaline by the way on their floodlight faclities, playing a match there really isnt any bother

Games cancelled

All other games and training due to be played by the club last weekend were cancelled because of the monsoon weather conditions

Week ended - 19th Mar 2006

Sraith Iomᮡ na Cathrach - Lᠦh马e Pᤲaig
Baile an Easpaig 0-10, Na Seamr󧡠0-7
An ch顤 chluiche sa chom󲴡s seo i 2006 agus an ch顤 dhᠰhaointe curtha am?na Seamr󧡮 N��mid ag baint ?e as leithsc顬ta anseo ach n��mre󦡭 an cluiche seo sa ch顤 ᩴ. Bh��a coinn��lacha go hainnis chun na f��nne a rᠡgus bh��n phᩲc faoi chosa an-bhog ar fad. Mh��gh 頳in go raibh gach sc󲠴ᢨachtach ar an maidin. Thosaigh na Seamr󧡠n�� fearr ag imirt leis an ngaoth agus bh��ar 0-4 in aghaidh 0-1 chun tosaigh tar 驳 20 neomat, tr��ob Lannon agus Coil��O?Suilleabhᩮ 󠰨ocanna saor. Ach, ba mhist驲頧o ndeachaigh na cuaiteoir�� chodladh don chuid eile den chluiche. Thᩮig Baile an Easpaig ar ais sa cluiche roimis leathama agus n��abhadar ach pointe chun deiridh ag athr?dtaobhanna. Bh��a coinn��lacha an-shleamhain anois agus fuair Baile an Easpaig an chuid eile de na cuilin�� phocanna saor chun an bua a th󧡩nt. D?imir cosantoir��a Seamr󧡠go maith ar an maidin ach b?easpa pollta 頣hun tosaigh ba ch?enᲠnd��ua. Foireann: P.Andrews, S.Andrews, P.Prout, K.Roche, C.Ronayne, S.Collins, D.Roche, B.Mulqueen, B.Sweeney, T.O?Sullivan, P.O?Sullivan, S.O?Neill, C.O?Sullivan, R.Lannon, B.Hickey. Ionadai ?te ? O.Boland

Under 12 Football League ?19/3
Shamrocks had a comfortable win over a very understrength Ballygarvan on Sunday morning last. The whole team played well on the day and Peter Barry at full back, Michael Howard at midfield and the two girls up front, Michelle and Amy were Shamrocks best players. Next game is at home to Crosshaven next Monday night, remember that the clocks go forward this coming Saturday night ensuring plenty of evening games from now on for all teams

Under 21 Football Championship ? 19/3
Shamrocks 0-5, Ballymartle 0-10
Ballymartle deservedly won this first round game in Shanbally as the hosts made a limp exit from the championship. This was awful stuff altogether from Shamrocks. They are better than this and one possibly couldn?t imagine a worse team performance on the day. Ballymartle cared, some of the Shamrocks lads didn?t and it showed in the end, Shamrocks minds seemed to be a million miles away. Ballymartle should have been out of sight at half time but for some excellent goalkeeping from Shamrocks keeper Barry Mulqueen, who brilliantly tipped over 3 piledrivers and saved another penalty. Bally led at half time 0-7 to 0-1, having played with the wind. We spent the whole of the second half waiting for someone to reignite Shamrocks but apart from a few late points they never got going at all. Concession of three ridiculously silly frees right in front of the Shamrocks goal in the last ten minutes didn?t help matters either. Shamrocks are now out of the competition without even once raising a gallop. Team : B.Mulqueen, D.Tuohy, D.Hayes, I.Murphy, O.Boland, S.O?Reilly, S.Bourke, S.Andrews, T.O?Sullivan, C.McCann, C.O?Neill, N.Kirwan, C.O?Neill, J.Shanahan, T.Barrett. Sub used ? R.McCarthy

Deireadh seachtaine - Domhnach MᲴa 12?0;/U>

Seachtain na Gaelinne
Mar is eol daoibh uile, is ��n tseachtain seo Seachtain na Gaeilge. Mar sin, tᩭse chun na tuairisce speis��ta seo a chur in Რdteanga dh?s, an Ghaoluinn

Sraith Peile F頱6 - 11/3
Na Seamr󧡠1-1, Fanaithe an Ghleanna 6-12
An sc󲠣顮na ar��agus fuair an dream seo ollbhuille eile, dhᠳheachtain as a ch马e. Rinne na cuairteoir��n rud a bh��s a gcomhair ? bhuadar an cluiche gan str󮠁ch, tᠡ fhios ag 驮ne agus go hᩲithe ag an mbord nach bhfuil deis ag na leaids seo bheith 驦eachtach sa chom󲴡s seo. N��na himreoir��gainn ? n��aibh ach tr��huine dh顧 againn ar an Satharn agus n��ann ach damᩳte ᠤh顮amh dos na leaids. Trᣨt aon-shl��r an Satharn 󮠧caitheamh isteach. Rinne Stephen Walters ag leath c? Stephen Hurley nuair a aistr��h 頧o lᲠna pᩲce agus Brian Cusack mar leath tosa��Რa nd��eall. Bh��ar ar ch? leath ama (4-6 go 0-1) tar 驳 bheith ag imirt i ndiaidh na gaoithe. Deineadh scrios orthu sa dara leath. Beidh cluiche eile acu lᠬe Pᤲaig as baile in aghaidh Fanaithe na Cuirseacha ag 11.30rn (Cuireadh na cluich��頱4 agus Mion? ceal)

Sraith Peile F頱2 ? 11/3
Na Seamr󧡠6-6, Fanaithe na Cuirseacha 4-7
Fuair na Seamr󧡠an l᭨ in uachtar ar Fhanaithe na Cuirseacha ar an bpᩲc ��tharach i ndiaidh sᲭchluiche ar an Satharn i Sean Baile. Molaim��go hard an dᠦhoireann mar thᩲgeadar 顣tha��s an gnᴨ ar an lᠤeacair seo. Cos?e gach cluiche ar an iarn󩮠seo, bh��a coinn��lacha an-chrua do gach 驮ne. Bh��a Seamr󧡠chun tosaigh ag leath ama agus lean siad ar aghaidh leis an bhfarasbarr sin go dt��n deireadh. D?imir na himreoir��o a leanas go hiontach dos na Seamr󧡠? Jack agus Michael Howard, Jamie agus David Raleigh, Conor Walters, Owen Sheehan agus Aonghus Boland. Bh��oy Twomey agus Tony O?Mahony freagrach as an chuid is m󠤥 na sc󩲮 Is 頡n cluiche eile a bheidh acu nᠩ ndiaidh Bhaile Garbhᩮ ar an Domhnach beag seo (sa bhaile)

Sraith Peile Soisir ? 11/3
Beal Guala 1-10, Na Seamroga 1-5
Chaill na Seamr󧡠an tri?iche a bh��cu sa tsraith ar an Satharn as baile i mB顬 Guala. Bh��a coinn��lacha go hainnis, ceobhrᮠbuan ag titim tr��an gcluiche agus bh��n dromchlᠡn-tiubh ag an deireadh. Bh��頤eacair seilbh a choim顤 ar an liathr󩤠ar an dᠴhaobh. Thosaigh na cuairteoir��o han-mhaith agus bh��?cuil��ar an gclᲠlaistigh de deich neomat. Cian Ronayne agus Todds le dhᠡg lᲠna pᩲce freagrach astu. C頧ur aimsigh B顬 Guala pointe go gairid ina dhiaiadh sin, bh��a Seamr󧡠ar muin na muice agus chuireadar c?gus dhᠣhuil��leis an sc󲠲oimh fiche neomat, tr��an Stuart (c?n��aibh tuairim dᠬaghad cad a bh�� dh顮amh aige nuair a thᩮig an liathr󩤠isteach!) agus na beirt lᮠtosa��obert McCarthy agus Jamie Sweeney, agus bh��uma na maitheasa ar na Seamr󧡮 Ach, p頲ud a tharla leo ina dhiadh sin, n�� sc󲡩l siad don chuid eile den chluiche. Thᩮig B顬 Guala ar ais isteach sa chluiche agus sc󲡩leadar 1-9 gan freagra in san am sin. D?顧 na Seamr󧡠in san tr驭hse sin, go hᩲithe sa dara leath. Bh��eilbh na liathr󩤥 ag an bhfoireann bhaile sa dara leath agus agus n��hacamar m󲡮 󠴯saithe na Seamr󧡮 Chun a bheith mac᮴a, n��hfuair siad an laithroid. Foireann: B.Mulqueen, C.Brady, P. Prout, K. Roche, K. Hegarty, D. Roche, S. O?Reilly, Todds, N. Hayes, O. Boland, D. Sheehan, C. Ronayne, J.Sweeney, D. Stuart, R.McCarthy. Fir Ionad ?te ? B.Hickey, A. Sweeney, P.Andrews, C.Deasy, R.Lannon

Week ended - 5th Mar 2006

Shamrocks U16 Football League - 4/3
Carrigaline 5-10, Shamrocks 1-4
Shamrocks first venture into the top grade at this level proved to be a harsh lesson indeed. Carrigaline won as they pleased and only for some stout play by some of the Shamrocks players at times the margin would have been greater. It was all over really at half time as the home side led at the break by 2-6 to 1-3 having played against the strong breeze. Shamrocks left their best play behind them at the start of that half as they conceded a quick fire 3-1 within 3 minutes of the restart. The game meandered out to its inevitable conclusion thereafter. Philip Brady was Shamrocks only scorer on the day while Aaron Hickey and Stephen Walters tried very hard in the backs. Team: Tom᳠Pierce, Stephen Walters, Stephen Hurley, Aaron Hickey, Donie Murphy, Eoin Healy, Alan McCarthy, P.Brady, Stephen Downey, Billy Murnane, Mickey O?Neill, Joey Brady, Colin Murphy, Brian Cusack, Darragh O?Sullivan. Sub used- Canice Caffrey

Under 14 Football League - 5/3
Shamrocks 4-9, Ballinhassig 2-2
Shamrocks had a comprehensive victory over a gallant blues side at Shanbally on Sunday morning last. There was some outstanding individual performances and in particular Cannice Caffrey stood out. Team: Jack Wilson, Daniel Breen, Jonathan Tuohy, David Barton, Jamie O?Driscoll, Cathal Kidney, James Raleigh, Declan Sheehan, Joey Brady, Darren Barry, Darragh O?Sullivan, Canice Caffrey, Roy Twomey, Laura McCarthy, Shane Horgan. Subs used ? Jonathan Lynch, Stephen Moore, Daniel Kelleher

Under 12 Football League - 4/3
Tracton 1-7, Shamrocks 2-1
Shamrocks were unlucky to lose to Tracton in Minane on Saturday afternoon last. Shamrocks couldn?t hold on despite 2 early goals from Roy Twomey and Jack Breen. Michelle Murphy in goal and the entire back line showed up well over the hour.
Panel: Michelle Murphy, Michael Howard, Jack Howard, David Raleigh, Conor Walters, Gary Hackett, Tony O?Mahony, James Raleigh, Matthew Garvey, Roy Twomey, Aonghus Boland, Jack Breen, Amy Prout, Daniel O?Reilly, Patrick Murphy, Owen Sheehan, Conor Cusack, Shane Kelleher

Junior Football League - 5/3
Tracton 0-13, Shamrocks 1-11
Shamrocks caused an upset by beating the home side in the second round of the league in Minane on Sunday afternoon. The day after a dinner dance is always frought with danger but Shamrocks scored the winning point through Stephen O'Reilly and Dave O'Neill was another to do well, scoring 1-1. More to follow

Dinner Dance
The annual Dinner Dance went off without a glitch and was a great success with the crowd up on previous years. Thanks and well done to Todds and Bernard who were the main organisers of the event. Many presentations were made on the night including the junior players getting their South East medals and Neallie O?Mahony getting the Hall of Fame award

Congratulations
Congrats to Ringaskiddy NS who won their section of the indoor hurling schools blitz last week, playing six games over 2 days. Well done also to their coach John O?Herlihy and all concerned. Team: Daniel Breen, David Barton, Cathal Kidney, Canice Caffrey, Roy Twomey, Daniel Kelleher, Michael Howard, Tony O?Mahony, David Drinan

Week ended - 26th Feb 2006

Junior Update - 26/2
Shamrocks played two challenge games over the weekend both against the Barrs. Football was first up on the Saturday and Shamrocks had a mixture of under 21's, junior A's and Junior B's. The Barrs won that game 1-9 to 1-5. The away leg was played on Sunday morning in Togher and it was our first hurling game of 2006. A big panel made the trip with everyone getting plenty of playing time. Training continues Tuesday and Thursday nights with a game next Sunday against Tracton, the day after the Dinner Dance!!

Under 14 Football League - 25/2
Shamrocks 5-5, Courcey Rovers 5-4
Another brilliant game of football here and luckily for Shamrocks they came out on the right side of this 39-point thriller, in the first league game of the season. It was hard luck on the Courcey?s lads who had sportingly made the long trip to Shanbally on Sunday afternoon (it was their home match originally) but they can take solace from the fact that they played some great football over the hour, along with the Shamrocks team. Shamrocks just didn?t give up in this match and made 2 great comebacks after being 6 points down at the start of each half. Team: J.Lynch, J.Brady, D.Barton, J.O?Driscoll, D.Breen, J.Raleigh, D.O?Sullivan, D.Sheehan, C.Caffrey, C.Kidney, T.O?Mahony, J.Wilson, S.Horgan. Subs R.Twomey, L.McCarthy, S.Moore

Under 12 Football League - 26/2
Ballinhassig 2-8, Shamrocks 3-5
Shamrocks and Ballinhassig finished level after a great game of football in Ballinhassig on Saturday last. Conditions were hard for all players but credit is due to both teams. Cal O?Mahony (on his debut) had a great game in goal for Shamrocks along with Peter Barry and the rest of the backs in particular. It was a great turn out as well from the Shamrocks team and credit must go to the mentors in charge of the team. Team: Cal O?Mahony, Peter Barry, Michael Howard, Jack Howard, David Raleigh, Conor Walters, Gary Hackett, Tony O?Mahony (1-3, James Raleigh, Matthew Garvey (1-0), Roy Twomey (0-2), Aonghus Boland, Jack Breen (1-0), Amy Prout and Daniel O?Reilly. Subs Michelle Murphy, Patrick Murphy, Owen Sheehan, Conor Cusack, Koby O?Grady

City Minor Football League - 26/2
Shamrocks 5-4, Delaneys 6-5
A nine goal thriller on the bottom field at Shanbally on Sunday morning last and Delaneys left with the victory. A very young Shamrocks team can count themselves unlucky not to get anything from this game. They came within 1 point of the visitors to Shanbally with one minute left but a successfully converted penalty by Delaneys put paid to their hopes. Delaneys had led by 4-2 to 2-1 at half time; it should have been closer as Shamrocks conceded some very soft scores, one goal in particular. Things improved somewhat in the second half but their efforts fell just short. Philip Brady, an under-16 player, scored 3-4 from centre forward, 3-3 from play. Mickey O'Neill and Eoin Hickey scored the other Shamrocks goals. On the day, besides the just mentioned players, John Cronin and Stephen Downey were Shamrocks best players Training continues this Friday at 5pm with a match next Sunday afternoon against Bishopstown away at 12.15. Team (13-a-side): Fergus O'Neill, Stephen Hurley, Ivan Murphy, Rob Hourihane, Cormac Horgan, Donie Murphy, Paul Lordan, Cian McCann, John Cronin, Philip Brady, Stephen Downey, Michael O'Neill, Eoin Hickey. Subs Cathal Fitzpatrick, Stephen Walters, Billy Murnane

Week ended - 19th Feb 2006

Junior Football League - 19/2
Bsllymartle 1-10, Shamrocks 1-10
Shamrocks and Ballymartle played a very entertaining draw in the bottom field in Riverstick on Sunday afternoon last. It was the first outing of the year for Shamrocks, Ballymartle's second so naturally the home side were quickly out of the blocks and had opened up a 1-3 to 0-0 lead inside 15 minutes, playing down the hill and with the advantage of the diagonal wind. Shamrocks had plenty of possession in this time by some wayward shooting let them down, both form play and frees. Eventually Todds Sweeney, Joe Shanahan (who was dangerous all through, especially at full forward in the second half) and Chris O?Neill got Shamrocks on the board and it was set up nicely at the break, 1-5 to 0-3 to Ballymartle. Shamrocks got the perfect start from the throw in as Chris O?Neill (who was all over the field all day) finished a great, sweeping move to the home sides net to reduce the gap further. With the momentum behind them now, Shamrocks pushed on and added a few points from Shanahan frees to edge ahead and they looked good. However, the home side?s fitness came into play for the last 15 minutes as they played the better football up the hill and might have snatched a win. They went a point up three times but each time in succession Shamrocks equalised at the other end, one a beauty from sub Terence O?Sullivan. Both teams would be happy with the draw while at the same time finding out a bit more about themselves before their first round clash in the championship later on. Team: B.Mulqueen, K.Hegarty, R.Lannon, C.Brady, M.Prout, P.Prout, K.Griffin, C.O?Neill, N.Hayes, C.Ronayne, J.Shanahan, B.Sweeney, S.O?Neill, S.Collins, O.Boland. Subs used ? D.Roche, T.O?Sullivan, B.Hickey, D.O?Neill

City Minor Football League - 19/2
Bsllygarvan 2-7, Shamrocks1-4
Shamrocks went down to Ballygarvan on Sunday afternoon at Ballygarvan. Following on from last weeks disappointing defeat to St Finbarrs, Shamrocks put in a much improved display but came up just short in the final analysis. Though having plenty of possession in the first half playing against the wind, Shamrocks let themselves down in front of goals and this allowed a more economical Garvans to go in at the break leading by 5 points to 1. Philip Brady scored an absolute rocket of a goal just after half time to ignite the Shamrocks challenge and they managed to stick with Ballygarvan until 6 minutes from the end when the home side got 2 quick fire goals to run out deserving winners. However, the young Shamrocks team can take plenty of encouragement from the display. Stephen Downey, Michael O?Neill and John Cronin were the other Shamrocks players on the scoresheet while the Shamrocks half back line of Cormac Horgan, Gary Ronayne and Jason Browne were the pick of the visiting team. Training continues this Friday at 5pm

Week ended - 22nd Jan 2006

Underage AGM - 18/1
The underage section of the club held its Annual General Meeting last Wednesday night in the clubhouse, in front of about 30 members. History was made when Mr Donal Brady of Shanbally was elected as the first underage club President. Donal has given much support over the years to the underage and has raised thousands of euro for us in the last few years, most recently in the bed push on New Years Day. All officers stay the same from the year ahead and we wish them the best. The following trainers, coaches and mentors were elected to guide the various teams. Under 8's : Dick Andrews, Senan Andrews, Stephen Keane, Martin Barrett. Under 10's : Ian Breen, Stephen O'Reilly, Ois��Boland, Liam Shanahan. Under 12's : Jim Raleigh, Ian Breen, Ois��Boland, Pat Tuohy, Sammy O'Driscoll, Jim Ronayne, Pat Q. Under 14's : CiarᮠBarry, Tom᳠Barrett, Michael Sid Kidney, Oliver McCann, SeᮠHorgan. Under 16 : Patrick Andrews, Pat McCarthy, Colin O'Sullivan, Diarmuid Murphy, Stephen Keane

Week ended - 15th Jan 2006

Club AGMs - 10/1
The adult section of the club held its Annual General Meeting last Tuesday night in the clubhouse, in front of about 50 members. Most positions from 2005 remain the same - the following changes and additions were made. Fr O'Leary PP, Anthony Ronayne and Charlie Hennessy were elected as Senior Vice Presidents. Pat O'Neill is the new vice chairman, taking over from Pat Tuohy. Brian 'Todds' Sweeney takes over from Finny O'Flaherty as registrar. It was decided that the under 21's would be managed by the junior managers in both codes. Joseph Shanahan and Brian Sweeney are going to try their hand at the troublesome area of Minor hurling and football and its good to see 2 young players getting involved with the younger players. We wish them and all the new officers well and thank the previous ones for their time and effort, all voluntary of course. Without them we would have no club to report on.

Week ended - 11th Dec 2005

Race night
The club held only is second ever race night on Thursday night but such was it a success that it is bound to be pencilled in for next year and perhaps beyond. Besides being a vital fundraiser for the club, it is one of the highlights of the social calender in the club, of which thankfully we have had more than our fair share of in 2005 (whether by accident or design!). There was plenty of 'horse play' on the night, winners, losers, close finishes, money, pints and above all else craic. The club would like to thank a few people - everyone who bought a horse and jockey (up to a 100 including the action race buyers), everyone who turned up on the night and bet, all or sponsors who we are very grateful to, Mark and the staff of the Shamrock Bar, the two lads who run the tape (their names escape me now), the Belgooly lads (Pat Sullivans crowd) who sat in the 'corporate box' under the telly and really "added" to the atmosphere!,everyone who lost money and the main organisers who met up to 3 months ago and have huge mobile bills as a result - Finny O'Flahery, Tadhg Forde, Pa Andrews and Deccy O'Neill (and Bernard and Pat Sullivan who sold a race each). Eventhough some horses are still running, we're sure they'll be still around this time next year to rejoin the race (right Darren Roche and Colin O'Sullivan? Bad night eh?)
Underage Social
The under 12's received their medals for winning the football championship earlier this year at a function held in Pfizers sports club last Friday night. Each player was presented with a medal and a copy of a photo of the team panel by Cork hurling star Wayne Sherlock. Along with the under 12 trophy, captain of Cork Junior Football team, Mickey Prout brought along the All-Ireland and Munster cups as well as his Shamrocks Junior team colleagues who brought along the South East hurling championship and league trophies. The young lads were deserving of the support of the more Senior club members as they put in a great years effort. We'd like to thank everyone who turned up on the night, especially the parents and representatives of the schools, without whose support we couldnt survive, and especially the main organiser John "Socket" Twomey

Week ended - 20th Nov 2005

Junior B Hurling League Final - 20/10
Crosshaven 1-4, Shamrocks 2-13
While the A team have been getting all the plaudits for their exploits this year, last Sunday in Camden it was the turn of the Killers B?s to hog the limelight. Shamrocks have had a good year at adult hurling and this was simply the icing on the cake and a fitting end to an 11 month season for some of these players, who trained just as hard as the rest of the A team but who didn?t see any championship action. In the process, and this is what made it all the sweeter was the fact that this was Shamrocks first ever Junior B hurling trophy, and all the belts that captain Keith Roche got during the game were forgotten as he gleefully accepted the trophy (the biggest in the division). Shamrocks approached this game like a championship match in the middle of summer and it paid off. They were faster out of the starting blocks and maintained their dominance throughout. The score after 20 minutes was 0-8 to 0-2 with Barry Mulqueen, Oisin Boland, Pat O?Sullivan and Rob Lannons 65 finding the target. Sean Bourke bundled home a goal to put Shamrocks firmly in the driving seat before Crosshaven struck at the other end for a goal which left the half time score 1-10 to 1-3, some scoring for Junior B in November. Shamrocks took their foot off the gas somewhat in the second half as both defenses got on top. Dave O?Neill, who had come on as a sub before half time, pulled on a loose ball on the 21 yard line and that was the last anyone saw of until the Crosshaven net bulged a pico-second later. Game over. It was as good a goal as you?ll never see! Anyway, the game meandered to its inevitable conclusion with Deccy Sheehan lighting up proceedings with 2 brilliant points from wing back. Welcome home mate! Pat Sull and Barry Mul added on a few more to end the year on a high for the greens. It was a great performance all round.
Congrats to the selectors John Hanley, John Bourke, Bernard Hickey and in particular the manager John Collins who is the epitome of Shamrocks hurling. The team (13 a side) played as follows: Patrick Andrews was safe and dependable in goal and dealt with any high balls admirably. There was no meltdown (as there sometimes is) this week. The full back line of Keith Roche and Dick Andrews would strike fear into any inside forwards. Dick started quiet enough but grew into the game while Keith volunteered as a guinea pig to the Crosshaven forwards who were testing the reaction of the human leg to hurley bashing. The mans legs were black and blue as he accepted the cup. The half back line yesterday was the rock that the victory was founded on. Bernard played his best ever hurling game in a Shamrocks shirt and showed the value of training throughout the year. Deccy Sheehan cleared a pile of ball and as mentioned above, all the training on ?Maroubra beach? in Oz with Tony ?Wombat? Dunne and the coconuts paid off as he fired over 2 brilliant second half points. I wouldn?t like to be standing in front of Snotser when he?s bearing down on you at full tilt with a hurley and sliotar. In the fulcrum position, Rob Lannon gave an exhibition of centre back play. Unlucky not to have played the last day against O?Neill, he lorded his own 45 to 65 yard line, clearing ball after ball, left and right. A welcome back to you also Rob. Sean Kelly and Cian Ronayne in the engine room kept the ball moving throughout and Kelly in particular popped up all over the pairc. Oisin Boland ran so much at half forward that he was a small bit tired at the end (!) and scored a beauty of a point over his shoulder in the first half. The ball didn?t fall kindly for Ciaran Fitzpatrick on this particular morning but he has a lot more to offer in the years ahead. Dave O?Neill, his replacement played his part and finished off the game with his missile. Sean Bourke won a pile of ball, especially when moved inside and his hurling ability shone through. Inside, Barry Mulqueen was deadly from placed balls and was unlucky not to have scored a goal or two. Another who returned successfully from injury. Pat Sullivan (the man who ?thinks? he?s retiring) was superb and played his best game all year. Not known as a scoring forward, he got 3 points from play, all from the half forward position when he was moved out. It was good to see the following subs come on and they too played their part-Ken Tierney, Kieran Hennerty, Kieran Hegarty and Cian O?Neill. The subs who were unlucky not to play but who have a part to play next year were Jamie Sweeney, David Hayes, Tadhg Forde, Robert McCarthy and Fergal Nugent. Thanks to the Crosshaven club who produced their pitch in as good a condition as could be expected for this time of year and we congratulate them on winning the county under 14 C grade football championship on Saturday last, where they beat Adrigole. So there ends a successful season for Shamrocks hurlers and if the Dinner Dance isn?t sold out next year then it never will !

Really Underage Social - 20/11
The young members (under 10's) of our club held a very enjoyable social last Sunday evening last in the Community Centre in Ringaskiddy. Our thanks to Kieran Kramer who supplied the disco music and to Joseph Shanahan for presenting the medals. We are also grateful to the many parents who gave their time and much of the 'goodies'

Precentation to Mickey Prout
The club held a very pleasant function for Michael Prout in Pfizers sport club last Friday night. This was in recognition of his outstanding leadership given to Cork Junior Footballers in 2005 as they won the Munster and All-Ireland cups. Invited guests included the trainer Mossy Barrett from Donaghmore, selector Donal McCarthy and kit man Mick Curtin, both from Valley Rovers. Ger Spillane from Ballygarvan, who played centre back on the team was also in attendance. They all received a token of appreciation from Shamrocks in recognition of their efforts during the year. Jim Forbes, Chairman Cork County Board and Liam Webb, Runai South East Board were also present. Our thanks to the two John Twomeys and Pat Tuohy who organized the night

Week ended - 12th Nov 2005

Junior Football League Semi Final - 6/10
Shamrocks 0-5, Courcey Rovers 1-8
Shamrocks were beaten by 6 points in the football league semi final played on the bottom pitch on Sunday afternoon last. With no preparation done for the game there was a lack of urgency throughout and Courceys adapted better to the windy conditions. They raced into a 1-3 to 0-0 lead within 15 minutes and this proved to be the decisive move of the match. Shamrocks played catch up thereafter and never really threatened to win the game, despite points from Chris O?Neill (x2), Joe Shanahan (x2) and Seanan Collins. Team: B. Barrett, C. Brady, P. Prout, D. Roche, C. Ronayne, C. O?Neill, B. Hickey, M. Prout, T. O?Sullivan, S. O?Reilly, J. Shanahan, E. O?Mahony, S. Kelly, S. Collins, S. O?Neill. Subs K. Hegarty, O. Boland
Socials Upcoming
The club will hold a race night in the Shamrocks Bar on Thursday night December 8th to help raise much needed funds for the club. A great night?s entertainment is guaranteed as well. Contact organizers Patrick Andrews, Finny O?Flaherty, Tadhg Forde, Declan O?Neill or Bernard Hickey to buy horses and jockeys. Prior to that, the club are holding a victory dinner in honour of Michael Prout captaining the Cork junior footballers to All-Ireland glory this year. It will take place in Pfizers Sports club on Friday night, November 18th and tickets are priced at ? 20 per person, available from committee members

Week ended - 5th Nov 2005

Sponsored Walk - 31/10
The underage club held its annual sponsored walk on the bank holiday last. Our thanks to all who sponsored and those who got sponsored and also to John Socket Twomey and his wife Geraldine for organising the event.
Condolences
The club extends its sympathy to the family of Donie Livesey of Ringaskiddy who died over the weekend. Donie played at full back for Shamrocks for a long number of years and picked up 2 South East hurling medals in 1959 and 1963 with the club. He also played football with Robert Emmets and played on the Cork Junior hurling team of 1960 along with 3 other Shamrocks players. Ar dheis De go raibh a anam

Week ended - 29th Oct 2005

Junior A Hurling League - 23/10
Shamrocks 3-11, Ballinhassig 0-11
Shamrocks junior hurlers completed the South East championship and league double for the first time in 25 years as they had a deserved victory over Ballinhassig at Ballinhassig on Sunday morning last. The game got the go ahead at the last minute as conditions were very heavy underfoot for both teams. Shamrocks longer hurling year seemed to benefit them as they had been training regularly up until 2 weeks ago for the County. Their first touch seemed to be better than the home sides and apart from the first fifteen minutes after half time when Ballinhassig cut a 5 point deficit back to draw level, Shamrocks were definitely the sharper team. Both teams took a while to adjust to the sticky conditions and it was level pegging early on. Davey Bourke at corner forward gave Shamrocks the go-ahead goal after 17 minutes of the game and Shamrocks were never led thereafter. The added a few more points through Colin O?Sullivan coming up to the break to stretch their half time lead to 1-7 to 0-5 (Joseph Shanahan, Brian Sweeney and Chris O?Neill being the other scorers). Ballinhassig took over after half time and looked like they might win the game such was their dominance, however a vital point form Chris O?Neill and an opportunistic goal from Bourke again put daylight between the teams once again. Great scores from Stevie Neill and a goal from the hard working Shanahan were the green icing on the Shamrocks cake. A good year for hurling on the cup therefore; Peter Prout accepted a second Carrigdhoun trophy after the match. Well done to all involved and don?t forget the junior B hurlers can add another title next Saturday against Crosshaven in the league final. Team: R. Collins, S. Andrews, P. Prout, S. O'Reilly, D. Roche, S. Collins, M. Prout, C. O'Neill, B. Sweeney, S. O'Neill, T. O'Sullivan, J. Shanahan, D. Bourke, D. Collins, C. O'Sullivan. Subs used - P. O'Sullivan

Week ended - 22nd Oct 2005

Junior B Football Championship
Crosshaven 3-11, Shamrocks 0-3
Shamrocks got what they expected at Camden last Saturday in the Junior B Football championship. With absolutely no preperation whatsoever done for the match, this was one way traffic all the way. In fact, such was the desimation caused by unavailable players, injuries and so on, Shamrocks did well to actually field a team at all. On the day, Shamrocks were best served by Ronan O'Sullivan, Stephen O'Reilly, David Hayes and manager Pat McCarthy who came out of retirement to enure Shamrocks had the 15 players.

Week ended - 15th Oct 2005

County Junior A Hurling Semi Final
Fr O'Neills 3-17, Shamrocks 2-6
Shamrocks hurling odyssey for 2005 came to an end in Pairc Ui Rinn on Sunday as a crack Fr O'Neills side inflicted a heavy beating on a game but outclassed Shamrocks team to reach their 3rd county Junior Hurling final in 5 years yesterday. Fr O'Neills showed just why they are strong favourites for the title with a power packed display of all the skills of hurling. They started with the very strong wind to their backs and after a slow start in the first 10 minutes, after which they led by 0-3 to 0-1, they really turned on the style coming up to half time. Their midfield was lording it in the middle of the field and they along with the nippy inside forwards started picking off the scores with ease to forge ahead 0-11 to 0-2, Stephen O'Neill and Joe Shanahan being the sole Shamrocks scorers. To make matters worse for Shamrocks, O'Neills bagged 2 goals before half time, the first from a well struck penalty, to finish off the game as a contest. Half time 2-11 to 0-3 and the ship had sunk. Shamrocks only had pride to play for in the second half and this they did admirably, never for one second giving up, eventhough the strong wind had eased off. After O'Neills had struck for yet another major shortly after the restart, They managed 2 goals midway through the second period, the first from a well struck Colin O'Sullivan 21 yard free and the second from a Darragh Collins ground stroke to pull the defecit back to 10 points. This was as close as they got as Stephen O'Neill had another goal bound effort well saved and O'Neills broke to send the ball over the bar at the other end to underline their class. Chris O'Neill and Stephen O'Neill from frees were the other Shamrocks scorers in the second half. Team : R.Collins, S.Andrews, P.Prout, S.O'Reilly, D.Roche, S.Collins, M.Prout, C.O'Neill, B.Sweeney, S.O'Neill, T.O'Sullivan, J.Shanahan, D.Bourke, D.Collins, C.O'Sullivan. Subs used - P.O'Sullivan, C.Ronayne, O.Boland

Week ended - 8th Oct 2005

U11 Football - 8/10
The under 11's lost out narrowly to Valley Rovers in the South East Football Semi Final last Saturday afternoon. It was an outstanding game of football and this team have played some great stuff throughout the year and can be very proud of themselves. The final score was Valley Rovers 2-7, Shamrocks 3-2. Thanks to team mentors Ian Breen and Oliver McCann for their countless hours work put in on the training field with this group of players. Team : D.Barton, M.Howard, C.Walters, G.Hartnett, J.Breen, J.Raleigh (1-0), D.Raleigh, T.O'Mahony (0-1), R. Twomey (2-1), A.Boland, M.Garvey, J.Howard, M.Murphy, D.O'Reilly. Subs Shane Kelleher, Patrick Murphy, Owen Sheehan, Daniel Hayes

U11 Football
The boys and girls of the under 11's have played three games over the last week and are proving to be one of our most successful underage teams. Last Thursday night (29th) they lost out to Crosshaven by a single point but have followed up that reverse by recording two wins in a row to qualify for the semi final. They beat Tracton on Saturday (1st Oct) by three points and again won by a three point margin on the following Tuesday night (4th), this time at home to Carrigaline. Players used over the three games were David Barton, Conor Walters, D.O'Reilly, M.Murphy, Jack Breen, James Raleigh, David Raleigh, Roy Twomey, Tony O'Mahony, Matthew Garvey, Michelle Murphy, Gary Hartnett, Patrick Murphy, Aongus Boland, Jack Howard, Shane Kelleher and Owen Sheehan. The semi final is on this coming Saturday at home to Valley Rovers at 12 noon. Well done and best of luck to al involved

Week ended - 1st Oct 2005

County Junior A Hurling Quarter Final - 24/9
Shamrocks 0-10, Diarmuid O Mathunas 1-6
Shamrocks are into the semi final of the County after defeating Diarmuid O Mathunas on Saturday afternoon last in Kinsale. This game was played in an absolute monsoon but the standard served up by both teams, particularly Shamrocks in the second half, was excellent. Colin O'Sullivan grabbed the winner for Shamrocks with a minute of ordinary time left when he put a sideline cut over the bar from 30 yards out. It was a brilliant score into the teeth of the wind and the rain and it gave Shamrocks a deserved win, as their second half display was their best of the year. Shamrocks hurled O Mathunas off the field in the second half but the conditions dictated that scores were hard to come by. Shamrocks were on the scoreboard first through Todds Sweeney from play but were rocked back by a quickfire 1-1 from O Mathunas. Conditions were starting to deteoriate as the game moved into the second quarter as both teams matched each other score for score. Besides Colin O'Sulliva from frees, Chris O'Neill and a beautiful effort from Stevie O'Neill way out on the wing kept Shamrocks within 2 points of O Mathunas. The half time score was 1-4 to 0-5 and O'Mathunas were in the driving seat as they turned to play with the elements in the second half. Shamrocks had a re-jigged team at this stage and each of the switches was to work out in their favour, particularly Mickey Prout in his preferred half back position. In fact the entire Shamrocks half back line were the launching pad for many a Shamrocks attack in the second half as they completely took over and received able support from the midfield and half forwards. Players struggled to perform the most basic of tasks and even getting a clean strike on the sliotar was proving difficult. This was borne out by the fact that Shamrocks got 4 65's in a row midway through the second period and each one was only able to reach the O Mathunas 21 yard line.
Stevie O'Neill stepped up to the plate late on to steady the free taking ship and landed another from play to finally get Shamrocks level with 5 minutes of normal time left. Enter Colin Spud to stroke over the winner. O Mathunas had a late free go agonisingly wide as Shamocks qualify for a meeting with Fr O'Neills in the County semi final in 2 weeks time. Team: R.Collins, S.Andrews, P.Prout, D.Andrews, D.Roche, S.Collins, S.O'Reilly, M.Prout, C.O'Neill, S.O'Neill, B.Sweeney, P.O'Sullivan, D.Collins, T.O'Sullivan, C.O'Sullivan. subs used - D.Bourke, J.Shanahan, S.Kelly. All other games involving the club this week were cancelled

Week ended - 24th Sept 2005

South East Junior A Football Semi Final - 18/9
Kinsale 0-11, Shamrocks 0-6
The euphoria of the hurlers recent victories didn?t rub off on the footballers last Sunday morning as Kinsale gained revenge for some hurling defeats earlier on in the year to qualify for this years South East football final. In many ways the hurling victories possibly had a detrimental effect on Shamrocks as players maybe had their eyes on other prizes. Whatever the reason, Shamrocks turned in a largely inept performance on the day. In fact, the game was more or less over as a contest as early as the 16th minute as Kinsale raced into a 0-6 to 0-1 lead and were completely dominant over Shamrocks in all sectors of the field. Shamrocks couldn?t possibly have played worse in that opening 30 minutes even if they tried. Absolutely nothing was going right for them; score able frees were being driven wide and any attempts from play were just ballooned up into the sky and the Kinsale backs were just gobbling up the scraps and setting up attacks for their own forwards. The only ray of sunshine for Shamrocks in that half was the display of Peter Prout at full back, and he continued his hard work into the second half. At the break Kinsale had a 0-7 to 0-1 lead. Shamrocks had only pride to play for in the second half as they turned to face the breeze but in fairness they did improve in all sectors. Chris O?Neill had our first point from play within a minute of the restart but Kinsale were always comfortable throughout, even though Shamrocks enjoyed the lion?s share of the second half possession. Brian Sweeney, Shamrocks fourth free taker on the day slotted over a few frees and did Joe Shanahan from play but Kinsale comfortably hung on to deservedly claim their place in the final verses Courcey Rovers or Tracton. Team: B. Barrett, B. Hickey, P. Prout, K. Hegarty, C. O?Neill, D. Roche, C. Ronayne, B. Sweeney, M. Prout, O. Boland, S. O?Neill, E. O?Mahony, D. Collins, S. Collins, J. Shanahan. Subs used ? T. O?Sullivan, C. Brady, S. Andrews, D. Bourke

Under 12 Football Blitz - 15/9
Ringaskiddy National School won the football blitz for the first time in 13 years with this great victory on Thursday afternoon last. It was held in Shanbally and on route to the final Ringaskiddy NS beat Ballinadee NS, Gurrans NS and St Josephs boys NS, Kinsale. They played Gurrans again in the final and after leading at half time 1-4 to 1-2, they pulled away in the second half to record a tremendous victory on the scoreline of 3-15 to 1-4. Most of the panel is backboned by the Shamrocks under-12 team. Team: Tony O?Mahony who was brilliant in goal, David Barton who was outstanding in the full back line, Cathal Kidney, Daniel Breen, David Drinan who was also outstanding throughout, Damien Kelleher (Capt.) and Roy Twomey. Subs were Chris O?Sullivan, Josh Hanlon, Daniel Galvin and Michael Howard. A special thanks and well done to Mr. John Herlihy who took care of the team

Under 16 Football Championship - 14/9
Shamrocks played Courcey Rovers in the first round of the B championship on September 7th and came away on the wrong side of a 3-9 to 2-8 scoreline in Ballinspittle. They led by a goal at half time but the concession of 3 second half goals was to prove their undoing. As a result, Shamrocks played Crosshaven, who themselves beat Carrigaline in the first round. Again short a few regulars, and with a limited panel made up of a few under 14 players, Shamrocks came up against a physically stronger Crosshaven on the night and lost out on a scoreline of 3-7 to 2-4 to finish their season. Team: Tomas Pierce, Ronan Murphy, Stephen Hurley, Donie Murphy, Cormac Horgan, Stephen Walters, Philip Brady, Gary Ronayne, Alan McCarthy, Jason Browne, Mickey O?Neill, Stephen Downey, Brian Cusack. Thanks to the selectors Pat Q and Deano for the effort they put in with the lads over the year.

Week ended - 17th Sept 2005

Under 11 Football - 13/9
Ballygarvan 3-2, Shamrocks 1-11
Our under 11 footballers had a great win the other night away to Ballygarvan. Shamrocks led by 0-8 to 1-1 at half time and did just enough to register the win. Roy Twomey was top scorer with 0-7 and he was assisted by Tadhg O'Mahony (1-3) and Aongus Boland (0-1). Team: Peter Barry, Michael Howard, Conor Walters, Jack Breen, David Raleigh, Roy Twomey, James Raleigh, Matt Garvey, Tony O'Mahony, Aongus Boland, Conor Cusack, Jack Howard and Patrick Murphy

Week ended - 10th Sept 2005

South East Junior A Hurling Final - 4/9
Shamrocks 1-9, Kinsale 1-7
Shamrocks captured the Carrigdhoun Junior A Hurling Championship crown after a gap of 24 years after this thrilling victory over a gallant Kinsale side at Innishannon on Sunday afternoon last. The game was played in slippery conditions throughout, especially the first half, when torrential rain turned the game into a battle of attrition between two wound up teams. Kinsale were first on the board with a point but Colin O?Sullivan for Shamrocks, after some uncharacteristically early errors, began to find his range from placed balls. Such was the nature of the contest that both free-takers were to play pivotal parts in the game. It was nip and tuck coming up the 20th minute when Colin O?Sullivan grabbed the sliotar on the 13 and unleashed a shot to the Kinsale net, which the Kinsale keeper got a touch to but couldn?t keep it out. Shamrocks gained belief from his score and went in at half time leading 1-3 to 0-5, the scoreline reflecting the tough, hard, physical exchanges. Brian Sweeney got the only Shamrocks point from play just before half time. Still, the game was there for the taking for either team and it seemed that whoever got a run of scores going was going to emerge victorious. Shamrocks were the better team overall up to the middle of the second half when they had stretched into a four point lead through O?Sullivan and Stephen O?Neill, who crucially, was coming more into the game at half forward. Kinsale had been reduced to 14 men after one of their midfielders had got a second yellow - advantage Shamrocks. However, despite Shamrocks sensibly deploying Senan Andrews as the spare man in defense, not for the first time we saw a team with a numerical disadvantage up their game and within a minute had the game level with a goal and a point. Advantage Kinsale just about. The next score was going to be vital and thankfully for Shamrocks, after a scoreless 5 minutes, Stephen O?Neill broke free down the right wing and sent over the score of the game, and with it the all important lead entering the last 5 minutes. Terence O?Sullivan swung over a ludicrous point thereafter to stretch it to two. Kinsale hit back with a point of their own but O?Sullivan restored the lead to 2 entering injury time.
The tension was almost unbearable as the drab first half had been forgotten. Kinsale tried manfully with one more attack but Shamrocks scrambled the ball to safety. Oliver Webb blew the final whistle amid scenes of great joy for all connected with the club. Again, everyone played their part on the day and it would be absolutely unfair of me to pick out one player over another. This was a victory for the club and a badly needed one at that. Captain Peter Prout accepted the cup from a no doubt proud South East chairperson John Twomey. Team: R. Collins, D. Andrews, P. Prout, S. Andrews, D. Roche, S. Collins, S. O?Reilly, M. Prout, C. O?Neill, S. O?Neill, B. Sweeney, P. O?Sullivan, D. Collins, T. O?Sullivan, C. O?Sullivan. Sub used ? D. Bourke, blood sub Sean Kelly. Incidentley Shamrocks play the winners of the Carbery division, either Diarmuid O?Mathunas or Kilbrittan, who drew last Sunday in their respective divisional final.

Man of the Match presentation
Seanan Collins received the man of the match award at a very pleasant function held in the Roberts Cove Inn on Monday lunchtime. The club would like to thank Denis Quinn and his staff for the lovely meal and hospitality provided to all the Shamrocks members present at the award. Well done Seanan who cleared a pile of ball from center back
Under 16 Football Championship - 7/9
Shamrocks travelled to Ballinspittle to take on Courcey Rovers in the first round of the championship and lost out by 5 points in the end. Report to follow

Under 14 Football League - 2/9
Crosshaven 4-5, Shamrocks 2-4 Shamrocks played some of their best football of the entire season against Crosshaven but it wasnt enough to give them the win on the night. Declan Sheahan, Joey Brady, Cathal Kidney and Darragh O'Sullivan shone for Shamrocks while manager Declan O'Neill made sure 20 players were togged out for Shamrocks, a mnagnificent feat considering the problems this age group have had all year actually fielding teams

Week ended - 3rd Sept 2005

Minor B Football Final ? 27/8
Kinsale 3-12, Shamrocks 1-9
Kinsale ran out deserving winners of this final played at Riverstick on Saturday afternoon last. Shamrocks certainly played their part throughout an enjoyable contest and maybe with a bit more luck and savvy in front of goal could have pushed Kinsale even harder. The first half was just about Kinsale's as they led by 1-5 to 0-3 at half time, Gary Ronayne, John Cronin and Tomas Barrett with a beauty the Shamrocks scorers. Shamrocks resumed the half much the stronger and Barrett had the ball in the back of the Kinsale net soon after the restart and this allied to points by Dave Hayes and Cronin again gave Shamrocks great hope of an unlikely victory. However, Kinsale struck for two killer goals inside 7 minutes to effectively close out the game, though Darren Kirwan tagged on a few late Shamrocks points. Thanks to the selectors who persevered with this team who have struggled with numbers throughout the season. Team: R. O?Sullivan, F. O?Neill, C. McCann, I. Murphy, J. Browne, D. Kirwan, C. Fitzpatrick, D. Hayes, P. Brady, J. Cronin, T. Barrett, G. Ronayne, C. O?Neill, R.Hourihan, S. Dunne. Subs used ? R. Murphy, D. Murphy
Under-12 Hurling, Cecil Gash Tournament ? 27/8
The under 12 hurlers of Shamrocks, Tracton and Kinsale played in the annual Cecil Gash tournament in Minane Bridge last Saturday. The Shamrocks lads really enjoyed their days play. Shamrocks lost to a late Kinsale goal but beat Tracton by 5 points, to finish runners up overall. Thanks to the Tracton for organizing the event and inviting Shamrocks to participate and for providing medals, tea and refreshments for all. Also thanks to the Shamrocks mentors for the time and effort put in to organizing the lads ? Sid, Ian Breen, Jim Rahilly and John ?socket? Twomey. Players used ? Roy Twomey, David Barton, Stephen Healy, Michael Howard, Jamie O?Driscoll, James Rahilly, Cathal Kidney, Daniel Breen, Declan Sheehan, Aonghus Boland, Tony Fitzpatrick, David Rahilly, Jack Howard, Matthew Garvey, Damien Kelleher, Jack Breen
Under 11 Hurling ? 29/8

Ballygarvan 7-6, Shamrocks 3-3
A young Shamrocks team went down to a well drilled Ballygarvan side over in Ballygarvan last Monday night. Team: Jack Breen, Michael Howard, Conor Walters, Jack howard, David Barton, Matthew Garvey, David Rahilly, Roy Twomey, James Rahilly, aonghus Boland, Tony Fitzpatrick, Patrick Murphy, Shane Kelleher, Daniel O'Reilly, Lorcan Fidgeon. Our thanks to John howard and Jim Rahilly who helped out on the night
Under 14 Football Championship ? 2/8
Shamrocks 4-3, Sliabh Rua 7-9
This was not the one sided contest that the scoreline suggests but a game in which Shamrocks gave as good as they got after a disastrous start in which they conceded 4 goals without reply in the first 10 minutes as a result of defensive errors. Declan Sheehan in goal could not be faulted while Daniel Breen and Darragh O?Sullivan were prominent throughout. Alan McCarthy caught some great ball at midfield and his distribution was excellent while up front Cathal Kidney was forceful and committed to the end. D. Sheehan, D. Barry, J. Brady, A. Dunne, D. Breen, D. O?Sullivan, D. Murphy, A. McCarthy, A. Hickey, J. Rahilly, C. Kidney (0-2), T. O?Mahony, J. Tuohy(2-0), D. Brown (1-1), R. Twomey (1-0). Subs ? D. Barton, J. O?Driscoll, J. Lynch

Week ended - 28th Aug 2005

Junior A Hurling Championship Semi final ? 21/8
Shamrocks 4-5, Ballinhassig 1-12
Shamrocks qualified for the final of the South East Junior hurling Championship for the first time since 1981 when they had a thrilling last minute victory over Ballinhassig, who themselves were trying to reach the decider for the fourth time in a row. Time was almost up when a Stephen O'Neill floated-into-the-square free dropped amoungst about seven players who all pulled on the ball. Luckily for Shamrocks, and after years of bad luck, the ball rebounded off somebody or something and trickled into the back of the net. Nobody was quite sure who scored the goal but it doesnt matter - we're in the final in two weeks, against Kinsale, who demolished Carrigaline in the first game yesterday. September 4th in innishannon (not Brinny) is the date with destiny. Shamrocks hot gotton off to a flying start and new full forward Terence O?Sullivan had the ball in the back of the Ballinhassig net inside 30 seconds. After Ballinhassig had opened their account at the other end, Colin O?Sullivan struck home a rebound from the ?hassig keeper to the net to give Shamrocks an early 5 point lead. Slowly but surely, Ballinhassig started to get on top, and with the wind at their backs, they chipped away at the Shamrocks lead, and actually led at the half time break, 1-6 to 2-2. They got an early point to stretch their lead to two, before Shamrocks had their first bit of luck in front of goal in the second half. A Stephen O?Neill effort for a point dropped short and amid the confusion at the edge of the Ballinhassig square, the ball rebounded off a defenders shin into the back of the Ballinhassig net for goal number 3. Shamrocks were now ahead, but the ?hassig weren?t buried yet. After Shamrocks had made a few positional switches, their half forward managed to score three points from play within 8 minutes and Ballinhassig moved back into a two point lead with time almost up. It was desperation stuff all round and it culminated in that dramatic finish. On the night Shamrocks had many heroes. The two corner backs, Senan and Dick Andrews were outstanding and Senan kept a close reign on Ballinhassig dangerman Denis MacCarthy. Mickey Prout was his usual consistent self at wing back while in the forwards, Todds caught a lot of ball at centre forward as did Terence O'Sullivan at full. Team: R. Collins, S. Andrews, P. Prout, D. Andrews, D. Roche, S. Collins, M. Prout, C. O?Neill, S. Kelly, S. O?Neill, B. Sweeney, P. O?Sullivan, D. Collins, T. O?Sullivan, C. O?Sullivan. Subs used ? C. Ronayne, D. Bourke
Under 14 Football ? 23/8

A severly understrength Shamrocks were completely over-run by Tracton at Minane Bridge on Tuesday night last. This team have been hampered by holidays and what not all season and its a credit to the mentors and players that they have fulfilled their fixtures at all. On the night, Roy Twomey, James Rahilly, Joey Brady and Aaron Hickey were Shamrocks best players
Under 11 Hurling ? 22/8
Valley Rovers 6-6, Shamrocks 2-3
Shamrocks were short a few for this game but still put up a decent performance in Brinny last Monday night. Shamrocks best players on the night were Michael and Jack Howard, Roy Twomey, David and James Rahilly, Daniel O?Reilly and Jack Breen.

Under 14 Football ? 16/8
Shamrocks 2-3, Carrigaline 4-11
An understrength Shamrocks proved no match for a strong Carrigaline side at Shanbally last week. Shamrocks were behind from an early stage and despite the best efforts of Declan Sheehan in goal, Karen Twomey, James Rahilly and Cathal Kidney; they just couldn?t peg back the deficit

Week ended - 21st Aug 2005

Week ended - 15th Aug 2005

Junior A Football Championship ? 11/8
Shamrocks 2-11, Belgooly 0-14
Shamrocks qualified for the semi final of the South East against Kinsale after a hard fought win over Belgooly at Minane Bridge last Thursday night. The foundations for this victory, as in the last round, were laid in the early stages of the match. Shamrocks struck for two early goals and Stevie O?Neill, Seanan Collins, Todds and Chris struck over some fine points to put Shamrocks in command 2-6 to 0-3 at half time. Belgooly, as is their want, didn?t give up and dominated the third quarter, and had the score down to 2-6 to 0-8 at that stage. However, Shamrocks reasserted themselves with some points from Mickey Prout, O?Neill and Collins again to reach the next round. The back line held out in the end when Belgooly came at them looking for goals. A big improvement is needed in the next round if we are to trouble Kinsale. On the night, Peter Prout, Chopper and Stevie Neill were Shamrocks best players.
Team: B. Mulqueen, C. Brady, P. Prout, K. Hegarty, B. Hickey, M. Prout, C. Ronayne, B. Sweeney, C. O?Neill, E. O?Mahony, S. O?Neill, S. Kelly, O. Boland, S. Collins, D. Collins. Subs used ? T. O?Sullivan
U21 A Hurling Championship knock out ? 15/8
Carrigaline 2-11, Shamrocks 0-3
Shamrocks bowed tamely out of the under-21 hurling championship at Minane Bridge on Monday night. From the first whistle it was obvious that Carrigaline?s greater attacking force was going to be the defining difference between the teams. There was an obvious contrast between the 2 sets of forwards. When Carrigaline attacked they scored. When Shamrocks attacked, they didn?t score. The ball was coming out of the Carrigaline defense throughout meaning the Shamrocks defense at the other end was under constant pressure and despite their best efforts, the dam burst completely in the second half. Shamrocks didn?t score from play in the entire game and that just about sums it up really. Shamrocks best players on the night were Senan Andrews, who was outstanding in the half back line throughout and beat off 4 different Carrigaline opponents over the hour. Terence O?Sullivan, Stephen O?Reilly and Chris O?Neill played well at times, young Cian O?Neill in goal made one great point blank save in the second half while Dave Hayes improved throughout, as did under-16 player Gary Ronayne, who wasn?t afraid to get stuck in. Team: C. O?Neill, S. O?Reilly, D. Hayes, D. Bourke, O. Boland, S. Collins, S. Andrews, T. O?Sullivan, C. O?Neill, N. Hayes, C. Fitzpatrick, B. Mulqueen, D. O?Neill, T. Forde, G. Ronayne. Subs used ? E. O?Rahilly, F. O?Neill, T. Barrett
Minor B Hurling Championship Final ? 9/8
Kinsale 4-10, Shamrocks 3-3
Kinsale ran out deserving winners of this B final played last Tuesday. Shamrocks cause wasn?t helped by the concession of soft goals after mistakes by the Shamrocks backs and the missing of scores at the other end, some from very scoreable positions. On the night, Mickey O?Neill in the Shamrocks goal was simply outstanding and prevented a certain rout with some great saves. Fergus O?Neill at corner back was solid throughout as was Rob Hourihane and Jason Browne. The Shamrocks goalscorers were Ronan O?Sullivan with two and Ivan Murphy
Under-11 Hurling ? 15/8
Tracton 3-6, Shamrocks 0-6
Tracton deserved their victory in this very enjoyable game of hurling, also played in Minane on Monday night in perfect conditions. Tracton led 2-2 to 0-2 at half time and got another midway through the second half to kill off Shamrocks, who battled gamely to the end. The club would like to thank Diarmuid Murphy and John Twomey (Ringaskiddy) and the various parents for organizing the lads. Team: Conor Walters, David Raleigh, M. Howard, Jack Howard, Jack Breen, Matthew Garvey, Roy Twomey, James Rahilly, Jamie Murphy, Aongus Boland, Daniel Reilly, Donie Hayes. Best for Shamrocks on the night were goalkeeper Conor Walters, the midfield of Roy Twomey and James Rahilly and Aongus Boland

Weeks between 24th July and 13th August

There weren't many games played in this period but here is what happened anyhow
U16 Hurling Championship - 27/7
Kinsale 3-8, Shamrocks 0-6
An extremely youthful and inexperienced Shamrocks side weere no match for Kinsale at Shanbally on Wednesday night last and it is apparent that a lot of work needs to be done at this grade if the game is to florish in the club in future years. Team: M.O'Neill, R.Murphy, D.Brown, A.Hickey, D.Murphy, J.Browne, G.Ronayne, P.Brady, J.Tuohy, S.Hurley, D.O'Sullivan, S.Downey, J.Brady. A feature of the game was the outstanding performance of Gary Ronayne at midfield
All-Ireland trophy for Shamrocks player
On Sunday July 31st, 22 year old Mickey Prout became the first player form the club, indeed the entire division, to captain a successful Cork All-Ireland Football winning team when Cork beat Meath in the Junior All-Ireland final in Portlaoise. Mickey was absolutely outstanding throughout the campaign, both as a player and as a leader, and in fact was man of the match in the close Semi final verses Sligo, where he snuffed out the Sligo dangerman in the second half. There were also to the 2 other South East players on the Cork team. Well done Mickey - a first for Shamrocks

Week ended - 24th Jul 2005

Junior B Football League - 19/7
Kinsale 1-17, Shamrocks 2-6
Shamrocks now cannot qualify for the knockout stages of this league after their last 2 matches ended in their 2nd defeat in a row. This was a sporadic display from Shamrocks. At times they were over run by the Kinsale attack after attack, at other times they made the home side look very ordinary to say the least by playing some great football. Kinsale were faster to the pace of the game and led 0-5 to 0-1 after 10 minutes. Shamrocks came right back into the game with a few points and a goal from Seanan Collins. However, shortly after Shamrocks had a player sent off and within 1 minute, Kinsale had registered 1-1 at the other end of the field. We were left with a mountain to climb. In fairness to the lads, they never gave up and after kinsale had tagged on a number of scores in a 10 minute period after half time, Shamrocks took over. The introduction of the subs saw an improvement and 2 of them, Aaron Sweeney and Ferghal Nugent (goal) got on the scoresheet. We wish Jamie Sweeney a quick recovery from his knee injury which he sustained during the second half Team: M.Fitz, B.McCarthy, K.Roche, J.Sweeney, D.O'Neill, N.Hayes, K.Hegarty, T.O'Sullivan, O.Boland, R.McCarthy, D.Bourke, K.Tierney, D.Stuart, S.Collins, D.Hayes. Subs used - S.Bourke, P.Andrews, A.Sweeney, F.Nugent
Junior B Hurling Championship - 24/7
Shamrocks 0-5, Crosshaven 5-8
While the scoreline might suggest an easy victory for the seaside visitors to Shanbally on Sat night, the scoreline was most definetly flattering to the Crosshaven lads in the end. An understrength Shamrocks gave as good as they got on the night, particularly in the second half and got within 6 points of Crosshaven about 15 minutes from the end when the visitors struck for two killers goals in a row to finish off the home challenge. Played on a wet night, Crosahven led 2-5 to 0-2 at half time, Dave Hayes and Rob Lannon with the scores for Shamrocks. They looked dead and buried but pinned Crosshaven back for the best part of 15 minutes of the second half, with Patrick Andrews putting over 2 points to give Shamrocks hope. However, the goal Shamrocks really needed never materialised and in fact, Crosshaven struck for two at the other end to effectively finish off the contest. Best players on the Shamrocks team on the night were Keith Roche, Dave Hayes, Rob Lannon, Oisin Boland, Cian Ronayne and Patrick Andrews. Team: C.O'Neill, J.Deasy, K.Roche, S.Bourke, D.Hayes, R.Lannon, B.McCarthy, O.Boland, C.Ronayne, P.Andrews, D.O'Neill, K.Tierney, K.Henerty, B.Hickey, T.Forde. More to follow

Week ended - 17th Jul 2005

U14 Football League ? 15/7
Sliabh Rua 4-6, Shamrocks 1-3
Shamrocks lost out at home on Friday night last to Sliabh Rua after a game performance from this young team, many of whom are still u12. The half time score was 2-3 to 1-1 for the visitors, Darragh O?Sullivan having got the Shamrocks goal. Sliabh Rua pulled away in the second half despite the best efforts of Jack Wilson, Karen Twomey, Tony Fitzgerald and James Rahilly. Team: Jack Wilson, David Murphy, Cathal Kidney, Aaron Hickey, Daniel Breen, James Rahilly, Alan McCarthy, Joey Brady, Tony Fitzgerald, Darragh O?Sullivan, Alan Dunne, Roy Twomey, Jonathan Tuohy, David Barton
U10 Hurling - 17/7
The lads travelled to Minane last Sunday morning to play a blitz. They had a great mornings play and had victories over Crosshaven, Tracton and Valley Rovers with a loss to Sliabh Rua. We wish to thank Eithne Howard, Olga and Diarmuid Kelleher, Jim Rahilly and Ian Breen who traveled with the players and helped out on the day. The panel used was Jack Howard, Michael Howard, Daniel O?Reilly, Aonghus Boland, Jack Breen, Dave Rahilly and Shane Kelleher.

Week ended - 10th Jul 2005

Junior Hurling championship Quarter final - 9/7
Shamrocks 1-14, Valley Rovers 2-9
Shamrocks were given a tough test here in Camden tonight but qualify for a meeting with the winners of Courcies/Ballinhassig in roughly a months time. Both teams were slow to settle, in fact it took 13 minutes for the first score to arrive, a pointed free from on form Colin O'Sullivan. Rovers punished a Shamrocks defensive lapse shortly after to score their first goal, a rasper to the top corner giving Ronan Collins no chance in the Shamrocks goal. With the Camden field being on the short side, puck outs were landing on the half forward lines and this is where most of the action took place. Colin O'Sullivan brought Shamrocks back into the game from this range, punishing any Rovers fouling by slotting over a few frees. Todds also got a nice one from play. Half time Shamrocks led by a paltry 0-6 to 1-2. The second half was much better from both sides and proved a controversial one at that. Beside Stevie O'Neill getting a Shamrocks point from play, Colin O'Sullivan was the only Shamrocks scorer. His goal just after half time when he grabbed the sliotar from a sideline cut and buried it from close range was ultimately the winning of this game for Shamrocks. It opened up that bit of a gap which Valleys werent able to bridge throughout the remainder of the game. Colin O'Sullivan scored 1-12 in total, 2 point of that coming from sideline cuts, a quite brillant display of striking really. Just before the end, ref Ger Harrington sent off two Shamrocks players ( Senan Andrews - 2 yellows and Stephen O'Reilly - straight red) and another booked from the same incident. Rovers had none. They pushed Shamrocks all the way and got a late goal to close the gap to 2 points but time ran out. Teams: R.Collins, S.O'Reilly, P.Prout, S.Andrews, D.Roche, S.Collins, M.Prout, B.Sweeney, C.O'Neill, S.O'Neill, P.O'Sullivan, T.O'Sullivan, D.Bourke, D.Collins, C.O'Sullivan. Sub used - Dick Andrews
Well Done
Mickey Prout captained cork juniors to victory in the Munster final V Kerry in Pairc Ui Rinn last Wednesday night (6/7). Not only that but he gave an outstanding display in defense. Also well done to Ballygarvans Ger Spillane who gave a great display from centre back on yet another winning Cork team

Weeks from 19th Jun to July 3rd 2005

Junior B Football- 31/6
Shamrocks 0-7, Tracton 2-12
Shamrocks made qualification for the knock out stages of the league pretty difficult after turning in a below par performance against Tracton at shanbally on Thursday night. Whatever could go wrong for Shamrocks did on the night and they never got motoring against the visitors. Shamrocks played with the strong breeze early on and it was evident that this wasnt going to be our night from an early stage. Tracton kicked numerous wides in that half and should have been out of sight at half time. Shamrocks tried desperately to restructure their team in that period but could make little headway. Passes were going astray and ball were beig dropped all over the place. The 10 minutes after the break offered some hope to Shamrocks but the posession wasnt translated into scores at the other end. The heads went down at that stage after Tracton got their second goal and Tracton finished the game toying with the Shamrocks backs who tried their best on the night. Rob Lannon, Terence O'Sullivan and Dave Bourke got on the scoresheet for Shamrocks. Team (13 a side): R.O'Sullivan, K.Roche, B.McCarthy, D.O'Neill, T.O'Sullivan, D.Bourke, S.Jordan, N.Hayes, D.Stuart, D.Hayes, R.McCarthy, J.Sweeney, R.Lannon. Subs used - K.O'Mahony, S.Bourke, T.Forde
U12 Hurling League? 30/6
Kinsale 6-6, Shamrocks 4-7
Kinsale just about came out in top in this thriller in Kinsale last Thursday evening. The final result was the only thing that put a slight dampener on a very enjoyable evening for the Shamrocks lads, their last game of the campaign. On the night, Shamrocks best players were David Barton (capt), Cathal Kidney and Roy Twomey (3 goals). We wish to thank the Kinsale club who did their most to accommodate Shamrocks who were missing a lot of players previously, the parents of the players who made the journey out in support of the lads and Sid Kidney, who put a lot of effort into the preparation of the team for this match and others. People who give their time and effort to underage teams nowadays are hard to find. Team: Colin Walters, Barton, Jonathan Lynch, Stephen Healy, Matthew Garvey, Kidney, Alan Dunne, Aengus Boland, Tony O?Mahony, Jack Howard, Twomey, Daniel O?Reilly

City Junior Hurling League ? 29/6
Shamrocks 2-7, Glen Rovers 0-5
Shamrocks 'swam' to victory in this game played in the middle pitch up in the glen on Wednesday night. The story of this game was the weather! It was played in absolutely horrific conditions, a summer monsoon and the pitch was covered in water by the end. It was credit to both teams that they stuck manfully to the task, as the game was nearly abandoned twice. Colin O'Sullivan got the two water polo style goals for Shamrocks, while Todds, Darragh, Colin O?Sullivan, Stevie and Sean Kelly scored points Team: R.Collins, S.O?Reilly, P.Prout, S.Andrews, D.Roche, S.Collins, M.Prout, B.Sweeney, T. O?Sullivan, S.O?Neill, P.O?Sullivan, D.Bourke, C.O?Sullivan, Dick, D.Collins. Subs used ? K.Roche, S.Kelly

U21 A Hurling Championship ? 28/6
Tracton 4-11, Shamrocks 1-9
Shamrocks will have to try and make an impact via the backdoor after Tracton ran out convincing winners on Tue night. Shamrocks played poorly on the night and can have no complaints. Things were going well up to half time but Tracton greater strength began to tell thereafter. Tracton led by 6 points on the changeover and a couple of quick goals after half time put the issue beyond reasonable doubt. Shamrocks goal came with the last puck of the match from Dave Bourke who gobbled up a rebound close in. On the night, two many of Shamrocks established players didn?t perform to the best of their undoubted ability and it was left to the likes of young Gary Ronayne to carry the can for Shamrocks. For such a young player he played great stuff at midfield and he received some assistance from Dave O?Neill, Cian O?Neill in goal and Terence O?Sullivan. Team: C.O?Neill, S.Bourke, S.O?Reilly, D.Hayes, N.Hayes, S.Andrews, O.Boland, C.O?Neill, G.Ronayne, R.McCarthy, T.O?Sullivan, D.O?Neill, D.Bourke, C.Fitzpatrick, Fordy. Subs used ? Daniel Stuart, R.Hourihane

City Junior Hurling League ? 21/6
Shamrocks 2-8, Whitechurch 1-14
Shamrocks could count themselves most unlucky to lose this game by three points as they played some fine hurling against strong opponents and certainly learned from the experience. Playing against the stiff breeze aerly on, Shamrocks conceded a lot of unnecessary frees which were pointed and trailed by seven points at half time. Dick Andrews with a bundled effort and Colin O'Sullivan with a fine overhead strike had goals in this period. Shamrocks came looking for scores after the break but the elusive goal would not come and some long range efforts were off target when a shorter delivery was required. Team: R.Collins, S.Andrews, P.Prout, S.O'Reilly, M.Prout, S.Collins, D.Roche, C.O'Neill, T.O'Sullivan, S.O'Neill, D.Collins, P.O'Sullivan, C.O'Sullivan, D.Andrews, D.Bourke.

City Junior B Football League ? 21/6
Shamrocks 1-9, Courcey Rovers 0-6
At the same time as the above game was being played on the top pitch at Shanbaly, the Junior B footballers took on Courcies on the bottom field. This was an enjoybale contest from start to finish. After a close enough first half, Shamrocks pulled away towards the end. Brian McCarthy, Nicky Hayes, Oisin Boland and Kevin O'Mahony showed the way for Shamrocks over the hour. Team: E.O'Rahilly, K.Roche, D.O'Neill, B.McCarthy, K.O'Mahony, B.Sweeney, N.Hayes, O.Boland, D.Stuart, S.Jordan, D.Hayes, T.Forde, R.McCarthy, A.Sweeney, F.Nugent

U10 Football
The young people travelled to Kinsale on Sunday morning last for the last series of games and in the absence of other teams Shamrocks played a very enjoyable challenge against Kinsale. We are grateful to the minders who took time out to travel, John and Eithne Howard, Diarmuid and Olga Kelleher, Kevin O?Mahony, Gerard Murphy and Kieran Boland.

U12 Hurling
A severely depleted team were well beaten by Tracton in Minane Bridge on Monday night. As reported some weeks ago holidays are taking their toll on panel numbers but so far we have been able to fulfil our fixtures.

Carrigdhoun Schools Blitz
In a very enjoyable competition played at Shanbally last Wednesday Ringaskiddy National School had victories over Rennies N.S and Gurranes N.S and advanced to the finals at Carrigaline where they eventually went down to Knockavilla. The remarkable thing about the Ringaskiddy side was that no sixth class student was available due to a school tour. The games were played with seven each side and the panel was: Tony Fitzgerald, David Barton, David Drinan, Cathal Kidney, Daniel Breen, Roy Twomey, Damien Kelleher, Lorcan Fidgeon, Josh Hanlon, Jack Breen, Tom Harris.

Week ended - 19th Jun 2005

U12 Hurling - 14/6
Two games were played resulting in a victory away to Crosshaven on Saturday morning and a defeat at home to Ballygarvan on Monday night. Holidays will take its toll on the limited panel of players over the next few weeks, but this problem has been with us at this age group for some years.
U10 Football? 13/6
Another busy morning for the young bunch at Kinsale where four games were played against Crosshaven, Tracton, Kinsale and Courcey Rovers. Patrick Murphy, John Howard, Aengus Boland and Jack Breen showed good form on the day.
City Junior Hurling League ? 15/6
Shamrocks 2-13, St Finbarrs 1-13
This was a thriller of a game against the City champions from the first whistle where every ball was vigorously contested and scores were hard won. Shamrocks were slow to settle and had problems early on in defence which were soon remedied with some positional changes which resulted in an effective shape which was sustained for the rest of the contest. Colin O?Sullivan had two first half goals which gave Shamrocks a cushion and Chris O?Neill with a brace of points left the greens with a half time advantage. The ?Barrs came more to the fore after the break but Shamrocks were able to defend their territory and picked off some fine points at the other end.
Team: R.Collins, S.Andrews, P.Prout, S.O?Reilly, M.Prout, S.Collins, D.Roche, C.O?Neill, B.Sweeney, S.O?Neill, D.Collins, C.O?Sullivan, D.Burke, D.Andrews, P.O?Sullivan.

Week ended - 12th Jun 2005

U12 County Championship - 6/6
Douglas 2-12, Shamrocks 3-4
Our county aspirations came to an end at Carrigaline on Monday night when a fine Douglas side were just about deserving winners of this hard fought tie. After a hesitant start a Tony Fitzgerald goal cancelled out some early Douglas points but Shamrocks were off the pace for the rest of the half during which time Douglas picked off the scores to lead Shamrocks at half time 1-7 to 1-0. Shamrocks rallied strongly after the break and carried the fight to their opponents to trail by only 4 points with 5 minutes remaining, thanks to two more goals from Fitzgerald; Daniel Breen was outstanding at full back and James Rahilly won a lot of ball at wing back while Alan Dunne, Darragh Barry and Damian Kelleher were always in the action. Well done to the lads on a great run nevertheless.
Team: J.Lynch, D.Breen, D.Barton, J.O?Driscoll, C.Kidney, J.Rahilly, A.Dunne, D.Sheehan, R.Twomey, D.Barry, T.Fitzgerald, S.Healy, D.Kelleher
U10 Football? 5/6
Our u10?s got off to a good start with 3 fine games at Minane Bridge on Sunday morning, beating Tracton and losing to Carrigaline and Valley Rovers. Team: David Rahilly, Jack Breen, Micheal Howard, Jack Howard, Aengus Boland, Conor Walters, Andrew O?Grady, Koby O?Grady, Conor Cuscak, Matthew Garvey
Junior B Football League ? 7/6
Carrigaline 1-7, Shamrocks 1-7
Carrigaline came back right at the death to force a deserved draw in this league encounter played in Carrig back field on Tue night last. Neither team deserved to lose in this one as both teams fought out a typical local derby - tough with no quarter asked or given. Shamrocks were first on the board with a few scores from Rob McCarthy and Mark Hickey, who went on to score 1-5 of the Shamrocks total, and was a constant thorn in the Carrigaline side. His goal got us right back in the game after Carrigaline had struck at the other end. The half time score was a low 1-3 to 1-2 for Shamrocks. The lead was stretched after the break witha Dan Stuart point and Shamrocks maintained their 2 point lead entering the last 5 minutes. But Carrigaline struck for their two late points amid confusion over who won, as both sets of players were more or less happy with the draw.
Team: M.Fitzgerald, K.Hegarty, K.Roche, B.McCarthy, O.Boland, K.O'Mahony, D.O'Neill, N.Hayes, S.Collins, J.Sweeney, M.Hickey, K.Tierney, R.McCarthy, R.Lannon, D.Stuart. Subs used - D.Bourke, S. Jordan, P.Andrews, F.Nugent

Week ended - 5th Jun 2005

U12 Hurling League ? 30/5
Shamrocks 4-6, Valley Rovers 3-3
Shamrocks were completely in the opening half of the boys first hurling league game of the year, played on Monday night against Rovers second string. The half time score was 3-5 to no score at half time for the greens. Rovers came more into the game in the second half and put it up to Shamrocks right to the end. Daniel Breen was the top player on the field with a score of 3-2. Team: Conor Walters, David Barton, Michael Howard, Jamie O'Driscoll, Cathal kidney, James Rahilly, Dan Breen, Declan Sheehan, Matthew Garvey, Roy Twomey, Lorcan Fidgeon, Aengus Boland, Jack Breen
Junior B Hurling League ? 31/5
Shamrocks 4-9, Ballymartle 2-4
Shamrocks B team got back to winning ways on a wet Tuesday night last week with a comfortable 11 point win over Ballymartle. A heavy drizzle made conditions tough but again, the 13 a side format produced many fine passages of play and in particular plenty of scores. The first half was even enough with Shamrocks leading at the half time whistle by 4 points, 2-4 to 1-3. Darragh Collins and a close in effort from Ciaran Fitzpatrick were the Shamrocks goal scores. The visitors could count themselves unlucky not to have scored at least another goal as the hit both the crossbar and post and generally gave the Shamrocks defence a tough time of it in the first half. But, not for the first time this season that said Shamrocks unit tightened up considerably and were the launching pad for Shamrocks commanding half display which featured further points from Oisin Boland, Collins and sub Brian McCarthy added to goals from Fitzpatrick again and sub Jamie Sweeney. Team: P.Andrews, K.Roche, D.Hayes, N.Hayes, C.Brady, S.Bourke, B.Mulqueen, S.Kelly, C.Ronayne, D.Collins, O.Boland, C.Fitzpatrick, B.Hickey. Subs used- J.Sweeney, B.McCarthy, T.Forde
Junior A Hurling League ? 1/6
Ballinhassig 0-16, Shamrocks 2-6
A depleted Shamrocks suffered a City and SE league loss at the same time on Wednesday night last in a game that doubled up. Another misty night made conditions greasy. Ballinhassig stormed into a half time lead and were able to find the range, their free taker was on form as they led 0-10 to 1-2 at the short whistle, Darragh Collins scoring the Shamrocks goal with a nice finish. Shamrocks didn?t really make an impression in the second half but too many fouls cost them in the end. Colin O?Sullivan scored with an absolute rocket from a 21 yard free that no keeper in Ireland would have stopped, but in the end it wasn?t enough for Shamrocks. Too many players didn?t perform on the night. Team: R.Collins, S.Andrews, P.Prout, C.Brady, O.Boland, S.Collins, D.Roche, S.Kelly, C.O?Neill, S.O?Neill, T.O?Sullivan, D.Collins, D.Bourke, D.Andrews, C.O?Sullivan. Subs used ? C.Ronayne, C.Fitzpatrick

Week ended - 28th May 2005

U12 County Football Championship ? 29/5
St Colums 1-8, Shamrocks 3-3
At sun-drenched Kealkil last Sunday evening Shamrocks came from completely off the pace in the first half to fashion a one point injury-time winner to the delight of the large following who had the made the trip Shamrocks could not muster a single score in the first period and trailed 1-3 to nil at the short whistle. Whatever transpired at the half-time pep talk must have been just as invigorating as at Istanbul on Wednesday night as the second half saw a complete transformation led by Darran Barry who found net three times during that period and chipped in with the winner for good measure in an exciting last few minutes. Cathal Kidney was commanding at centre back, Declan Sheehan won a lot of ball around the middle and Tony Fitzgerald was always prominent up front. Team: J. Lynch, D. Breen, D. Barton, J. O?Driscoll, C. Kidney, J. Rahilly, A, Dunne, D. Sheehan, T. Fitzgerald, D. Barry, R. Twomey, D. Kelleher, S. Healy, Subs: D. Rahilly, M Garvey, M. Howard, J. Breen, C. Cusack, A. Boland, M. Healy.
City Junior A Hurling League ? 26/5
Mayfield 2-11, Shamrocks 1-11
A second defeat was suffered at Mayfield on Thursday night when the home side made better use of their chances and just about held on to win, in a game that featured the two teams at the top of the City League table. Team: R. Collins, S. O?Reilly, P. Prout, S. Andrews, C. O?Neill, S. Collins, D. Roche, B. Sweeney, S. Kelly, S. O?Neill, T. O?Sullivan, J. Shanahan, O. Boland, D. Collins, C. O?Sullivan

Week ended - 22th May 2005

Junior B Hurling League ? 24/5
Crosshaven 1-12, Shamrocks 0-13
Crosshaven inflicted our first hurling defeat of the year at Junior level when an under strength side failed to take their chances at Camden on Tuesday night. Crosshaven scored a sloppy goal with 20 minutes to go and try as Shamrocks might to replicate that score, they didnt really come close. Time ran out for them in the end. Darragh Collins was in fine form and is pushing for a place in the A-side for the next Championship encounter. Team: P. Andrews, K. Roche, C. Brady, B. Hickey, R. Lannon, N. Hayes, B. Mulqueen, C. Fitzpatrick, C. Ronayne, D. Collins, O. Boland, B. McCarthy, K. Tierney, T. Forde.
Junior B Hurling League ? 17/5
Shamrocks 7-11, Tracton 3-11
This was brillinat game of hurling played in perfect sunny conditions last Tuesday night. As the scoreline suggests, there were scores a plenty. The first half was pretty even, but Shamrocks reasserted their dominance after the break. The feature of this game was the scoring exploits of Oisin Boland, who scored a whopping 4-3, all from play. Joe Shanahan, an own goal and Barry Mulqueen were the other Shamrocks goal scorers. Team: P.Andrews, C.Brady, K.Roche, N.Hayes, S.Collins, D.O.Neill, S.Kelly, B.Mulqueen, C.Ronayne, B.Hickey, J.Shanahan, O.Boland, S.Bourke. Subs used - B.McCarthy, K.Tierney, J.Sweeney
U12 Football League - 14/5
Shamrocks won the C grade league in atrocious conditions at Riverstick last night. Shamrocks led 0-4 to a goal at half time. Shamrocks enjoyed most of the posession throughout the game and their abitity to kick points, in contrast to the Crosshaven forwards, was evident, though the Crosshaven backs were strong on the night. Cathal Kidney, Roy Twomey, Darragh Barry and Stephen Healy were Shamrocks best players on the night.
Junior A Hurling Championship ? 21/5
Shamrocks 4-11, Kinsale 1-7
Shamrocks successfully negotiated their first hurdle in the Hurling championship last Saturday night with a comfortable enough victory over a dogged Kinsale side at Ballygarvan. Conditions were perfect for hurling and Kinsale were first to settle and were causing Shamrocks problems down the left side of defence. However, Shamrocks came right back into the game with a brilliant Dave Bourke overhead strike to the back of the Kinsale net to leave Shamrocks ahead. It was tit for tat for the next 15 minutes as both sides traded scores. However, the period coming up to half time proved the winning of the game for Shamrocks. Bourke and sliothar rendezvoused at the edge of the square again in the same fashion as the first with the same result and Colin O?Sullivan in the other corner, not to be outdone, connected with a high delivery on the other side to leave the Kinsale keeper with no chance. You?ll not find three better goals scored anywhere in Ireland in any grade this year, all scored via the dying art of overhead pulling. The half time score was 3-4 to 0-4 for Shamrocks. Dick Andrews bundled home a Shamrocks goal shortly after the restart to more or less wrap things up. Kinsale never gave up from here to the end and gave themselves a bit of hope with their own overhead strike, which reduced the gap to 8 points. But this was as close to Shamrocks as they got for all their trying. Shamrocks defence as a whole shored up the gaps and the points began to flow. Colin O?Sullivan in the corner was on fire, scoring 1-7 in total, his free taking and general striking top notch. Sub Joe Shanahan made an impact, scoring 2 points from play. On the night, every Shamrocks player can be happy with their contribution. Team: R.Collins, S.O?Reilly, P.Prout, S.Andrews, D.Roche, S.Collins, M.Prout, B.Sweeney, C.O?Neill, S.O?Neill, P.O?Sullivan, T.O?Sullivan, D.Bourke, D.Andrews, C.O?Sullivan. Subs used: J.Shanahan, D.Collins
U11 John Kearns Football Tournament - 21/5
At Pᩲc U�� on Saturday morning Shamrocks suffered the agony of winning their way to the final by beating Donoughmore and losing to Passage after an injury time point. Roy Twomey and Tony Fitzgerald were on the score sheet as they beat their mid-Cork rivals by 2-4 to 2-2 to set up a final confrontation with our neighbours from Passage who had already beaten us in the league stage of the competition. After an extraordinary and close game a Roy Twomey point left us ahead 0-1 to 0-0 at the short whistle but pegged back to 0-1 to 0-1 at the final whistle. A Passage point in injury time was heartbreaking after the effort put in but the runners-up medals were well received. Panel: Conor Walters, Michael Howard, David Barton, Dave Rahilly, Dan Breen, James Rahilly, Jack Breen, Jamie O?Driscoll, Darragh Barry, Aengus Boland, Tony Fitzgerald, Conor Cusack, Daniel Hayes, Roy Twomey, Matthew Garvey, Darragh Twomey, Jack Howard

Week ended - 15th May 2005

SE Junior Hurling League ? 11/5
Shamrocks 3-11, Ballymartle 0-7
Shamrocks continued their good start to the season by beating Ballymartle?s second team at Shanbally on Wed night. Shamrocks played against the wind in the first half and despite a number of wides, led 1-5 to 0-4 at the short whistle, Colin O?Sullivan with the goal right on the stroke of half time. Ballymartle came more into the game in the second half and reduced the deficit to 2 points shortly after the restart but Shamrocks reasserted their authority with two goals within the space of 5 minutes through Oisin Boland and Dick Andrews. The Shamrocks full back line was on top form throughout while Pat O?Sullivan and Dick provided the necessary punch up front for the younger lads.
Team: R.Collins, C.Brady, P.Prout, S.O?Reilly, S.Andrews, S.Collins, D.Roche, B.Sweeney, S.Kelly, S.O?Neill, P.O?Sullivan, T.O?Sullivan, O.Boland, D.Andrews, C.O?Sullivan. Subs used D.Bourke

SE Junior B Hurling League ? 10/5
Courcey Rovers 2-6, Shamrocks 2-11
The night previous, the B hurlers kept the run going with an excellent victory over the home side out in Ballinspittle. This was our first league game of the season in this grade and reversed a 1-point defeat from the previous year. Shamrocks were completely lifeless in the first half and were lucky to be only 2-5 to 0-4 down at half time. Whatever the selectors said at half time certainly worked the oracle as Shamrocks turned in a dominant display to out hurl Courceys in the second period. Shamrocks got some early scores through Todds Sweeney who was on form from frees and this gave the team the belief that they could turn things around. His long range free went all the way to the Courcies net with 15 left to play and the scores were level. A beauty from Oisin Boland, a few scores from switched centre forward Seanan Collins and the clinching goal from Barry Mulqueen gave us the victory. Team: P.Andrews, K.Roche, S.Bourke, D.O?Neill, S.Collins, N.Hayes, B.Sweeney, S.Kelly, O.Boland, B.Mulqueen, B.Hickey, C.Ronayne, K.Tierney (13 a side). Sub used B.McCarthy

Week ended - 8th May 2005

U16 Football League - 4/5
Shamrocks 5-5, Carrigaline B 1-6
Shamrocks scored their 1st victory at the third time of asking at Shanbally against a battling Carrigaline second string. Though missing two of their best players, Philip Brady and Cormac Horgan, Shamrocks were full value for the winning margin. The first half was a poor affair with neither side able to raise a gallop, the score being 2-0 to 0-4 in favour of Shamrocks. Shamrocks did up the tempo on the resumption and scored two late goals to rubber stamp their authority. The Shamrocks scorers on the night were Mickey O'Neill(2-0), Stephen Downey, Dan Browne and Gary Ronayne all with 1-1 and Mark Jordan and Jason Browne with a point each. Shamrocks best players on the night were Alan MCCarthy and Ronan and Donie Murphy. There is a break now till after the state exams though training will continue

U12 Football League - 3/5
Shamrocks 5-6, Carrigaline B 1-3
Report to follow

Junior A Football Championship - 8/5
Shamrocks are through to the next stage of this years competition after an encouraging performance at Carrigaline on Sunday night. The seeds of victory were sown in the first half hour when the speedy Shamrocks forwards made space an asset and tormented the Ballymartle defence from the first whistle. Ballymartle drew first blood with an opening point but from there to the short whistle they played second fiddle to a confident Shamrocks side. After a Stephen O?Neill point the same player ran onto a Joseph Shanahan pass to score a fine goal. Shortly, the ball was in the net again when Senan Andrews flicked inside to SeᮠKelly who made no mistake. Points from Joseph Shanahan, Michael Prout and Brian Sweeney left us 2-4 to 0-2 ahead at the break.
In the second half it was the turn of the defenders to show their mettle and Barry Mulqueen was in top form in goal. Peter Prout controlled the square while Michael Prout and Chris O?Neill were prominent further out the field. Try as they might, Ballymartle were finding it difficult to make progress on the scoreboard and failed to make use of a penalty. On more limited possession the Shamrocks forwards were still threatening and Joseph Shanahan set up SeᮠKelly who tapped in his second goal while Darragh Collins kicked over a great point near the end.
Team: B.Mulqueen, C.Brady, P.Prout, D.Roche, C.O?Neill, M.Prout, B.Hickey, B.Sweeney, E.O?Mahony, C.Ronayne, J.Shanahan, S.Andrews, S.O?Neill, S.Kelly, D.Collins.

Week ended - 1st May 2005

City Junior Hurling League
Shamrocks have recorded two excellent victories in the last week in the City league. As you know, Shamrocks are playing in the ultra-competitive top grade this year and these two victories can hopefully set us up for bigger and better things this year. On last Wed night (28/4), Shamrocks played what was considered their best hurling match of the last few years with a great victory away to a strong Na Piarsiagh team featuring some members of their Senior panel. Conditions were awful but both team served up a great hours sport. The half time score was 3-4 to 0-6 for the greens, Dick Andrews and Darragh Collins scoring the goals, with Senan Andrews, Stevie O?Neill and Colin spud getting the minors. Shamrocks played great stuff into the wind in the second half; the backs in particular were outstanding, none more so than the left side where Mickey Prout and the switched Senan Andrews snuffed out the Piarsaighs danger men. Todds Sweeney, Stevie Nail and Joe Shanahan scored the all-important second half scores for Shamrocks. Final Score, Shamrocks 3-9, Na Piarsaigh 2-10. The good run continued on Sunday morning away to Douglas. This time, Shamrocks played mighty stuff in the second half to come from behind to fashion a victory that keeps us top of the table at least. Douglas started the better and led 1-4 to 0-2 after 15 minutes; the teams were tit for tat all the way to half time, Dave Bourke with the Shamrocks goal before half time, to leave it 1-6 to 1-4 for the visitors. The second half was a better performance all round. Douglas maintained their 2 point lead till 10 minutes from the end when Terence O?Sullivan, who is playing great stuff at midfield presently, shot a bullet to the Douglas net to put us ahead for the first time. Colin O?Sullivan accuracy from frees, a beauty from Stevie Neill and a hockey style goal from full forward Darragh Collins gave us the moral boosting win. Players used in both games. R.Collins, C.Brady, P.Prout, S.O?Reilly, C.O?Neill, S.Collins, D.Roche, T.O?Sullivan, B.Mulqueen, S.O?Neill, D.Collins, J.Shanahan, O.Boland, C.O?Sullivan, D.Bourke (team v Douglas), P.O?Sullivan, S.Kelly, C.Ronayne, R.Lannon, B.Hickey, M.Prout, B.Sweeney, D.Andrews
Junior B Football League - 27/4
Rochestowm 0-6, Shamrocks 5-15
Shamrocks had an easier than expected victory over Rochestown in a game played in Roco last Tue night. Shamrocks were always on top in this one and the game was more or less over at half time when Shamrocks had built up a big lead. Rochestown did come more into the game in the second half and made more of a game of it.

Week ended - 23rd Apr 2005

General Summary
JUNIOR HURLING - We have had a good start to the league so far with victories over Courcey Rovers, Carrigaline, Ballygarvan and Bishopstown with games to come against Na Phiarsaig and Douglas before the week end.
There has been a fine turn out for games and training and the Junior B team will have their first game at Shanbally on Tuesday night next.
JUNIOR FOOTBALL - We have had 4 Junior A games against Ballymartle, Belgooly,Carrigaline and Tracton resulting in 2 wins , a draw and an eye opener of a loss to the the latter.
The Junior B footballers kicked off their campaign with a victory over Crosshaven last week and there are plenty more games to come.
UNDER 12 FOOTBALL - This group were late starting this year and have played 3 games, winning against Valley Rovers and St. Finbarrs and losing against Carrigaline 3. They will play 2 more games over the next week and we appreciate the cooperation being received from the other teams in our group.
UNDER 14 HURLING - Numbers are small at this grade but we have played 2 games,losing to Tracton and Crosshaven. They will not play for a few weeks as Feile games are taking precedent and numbers didn?t permit us to compete.
UNDER 16 FOOTBALL - 2 games have been played, drawing away to Courcey Rovers and going down at home to Valley Rovers. We wish a speedy recovery to Colin Murphy who sustained an injury while at school. Colin had a fine game against Valleys last week.
MINOR FOOTBALL - With an extremely limited and young panel we have played 6 games , winning against St Finbarrs and Mayfield and competing well but losing to Nemo Rangers, Kinsale, Passage and St Michaels.
MINOR HURLING - Even in defeat to St Finbarrs and Delaneys credit must be paid to the efforts of some fine young performers and the dedication of their mentors.
CONGRATULATIONS - Well done to Chris O Neill and Joseph Shanahan who had fine games for Carrigdown in the Senior football championship against Beara last week.
Chris was also a member of the Cork u 21 football panel who recently won the Munster Title.
U16 Football League - 20/4
Shamrocks 2-9, Valley Rovers 3-11
Shamrocks suffered their first defeat of the season at home to Valleys on Wednesday night. Shamrocks didnt play to potential and the backs gave away a couple of soft goals which made our task that bit harder. The half time score was 2-4 to 1-4 for the visitors. Shamrocks scorers on the night were Philip Brady (2-3), Mickey O'Neill (0-3) and Brian Cusack, Cormac Horgan and Colin Murphy with 0-1 each. Best for Shamrocks were Philip Brady who was simply outstanding, forcing Valleys to take their Cork u16 player off him, Mark Jordan, Gary Ronayne and Ronan Murphy. We wish a speedy recovery to Colin Murphy who damaged his shoulder in the game.

Week ended - 17th Apr 2005

Junior Hurling League - 14/4
Shamrocks 1-9, Carrigaline 0-6
Shamrocks had a good win over a battling Carrigaline side at Shanbally on thurs nite. This game was played in heavy conditions as the pitch cut up easy after all the rain previous. Dick Andrews was the main Shamrocks contributor on the scoreboard, scoring 1-3 from full forward. He was ably assisted by Senan Andrews and Seanan Collins in the half back slots, Todds Sweeney at midfield and Stephen O'Reilly at corner back. Team: Collins, O'Reilly, Prout, Brady, Collins, Roche, Andrews, Sweeney, Kelly, O'Neill, Collins, Mulqueen, Boland, Andrews, O'Sullivan. Subs used - Hickey, Lannon, Shanahan, Roche
U16 Football League - 13/4
Courcey Rovers 3-4, Shamrocks 2-7
This game finishes in a whelter of excitement as Mark Jordan kicked a superb last minute point from an acute angle to give Shamrocks a well earned draw out in Ballinspittle on Wednesday night. It capped a remarkable recovery from Shamrocks, who found themselves 8 points down 10 minutes into the second half. The first half is best forgotton from both sides, it finished 0-2 each with little inspiration on view. Having said that, it was both teams first game of the season. Shamrocks scores came from Mark Jordan and Jason Browne (1-1 each), Mickey O'Neill (0-4), and Ronan Murphy 0-1. Our best players on the night were Cormac Horgan, Ronan Murphy, Mark Jordan when moved to wing forward and Stephen Downey
U14 Hurling League - 15/4
Crosshaven 4-2, Shamrocks 2-1
Shamrocks went down to Crosshaven last Friday night in a game in which Cathal Kidney, David Barry, Joey Brady, Darragh O'Sullivan Johnathan Tuohy and Dan Breen caught the eye. Team: D.O'Sullivan, J. Tuohy, J.Rahilly, A.Brady, D.Barry, J.Brady, D..Breen, C.Kidney, A.McCarthy, J.Wilson, J.Tuohy, L.McCarthy, D.Murphy, J.Wells, J.Lynch

Week ended - 2nd Apr 2005

City Minor Football League - 29/3
Shamrocks 2-7, Passage 8-9
Passage went on a goal scoring spree in this City league encounter played at Shanbally in wet and dark conditions. Shamrocks started the better and had some nice points on the board chiefly through Ronan O?Sullivan and Cian O?Neill. They led 0-4 to 0-2 after 15 minutes but then the game was turned on its head in one minute of football. Three Shamrocks kickouts were returned to the back of Fergus O?Neills net, leaving him helpless in the process. The stuffing was knocked completely out of the Shamrocks challenge at this juncture and try as they might, the home team couldn?t get over this blow. It was 5-6 to 1-4 at half time, Tomas Barrett getting the Shamrocks screamer. A feature of the game was the Shamrocks efforts to curb the Passage full forward, Podge O?Leary. He scored 5-5 and was involved in all other Passage scores as well. A succession of Shamrocks markers had no answer to him. Gary Ronayne got a late Shamrocks consolation goal. Keeper Fergus O?Neill still managed to bring off two fine saves over the hour while Cormac O?Shea, Cian McCann and Gary Ronayne also tried hard for Shamrocks. Team: F.O?Neill, S.Bourke, D.Hayes, R.Hourihane, C.Fitzpatrick, C.O?Shea, I.Murphy, C.McCann, D.Kirwan, G.Ronayne, T.Barrett, J.Browne, C.O?Neill, R.O?Sullivan, S.Dunne. Sub used ? P.Brady
City Minor Hurling League - 3/4
Shamrocks 3-14, St Finbarrs 2-4
Shamrocks put in a reasonable performance before succumbing to the Barrs second string at Shanbally on Sunday morning last. This is a competition in which Shamrocks will do well to get teams on the field as hurlers at this particular age group are thin on the ground. The first half performance was admirable from the naturally young Shamrocks team, the half time score being 2-5 to 1-2 for the Barrs, Cian O?Neill doing the Shamrocks scoring, mostly from frees. The second half saw St Finbarrs pull away with a string of points before O?Neill got Shamrocks second goal from a late penalty. Team: M.O?Neill, S.Bourke, F.O?Neill, C.Fitzpatrick, D.Hayes, R.Hourihane, G.Ronayne, T.Barrett, J.Browne, C.O?Neill, P.Brady, I.Murphy, R.O?Sullivan (13 a side)

Week ended - 10th Apr 2005

Junior Football League - 3/4
Shamrocks 0-5, Tracton 4-12
This was a league game to decide the semi finalists of the league. Also, it served as a warm up for the (in the meantime cancelled) championship match V Ballymartle on the following Thursday night. From a Shamrocks point of view, the game was an absolute disaster from start to finish, both on and aff the field. We wont go into details, (they are too gorey) but a lot of work will have to be done. The situation is not irreversible however

Week ended - 27th Mar 2005

U21 A Football Championship - 27/3
Shamrocks 2-5, Ballygarvan 2-7
While we got of jail a week earlier against Courcey Rovers with a last minute goal, the boot was very much on the other foot his week as we had to endure being the victim of a similar fate when the Garvans claimed the all important goal with a breakaway goal in injury time. Shamrocks played with the strong wind advantage from the start and Joe Shanahan had the ball in the net after only 20 seconds. He continued in his scoring mood and netted again from a penalty shortly after, on top of two points for good measure. Points from Terence O?Sullivan and Eoin O?Mahony left Shamrocks leading by nine approaching half time and seemingly out of sight. Ballygarvan were coming more into the game however and scored a goal of their own to leave the score at 2-4 to 1-2 at the short whistle. With wind advantage now to their backs, Ballygarvan came thundering into the game but points from Daniel Stuart and Chris O?Neill kept us in front. We had that 1 point lead and in fact on attack entering injury time. But you know what they say about that kind of situation and indeed it came to haunt Shamrocks. A lose Ballygarvan forward finished a centre to Barry Mulqueens net, and time was up. Joe Shanahan was Shamrocks most potent attacking force and he was ably assisted by young Tomas Barrett. Dander won and distributed some good ball from centre forward while Chris O?Neill (who played with Cork the day before) and Nicky Hayes had their moments in the first half. The Shamrocks backs were under enormous pressure in the second half and Senan Andrews was prominent when moved to full back. Oisin Boland was always in the thick of things and Stephen O?Reilly and Dave Bourke never gave up. Team: B.Mulqueen, D.Tuohy, D.O?Neill, S.Andrews, O.Boland, S.O?Reilly, D.Bourke, C.O?Neill, N.Hayes, E.O?Mahony, D.Stuart, T.O?Sullivan, S.Carroll, J.Shanahan, T.Barrett. Subs used: S.Collins, D.Hayes, D.Kirwan

Minor Football League - 27/3
St Michaels 4-11, Shamrocks 2-6
In spite of the scoreline, this was one of our better performances when a depleted and young Shamrocks team gave as good as the got at cold and wet Church Rd on Sunday afternoon. There were some excellent performances from Tomas Barrett, Darren Kirwan and Fergus O?Neill

Week ended - 20th Mar 2005

Junior Hurling League - 17/3
Shamrocks 2-8, Courcey Rovers 0-9
The traditional start to the Hurling season on St Patricks morning saw Shamrocks get off to a winning start in the competition which we are defending this year. As the scoreline suggests, this was a close game of hurling. Courceys second string made the long trip to Shanbally and certainly made the home side fight all the way for the 2 league points. They played good hurling, especially in the 2nd quarter when playing up the hill against the wind, and Shamrocks were lucky to be leading at half time. The greens started the better of the 2 and had 1-2 on the board inside the first 10 minutes, Pat O'Sullivans low shot being dropped into the net by the Courcey keeper. Courceys came more into the game thereafter and threathened a few times, all the while picking off the points. Half time 1-4 to 0-5 for Shamrocks. Things looked good for the visitors on the changeover but Shamrocks put in a gutsy second half resistance. Matters improved after ahlf time when the evergreen Dick Andrews, operating at corner forward, bundled home a goal to open a gap of 4 points. Courceys, try as they might till the end, couldnt quite bridge that gap, and in particular the Shamrocks half backline of Mickey Prout, Darren Roche and Chris O'Neill, who were unbeatable. Colin O'Sullivan hit over 3 points, 2 from frees, after coming in as a sub at half time. Team: P.Andrews, C.Brady, P.Prout, C.Brady, C.O'Neill, D.Roche, M.Prout, S.Kelly, B.Mulqueen, T.O'Sullivan, D.Collins, S.O'Neill, B.Hickey, P.O'Sullivan, D.Andrews. Subs used - S.Collins, C.O'Sullivan
Junior Hurling League - 20/3
Shamrocks 1-3, Bishopstown 0-2
This game shouldnt have gone ahead. It was played in absolutely atrocious conditions and both teams have to commended on their efforts over the (less than) hour played. Shamrocks led 1-2 to 0-1 at the break and had some outstanding performance from Senana Collins and Brian Sweeney. Team: R.Collins, K.Roche,P.Prout, O.boland, S.Collins, D.Roche, M.Prout, B.Sweeney, S.Kelly, B.Mulqueen, D.Collins, C.O'Sullivan D.Andrews, P.O'Sullivan, B.Hickey. Subs C.Ronayne, K.Tierney, S.O'Reilly
U21 Football Championship - 20/3
Shamrocks 1-9, Courceys 2-5
Shamrocks got the rub of the green against Courceys on Sunday morning at Riverstick as Darren Kirwan's last minute goal ensured a passage to the quarter final V Ballygarvan (above). With a very srong wind advantage behind them, Shamrocks raced into a 3 point lead but conceded a soft goal which temporarily deflated their momentum, but some fine points from Joe Shanahan and Terence O'Sullivan enabled us to lead by 2 at the short whistle. Shamrocks consolidated their position on the turn over and led by 4 points entering the last 10 minutes. Courcey put in a massive few minutes and a converted penalty and a brace of points put them in front by two point with 2 minutes to go. A last ditch assault by Shamrocks seemed to have been repulsed but when Kirwan got the ball on the 14 yard line, his shot, although partially blocked, ended up in the net. Barry Mulqueen kept us in the game with some great blocks in the second half, while Senan Andrews, Dave O'Neill, Chris O'Neill, Dave Bourke, Terence O'Sullivan ,Joe Shanahan and Stephen Carroll were the pick of the outfield players. Team: B.Mulqueen, D.Tuohy, D.O?Neill, S.O?Reilly, S.Andrews, C.O?Neill, D.Bourke, N.Hayes, T.O?Sullivan, E.O?Mahony, J.Shanahan, O.boland, S.Collins, D.Stuart, S.Carroll. Subs D.Kirwan, T.Barrett

Week ended - 13th Mar 2005

Junior Football League - 13/3
Carrigaline 0-9, Shamrocks 4-6
A second half transformation by Shamrocks saw them run out winners at sunny but chilly Carrigaline last Sunday afternoon. Our Annual celebrations at the Carrigaline court the night before had some impact in that it was obvious that while the bodies were on the field of play, the spirits were elsewhere for the duration of the first half in particular. Shamrocks first score didn?t arrive until 10 minutes before half time when Senan Andrews followed by an opportunist goal from Stevie O?Neill which left us level at the break. Some appropriate words of encouragement and counselling from Pat Mac and Paddy O?Mahony at the break had the desired effect and second half goals from Chris O?Neill, Stevie Nail again and Joe Shanahan enabled us to achieve a somewhat flattering victory-Shamrocks. Team: B.Mulqueen, K.Hegarty, P.Prout, C.Brady, B.Hickey, D.Roche, S.O?Reilly, C.O?Neill, B.Sweeney, O.Boland, S.O?Neill, E.O?Mahony, S.Andrews, D.Collins, S.Kelly. Subs J.Shanahan, D.Tuohy

Minor Football League - 13/3
Mayfield 1-4, Shamrocks 0-15
Similar to their Junior counterparts later on that day, Shamrocks had a very slow start to this game (played in Mayfield) and did not score till the 12th minute. After that, they upped the pace and kicked some great scores and were full value for the 2 league points. A feature of the game was a great display from Shamrocks Darren Kirwan who was outstanding all through.

u12 Football - 13/3
Shamrocks played an enjoyable challenge game against St Finbarrs at the Track on Sunday morning last. After some entertaining football, the Barrs ran out winners. On the Shamrocks side, there were notable performances from David O?Rahilly, Cathal Kidney, James O?Rahilly and Matthew Garvey. The other players to feature were Stephen Healy, David Barton, Michael Howard, Jamie O?Driscoll, Alan Dunne, Declan Sheehan, Darren Barry, Roy Twomey, Conor Cusack, Jonathan Lynch, Daniel hickey, Daniel Jordan, Zac Sheehan and David Coleman.

Week ended - 6th Mar 2005

Junior Football League - 6/3
Shamrocks 3-9, Belgooly 1-5
Shamrocks got their first win of the season when they had a reasonably comfortable win over a battling Belgooly side at sunny Shanbally last Sunday afternoon. Apart form the ground being a bit dead, these were perfect conditions for Football and both sides put together some nice moves. Shamrocks completely dominated possession in the first quarter but some wayward shooting kept their score down to 3 points, Belgooly replying with their lone point at that stage. Shamrocks then tagged on two minors before Stevie O'Neill finished the ball to the visitors net following a sweeping Shamrocks move which spanned every line of the field. Half time score was 1-5 to 0-1. Shamrocks added a goal shortly after the restart, again from O'Neill, to stretch the lead further and when Sean Kelly finished another sweeping move to the Belgooly net not long after, the game was as good as over. Shamrocks introduced all their subs, while Belgooly came more into the game around the middle of the field and were rewarded with some late scores, one of which was their goal. Throughout the afternoon, Mickey Prout, Todds Sweeney, Oisin Boland, Stevie Neill, Sean Kelly and sub Senan Andrews were the Shamrocks points scorers. Team: B.Mulqueen, C.Brady, P.Prout, K.Hegarty, B.Hickey, D.Roche, C.O'Neill, M.Prout, B.Sweeney, N.Hayes, S.O'Neill, O.Boland, D.Bourke, S.Kelly, D.Collins. Subs used: S.Andrews, D.Tuohy, S.Collins, R.McCarthy, K.Tierney

Week ended - 27th Feb 2005

U21 Foootball Championship 1st Round? 27/2
Tracton 1-8, Shamrocks 0-6
Shamrocks put in one of their worst in recent times at Minane Bridge last Sunday afternoon when going down by 5 points to the home side. In a game of two halves - the first half comprising the first and last quarters dominated by Shamrocks and the middle part of the match dominated by Tracton, the visitors just never really got going and were never really able to overcome the sending off of Dave O'Neill just before half time. Shamrocks opened strongly and points from Terence O'Sullivan, Eoin O'Mahony and Joe Shanahan put them into a 0-3 to 0-1 lead. However, from there on in, things started to go wrong for Shamrocks and Tracton took over. The next 6 points were Tractons and they led 0-7 to 0-3 at the break. Shamrocks reorganised their forces thereafter but the concession of the games only goal just after the restart made the task almost impossible. Just as they had faded early on, they gradually began to take control of the game again and Chris O'Neill, O'Sullivan again and Dan Stuart picked off the points but the goal wouldnt come. Shamrocks now play the losers of the Courcey/Carrigaline tie in the next game on the weekend of Sat Mar 19th. Team: B.Mulqueen, D.Tuohy, D.Hayes, S.O'Reilly, D.O'Neill, S.Andrews, D.Bourke, T.O'Sullivan, N.Hayes, E.O'Mahony, C.O'Neill, T.Barrett, O.Boland, D.Stuart, J.Shanahan.

Week ended - 20th Feb 2005

Minor Football League ? 20/2
Kinsale 5-12, Shamrocks 2-6
Shamrocks came up against a top class Kinsale outfit at a bitterly cold Kinsale last Sunday morning. In spite of missing a number of regulars for various reasons, Shamrocks, with some young players on show, put up a credible and brave performance. Tomas Barrett was brilliant all throught at centre field and scored a magnificent goal. Jason Browne at half back and Fergus O'Neill in goal were in top form while Stephen Dunne tried his heart out at half forward.

Underage Social ? 18/2
On Friday last a very enjoyable gathering was held at Pfizers Sports Club to honour our U14 and U16 footballers of 2004. Their medals were presented to them by current All-Star and Cork hurling star Wayne Sherlock who encouraged them to consider that its at the club that it all begins and to be appreciative of their mentors and to be proud of their achievements to date. A special presentation was made to Donal Brady who made the evening possible by his contribution to our recent long puc when he competed with distinction and raised considerable sponsorship

Week ended - 13th Feb 2005

Junior Football League ? 13/2
Shamrocks 1-6, Ballymartle 1-6
Shamrocks and Ballymartle got their season underway on Sunday last on the bottom field at Shanbally and both teams will be happy to be going away with a draw, especially the visitors as they tagged on 4 late points to level up the scores. The very strong wind played havoc with this game ? blowing right down the field toward the top goal. Shamrocks played with its benefit in the first half and led at half time 0-5 to 1-1, Todds Sweeney, Sean Kelly and Stevie O?Neill among the Shamrocks scorers. The second half was real backs to the wall stuff and Shamrocks looked in control when O?Neill drove a shot to the Ballymartle net soccer style to open up a bit of a gap. The defence were playing well and it looked like Shamrocks would get their season off to a winning start. But Ballymartle?s constant pressure began to show and they snatched the draw with some late scores. Team: B.Mulqueen, B.Hickey, P.Prout, B.McCarthy, D.Collins, D.Roche, S.O?Reilly, B.Sweeney, O.Boland, S.O?Neill, S.Kelly, K.Tierney, J.Sweeney, R.Lannon, R.McCarthy

Minor Football League ? 13/2
Shamrocks 0-5, Nemo Rangers 2-8
This was Shamrocks first defeat of the year after winning their opening game the week before. Like the Junior game later on in the day, the game was destroyed by the near hurricane that blew right down the field. Nemo played with its advantage in the first half and had put up an impressive total of 2-8 to 0-1. Shamrocks were short a few regulars on the day but mounted a stronger challenge in the second half but could only tag on 4 points in that time. The scorers were Ronan O?Sullivan (0-2), Tomas Barrett, Cian O?Neill and Philip Brady, all with 1 point each. Shamrocks contributed to their own downfall by missing numerous goal chances which would have possibly put a different complexion on the game. Fergus O?Neill in goal, John Cronin at wing back and Darren Kirwan at centre back were Shamrocks best players on the day

Underage Club AGM 2005 - 1/2
A large gathering attended at the Club Rooms on Tuesday of last week to help kick-start 2005. John Twomey, Chairman, in his review of 2004, paid tribute to our under-14 footballers who advanced to a county championship final where they were narrowly beaten. Our under-16 footballers also did well in winning the South East Championship and advancing as far as the county semi-final. Offices elected 2005 - Chairman ? John Twomey, Vice-Chairman ? Oliver McCann, Secretary ? Paddy Andrews, Treasurer ? Greta Sweeney, P.R.O. ? Patrick Andrews, Board Delegates ? Paddy Andrews, Michael Kidney
Teams U 10: I. Breen, O. McCann, J. Twomey, J. Ronayne
U 12: M. Kidney, I. Breen, K. Barry, O. McCann
U 14: J. Brady, P. Tuohy, P. McCarthy, A. Tuohy
U 16: D. Murphy, P. Cusack, J. Shanahan, A. Downey

City Minor Football League ? 6/2
St Finbarrs 2-4, Shamrocks 2-6
The Minor Footballers had the houour of getting the 2005 season underway on Sunday morning last in Togher and they obliged with a winning start. Playing with the aid of the breeze in the opening half, Shamrocks played some great football and led at the break by 1-5 to 0-3, the goal being scored mid way through by Garry Ronayne while RonᮠO?Sullivan chipped in with 3 points. The second half was backs-to-the-wall as the ?Barrs threw everything they had at a teak-tough Shamrocks defence where Ivan Murphy, John Cronin and David Hayes excelled. A late ?Barrs goal looked like denying us the spoils but a late breakaway goal from Stephen Dunne gave us a deserved victory.
Team: I. Murphy, S. Burke, R. Murphy, J. Cronin, D. Hayes, C. Fitzpatrick, T. Barrett, G. Ronayne, S. Dunne, C. O?Neill, J. Brown, R. O?Sullivan, M. O?Neill.

Congrats
Well done to Michael Prout who has been nominated this week to receive the Jury?s Sports Star Award for January in recognition of his tremendous exploits with CIT in both college and McGrath Cup competitions

Week ended - 9th Jan 2005

Club AGM 2005 - 10/1
The club held its agm before its biggest attandance in years at the clubrooms on Monday night last. The following are the positional changes made - Denis Allen was elected as a vice President of the club. Tadhg Forde brings the average age of the executative committee way down as he's the new Secretary, taking over from Lorcan Aherne, who will act as assistant to Tadhg and show hime the ropes. Thanks for your efforts Lorcan and welcome aboard Fordy. Pat Mac is the new football manager, taking over from Bernard Hickey, who didnt run this time. Again, thanks to Bernard for his efforts over the last year. We wish Pat well. All other positions within the Senior Club remain the same.

Week ended - 2nd Jan 2005

Poc Fada Results 2005 - 2/1/05

Overall - Winner : Stevie O'Neill - 27 shots
Runner up : Todds (28)

U14 - Mark Kennefick (Ballygarvan - 32)
Runner up - Jonathan Tuohy (33)
u18 - Cian O'Neill (36)
Runner up - his brother Fergus (36). Cian won on a play-off
Ladies - Ann-Marie Collins/O'Flaherty ( a brilliant score of 33)
Runner up - Catherine Fogarty (Bishopstown - 39)
U40 - John Dineen (35)
Runner up - Lorcan Aherne (36)
U50 - Alan Tuohy (35)
runner up - 'Stoney' Bourke (Carrigaline - 37)

Long Puck Review - 2/1/05
Thanks to everyone who took part, it was a brilliant day. 88 players took part and we were blessed with the weather, although Patrick Andrews, who came joint first last year complained that 'conditions' were against him, saying the wind followed him all the way. Colin O'Sullivan showed the benefit of too many nights training in the Monkstown Inn, while Peter Prout and Avril minds were elsewhere, in particular Peter, who is in love and couldnt concentrate on the task in hand, he was thinking of the big wedding in 2006. Mick Lannon lost his ball in Sams Bar, it landed in a pint and was washed away before it could be recovered. Sid Kidney, Setanta's descendent himself, didnt need a ball; he imagined it, and still couldnt win. Rob Lannon started and finished for the only time this year. Donal Brady was the lead-off hitter and did very well indeed with his special hurley. In fact, he was sponsored and raised ?900 for the underage club. Well Done Donal. Stevie Nail's urine sample is currently being tested in Pfizers high tech viagra Labs. One of our guest stars, Adrian Dillon, from the northside but with a holiday home in Crosshaven, gave the Insurance companies and the vets an early new years fright when not only hit 2 cars in his firs few shots, but he also hit a dog! The poor animal spent Sunday at the vets but has made a recovery. We still can?t find a motive for the attack.
Paddy Andrews was recently presented with a memento from the club to comemorate serving as juvenile board delegate for an incredible 21 years. Well done Paddy. Our congratulations to Dave O?Flaherty and Ann-Marie Collins who got married last week also and cancelled their honeymoon to take part in the poc Fada. Ann Marie won the ladies category. Also, Peter Prout gave Avril Cooney the best possible Christmas present on bended knee last week also ? a ring on her finger. They got engaged on X-mas day. How romantic ? a Shamrocks/Carrigaline wedding. Anyway, well done to all involved.

Week ended - 25th Dec 2004

Poc Fada Preview
Our annual long puck competition takes place on Sunday, 2nd January 2005 starting at the oratory at 12 noon. There are many prizes on offer to male and female competitors over 11 years of age. The event is unique in that the city fathers have designated this to be their first celebration of the capital of culture; the significance being that the scheduled route is acknowledged to be the path taken by St. Finbarr on his way to found the city of Cork after landing at Gobby in 433AD. Preparations are well underway and the parish is expecting the biggest influx of people since the visit of the QEII to Ballybricken in 1992. The participants themselves are at an advanced stage of preparation and Donal Brady will take the first stroke using a hurley he has specially made himself from local chestnut tree. Last years winners of Reilly, Colin Spud and Senan have been commuting to Patrick Andrews in Wexford and training over Vinegar Hill, Boolavogue. Kenny Coveney and his team have been fine tuning their skills under lights along the Well Road under the critical eye of his uncle Jerh, while Declan O?Neill and his merry band have been seen at Fountainstown strand on most mornings since September.
Stephen O?Neill and Darren Roche will not compete as they are striking for better conditions and have joined the G.P.A. while Pat Sullivan has to attend to early spring lambs. Michael Kidney, who claims to be descended from C?lain himself, was unable to finish the course last year as he lost the ball up a tree. We have now solved his problem by having the tree removed. John Collins and his family team have been to training camp in the Algarve and will be sporting overall tans. Robert Lannon is confident that this one is his and will be continuing on is diet of pea soup and pear water while Dave Burke has engaged the services of a dietician. Neighbours in Monkstown have been alarmed at strange sightings by night along Scotsman?s Road but Ian Breen has established that it is Nicky and Dander practising with the aid of a Christmas candle. John Twomey (Shanbally) is well prepared and expects to be in Shanbally before Fr. Pat leaves the alter but Lorcan Ahern?s expectations are somewhat lower and has conceded privately that he may not arrive until after Pat the Postman on Monday morning. John Twomey (Ringaskiddy) will be attempting to set new records at the long dart and will start from Paddy?s Block.
Todd?s Sweeney will add an international dimension to proceedings by unveiling his team of native Australians who he has trained himself while Helen Prout will not compete this time as she pulled a muscle at weight training and Barry Mulqueen has been nominated as the course marshal. Paddy Andrews is expecting a tight finish with inconclusive results and is bringing along his solicitor. Bernard Hickey will do random doping tests from his mobile patrol and he assures us that Jamie Sweeney won?t lose the B sample. The rules of competition will be rigorously enforced by Neilly O?Mahony and the final results will not be made public until they have been audited by Pat O?Neill. The club is mindful of its obligations to the less well prepared and the most modern and ultrasonic medical facilities including a defibulator will be to hand. Our sponsors, John Dineen and Mark Hickey, have instructed us that only those wearing formal dress attire will be admitted to the prize giving ceremony which will be covered by Sky Sports and CNN. Results will be published by The Carrigdhoun, The Daily Star and The Hong Kong Herald

Christmas Draw Results 2005

The annual Christmas draw took place on Tuesday December 22nd in The Shamrocks Bar. The following are the first 10 names out of the hat:
1st prize - Alan Geary, 2nd prize - Eileen Regan c/o Paddy A, 3rd prize - Eddie Hanley, 4th prize - Dander, 5th prize - Lisa Morley, 6th prize - Samantha Shanahan, 7th prize - Damien O'Driscoll, 8th prize - Margaret Murphy, 9th prize - John Hegarty (Wex footballer), c/o Patrick in Wexford CBS, 10th prize - Paddy McCarthy

Week ended - 21st Nov 2004

U14 County C Football Final ? 20/11
St Colums 2-6, Shamrocks 2-5
Aboolute heartbreak for Shamrocks. Just one look at the score line sums it up. So close yet so far for this brave u14 Shamrocks team. Having battled against the odds to get this far, Shamrocks left a County title after them in Enniskeane (St Marys) on Saturday afternoon last. This was a brilliant game of football from start to finish and credit must go to both teams for a superb hour in trying conditions. It was just a pity that someone had to lose, after an unbelievable finish to the match. St Colums started much the better and looked far superior to Shamrocks. Their physical advantage over the Shamrocks players, particularly our forwards, was all too evident and they won most of the 50/50 balls. They were 1-2 to 0-0 up after 15 minutes but then Philip Brady at midfield for Shamrocks came thundering into the game and Shamrocks were back in it. He kicked 2 quick points and set up Darragh O?Sullivan for a beauty of a goal. Brady kicked two more points coming up to half time to leave the half time score 1-4 to 1-3 in favour of Shamrocks. St Colums started the second half much like the first: encamped in the Shamrocks half. It was backs to the wall stuff for Shamrock and St Colums scored a lucky goal when a long range free went over the heads of the Shamrocks goalkeeper and corner back to the back of the net to set up Colums for the title. But, not for the first time when faced with a challenge, Shamrocks took over. The last 10 minutes featured only 3 players in the Shamrocks half as Shamrocks came forward in waves trying to peg back the 4 point deficit. Brady saw his pile driver brilliantly saved by the Colums keeper before Mickey O?Neill scored a goal as the game was entering injury time and the place erupted. Was there time to grab a draw or even a winner? Shamrocks won the kickout and set up Mark Jordan who had come up from full back but unbelievably, his effort hit the upright and the rebound was put narrowly wide. There was even time for another Shamrocks attack but again the Shamrocks effort went narrowly wide. It just wasn?t to be. Shamrocks most definitely deserved a draw at the very least and Colums were absolutely haunted to be bringing the cup back to Kealkill. However, this Shamrocks team and mentors can be very proud of themselves and their efforts this season. They came from the next parish to win the South East when nobody gave them a chance. On the day, Eoin Healy was absolutely superb at centre back and was the best player on the field. Not far behind him was Philip Brady who kicked all the Shamrocks points, one of them in the second half one of the best scores you?ll see anywhere. He also set up the 2 goals, but Shamrocks were far too reliant on him for scores. Others to shine for Shamrocks included Donie Murphy, Mark Jordan, Alan Mac and Cathal Kidney who made a real difference when introduced as a second half sub.
Team: T. Pierce, E. Healy, S. Hurley, D. Murphy, M. Jordan, A. McCarthy, P. Brady, S. Downey, B. Mullane, M. O'Neill, B. Cusack, D. O'Sullivan, J. Tuohy,J. Welles, S. Walters, A. Hickey. Sub C.Kidney

City Junior C Football Final ? 21/11
St Finbarrs 1-15, Shamrocks 0-6
A second final defeat in 2 days was Shamrocks lot up in Togher on Sunday morning last. Again hopes were high of finally securing a trophy at this level but in truth, Shamrocks were never at the races in this game. The ?Barrs laid the foundations for this win in the first half as, with slick forward play, the opened up the Shamrocks defence at will but were content to take their points. Darragh Collins was keeping Shamrocks in the game with 3 points from play. Rob Lannon added another to leave the half time score 0-9 to 0-4 in favour of the ?Barrs. Shamrocks turned to play with the breeze but their challenge never got off the ground. The Barrs controlled midfield and they in turn were feeding their speedy forwards. When they got a goal 10 minutes in, it was all over as a contest. Shamrocks battled on till the end and were rewarded with a point apiece from Collins and Daniel Stuart. Team: D.Craven, D.Livingstone, C.Brady, K.Hegarty, D.O?Neill, D.Roche, O.Boland, S.Kelly, S.Jordan, A.Geary, R.Lannon, D.Collins, J.Sweeney, D.Stuart, D.Bourke. Subs used: B.Hickey, S.O?Neill, S.O?Reilly, T.Carpenter

U11 Football ? 21/11
Shamrocks 1-6, Sliabh rua 3-5
Shamrocks? great run came to an end at Shanbally on Sunday morning. Playing against a well drilled and stronger side they acquitted themselves well and never gave up the fight. Dave Barton and Michael Howard caught the eye at the back while Declan Sheehan, Daniel Breen, Chris O?Sullivan and David Kelleher were seen to good effect going forward.
Team: S. Healy, D. Barton, D. Murphy, J. O?Rahilly, C. Kidney (0-4), J. O?Driscoll, D. Breen, D. Sheehan, R. Twomey, D. Barry, C. O?Sullivan, (1-0), J. Lynch, T. Fitzgerald (0-1), D. Kelleher (0-1), D. O?Rahilly, M. Garvey, S. Hartnett, J. Breen.

Week ended - 14th Nov 2004

U14 County Football Semi Final ? 13/11
Shamrocks 5-5, Cloyne 3-5
Shamrocks season goes on for another week at least when they recorded a splendid victory over the Imokilly champions at Shanbally on Saturday afternoon last. This was another fine battling performance from the lads who yet again faced a second half onslaught from their opponents, but for the second week in a row pulled off a superb victory. Shamrocks were quick out of the blocks and Jonathan Tuohy had 2 goals inside the first 10 minutes. Cloyne began to find their feet thereafter and settled down to take over in the second quarter. Shamrocks were struggling coming up to half time but Darragh O?Sullivan struck for a vital Shamrocks goal just before the break. Shamrocks led at the short whistle 3-2 to 2-4. Cloyne went ahead after the break with a goal and with a much more physical team, looked good to stretch clear in the testing conditions. But Shamrocks stuck to their task manfully; Philip Brady slotted home a penalty to get Shamrocks back in front and the rest of the game featured some heroic defending from the Shamrocks backs. The switch of Eoin Healy at full back and Mark Jordan at centre back worked a treat. Tomas Pierce in the Shamrocks goal made some great second half saves when the pressure was at its greatest. Philip Brady got 2-3 from midfield while Stephen Hurley and Jonathan Tuohy also made vital contributions.
Team: T. Pierce, O. Healy, S. Hurley, D. Murphy, M. Jordan, A. McCarthy, P. Brady, S. Downey, B. Mullane, M. O'Neill, B. Cusack, D. O'Sullivan, J. Tuohy, C. Kidney, J. Welles, S. Walters, A. Hickey. Sub C.Kidney for Mullane.

City Minor Football Semi ? 14/11
Shamrocks 1-5, Tracton 4-11
Shamrocks were well beaten in the league semi by Tracton on Sunday morning last. The half time score was 1-7 to 0-1 and Tracton stretched the lead soon after the break to finish the game off. Shamrocks did battle to the end and Terence O?Sullivan scored 1-1 while Niall Tuohy kicked a point, along with Tomas Barrett. Team: I.Murphy, S.Bourke, D.Hayes, C.McCann, O.Boland, N.Tuohy, T.O?Sullivan, D.Kirwan, C.O?Neill, T.Barrett, R.Hourihan, R.O?Sullivan, S.Dunne. Subs: G.Ronayne, F.O?Neill

Week ended - 8th Oct 2004

U11 Football ? 6/11
Shamrocks 5-5, Crosshaven 2-2
Shamrocks continued on their winning ways when they outscored the seasiders at Camden on Sunday. Cathal Kidney, who had on Saturday played with the under-14 side was prominent at centre back while Darren Barry, Roy Twomey and Tony Fitzgerald were in goalscoring mood.
Team: Stephen Healy, Daniel O'Rahilly, Zach Sheehan, Michael Howard, Jamie O'Driscoll, Cathal Kidney, James O'Rahilly, Daniel Breen, Declan Sheehan, Darren Barry, Roy Twomey, Chris O'Sullivan, Jack Breen, Tony Fitzgerald, Jonathon Lynch, Matthew Garvey, Daniel Jordan, Gary Hartnett.

U14 Football County Quarter ? 6/11
Shamrocks 5-3, Kildorrery 1-3
Shamrocks ultimately had a comprehensive victory over our north Cork opponents at Shanbally last Saturday but the scoreline in no way does justice to a very competitive game. Shamrocks had an early goal from Darragh O'Sullivan and another from Michael O'Neill but Kildorrery were not out yet and trailed by 2-2 to 1-1 at half time. For almost the entire second half the Shamrocks backs were put under pressure as Kildorrery came forward time and again but had only two points to show for their efforts. Out of the blue, Jordan Welles outpaced the defence and goaled from close in. Darragh O'Sullivan quickly did likewise and the game was as good as over. A further goal from Philip Brady had no impact on the result but was well deserved for his effort over the last 15 minutes. Owen Healy, Stephen Hurley, Donal Murphy and Mark Jordan were prominent when needed especially in the second half but the forwards made no progress until the last five frantic minutes.
Team: T. Pearse, O. Healy, S. Hurley, D. Murphy, M. Jordan, A. McCarthy, P. Brady (1-3), S. Downey, B. Mullane, M. O'Neill (1-0), B. Cusack, D. O'Sullivan (2-1), J. Tuohy, C. Kidney, J. Welles (1-0), S. Walters, A. Hickey.

City Junior C Football Semi ? 7/11
Shamrocks 4-14 Gurranebraher 1-5
Shamrocks had a comprehensive victory over the city-northsiders in this interdivisional fixture on Sunday morning. The game featured some fine individual displays, in particular Darren Craven in goal, Dave O'Neill and өs��Boland at half back while Tadgh Forde and Dan Stuart were prominent up front.
Team: D. Craven, D. Livingstone, P. Prout, D. Tuohy, D. O'Neill, D. Roche, Ӯ Boland, S. Kelly, S. Jordan, D. Collins, R. Lannon, A. Geary, D. Burke, T. Forde, J. Sweeney, P. O'Sullivan, D. Stuart, T. Carpenter, C. Brady, S. O'Reilly.

Week ended - 25th Oct 2004

U11 Football ? 25/10
Shamrocks 4-6, Kinsale 3-7
Shamrocks had a hard earned victory over the visitors to Shanbally on Bank holiday Monday afternoon. Playing with the wind in the first half, Shamrocks ran into a 3-4 to 0-2 half time lead and were well in control. Kinsale strormed right back into the game in the second half and only some solid defensive work enable Shamrocks to prevail. Players involved: Stephen Healy, David Barton, Michael Howard, Cathal Kidney (0-1), James O?Rahilly, Jamie O Driscoll, Darren Barry (0-1), Daniel Breen (1-0), Roy Twomey (1-0), Decaln Sheehan, Tony Fitzpatrick (0-2), Damien Kelleher (2-2), Damien O?Rahilly, Tommy Harris, Jack Breen, David Murphy

Week ended - 17th Oct 2004

U14 County Football Championship ? 16/10
St Marys 0-15, Shamrocks 1-7
Shamrocks lost out by 5 points to the Carbery champions from the Enniskeane/Ballineen area in a game played in Ballineen on Saturday. It must be admitted that St Marys were a better team than Shamrocks but the visitors played some great football to be within touching distance of the winners at the final whistle and with a bit of luck could have been a lot closer. St Marys had the better of the first half and led 0-7 to 0-2 at half time. Their familiarity with the 13-a-side format which was in use here was evident. Shamrocks, while facing a near impossible task, played with real vigour in the second half and Philip Brady scored a Shamrocks goal. Shamrocks felt that they should have had a penalty with 10 minutes to go when they were pressing Marys. However, the home team held on and advanced to the County Semi. On the day, Gary Ronayne, Mark Jordan (when switched to midfield) and Philip Brady with 1-3 were Shamrocks best players. Great credit is due to all the Shamrocks players who contributed throughout the season ? they were unfancied at the start of the season but have steadily improved under mentors Jim Ronayne, Joseph Shanahan and Ollie McCann. Negotiations are already under way regarding next years contracts.
Team: F.O?Neill, C.Fitzpatrick, R.Murphy, N.Kirwan, C.Horgan, M.Jordan (0-1) I.Murphy, C.McCann, G.Ronayne, P.Brady(1-3), J.Cronin, O.Hickey (0-1), R.Hourihan (0-1). Sub used: G.Boland (0-1)

junior B Football Championship ? 17/10
Shamrocks 0-4, Courcey Rovers 2-8
Shamrocks managed to get a team together for the B championship but it was just that ? they didn?t gel on the day and were well beaten by a much better Courceys team who showed the benefit of having put in proper training with their A team. They made the trip to Shanbally on Sunday morning last. Playing up the hill into the wind in the first half, Shamrocks were pretty happy going in at half time losing by 0-4 to 0-2. However, it could have been closer as chances were missed. Having said that, it was typical Junior B in October ? both sides were guilty over the hour. Hopes were high at the start of the second half of a Shamrocks performance, but it never happened. They just never got going and the heads were down a long way from the finish. Pat O?Sullivan and Oisin Boland were Shamrocks best players on the day. Team: E.O?Rahilly, P.O?Sullivan, I.Breen, D.Tuohy, C.Tierney, D.O?Neill, D.Livingstone, O.Boland, D.Stuart, S.Carroll, A.Geary, B.Hickey, T.Forde, R.Lannon, J.Sweeney, P.Andrews

Week ended - 10th Oct 2004

U16 Football Championship Final ? 5/10
Shamrocks 2-7, Valley Rovers 1-8
Shamrocks scored a great victory over Valley Rovers in the C Football Final at Ballygarvan last Tuesday evening. Rovers were favourites going into the game as they had beaten Shamrocks earlier on in the campaign and had beaten a fancied Kinsale team in the Semi final. But Shamrocks, playing the final only two days after the semi final, showed tremendous character and fight against all the odds to claim the trophy. It?s a young side, backed by many of the u14 team who won their respective championship a few weeks previous. Shamrocks played with the strong breeze in the first half and had built up a lead of 1-7 to 0-1 at half time, but it didn?t seem enough. Valleys came out in the second half with real vigour in their play but Shamrocks second goal, just after half time, gave them a small bit of breathing space. They didn?t score for the remainder of the game as Valleys threw everything at Shamrocks. Luckily for the harboursiders, time ran out on Rovers and Cian McCann accepted the trophy on behalf of the Shamrocks team and mentors. On the night, Fergus O?Neill made penalty save in the first half which proved decisive in the end. Ronan Murphy and Mark Jordan were superb all through in defence while the scoring up front was done by Gary Ronayne(goal), Philip Brady (0-4), Eoin Hickey (goal) and Rob Hourihane (0-3). Team: F.O?Neill, C.Fitzpatrick, R.Murphy, N.Kirwan, E.Healy, C.Horgan, M.Jordan, I.Murphy, C.McCann, G.Ronayne, P.Brady, J.Cronin, E.Healy, R.Hourihane, G.Boland. The County is up next, scheduled for 2 weeks time

SE Junior Hurling League Final ? 10/10
Shamrocks 3-9, Valley Rovers 1-9
Shamrocks juniors salvaged something from their season with a 2 goal victory over Valley Rovers at Ballygarvan on Sunday morning last. Shamrocks started brightly and scored a few points before Rovers got on the scoreboard and they dominated the rest of the half and led 1-6 to 0-3 at half time, after having played with the stiff breeze. Shamrocks were a changed team in the second half and Stephen O?Neill scored Shamrocks first goal to bring them right back into the game. Colin O?Sullivan grabbed Shamrocks second and Hernix kicked home the third. Chris O?Neill, Mickey Prout and Darragh Collins played well for Shamrocks while Stephen O?Neill slotted over a few frees

Week ended - 3rd Oct 2004

U16 Football Championship ? 3/10
Shamrocks 1-7, Tracton 2-3
Shamrocks just held on for a one point win over Tracton in miserable conditions at Shanbally last Sunday morning. This was a hard fought, tight match from start to finish, with Shamrocks holding a one point half time advantage, 1-1 to 0-3, having played against the driving wind and rain. Robert Hourihane had scored the Shamrocks goal. A Tracton goal from a penalty after half time gave them a brief lead but Shamrocks dug deep and points from Philip Brady, mainly from frees helped Shamrocks to a four point cushion. A late Tracton goal gave them hope but time ran out on them. Best for Shamrocks on the morning were Cormac Horgan at centre back, Philip Brady, Mark Jordan and Jon Cronin. Panel: C.Fitzpatrick, F.O?Neill, I.Murphy, G.Boland, R.Murphy, G.Ronayne, C.McCann, C.Horgan, N.Kirwan, E.Hickey, R.Hourihan, P.Brady, M.Jordan, E.Healy, J.Cronin. The Final is provisionally pencilled in for tonight (6th).

Sciath na Scoil
The local have been very busy of late on the football scene under the guidance of teacher Diarmuid Murphy. Monkstown boys have competed against some stiff competition in St Johns Mayfield, Gaelscoil Youghal and Upper Glanmire who just pipped them for a place in the next stage. Among the stars were Justin Cronin, James Quirke. Frank Bruen, Kevin O?Driscoll, Alan Hudson and Shane Delea. Monkstown girls competed in a special Carrigdhoun Grade C section where they finished second and they were well served by Bethany O?Connor, Clodagh Collins, Mary Fawcitt, Lisa O?Brien, Aoife O?Connor, Amy Coleman, Elizabeth Leahy, Jennifer McWhinney and Aine Healy.
Ringaskiddy have also been in great form with some fine performances from Declan Sheehan, David Barton, David Drynan, Daniel Brown, Cathal kidney, Daniel Breen, Roy Twomey, Damien Kelleher, Tony Fitzgerald, Tommy Harris and Chris O?Sullivan.
Shanbally have also been in action with John Lynch, Darragh Barry, Darragh O?Sullivan, Laura Mac and James O?Rahilly displaying the skills

Week ended - 26th Sept 2004

U21 A Hurling Championship ? 28/9
Ballinhassig 6-19, Shamrocks 0-5
Shamrocks proved no match for Ballinhassig in the Quarter final of these Championships at Minane Bridge last Saturday. This was a game too far for many of tye players, as Shamrocks put out a seriously depleted, and even some players on the starting 15 were carring injuries. After a brief flurry of attacks from Shamrocks, our opponents quickly got down to business and soon had the game wrapped up before half time. Against all the odds, a few players stood out - Cian O'Neill in goal was composed and reliable all through while Thomas Barrett and Dave Hayes defended strongly till the end. Two players who were clearly carring injuries, Senan Andrews and Mickey Prout, hurled themselves to a standstill as usual. Team: C.O'Neill, D.O'Neill, S.O'Reilly, T.Forde, H.Hayes, C.O'Neill, D.Hayes, S.Andrews, S.O'Neill, T.O'Sullivan, C.Fitzpatrick, E.O'Rahilly, D.Bourke, M.Prout, T.Barrett. Subs S.Bourke, D.Stuart

Week ended - 19th Sept 2004

U14 Football Championship ? 14/9
Shamrocks 4-10, Ballinhassig 1-5
Shamrocks completed the League/Championship double at Crosshaven last Tuesday night when a strong second half performance proved too much for a gallant Ballinhassig outfit. Playing with the elements in the first half and with some forceful play from Mark Jordan at centre back and Philip Brady at midfield, Shamrocks raced into a half time lead of 2-6 to 1-1. The Blues came out all guns blazing in the second half and quickly added 1-1 to narrow the gap. But Eoin Healy at the back, Stephen Downey at midfield and Mickey O?Neill and Darragh O?Sullivan up front upped the pace and Shamrocks eventually ran out comfortable winners.
Team: T.Pierce, S.Hurley, E.Healy, D.Murphy, M.Jordan, A.McCarthy, P.Brady (1-6), S.Downey, B.Mullane, M.O?Neill (2-2), B.Cusack, D.O?Sullivan (1-1),J.Tuohy. Subs used: S.Walters, C.Kidney, C.Murphy, J.Sheehan, J.Wells. Great credit is due to the selectors, in particular Pat Mac, who put in a lot of work with the boys.

Junior Football Championship Semi Final ? 18/9
Tracton 1-17, Shamrocks 1-9
Shamrocks made a tame exit from the championship last Saturday night in Riverstick. An even enough first half gave way to one way Tracton traffic in the second half. Sean Kelly, Steven O?Neill and Mark Hickey scored early Shamrocks points in a promising opening but Tracton began to get to grips with the game and went 0-6 to 0-3 ahead after 15 minutes. Darragh Collins finished a ground shot to the Tracton net after the keeper had fumbled a high ball to get Shamrocks back into the game. With Mark Hickey slotting over a few Shamrocks frees, Shamrocks were able to keep in touch with a Tracton team who were playing some good attacking football. The half time score of 0-9 to 1-6 suggested a tight ending to this game. Not so. Tracton were completely on top in the second half over a flat Shamrocks team. Whenever they attacked, they seemed to score. A goal 10 minutes in for Tracton put them six points ahead and as soon as they went 7 up, the game was drawing to its inevitable conclusion. Both teams basically played out the remaining 20 minutes without much of note happening. Shamrocks tagged on 2 late points but it made not one whit of a difference. A promising year had ended in a whimper. Team: D.Craven, K.Hegarty, A.Aherne, P.Prout, S.O?Reilly, M.Prout, N.Hayes, C.O?Neill, T.O?Sullivan, S.Kelly, M.Hickey, J.Shanahan, S.O?Neill, D.Collins, D.Bourke. Subs used: K.O?Mahony, S.Andrews

U16 Football Championship ? 17/9
Shamrocks were beaten by Valley Rovers iby 4 points in the second game of a three team round robin at Brinny on Friday night. No details were available.

Week ended - 12th Sept 2004

County U21 A Football quarter Final ? 9/9
Nemo Rangers 2-18, Shamrocks 1-5
Nemo Rangers had far too much power and football for Shamrocks in the delayed Quarter final of the County last Thursday night at Carrigaline. They simply overwhelmed Shamrocks and were more or less dominant in every sector throughout the hour?s football. Joe Shanahan kicked the first point of the game for Shamrocks early on but that was as good as it got. Nemo were soon into their stride and had opened a 0-6 to 0-1 lead after 15 minutes. They continued to dominate right up to half time and could have been further ahead but they missed 3 clear goal chances in that half. The half time score was 0-9 to 0-3. Things went from bad to worse when Barry Mulqueen in the Shamrocks goal was stretchered off just after half time when he collided with a post while making a save. Nemo picked off 6 points in a row to assume winning position at 0-15 to 0-3 and added a couple of goals to round off what has to be described as a very impressive performance from them. Shamrocks on the other hand were very disappointing ? too many of their players just didn?t perform on the night in question. They are better than this. Shanahan slotted home a late Shamrocks penalty. Team: B. Mulqueen, O.Boland, D.O?Neill, D.Hayes, M.Prout, S.O?Reilly, S.Andrews, C.O?Neill, T.O?Sullivan, J.Shanahan, E.O?Mahony, N.Hayes, S.O?Neill, D.Stuart, S.Carroll. subs used: D.Kirwan, T.Barrett

Week ended - 12th Sept 2004

Minor Football Championship - 6/9
Shamrocks 1-9, Sliabh Rua 3-12
Shamrocks were well beaten at Ballygarvan on Monday night in spite of some fine individual displays from Darragh Kirwan, David Hayes and Tom᳠Barrett in particular. Team: R. O?Sullivan, D. Kirwan, R. Hourihane, O. Boland, S. Burke, T. Barrett, T. O?Sullivan, S. Jones, D. Hayes, N. Tuohy, S. Dunne, C. O?Neill, E. Cole.

U14 Football Championship - 6/9
Shamrocks 5-6, Carrigaline 2-4
Shamrocks had a great victory over our age old rivals at Shanbally last Monday evening. Carrigaline took the initiative early on but some great defending from Mark Jordan, Owen Healy and Donie Murphy ensured that progress was curtailed. A Philip Brady goal settled Shamrocks who led 1-3 to 0-2 at the break. Some powerfull midfield play from Philip Brady and Stephen Downey ensured that Mickey O?Neill and Darragh O?Sullivan had sufficient possession to display their scoring prowess. Team: T.Pierce, S.Hurley, O.Healy, A.McCarthy, C.Kidney, M.Jordan, D.Murphy, P.Brady, S.Downey, B.Mullane, M.O?Neill, B.Cusack, J.Tuohy, J.Sheehan, D.O?Sullivan. Subs used: C.Murphy, S.Walters

Week ended - 5th Sept 2004

SE Junior B Football League Final ? 2/9
Kinsale 2-5, Shamrocks 1-2
Shamrocks suffered their second loss in a row in the final of this competition, again to Kinsale, at a wet and windy Ballygarvan last Wednesday night. Disappointment seems to be order of the day for Shamrocks adult teams these last few weeks. Hopes were high - the performance was the opposite. Shamrocks can claim that they were the better side than Kinsale on the night ? but if you cant put the ball over the bar, you?re inviting the opposition back into it. Shamrocks shooting was abysmal; they must have kicked anything up to 17 in total, some from right in front of the posts. The wind and rain completely ruled out quality football as both sides struggled to put any real movement together. After dominating the opening 15 minutes, Shamrocks only led by a point to nil. Kinsale started to put some ball in front of their full forward line and struck over 3 points in a row to lead 3 to 1 at the break. It could have been worse but Shamrocks keeper Pat Andrews pulled off a great point blank save in a one-on-one with a Kinsale forward. Again, the second half was more or less a continuation of the first; the wides were building up. Rob Lannon did get Shamrocks first score in 40 minutes with a pointed free. Kinsale went six points up courtesy of a successful penalty conversion with 15 minutes left. Shamrocks battled away and Dave O?Neill, operating at wing back, saw his shot go all the way to the Kinsale net. A goal down with 6 minutes remaining and Shamrocks were back in the game. And a golden opportunity was spurned when Shamrocks missed a penalty with only a few minutes remaining. Kinsale went down the field and scored a goal of their own with the last attack to drive that final nail in the Shamrocks coffin. Team: P.Andrews, K.O?Mahony, D.Livingstone, D.O?Neill, C.Tierney, D.Roche, S.Andrews, T.O?Sullivan, S.Jordan, A.Geary, D.Collins, D.Bourke, R.Lannon, A.Aherne, D.Stuart. Subs: B.Hickey, D.Hayes, D.Tuohy

U16 Football Championship - 1/9
Courcey Rovers 1-8, Shamrocks 2-6
The same night, Shamrocks made the long trip to Ballinspittle and came away with a narrow one point victory. This was as tight a game as you could wish to see as two evenly matched teams scrapped for the right to play Valley rovers in the next round this coming week. While every one of the 18 players used made contributions in very conditions, it was the Shamrocks backs that came out with all the plaudits for the winners. They were magnificent all through and epitomised the fighting spirit this young team showed on the night. Top scorer for Shamrocks was Philip Brady with 1-4 while full forward Owen Hickey got the other Shamrocks goal. Team: F.O?Neill, R.Hourihane, N.Kirwan, I.Murphy, C.Fitzpatrick, C.Horgan, M.Jordan, R.Murphy, J.Cronin, D.Murphy, P.Brady, G.ronayne, S.Downey, O.Hickey, M.O?Neill. Subs used - A.McCarthy, S.Hurley

U14 Football Championship - 31/8
Ballygarvan 2-6, Shamrocks 7-3
After a slow enough start during which ?garvans were the better side, Shamrocks were eventually given the initiative with 2 goals from Darragh O?Sullivan which set them up for a lead of 4 points at the break. Shamrocks upped the tempo in the second half and further goals from O?Sullivan again, Philip Brady, Daniel Breen, Josh Sheehan, and Mickey O?Neill put the game beyond a gallant Ballygarvan side. Team: B.Cusack, S.Hurley, O.Healy, S.Walters, C.Kidney, M.Jordan, D.Murphy, P.Brady, M.O?Neill, B.Mullane, S.Downey, J.Tuohy, D.O?Sullivan, J.Sheehan, C.Murphy. Subs used: A.Hickey, D.Breen, J.Wells

U16 Football Championship - 3/9
Shamrocks V Courcey Rovers
Report to follow

Week ended - 29th Aug 2004

Junior Hurling Championship Semi - 26/8
Ballinhassig 5-11, Shamrocks 2-7
A most disappointing end to our hurling championship season was the reality for Shamrocks at wet Carrigaline last Thurs night. Shamrocks were beaten out the gate by a superior Ballinhassig second string. While Ballinhassig played some great hurling in the tough conditions, Shamrocks efforts came to nought. Everything went wrong for them on the night and the many nights of training and the optimism before the match were reduced to zero. Shamrocks worst fears were realised within 15 minutes as Ballinhassig, as they have so often done over the years to Shamrocks, wrapped the game up in that time with 3 goals. The game was over as a contest at that stage as the blues, with the wind and rain to their backs, led 3-4 to 0-2, Pat and Colin O?Sullivan the Shamrocks scorers. Shamrocks were desperately trying to stymie the slick Ballinhassig play but it just got worse as they scored another goal and a few points to open up a massive 14 point lead at half time, 4-7 to 0-5. Colin O?Sullivan with 2 further frees and Stevie O?Neill from play completed the Shamrocks total in that half. Whatever slim chance Shamrocks had of getting back into the game were banished upon the restart as Ballinhassig got in for yet another goal. The rest of the game for Shamrocks was an exercise in playing for pride; they did manage two late goals from Colin O?Sullivan (free) and Darragh Collins. Mickey Prout hit a point. On a desperately disappointing night for us, Terence O?Sullivan was the outstanding Shamrocks player, followed by Pat O?Sullivan who tried very hard. Team: R.Collins, S.O?Reilly, R.Lannon, P.Prout, C.O?Neill, D.Andrews, D.Roche, S.Andrews, M.Prout, T.O?Sullivan, P.O?Sullivan, S.O?Neill, D.Bourke, D.Collins, C.O?Sullivan. Subs used: M.Hickey, B.Mulqueen, A.Aherne.

Week ended - 22th Aug 2004

U14 Football Championship - 18/8
Ballinhassig 5-4, Shamrocks 2-10
Shamrocks will have to try and re-enter the championship via the back door after this 3 point defeat to Ballinhassig last Wednesday night. The winning of the game was in the goals. Shamrocks started brightly enough and had some scores on the board but the concession of 2 quick goals before half time hit them hard. They were still ahead 1-6 to 2-2 at the break. However, they couldn?t maintain the level of football as their lack of practice and training told against them. Ballinhassig were able to pounce for the goals that would give them victory. Best for the greens on the night were Mark Jordan, Philip Brady, Josh Sheehan and Cathal Kidney. It is hoped that Shamrocks will play to their undoubted potential in the next stage. Team (13-a-side): T.Pierce, A.McCarthy, M.Jordan, E.Healy, S.Hurley, S.Walters, P.Brady, S.Downey, B.Cusack, M.O?Neill, B.Mullane, D.O?Sullivan, J.Sheehan. Subs ? C.Kidney, J.Wells, A.Hickey, C.Murphy, J.Tuohy, D.Clifford, L.McCarthy.

Well done lads
Well done to the two Shamrocks players on the Cork U21 panel who gave football a much needed boost in the county by beating Kerry last week in the Munster final in Tralee - Michael Prout and Chris O?Neill. Michael played at corner back and had a great first half in particular. Chris still has 2 years left under 21 at this stage. Joe Shanahan was on the extended training panel and like chris has two years still at u21

Week ended - 15th Aug 2004

Shamrocks in Croke Park
The underage ran a bus to Croke Park for last Sundays stroll in the sun for Cork over Wexford. A great day was had by all as the Rebels turned on the style for us. The coach was full with 16 adults and 37 children and we stopped in Abbeyleix on the way back for a meal. Thanks to our sponsors and also a big thank you to the chief organiser John Twomey (socket) who put a tremendous effort into the smooth running of the event. Mind you, the four ?Gorillas? he employed to keep the lads in check, Ian Breen, Dino, Jim Ronayne and Pat Q couldn?t do anything about the heavy traffic we encountered on the up and down.

U16 Hurling Championship - 11/8
Shamrocks were well beaten by a better Tracton side at Shanbally last Wed evening. However, there were some notable performances from Michael O?Neill, Ivan Murphy, Gary Ronayne, Donie Murphy and Robert Hourihane. Team: M.O?Neill, J.Browne, O.Hickey, S.Hurley, C.Fitzpatrick, I.Murphy, R.Murphy, G.Ronayne, J. Cronin, D.Murphy, P.Brady, F.O?Neill, S.Downey, R.Hourihane, C.McCann. Sub A.McCarthy

Week ended - 8th Aug 2004

Hurling update - 5/8
With Shamrocks Championship Semi Final verses Ballinhassig down for the weekend after Cork V Wexford (C'mon the Rebels!!), Shamrocks played Newcestown in a very worthwhile challenge match at Shanbally on a wet Thurs night. It could prove to be a worthwhile exercise for both teams in the long run. At least it broke the monotony of endless training sessions for the last 2 weeks anyway. Shamrocks tries out a few things in the game and won in the end by 3 points. Barry Mulqueen got the Shamrocks gola while Rob Lannon and Chris O'Neill played well. Thanks to Newcestown for making the journey up on what was a dredful night for hurling

U14 Hurling Championship Semi Final - 6/8
Carrigaline 5-4, Shamrocks 0-1
Shamrocks were always up against it against a very strong Carrigaline at Carrigaline last Friday evening. And sure enough, as the scoreline suggests, Carrigaline made no mistake as they built up a 5 goal half time lead to effectively close the door on any Shamrocks hopes. Shamrocks missing a number of key players due to holidays, had only pride to play for in the second half and they went out and didn?t let themselves down. They tried very hard against bigger and better team and can be very proud of their performance. Team: Joshua Sheehan, Alan McCarthy, Steven Hurley, Brian Cusack, Mikey O?Neill, Jordan Wells, Philip Brady, Cathal Kidney, Owen Healy, Darragh O?Sullivan, Colin Murphy, Jonathan Tuohy, Steven Downey.

SE Football League - 6/8
Carrigaline 2-4, Shamrocks 1-14
Next door at the same time, Shamrocks overcame a game Carrigaline side with a dominant second half performance. This was a big win for Shamrocks ? the game doubled up as a South East B league game and the Semi Final of the City C league. Defeat would have ended our season. Carrigaline got off to the better start and punished some slack Shamrocks defending in the early stages to fire 2 quick goals. Shamrocks replied with some points from Darragh Collins, Alan Aherne and Steve Jordan and in fact finished the half much the stronger, with 4 unanswered points to only trail by the bare minimum at the short whistle, 2-2 to 0-7. Shamrocks were fired up for the second period. They were soon level and moved ahead by 3 points courtesy of Rob Lannon and Ali G?s frees, and a puach of a goal from Collins. Carrigaline pushed forward in waves for 10 minutes but the Shamrocks backs were ready for them. A fine double save from ?emergency? keeper Patrick Andrews was the catalyst for Shamrocks to weather the storm and dominate the remainder of the game. Shamrocks turned on the style with 4 unanswered points, some of them beauties. This was a fine game of football from both teams with all Shamrocks players making valuable contributions. Team: P.Andrews, D.O?Neill, D.Livingstone, K.O?Mahony, S.Andrews, D.Roche, K.Tierney, S.Jordan, B.Hickey, A.Geary, D.Collins, D.Bourke, R.Lannon, A.Aherne, D.Stuart.

Week ended - 1st Aug 2004

Updates
There were no games played in the club last week. With the Minors, U21's and Juniors all still in the championship, this was quite an unusual situation, but thats the way things fell. We had a gap of about 2 weeks so training was stepped up on all fronts. In fact, Shamrocks trained last Sunday morning at the ungodly hour of 9 o'clock. This was to facilitate the likes of Lannon and Rochey and Deccy Sheehan who wanted to be in plenty of time for Shanbally Mass at 11.30, just to get in a few extra prayers before throw in. In fact, snotser was spotted banging a sliotar off the alter fully 35 minutes before Mass started. Speaking of Deccy Sheehan, this was his last (?) Shamrocks engagement ( for a while anyway) as he headed off to Australia on the Monday for a year at least to meet up with Wombat, Chopper and Todds to make a valuable contribution to their culture and economy. They'll be a better country for it. Seriously, we wish him well and hope you enjoyed the Sushi in Tokyo Dec!!

Week ended - 25th July 2004

City Hurling Leagues - 24/7
Douglas 2-15, Shamrocks 1-4
Shamrocks travelled with virtually a second string to complete their City League campaign and Douglas easily wrapped up the points. The half time score was 1-7 to 0-1 in favour and with nothing for the Shamrocks team to play for; the game was as good as over as a contest. An early second half goal from a Colin O?Sullivan free went all the way to the Douglas net to offer Shamrocks some hope but Douglas went on a point scoring spree, slotting them over from all angles with a great display of accurate shooting. Shamrocks play the semi final of the SE championship in 3 weeks. Team: R.Collins, K.Roche, R.Lannon, P.Prout, D.Sheehan, D.Andrews, D.Roche, P.O?Sullivan, C.Tierney, O.Boland, A.Aherne, C.O?Sullivan, P.Andrews, D.Collins, E.O?Rahilly.

U21 Hurling Championhship - 23/7
Valley Rovers 4-9, Shamrocks 3-5
This was always going to be an uphill struggle against our illustrious opponents but the concession of 2 soft goals early in the first half cost Shamrocks dear. Every ball was contested from the first whistle and scores were not easy to come by until 2 long range frees ended up in the Shamrocks net. A flicked goal from Dave Bourke and some fine points from Stevie O?Neill and Mickey Prout gave some hope for the second half, despite a 7 point deficit. Rovers greater strength saw them continue to bring the game to Shamrocks in the second half and they profited from the concession of some needless frees. Shamrocks were not conceding just yet and 2 fire opportunist goals from Mickey Prout kept the contest alive to the end. Stephen O?Reilly and Dave O?Neill had solid games at the back but the best Shamrocks line was Senan Andrews, Seanan Collins and Nickey Hayes at half back. Prout when moved to the forwards and Stevie O?Neill also put in a good hours work. Team: C.O?Neill, S.O?Reilly, C.Brady, D.O?Neill, S.Andrews, S.Collins, N.Hayes, C.O?Neill,M.Prout, B.Mulqueen, C.Fitzpatrick, S.O?Neill, D.Bourke, E.O?Rahilly, J.Shanahan. Subs used: O.Boland

Junior C Football Leagues - 20/7
Shamrocks 4-8, Ballinure 0-6
Shamrocks easily defeated Ballinure to further continue their unbeaten run in the JCF League. Report to follow

Week ended - 18th July 2004

Junior B Football Leagues - 13/7 & 16/7
Shamrocks played and won two games in the City junior C Leagues in the last week. First up were near neighbours Rochestown at Shanbally last Tuesday evening and after a spirited performance from the visitors for 45 minutes, Shamrocks pulled away at the end to win 4-16 to 1-3. Darragh Collins, Alan Geary, Rob Lannon, Steve ?new boots? Jordan Sean Kelly, Dave Bourke and sub Jamie Sweeney did most of the scoring for Shamrocks. On a wet and greasy Friday night, Shamrocks travelled to Bishopstown and enjoyed a comfortable win. The game was really over at half time as Shamrocks had build up a significant lead. Alan Geary, Pat O?Sullivan, Steven ?not quite so new boots? Jordan and Tony Carpenter played well for Shamrocks. Shamrocks are now in a very strong position to qualify for the final of this competition.

Junior football Championship- 18/7
Shamrocks 3-12, Belgooly 3-11
Shamrocks were lucky to escape with a 1 point victory over a gallant Belgooly team at Riverstick on Sunday night. Shamrocks built up an early 6 point lead courtesy of goals from Chris O?Neill and a beauty from Seanan Collins and some nice points from Stevie O?Neill and Mark Hickey. However, Belgooly just wouldn?t let Shamrocks get away and kept pressing themselves, picking off the points as they did. The margin was still 6 points at half time. Again, the second half was a tough game of football with Belgooly giving as much as they got. By the midway point of that half, Stevie O?Neill dispatched the ball to the Belgooly net and Shamrocks had a ten point lead and everyone thought that was that. But Belgooly, who had already scored a goal earlier in the half and had seen Shamrocks miss a peno again showed great character and picked off a few points entering injury time to leave 7 points between the teams. Suddenly, in 2 quick attacks, they scored 2 goals to leave just the bare minimum. If the referee had played on another minute or two, Belgooly could have even won this game as they finished like a train, while Shamrocks just either took the foot off the gas or ran out of ideas. Shamrocks are now in the semi final and the simple fact is this ? A huge improvement is needed, we were haunted. Team: B.Mulqueen, C.Brady, P.Prout, K.Hegarty, S.O?Reilly, M.Prout, D.Sheehan, C.O?Neill, N.Hayes, S.Kelly, S.Collins, J.Shanahan, S.O?Neill, M.Hickey, D.O?Neill. Subs used ? S.Andrews, D.Bourke. On a separate note, the were beaten easily by Tracton in the Minor B Hurling Championship on Friday night.

Week ended - 11th July 2004

Minor Hurling League - 12/7
St Finbarrs 1-2, Shamrocks 3-8
Weakened Shamrocks warmed up for their championship outing with a victory against St Finbarrs second string at Togher on Monday night. The first half was fairly even with the half time score being 4 points to 2 in favour of the greens. However Terence O?Sullivan and Robert Hourihane got amongst the goals for Shamrocks in the second half to ensure the victory. The returning Simon McGarry, Gary Ronayne and Robert Hourihane were Shamrocks best players on the night.

U14 Hurling League - 12/7
Carrigaline 1-2, Shamrocks 2-2
Shamrocks eventually came out on top in this evenly contested game played in Carrigaline on last Friday night. The first half couldn?t have been any closer, 1-2 apiece at half time. Alan McCarthy scored the Shamrocks 1-2 from frees. Shamrocks just about shaded the second half with Alan?s sister, Laura, coming off the bench to claim the winning goal for a team that featured five under 12 players. Josh Sheehan was reliable in goal, while Donie Murphy, Cathal Kidney and Mark Jordan defended very well. Apart from McCarthy at midfield, Colin Murphy put in a good hours hurling up front. Team: J.Sheehan, D.Murphy, D.Breen, C.Kidney, E.Healy, M.Jordan, A.McCarthy, S.Hurley, J.Tuohy, S.Downey, C.Murphy, B.Cusack, J.Wilson. Sub L.McCarthy. Laura and Alans father, Pat, has contributed a lot of his time to coaching this side and his efforts are very much appreciated. Pat Cusack and Diarmuid Murphy have continually given their beat efforts at a time when it is extremely difficult to obtain adult input into juvenile activities. The U14 are now into the semi final of the league

Junior Football - 12/7
Just a brief note to mention the fact that Shamrocks played O'Donovan Rossa Juniors in a challenge match in Shanbally this night. Rossa making the long journey up was very much appreciated and we hope the game benefits them as well as us for the Championship. Tea and sandwiches were provided afterwards. For the record, Shamrocks won 2-11 to 1-9(about)

Week ended - 4th July 2004

Golf Classic - 2/7
The Bi-annual Shamrocks Golf Classic was held last Friday in Monkstown GC and proved to be a great success as usual with numerous teams competing. At the 19th hole, the winning team was declared to be Ian Cummins, Mark Hickey and Con O?Mahony. We?d like to thank Monkstown GC, the organising committee of Nellie O?Mahony, Pat Hennessey and in particular Ali Geary, who did trojan work for the past few months. Also to the various teams and finally to our 3 main sponsors Ford, The Right price Tile and Aventis.

Junior B Football - 4/7
Shamrocks 2-5, Tracton 0-9
Shamrocks won the match last Sunday morning with a powerful second half display. Tracton led 0-7 to 0-0 at half time after Shamrocks had wasted numerous scoring chances. However, the half time pep talk seemed to breathe new life into Shamrocks. Ali G slotted over a few frees, Ken Tierney got his fist to an Alan Aherne delivery for the first Shamrocks goal, Rob Lannon at full forward finished a fine 3 man move to the Tracton net for the second and player manager Bernard Hickey scored a fine point from way out on the wing to steer Shamrocks to victory. Colin Brady was on top form for Shamrocks while the game featured the return to action of Kieran Hegarty after a 4 month absence with a serious shoulder injury. Two more games will be played in the coming week.

Week ended - 27th June 2004

Junior B Hurling Championship - 26/6

Shamrocks went out of the competition at the first stage after a whopping 9-14 to 0-1 defeat against Belgooly last Saturday night. This must rank as Shamrocks worst ever defeat at Championship level and absolutely nothing went right for Shamrocks. While several players were missing through various reasons, its hard to believe this was the same Shamrocks team who beat the same Belgooly team in the league a month ago. It was one way traffic all the way, 6-8 to no score at half time. ?Nuff said on that one.

U12 Hurling
This side registered their first win of the campaign as they overcame St Finbarrs at Shanbally on Saturday (27/6) morning and subsequently were narrowly defeated by Kinsale in Kinsale on the following Monday evening. Shamrocks played very well on the night and were unlucky to lose out on a scoreline of 2-5 to 1-5. Team: J.Sheehan, J.Wilson, Z.Sheehan, T.Barton, J.Tuohy, J.O?Driscoll, T.Harris, C.Kidney, D.Breen, R.Twomey, D.Shaahan, D.Kelleher, L.McCarthy, J.Breen

Week ended - 20th June 2004

Junior Hurling Championship - 19/6
Shamrocks 4-8, Kinsale 0-3
Shamrocks never anticipated that this vital winner takes all encounter would turn out so one-sided in their favour after 2 early Colin O?Sullivan goals seemed to completely deflate Kinsale. Playing into a fairly strong wind from the throw in, Shamrocks were in top in most departments and were deserving of their half time lead of 3-4 to 0-2. Another O?Sullivan long range gaol immediately after the break signalled the end of this tie as a contest and the only surprising thing of the remainder was that Shamrocks did not build up a bigger score.
Ronan Collins was competent all through while Colin Brady, Chris O?Neill and Stephen O?Reilly were always to the fore at the back. Stephen O?Neill was always involved at wing forward while Dave Bourke proved a handful for defenders all through. Colin O?Sullivans frees were up to their usual high standard. Team: R.Collins, S.O?Neill, C.Brady, P.Prout, C.O?Neill, S.Collins, D.Roche, M.Prout, B.Mulqueen, P.O?Sullivan, T.O?Sullivan, S.O?Neill, D.Bourke, A.Aherne, C.O?Sullivan. Sub used: S.Andrews

Week ended - 13th June 2004

Junior Hurling Leagues ?
On Tuesday week last (8/6) out in Ballinspittle, Shamrocks B team turned in what was described on the night by the selectors as one of their worst displays in years. This wasn?t happening for Shamrocks from the word go and even with 2 extra men after Courceys had them sent off, elementary mistakes were common place throughout. Its just hoped that this was a one off (non)performance. On the night, only Keith Roche in the full back line came out of the game with any credit. Then, On the following Monday night, Shamrocks hosted Carrigaline in the Junior Hurling league and while they won by a comfortable margin, victory was achieved at a price in that some injuries were picked up. Darragh Collins, who is one of our more influential players, was sent off and looks set to get a months suspension. Final score 3-15 to 0-7

U12 Hurling ? 10/6
Ballygarvan 4-7, Shamrocks 2-3
The home side proved too strong for Shamrocks on Wednesday night where Cathal Kidney, Daniel Breen, Jack Breen, Zachery Sheehan and Karen Twomey were best for Shamrocks. Two more games were played against Tracton (away) and Courcey Rovers (home) and both resulted in defeats, which results from a very weak panel numerically, which is the case this year with Shamrocks

U10 Hurling Blitz ? 12/6
Shamrocks travelled to Minane on Saturday morning last (12th) and played 3 games against Tracton, Crosshaven and Ballygarvan. They had a triangle of mixed results, a win, a loss and a draw. Panel: Jack and Dan Breen, David Barton, Rory Horgan, Gary Hartnett, Roy Twomey

Junior Hurling Leagues
A number of games were played in the last week. In the Junior B League, a late Stephen Jordan goal gave Shamrocks a deserved 3-11 to 2-12 victory over Belgooly. In the Junior City League, Shamrocks ground out a 2-10 to 1-9 win over a tough and at times ?robust? Ballinure side at Shanbally, a game in which Senan Andrewx showed up well at centre forward. Then last Saturday night (5/6), Shamrocks led for most of the game but in the end it was disappointment for the greens as Valley Rovers won a very low scoring game, 1-8 to 2-4, a game played at Brinny.

Week ended - 6th June 2004

U14 Football Final ? 2/6
Shamrocks 3-9, Tracton 0-6
Shamrocks won their first underage trophy for a few years with a comfortable victory over a gallant Tracton side at Carrigaline last Wednesday night. While the same bunch of players had not shown up as potential trophy winners in earlier years, this year from the very start of the campaign they put down a marker of their determination to prove themselves and for this much credit must go to their mentors Diarmuid Murphy, Pat Q and Pat Mac. Every line of the field was up to the task from the throw in and total commitment was applied for the full hour. Philip Brady was dominant at midfield and contributed a monumental 2-7. If this guy isn?t a star for the future, nobody is! Stephen Hurley was consistent all through at the back while Mark Jordan won everything at centre back. Michael O?Neill led the line well at centre forward and chipped in with a well taken goal. Team: Thomas Pierce, Stephen Walters, Eoin Healy, Stephen Hurley, Donal Murphy, Mark Jordan, Alan MacCarthy, Philip Brady, Stephen Downey, Billy Murnane, Mickey O?Neill, Brian Cusack, Darragh O?Sullivan, Josh Sheehan, Colin Murphy. Subs used: Jack Wilson, Jordan Wells, Aaron Hickey, Jonathan Tuohy

Junior Hurling League ? 28/5
Shamrocks 4-10, Tracton 0-8
Shamrocks eventually had a comfortable win over a fairly strong Tracton side at Shanbally on Saturday night. Shamrocks found the going tough against the breeze in the opening half but a Colin O?Sullivan goal from a close in free settled the side. After the break, the Shamrocks defenders came more into the game and curtailed the Tracton forwards to just a couple of points while the forwards, wityh better possession, picked off some good scores. Seanan Collins and Dick Andrews were prominent in the half back line with Dave Bourke, Darragh Collins and Senan Andrews likewise up front. Team: R.Collins, S.O?Reilly, R.Lannon, P.P, D.Andrews, S.Collins, D.Roche, B.Mulqueen, S.Kelly, S.Andrews, T.O?Sullivan, S.O?Neill, D.Bourke, D.Collins, C.O?Sullivan. Subs used: B.Hickey, A.Geary, D.Sheehan.

Junior B Hurling League ? 25/5
Crosshaven 4-10, Shamrocks 1-6
A depleted Shamrocks team were no match for the seasiders at Crosshaven last week. The concession of some soft goals, 2 of which were deflected, were too much of a handicap to overcome and the game was over as a contest long before the end.

Week ended - 30th May 2004

U10 Hurling Blitz
Shamrocks played in Crosshaven for the second week running and played three marvellous games, beating the home side and Sliabh Rua and drawing with Tracton. Panel: David and James O?Reilly, Dan and Jack Breen, Michael and Jack Howard, Roy Twomey, Darragh Barry, Conor Cusack, Conor Walters, Damien and Shane Kelleher. Our thanks to Kieran Barry and John Howard who helped out on the day.

Week ended - 9th May 2004

Junior Hurlers Beaten in Championship - 7/5
Ballymartle 3-10, Shamrocks 3-09
Shamrocks turned in a disappointing performance against a strong Ballymartle 15 at Ballygarvan in the preliminary round of the championship. Too many players just didn?t perform up to scratch on the night and this was the reason for defeat. It was a topsy turvy game of high scoring hurling with Shamrocks looking like they done enough by moving into the lead for only the second time with 3 minutes left, as they led by a point. However, Ballymartle didn?t give up and scored 2 unanswered points to steal the win. Shamrocks had got off to a bright start with a deflected Darragh Collins shot deceiving the Ballymartle keeper to goal all the way to the net. However, Ballymartle reasserted themselves and with a goal of their own, went into a 1-3 to 1-0 lead. Shamrocks came more into it thereafter and a second goal, this time from Dave Bourke left the half time score 2-5 apiece with it all to play for in the second half. Colin O?Sullivan was missing a few frees which didn?t help, however sub Stevie O?Neill with 3 points from play kept Shamrocks in second half touch. A Colin O?Sullivan 65 went all the way to the Ballymartle net before Ballymartle struck at the other end to move ahead again. Shamrocks tagged on a brace of points to move into the winning position before Ballymartle scored those late points. Shamrocks now play Kinsale on the week ending June 19/20. Team: R.Collins, S.O?Reilly, P.Prout, D.Andrews, S.Collins, R.Lannon, C.O?Neill, M.Prout, P.O?Sullivan, S.Andrews, T.O?Sullivan, M.Hickey, C.O?Sullivan, D.Collins, D.Bourke. Subs. S.O?Neill, C.Brady, A.Aherne Two City league games were played over the following two days, first a home win over Ballinhassig, 1-14 to 0-5. On a perfect morning for hurling, Shamrocks led 5 points to 3 at half time and tagged on a goal and a few points in the second half. Pat Andrews in goal, Senan Andrews in his favoured half back position, Stephen O?Reilly, Conor Tierney, Eoghan O?Rahilly and Sean Kelly were to the fore for Shamrocks. Shamrocks then played Whitechurch on the Monday night and this game turned into a bit of a farce. It turned out that Whitechurch were playing Junior A championship the following Friday night so the held their first 20 players in reserve, with the result that Shamrocks completely annihilated them. You'd question the timing of the fixture, especially after travelling up there as well.

U14 Football - 9/5
Shamrocks 6-8, Ballygarvan 0-0
Shamrocks had a comfortable win over Ballygarvan on Sunday morning last. Playing with the wind in the first half, they led 2-6 to 0-0 at half time and the selectors were anxious that this mightn?t be enough of a lead. However, the second half display dispelled the doubts as Shamrocks turned in a confident performance. Shamrocks best players on the morning were Jordan Wells at half forward, Joshua Sheehan at full forward, Donie Murphy at half back, the two corner backs Stephen Walters and Aaron Hickey and Brian Cusack. Come along and support the lads. Team: T.Pierce, Walters, S.Hurley, Hickey, Murphy, M.Jordan, A,McCarthy, S.Downey, P.Brady, Wells, M.O?Neill, Cusack, C.Murphy, Sheehan, D.O?Sullivan.

U12 Football - 10/5
Shamrocks 5-3, Courcey Rovers 5-6
For the second time in a month, we lost out narrowly to Courceys in a great game of football played at Shanbally. Karen Twomey and Daniel Breen were outstanding at the back, cathal Kidney and Darragh o?Sullivan showed fine form at midfield while Jonathan Tuohy was always to the fore up front. Our thanks to the mentors ?Sid? kidney, Pat Tuohy, Alan Tuohy, Ian Breen and John ?Socket? Twomey who put in a lot of hard, unseen work and also to the parents for their continued support without which we would not be playing at all.

Week ended - 2nd May 2004

Junior Hurling
Again, a number of games have been played in the last week as Shamrocks continue preparations for the Championship this coming Friday night. A city league game was played on Monday night at Trabeg against Nemo Rangers, and with no u21 players present, Shamrocks gave a run out to some fringe players. Shamrocks were well down at half time but managed to fight back for the draw. On the night, Darragh Collins and Alan Aherne scored the Shamrocks goals, while the best players were Patrick Andrews in goals, who made the long trip from Wexford and back in the one night, Dick Andrews, Keith Roche, Bernard Hickey, Conor Tierney and Sean Kelly.
The B team played Ballymartle on Tuesday night and recorded a comfortable victory. We then played Mayfield in the City league and again, an easy victory was chalked up. With Mayfeld now gone up Intermediate, this was their second string. Tadgh Forde got 1-2 from full forward while minor player Oisin Boland got 1-1. Then on Friday night, Shamrocks and Ballygarvan played out a close League game in the track; it also doubled up as the annual Jackie O?Driscoll Memorial trophy. With more of a championship looking team out on the field, and this being both teams last practice before championship, this was played at a faster pace than previous games. Shamrocks were always ahead in this one and Ballygarvan were playing catch up for most of the game, a feat they stuck manfully to and made Shamrocks work very hard for the win. Colin O?Sullivan, Mark Hickey and Darragh Collins were the Shamrocks goal scorers. The rest of the week will feature training before the game against Ballymartle this Friday night in Carrigaline at 7.30.

U16 Football
Shamrocks were easily beaten by Tracton in the semi final of the league last Wednesday night. No report to hand

U14 Football
The lads had a comfortable win over Ballygarvan on Friday night and now go on to the semi final which could be played this weekend. This is a fairly evenly balanced side and contains some fine footballers in Owen Healy, Mark Jordan, Philip Brady, Stephen Downey, Conor Cusack, Darragh O?Sullivan, Josh Sheehan and Stephen Hurley. A lot of hard work has been put in by their mentors Diarmuid Murphy, Pat Cusack and Pat McCarthy.

Week ended - 25th April 2004

Junior Hurling
A number of games have been played in the last week as Shamrocks continue preparations for the Championship on May 7th. The Junior B Hurlers travelled to Brinny to take on the locals on Tuesday week last and came away with a very creditable draw. No report to hand on this one. The A hurlers then beat Ballinhassig by a point in the league on Thursday night. It was a hard fought encounter. After a slow Shamrocks start, which included an early Ballinhassig goal, the game developed into an even contest in which the lead was never more than the minimum to either side. Colin O?Sullivans accuracy from frees has not deserted him as his points from placed balls (0-10) was the decisive factor on the night. Robert Lannon was injured during the game but seems to be making a good recovery. He needed a good shake up anyhow. Team: D.O?Neill, S.O?Reilly, P.Prout, D.Andrews, S.Collins, R.Lannon, C.O?Neill, M.Prout, T.O?Sullivan, S.Andrews, P?O?Sullivan, B.Mulqueen, C.O?Sullivan, D.Collins, D.Bourke. Subs. D.Roche, M.Hickey, A.Geary On to Sunday morning then for another league game, this time at home to Courcey Rovers second string. Again, Shamrocks started slowly, but half way through the half, a Colin O?Sullivan goal ignited Shamrocks and they didn?t look back for the rest of the game. Again, O?Sullivan was on form, hitting 1-7, while Dave Bourke and sub Ali G each grabbed a brace of goals, with Darragh Collins scoring some sublime points from full forward. The team was the same as above except Darren Roche filling in for Lannon with Ciaran Fitzpatrick, Colin Brady, Sean Kelly and Geary coming on as subs.

U16 Football - 21/4
Tracton 2-10, Shamrocks 2-6
Shamrocks went down by 4 points after this competitive encounter played in Minane Bridge last Wednesday night. Shamrocks led 1-4 to 1-3 at half time but were outplayed in the second half. John Cronin and Mickey O?Neill got the two Shamrocks goals, while Stephen Downey had 2 points. On the night, Robert Hourihane, Cian McCann and Ronan Murphy were Shamrocks best players. Shamrocks have a chance to gain revenge over Tracton as we play them in the league Semi Final this Wednesday night at home, 7.00

U12 Football - 17/4
Shamrocks 4-11, Courcey Rovers 7-3
Playing at home on a terrible night, this was a great game of football. Shamrocks played very well in the first half, in particular Darragh O?Sullivan and Cathal Kidney, Joey Brady , and with Karen Twomey at full back and Jonathan Tuohy at centre back, we looked to have a settled team. The weather conditions were not great but both teams put in a great effort to overcome them in an exciting and pulsating match, which went to the wire. Shamrocks went in at half time down two points but came stroming back in the second half and at one stage we were 7 points up. Our younger players really came to the fore in the second half, particularly Tony Fitzgerald, Daniel Breen, Jamie O?Driscoll, James Rahilly, Jordan Wells and Damien Kelleher. But for the fact that Courceys got 3 late goals, we would have won well.

U12 Football - 19/4
Tracton 5-9, Shamrocks 6-10
This was easily a game of two halves ? Shamrocks played with the strong breeze in the first half and led at half time by 2-5. However, after the break, Tracton came right back into the game and scored some early goals. But, showing tremendous character, the Shamrocks lads put their backs to the wheel and got ?stuck in?. Some great football was played, in particular from Darren Barry, who is showing all his fathers ability, Jamie O?Driscoll, James O?Rahilly and Stephen Healy. Tracton had come to within 1 goal of Shamrocks and looked good for a win. But then scorer in chief Darragh O?Sullivan won a ball on his own 45 and went on a mazy solo run, rounding no less than 6 Tracton players before cracking home a wonder goal, securing an exciting victory for the team

Week ended - 18th April 2004

Junior A Football Championship - 17/4
Shamrocks 1-10, Carrgaline 1-7
This was a dour struggle from start to finish in Camden on Saturday night. Shamrocks are just relieved that this tricky assignment is now out of the way and can now concentrate on hurling for the next month or so. Carrigaline were definitely up for this one and played some excellent football throughout and were perhaps unlucky not to get at least a draw out of it. They pushed Shamrocks all the way from the off, without ever leading it must be said. The conditions were not ideal, a diagonal wind adding to the slippery conditions. Shamrocks led 1-5 to 1-4 at half time. Sean Kelly was on the end of a sweeping move to finish to the top corner for the Shamrocks goal, while Stephen O?Neill was the chief point scorer in that half. Carrigaline did get on top before half time and scored 1-2 without reply just before and in injury time, which lasted 12 minutes no less, primarily because of an injury (2 in fact) to Chris O?Neill, who collided with one of his own players in the lead up to the Carrig goal. He was stretched off with mild concussion. Anyhow, some harsh words were said in the Shamrocks dressing room at half time and the performance was more polished in the second half. They kept Carrigaline at arms length, controlling possession more or less and maintaining the 3 point lead. Joe Shanahan, Mark Hickey with 2 from play and O?Neill from fees and play again were the Shamrocks scorers in that half. Carrigaline did press in the closing stages but Shamrocks held out for the win, which put us into the next round in July sometime. A big improvement will be needed. We wish Chris well in his recovery; his injury is not as serious as we thought at the time. Team: B.Mulqueen, S.Andrews, P.Prout, D.Sheehan, N.Hayes, M.Prout, S.O?Reilly, T.O?Sullivan, C.O?Neill, S.Collins, J.Shanahan, S.Kelly, D.O?Neill, M.Hickey, S.O?Neill. Sub used D.Roche

U14 Football - 16/4
Shamrocks 2-10, Tracton 2-0
This was a third win in a row for the U14 footballers which puts them in a very strong position to qualify for the semis. Shamrocks won both halves by the score of 1-5 to 1-0, with U12 player Darragh O?Sullivan top scorer yet again with 1-3. Tomas pierce was outstanding again in goal, even saving a Tracton penalty in the second half. Stephen Hurley at corner back, Mark Jordan at centre back, the midfield pairing of Philip Brady and Stephen Downey (with the other goal) and Mickey O?Neill (0-2) were Shamrocks best on the night. Team: T. Pierce, S.Walters, O.Healy, S.Hurley, D.Murphy, M.Jordan, A. McCarthy, P.Brady, S.Downey, B.Mullane, M. O'Neill, J.Wells, J.Tuohy, J.Sheehan, D.O'Sullivan. Subs J. Wilson, C.Murphy, B.Cusack, A.Hickey. Next game at home to Crosshaven next Friday night followed by a trip to Ballygarvan

U12 Football - 12/4
Shamrocks had a comfortable win over Carrigaline on Easter Monday night, where they were ahead from the first whistle. On the night, Darragh O?Sullivan, Joey Brady , Daniel Breen and Cathal Kidney were Shamrocks best players. Players used: Karen Twomey, Daragh O?Sullivan, Joey Brady, Daniel Breen, Laura McCarthy, Cathal Kidney, Damien Kelleher, Zachary Sheehan, Declan Sheehan, Roy Twomey, Daniel Hayes, Jamie O?Driscoll, Jonathan Lynch

U16 Football - 13/4
Shamrocks 3-7, Courcey Rovers 4-9
Shamrocks played the game against Courcey Rovers which was cancelled on St.Patricks day, it was played on the bottom pitch on Tuesday week last. Shamrocks lost this high scoring contest on a scoreline of 4-9 to 3-7. The fact that it was 1-3 to 0-0 to the visitors after 10 minutes meant that Shamrocks were playing catch up for the entire game and it was a deficit that they weren?t quite able to peg back throughout.

Junior B FL - 13/4
Shamrocks 3-15, Crosshaven 1-7
The B team got back on the winning trail after losing to Carrigaline two days previous with an easy win over Crosshaven at Shanbally last Tue week. The first half was pretty even with the half time score 1-5 to 0-7 for the greens, David Taggert with the Shamrocks goal. Shamrocks made hard work of overcoming a spirited Crosshaven outfit and only really pulled away in the last 10 minutes. On the night, the returning Mark O?Sullivan with 2-6 and Rob Lannon with 6 points were Shamrocks top scorers. Players used: E.O?Rahilly, D.Stuart, D.Livingstone, S.O?Reilly, D.Roche, D.O?Neill, T.O?Sullivan, S.Jordan, M.O?Sullivan, S.Kelly, D.Taggert, R.Lannon, J.Sweeney, D.Hayes, T.Forde

Week ended -11th April 2004

U16 Football - 7/4
Shamrocks 2-4, Kinsale 3-12
Shamrocks were comfortably beaten in their second league game, which was played on the top pitch last Wednesday night. The early exchanges were even enough with Shamrocks cancelling out Kinsales early goal with a goal from a Phipip Brady free that went all the way to the Kinsale net. After that however, Kinale began to get on top around midfield and their forwards starting running right through the Shamrocks backs, adding 2 goals and and 4 points to effectively finish off the game. Shamrocks tried hard in the second half, Kinsale picked off their points while Mickey O?Neill scored a consolation Shamrocks goal. Team: F. O'Neill, N. Kirwan, R.Murphy, I. Murphy, E. Healy, G. Ronayne, C. Horgan, C. Fitzpatrick, C. McCann, J. Cronin, G. Boland, P. Brady, M. Jordan, O. Hickey, M. O'Neill

Junior Football League - 7/4
Shamrocks 1-11, Ballygarvan 3-11
This game was played on the bottom pitch last Wednesday evening and underlined that Ballygarvan are still the team to beat at Junior level in the South East. Both sides played some excellent passages of football with some wonderful scores being registered on both sides. Eventhough Shamrocks lost, they can take encouragement from some the performance nevertheless, especially from some of the younger players. Shamrocks led early on by three points but Ballygarvan levelled with a goal and went ahead shortly after, a lead they were to never lose. They were always about 4 or 5 points ahead fro the remainder of the game. The half time score stood at 2-5 to 0-7 for the visitors. Without ever looking like clawing back the deficit, Shamrocks had about a 50% share of the possession in the second half, but some wayward shooting at times let them down. Over the hour, Chris and Stevie O?Neill, (Chris with the goal), Terence O?Sullivan, Nicky Hayes (2 points no less), Joe Shanahan and Dave O?Neill got on the Shamrocks scoresheet. Team: B.Mulqueen, D.Tuohy, P.Prout, D.Sheehan, S.O?Reilly, D.Roche, S.Andrews, C.O?Neill, N.Hayes, T.O?Sullivan, S.Collins, D.O?Neill, J.Shanahan, B.Beale, S.O?Neill. Sub used: E.O?Mahony

U14 Football - 8/4
Shamrocks had a comfortable victory over Carrigaline 3 on Thursday night last in Carrigaline. They led by 10 points at half time and really pulled away in the second half. On the night, Tomas Pierce brought off some fine saves in the Shamrocks goal to deny Carrigaline, and along with Jordan Wells, Billy Mullane and Stephen Downey, they were Shamrocks best players on the night. Team: .Team: T. Pierce, S.Walters, S.Hurley, A.Hickey, D.Murphy, A. McCarthy, J.Wells, B.Mullane, S.Downey, D.Browne, M. O'Neill, C.Murphy, J.Sheehan, D.O'Sullivan, Laura McCarhty. Subs were J. Tuohy and J. Wilson. The

Week ended - 4th April 2004

U21 Football Championship Final - 4/4

Shamrocks are CHAMPIONS
Shamrocks 2-12, Carrigaline 2-9
The famine is over.
Shamrocks bridged a 24-year gap at Ballygarvan on Sunday night last when our U21 footballers captured the South East A football championship for the first time since 1980, when they defeated reigning champions and big rivals Carrigaline in a thrilling final. It was a victory greeted by unbridled scenes of joy, as this was a massive win for the club. Shamrocks wanted and needed this victory so badly; so there was as much relief as joy at the final whistle. Shamrocks played with the aid of the stiff breeze in the opening half and started brightly, with points from Chris O?Neill, Seanan Collins, Stevie O?Neill and Joseph Shanahan. However, Carrig fought back with 3 of their own points from play after a change of tactics on their part. But, Shamrocks, showing tremendous character, upped their game and points from the O?Neills, followed by a length-of-the-field move (started by a huge David Tuohy catch at corner back) which culminated in Stevie O?Neill driving home a great ground shot to the back of the Carrigaline net, opened up a six point gap. Shamrocks took great belief from that goal, and went in at half time leading by 7 points, 1-7 to 0-3, Stevie putting over another point on half time. So, much work was still to be done as Shamrocks faced into a strong wing and a determined Carrigaline outfit. Even thought we lost the second half on the scoreboard, in many ways it was a better Shamrocks performance than the first. Carrigaline needed a quick response and it?s exactly what they got. A loose ball in an otherwise excellent Shamrocks full back line was dispatched to Barry Mulqueens net and Carrigaline added two further quick fire points. 24 minutes were left, the underdogs were playing into the wind and the title holders had their tails up, their momentum bringing the score back to 1-8 to 1-5. Now, nobody can tell me that everyone thought that Carrigaline were going to win this one. Everyone except the Shamrocks players and mentors. This is the time when, in this writer?s opinion, Shamrocks won the match. They seemed to lift the siege for about 15 minutes and kept Carrigaline at bay. Shamrocks actually started to control the match. The half back line was superb in this period, particularly Mickey Prout and the ever dependable Senan Andrews, along with the ?work horse? Nicky Hayes at centre field. Terence O?Sullivan and Stevie exchanged points with Carrigaline to leave it 1-10 to 1-6. Then Stevie fielded a Mickey Prout free, rounded his man and stuck it in the bottom corner for a peach of a goal. The place erupted but, credit to Carrigaline, they never gave up. They took over again, and scored a screamer of a goal themselves to bring the gap back to 3 points again, 2-10 to 2-7, entering injury time. But, Shamrocks desire and character shone through again, up the field they went, two Shamrocks points followed by two Carrigaline points. Eventually, after 5 minutes of injury (it seemed like forever), referee Brian Keniry blew the final whistle to the elation of every Shamrock present. Everyone played their part; Shamrocks were hungrier on the night. Obviously, Stephen O?Neill with 2-6 (2-2 from play) stands out, but this was about Shamrocks as a team and for manager Deccy O?Neill and co-selector Martin Prout, who followed this bunch of players from u12 up, it was a truly memorable night.
Team: Barry Mulqueen, David Hayes, Colin Brady, David Tuohy, Michael Prout, Stephen O?Reilly, Senan Andrews, Chris O?Neill (0-3) and Nicky Hayes, Terence O?Sullivan (0-1), Seanan Collins (0-1), Eoin O?Mahony, Joseph Shanahan (0-1), Daniel Stuart, Stephen O?Neill (2-6). Subs: Dave Bourke, Stephen Carroll, Oisin Boland, Eoin O?Rahilly, Dave O?Neill, Tadhg Forde.

Junior C Football League - 4/4
Rathpeacon 1-7, Shamrocks 1-12
The Junior C?s got this great day in the history of Shamrocks off to a winning start by continuing their unbeaten run in the league. It was heavy going all through, with Shamrocks playing against the wind in the first half. Indeed, a very heavy shower mid way through produced near impossible conditions, especially for the Shamrocks players playing right into the teeth of the driving wind and rain. However, we did get some excellent scores from play from Rob Lannon, Stephen Jordan and the ?Swede? himself, Dave O?Neill, who is back in the country and was playing his first game in 3 years. Half time we led 6 points to 5. Dave Bourke played the first 15 minutes of the game, before being taken off. Dave played so as to give him much needed match practice for later on in the evening. Anyhow, Shamrocks moved into a 7 point lead after 15 minutes of the second half, after a scoring blitz from Sean Kelly (1-2), Jordan, Brian Beale, sub Tony Carpenter and 2 more from O?Neill. Shamrocks took the foot off the pedal somewhat thereafter to allow the home side back into it with a goal and 2 points but Shamrocks closed out the contest with a few wind assisted scores. Team: D.Craven, D.Livingstone, I.Breen, P.O?Sullivan, C.Tierney, D.Roche, D.Bourke, S.Jordan, S.Kelly, D.Collins, R.Lannon, D.O?Neill, B.Beale, A.Aherne, J.Sweeney. Subs used ? K.Tierney, R.McCarthy, C.Fitzpatrick, T.Carpenter

U16 Football League - 1/4
Shamrocks 0-13, Valley Rovers 1-3
This was a perfect start for the season for the u16's in the league against Rovers first team. It was a polished display from a team who had been prepared by Joseph Shanahan, with help from Ollie McCann and Jim Ronayne. Shamrocks led by 0-6 to 0-3 at half time and stretched their advantage in the second half. Best for Shamrocks on the night were Fergus O'Neill, Ivan Murphy, Gary Ronayne, Cormac Horgan and Philip Brady. Team: Fergus O'Neill, Nathan Kirwan, I. Murphy, Eoin Healy, G. Ronayne, Ronan Murphy, Cathal Fitzpatrick, C. McCann, C. Horgan, John Cronin, P.Brady, Owen Hickey, Michael O'Neill, Gavin Boland, Mark Jordan. Sub - Stephen Downey

U14 Football League - 3/4
Shamrocks had a comfortable win over Ballinhassig in their first league game of the year last Friday night. All players contributed on the night but Darragh O'Sullivan ended up as top scorer. Team: Tomas Pierce, Stephen Walters, Stephen Hurley, Aaron Hickey, Donal Murphy, Eoin Healy, Alan McCarthy, Mark Jordan, Philip Brady, Billy Mullane, Mickey O'Neill, Brain Cusack, Colin Murphy, Stephen Downey, Darren O'Sullivan. Subs were Jonathan Tuohy and Jack Wilson

U12 Football League - 5/4
Ballygarvan 1-4, Shamrocks 4-6
Shamrocks had a comfortable victory on Monday night at Ballygarvan with Darragh O'Sullivan and Tony Fitzgerald amoung the goal scorers. Team: Declan Sheehan, Zachary Sheehan, Jamie O'Driscoll, Jordan Wells, Cathal Kidney, Daniel Breen, Tony Fitz, Darragh O'Sullivan, Jonathan Tuohy, Joey Brady, Roy Twomey, Darragh Barry, Chris O'Sullivan, Laura McCarthy, Damien Kelleher, Jonathan Lynch

Week ended - 28th March 2004

U21 Football Championship Semi Final - 28/3
Shamrocks 2-11, Ballinhassig 0-4
This was a very evenly contested game for 25 minutes of the first half at which point Shamrocks had edged 2 points clear. A goal before half time would be just the tonic and it duly arrived after a sweeping move involving 6 players ended with full forward Daniel Stuart shooting home from close range. Shamrocks led 1-5 to 0-3 at the break. Another goal arrived shortly after the resumption when Terence O?Sullivan volleyed home after the Ballinhassig backs failed to deal with a loose ball. Ballinhassig heads fell at this point and Shamrocks proceeded to kick some fine points to win comfortably on the scoreboard, but which in many ways flatters them. (Team ? same as the final above)

City JHL - 29/3
Delaneys 2-9, Shamrocks 1-7
Shamrocks were unlucky to lose this game above in Dublin Hill on Monday night last, fielding a team which included some names from the past. Delaneys dominated the first half and led 2-6 to 0-5 at half time. A strong second half, which saw Colin O?Sullivan grab some good scores, saw Shamrocks come more into the game and they would not have been flattered to achieve a result. Rob Lannon, Dick Andrews (yes, Dick!), Ciaran Fitzpatrick, Darragh Collins and Bernard Hickey showed up well. Team: I.Cummins, P.Prout, R.Lannon, K.Roche, D.Andrews, D.Roche, C.Tierney, P.O?Sullivan, S.Kelly, C.O?Sullivan, D.Collins, C.Fitzpatrick, J.Sweeney, B.Hickey, B.Beale. Subs: K.Tierney, S.Jordan

Minor Football League- 29/3
Shamrocks 0-12, St Vincents 0-4
St.Vincents were our visitors to Shanbally on Monday night and were well in the game up to half time when they held Shamrocks to a one point deficit of 4 points to 3. Shamrocks were by far the better team in the second half and scored some very good points to run out easy winners. Team: I.Murphy, R.Hourihane, D. Kirwan, S.Bourke, N.Tuohy, O.Boland, C.McCann, T.Barret, D.Hayes, T.O?Sullivan, O.Hickey, S.Leanov, C.O?Neill, R.O?Sullivan and Stephen Dunne

U12 Football League- 29/3
Shamrocks came up against a strong Crosshaven side at Shanbally last Monday evening but played with determination all through and had some very promising players on view. Team: Declan Sheehan, Zachary Sheehan, Karen Twomey, James O?Rahilly, Cathal Kidney, Daniel Breen, Jamie O?Driscoll, Darragh O?Sullivan, Jonathan Tuohy, Joe Brady, Damien Kelleher, Laura McCarthy, Darragh Barry, Jordan Wells, and Chris O?Sullivan. Subs Roy Twomey, Jonathan Lynch and Conor Cusack.

Week ended - 21st March 2004

City JHL - 21/3
Shamrocks 2-2, Blackrock 4-11
The scoreline tells its own sorry tale of a woeful Shamrocks ?performance? on Sunday morning last at Shanbally. Hardly any Shamrocks player can come out of this with any credit whatsoever. A gale force wind blew right down into the bottom goal and the underfoot conditions were heavy. Blackrock played with the advantage in the first half and had amassed a total of 1-9 by the break, Shamrocks efforts being concentrated on keeping the scoreline down as much as possible. Turning to play with the wind, hopes were up of clawing back the deficit, but Blackrock were the first to strike with a lucky goal. Try as they might, Shamrocks couldn?t make an impression on the scoreboard and the heads had dropped a long way from the finish line.

Minor Football League - 21/3
Kinsale 1-5, Shamrocks 2-6
A good win for Shamrocks on Sunday morning last, which was played on a very heavy surface in Kinsale, which keeps their league aspirations alive. Shamrocks played their best football in the opening half into the strong wind and led 1-3 to 0-3 at half time. They tired somewhat understandably in the second half but still ran out convincing winners. Roana O?Sullivan was top scorer with 2-2 while Rory Timmins, Thomas Barrett snd Cian O?Neill also got on the score sheet. Team: Ivan Murphy, Sean Bourke, David Hayes, Robert Hourihane, Conor O?Shea, Oisin Boland, Cian McCann, Terence O?Sullivan, Niall Tuohy, Eoin Hickey, Rory Timmins, Thomas Barrett, Cian O?Neill, Ronan O?Sullivan and Stephen Dunne.

U10 Hurling Blitz - 21/3
These young boys returned to Crosshaven on Sunday afternoon last and played a series of games against Tracton, Ballygarvan, Sliabh Rua and Crosshaven. Team: Gary Hartnett, Michael Howard, Jack Howard, James O?Rahilly, Roy Twomey, Conor Cusack, Angus boland, Jack Breen. Mentors: Pat Cusack, John Howard and Ian Breen

Week ended - 14th March 2004

Junior A Football - 14/3
Shamrocks 2-10, Ballinhassig 1-2
Shamrocks finally put 60 minutes of decent enough football together to pick off their first win of the year. The game was played on the bottom pitch and a strong wind blew right across the pitch, making conditions difficult for all. The possession stakes were petty even throughout the entire game but Shamrocks were lucky that Ballinhassig didn?t have their shooting boots on. They wasted numerous opportunities, especially in the first half, while Shamrocks far more economical with their ball. All of the forwards got on the score sheet, Seanan Collins, Senan Andrews, Stevie O?Neill, Brian Beale, Sean Kelly with some nice scores from play and Alan Aherne with 2 close range second half goals to finally off Ballinhassig. Chris O?Neill and Mickey Prout also added to the total. We wish Kieran Hegarty a quick recovery from what looks like a shoulder injury and required hospital treatment. Team: B.Mulqueen, C.Brady, P.Prout, K.Hegarty, M.Prout, D.Roche, D.Sheehan, C.O'Neill, T.O'Sullivan, S.Andrews, S.Collins, S.Kelly, B.Beale, A.Aherne, S.O'Neill. Subs used - D.Collins, S.O'Reilly. The City Junior C League game against Fr.O?Callaghans, which was fixed for earlier in the morning was called off.

Week ended - 7th March 2004

U21 A Football Championship - 6/3
Shamrocks 1-12, Valley Rovers 1-13 (aet)
This was a tremendous, rip roaring game of football played inn glorious weather and in the perfect spirit of sport in Shanbally. After a bright start by Shamrocks which saw them hit the post twice and gain only a point from a penalty, they left tournament favourites Valleys back into the game. Rovers led by 6 points at half time. After the break, Shamrocks began to gain the upper hand around the middle of the field and our forwards were beginning to pick of their scores, with the result that Shamrocks found themselves a point ahead with only a few minutes to go. A strong Rovers rally yielded the equalising point and put the game into extra time. This phase of the game was contested tooth and nail by two committed sides and they were still level at the changeover. The final phase of the game was no different but Valleys struck for the winning score almost on full time. The amazing up shot of this result is that Shamrocks have a bye to the semi?s on the weekend of Sun March 21 where they have a very good chance of meeting the Rovers again, a game not to be missed judging by this one. Team: B.Mulqueen, S.Andrews, C.Brady, D.Tuohy, S.O?Reilly, M.Prout, D.Bourke, C.O?Neill and H.Hayes, T.O?Sullivan, J.Shanahan, S.O?Neill, S.Collins, E.O?Mahony and O.Boland. Sub used D.Stuart and D.Hayes

Shanbally School Success
Congrats to Shanbally NS who last week won the South East Schools Indoor Blitz in Roco College. Under coaches Anne Marie Barry and Kathleen Tuohy, the Shanbally girls played some excellent hurling to win the shield. They beat Dunderrow NS and Carrigaline Girls School in the league section and played the semi final against neighbours Ringaskiddy NS, whom they beat 4-0. In a marvellous final, the girls beat Summercove NS (near Kinsale) 3-2 with many tension filled moments, right up to the final whistle. Team: Lisa O?Suillivan, Donna Smith, Shauna Jordan, Laura McCarthy, Ciara Hurley, Yvonne O?Brien and Sorcha O?Brien. Well done to everyone involved!

Minor Football League - 7/3
Tracton 3-9, Shamrocks 3-6
After a poor first half, after which they trailed 1-6 to 0-2, a strong second half rally from Shamrocks saw them score 3 goals to lead Tracton by 5 points with 5 minutes remaining. However, concentration levels dropped thereafter and the concession of 2 late Tracton goals proved heartbreaking for a Shamrocks team that has been proving the critics wrong since the start of the campaign. A feature of the game was the outstanding display given by Shamrocks? Darren Kirwan at full back and later at centre back - definitely a player for the future, and still U17. Team: I.Murphy, S.Bourke, D.Kirwin, R.Hourihane, T.Barrett, O.Boland, C.McCann, T.O?Sullivan, N.Tuohy, O.Hickey, D.Hayes, S.Leanov, C.O?Neill, R.O?Sullivan, S.Jones. Sub S.Dunne

Junior A Football - 7/3
Ballymartke 2-9, Shamrocks 1-6
With any ambitions of league glory long extinguished, this game was treated as championship preparation and gave the selectors an opportunity to review both personnel and positioning. In spite of the fact a lot of the players on view had been involved in u21 championship action the previous day, it was only in the last period of the game that the strong home side grabbed the winning scores. Team: B.Mulqueen, D.Tuohy, C.Brady, K.Hegarty, S.Andrews, M.Prout, D.O?Neill, P.Prout, D.Sheehan, D.Bourke, S.Collins, E.O?Mahony, C.Fitzpatrick, D.Stuart, E.O?Rahilly. Sub S.O?Neill

Junior C Football - 7/3
Shamrocks 3-12, Nemo Rangers 1-4
This group of players have been chucking along nicely thank you and they continued along their merry way with an easy win over a weak Nemo Rangers. Final score 3-12 to 1-4 for Shamrocks. A feature of the games played today was that Shamrocks put out 3 entirely different adult teams within the space of a few hours, between the Minor and the Juniors. The C?s had 19 players togged out in Trabeg at the same time as the A team were playing. For a club of our size, this is a remarkable statistic and is surely a first, definetly in a long time

Week ended - 23th Febuary 2004

Poor display by Junior A's - 22/2
Carrigaline 1-9, Shamrocks 1-5
With the motivation of requiring a win to stay in contention for league places, Shamrocks went out and turned in their worst display in 2 years against a scratch Carrigaline outfit on Sunday afternoon last. There lies a lot of work ahead judging by this display ? it was a very frustrating day for the selectors who had to contend with both bad form and poor discipline. Still, its early doors in the season.

Minor Football - 22/04
Shamrocks 1-9, Sliabh Rua 1-6
A strong opening half from Shamrocks, which also saw them shoot an unbelievable 15 wides with wind advantage, ended with a 5 point advantage which was not a safe cushion with the elements to face in the second half. However, some sterling defensive work curtailed the best efforts of Sliabh Rua, who got no closer than 2 points, and Shamrocks deserved their victory. Darren Kirwan, Oisin Boland, Thomas Barrett, and David Hayes were outstanding on the morningbut the team effort was also commendable.

Week ended - 15th Febuary 2004

3 Adult Teams in action - 15/2

Another narrow defeat for A Footballers
Shamrocks 0-12, Valley Rovers 0-13
For the second week running, a one point defeat was our A sides lot, at Shanbally last Sunday evening, the 15th. Shamrocks upped their game from last weeks defeat to Tracton but Rovers were strong on the day (fielding a number of Intermediates) and while we again had enough possession, Shamrocks shooting was poor. Team: B.Mulqueen, K.Hegarty, C.Brady, D.Sheehan, S.Andrews, C.O?Neill, D.Roche, N.Hayes, P.Prout, D.Bourke, S.Collins, S.O?Neill, B.Beale, J.Shanahan, S.O?Reilly.

Junior C F League - 15/04
Shamrocks 0-12, St.Finbarrs 1-8
Shamrocks are playing a team in the City C Grade League this year and started their campaign with a narrow victory at Shanbally last Sunday morning, the 15th. Many of the players on view will be determined to keep the pressure on the A Team and some performances were eye catching on the day. Players used: B.Mulqueen, D.Livingstone, I.Breen, P.O?Sullivan, D.Bourke, D.Stuart, D.O?Neill, S.O?Reilly, S.Jordan, R.Lannon, T.Carpenter, T.Forde, R.McCarthy, B.Beale and A.Geary

Minor Football - 15/04
Shamrocks 2-5, St.Finbarrs 0-8
The Minor Footballers also opened their ?City? account with a 3 point victory over the ?Barrs, also at Shanbally on Sunday 15th. A goal each from Eoin Hickey and Robert Hourihan proved decisive in this hard fought encounter. This was an encouraging display from the boys on duty as Shamrocks were missing some of their more prominent players. However, the remaining players showed tremendous spirit and determination. Players used: I.Murphy, D.Kirwan, S.Bourke, C.O?Shea, D.Hayes, C.McCann, N.Tuohy, R.Timmons, T.Barrett, O.Boland, S.Leonov, E.Hickey, R.Hourihan and C.O?Neill

U21 Football
The u21 Footballers are playing Championship in less than 3 weeks so they?ve been busy getting their season up and running. To complete a busy weekend for the club on the playing front, a challenge game was arranged against Ballygarvan U21?s in Ballygarvan under their excellent new floodlights. Well done to them on their investment and foresight. We?ll be hearing more from our U21?s in the next few weeks

Week ended - 9th Febuary 2004

Season starts with a point defeat - 8/2
Tracton 1-6, Shamrocks 1-5
Shamrocks lost their opening game of the 2004 season by the narrowest of margins at Minane on Sunday afternoon last. This was typical February football ? hard, tough but fair exchanges with scoring opportunities at a premium. And even when they came, both sides were guilty of some glaring misses in front of the posts. All Shamrocks points came from the boot of Steven O?Neill, who looked very sharp in the corner. Tracton started much the better and were 4 points up after 20 minutes before Shamrocks came back into the game. They drew level coming up to half time and were the happier of then two teams at half time. But all the hard work previous to half time was wasted as Tracton scored 1-1 within a minute of the restart to leave them ahead 1-5 to 0-4. Shamrocks had to start all over again and in fairness took over mid way through the second half. Chris O?Neill scored a great goal and Shamrocks were level again. Tracton edged ahead by a point, both teams had a player sent off as the exchanges heated up but Shamrocks could never quite make up the deficit. Training continues this week on Tue and Thurs nights. Team: B.Mulqueen, C.Brady, P.Prout, K.Hegarty, D.Sheehan, C.O?Neill, D.Roche, M.Prout, S.Kelly, T.O?Sullivan, M.Hickey, A.Geary, S.O.Neill, D.Collins, D.Bourke. Subs used: C.Fitzpatrick, C.Tierney, B.Beale

Week ended - 26th January 2004

Junior AGM - 13/1
The 106th Annual General Meeting of the club took place on Tuesday 13th January in the Grace McCarthy room in the clubhouse at Shanbally. The large attendance, which encouragingly included many young players, paid their respects to our late President, Florrie McCarthy, who died recently. The meeting elected a new president in Mr Tom Livesey. Tom has been an outstanding and dedicated Shamrock all hi life and his family have a proud tradition going back to the foundation of our proud club in 1898. His father Tom and his Uncle Sam played for Shanbally NS in the first ever County School Shield Final in 1903 against Douglas Rd School. Tom played Hurling and Football for many years with the club. He would never miss a game and when he first worked in Dublin he would travel home any weekend the club had a match. He always wore the Shamrocks jersey with great pride. In later years, long after his retirement, he ?fell in? one night in a Junior B Football game to play alongside his son Jim, rather than see the club concede victory. Tom took a great interest in administration from an early age. He held many positions in the club and acted as Club Delegate to the SE and County Boards, as well as representing the SE Juvenile and Junior Boards at County level. He was a long serving and prominent referee in the division and on big match days in Pairc Ui Chaoimh, Tom was a steward. He was the last Treasurer of the old County Schools Shield Board. Nothing gave him greater pleasure than to see the Shamrocks pitch filled with players playing Hurling and Football. Tom is a most deserving nominee for the post of President and the meeting ensured that he will hold the honour for life.
Vice Presidents
The following people were ratified as Vice Presidents: Sean O?Sullivan, Fr. Sylvester OFM, Barry O?Brien, Jimmy Harding, Joe O?Driscoll, Donal O?Connor NT, Batt Cooney, Neally O?Mahony, Ned Brennan, Peig McCarthy, Richard Palmer, Jerh Coveney, Kathleen OBrien, Kathleen O?Flynn NT, Breda Andrews, Fr. John Cotter PP, Fr. Pat McCarthy, Donal Brady, Nell Cusack, Kathleen Collins, Comdt. Kevin Barry, Michael Brennan, Charlie Maye, Eily Carroll and Noreen Kind.
Officers ? Chairman: John Twomey, Vice Chairman: Pat Tuohy, Hon. Secretary: Lorcan Aherne, Hon Treasurer: Helen Prout, Registrar: Finbarr O?Flaherty, PRO: Patrick Andrews, Board Delegates: Pat O?Neill and Bernard Hickey, Groundsman: Jimmy O?Neill, Hurling Manager: John Collins, Football Manager: Bernard Hickey, Minor/U21 Manager: Declan O?Neill, Executive Members: Michael Brennan and Mickey Prout.

Underage AGM - 22/1
The underage Section of the club held its AGM in the clubrooms on Thursday January 22nd. Pat Tuohy stepped down as Chairperson and his position was filled by John Twomey (Socket), while John Bourke position as Vice Chair has gone to Ollie McCann. All other positions remained the same as last year, that is Paddy Andrews as Secretary, Gretta Sweeney as Treasurer, Patrick Andrews as PRO and Paddy Andrews and Pat Tuohy as Board Delegates.

Selectors: U10 ? D.Andrews, I.Breen, P.Cusack, J.Twomey, J.O?Herlihy, S.Andrews.
U12 ? P.Tuohy, I.Breen, M.Kidney, M.Prout
U14 ? P.McCarthy, D.Murphy, P.Cusack, A.Downey, J.Shanahan.
U16 ? J. Ronayne, O?McCann, , D.Murphy, A.Punch, J.Shanahan, P.Andrews (proxy)

Week ended - 5th January 04

The first annual Shamrocks Poc Fada competition was held on last Sunday morning from the Oratory in Ring to Shanbally cross. Over 70 people took part in teams of 4 and this was a great number considering it was our first time running such an event. Suffice to say, the full repertoire (or lack of it) of shots were on display that morning, from young and old, boys and girls etc. Darren Dineen was leading with 29 shots until the boys from Monkstown showed up, Patrick and Senan Andrews and Colin O?Sullivan. They along with Stephen O?Reilly went one better with 28 so there was a 4 way play off, one to decide the overall mens category and one for the 2 Minor players. Colin O?Sullivan, with one opening of his ?broad? shoulders won the mens with Patrick Andrews second, while Senan Andrews beat Stephen O?Reilly into second for the Minor. John ?Stoney? Bourke beat Mick Brennan in a playoff for the over 50 mens, while the stylist himself, Pat Q, won the over 40 mens, with Pat Mac 2nd. Philip Brady won the U14 boys with Michael Dennehy 2nd, while on the ladies front, Marie Fogarty won the U18 with Grace Mulqueen 2nd, with Ann-Marie Collins winning the adult section with Deirdre Prout 2nd . Afterwards, in the Shamrocks Bar, Proprietors Mark Hickey and John Dineen presented overall winner O?Sullivan with the perpetual trophy which they kindly donated. Well done to everyone on what was a fun day out for all. One ball out of 72 was lost ? its up to ye to figure out who the culprit was!

Week ended - 9th December 2003

Congratulations and Bon Voyage
At an enjoyable Prize giving evening at St.Peters Community School, Passage West recently, some of our younger players were awarded distinctions at the annual Barr Bua awards. Awards were presented to Tadhg O?Keeffe (Commitment), Gary Jordan (Tech Drawing), Sergey Leonev (Science & Maths), Dave Tuohy (Languages) and Dave Bourke (Accounting & Hurling). Tracy O?Neill, daughter of the well known Pat and Tess, received the past pupils award for achievement in attaining her CPA accountancy status. Senan Andrews was honoured as the overall sportsperson of the year and was gracious to the Shamrocks club for their support and commitment in his acceptance speech. I?m sure a large portion of the club will be in Blackrock National Hurling Club this Friday night for Mickey Prouts 21st . In case you?re thinking that he?s been playing overage for the last few years, he isn?t actually 21 until January, but Mickey is heading off to the land of Setanta over Christmas for a months holiday. And we say Bon Voyage to 4 of our players, Brian ?Todds? Sweeney, Cian ?Chopper? Ronayne, Eoin O?Sullivan and Ian Allen who are also off to the land of Setanta, but this time for a year. They?re heading off Sunday. I wonder will they be presenting themselves for training at any clubs over there. I heard Todds would make a great leg spin bowler....

Week ended - 2nd December 2003

Winding Down
That?s it now for the year on the playing front; the U13?s being the last team out last weekend. The Underage presentation of medals took place in the track on Saturday afternoon last; the AGM has been fixed for Monday, Jan 13, while tickets for the Shamrocks Christmas draw will be on sale soon. And speaking of draws, well done to Martin Stuart (jnr) a.k.a ?Electro Magnetism? of Monkstown who scooped the jackpot prize of ? 1350 in last weeks draw. Stuarty actually played Minor for Shamrocks but his studies into the importance of the magnetic induction produced by the electric current brought his mind elsewhere

Week ended - 25th November 2003

U13 Football - 22/11
Sliabh Rua 7-9, Shamrocks 3-7
This Fe13 football final against Sliabh Rua was played on a well prepared Belgooly pitch in perfect conditions on Nov 22nd. Sliabh Rua were a much fitter and stronger footballing side and gave Shamrocks plenty of trouble on the wide pitch that did not suit the smaller Shamrocks players. The half time score saw Sliabh Rua ahead, 3-6 to 1-2 which left Shamrocks with plenty to do for the second half. Shamrocks did rally with 2 goals and some points but Sliabh Rua were able to counter with 4 goals at crucial stages to put the game beyond our reach. Beat performances on the day came from Jason Browne, Philip Brady (2-3), Dara Spillane, Mark Jordan and Darragh O?Sullivan (1-0). Team: S.Hurley, A.Hickey, J.Browne, S.Walters, R.Breen, A.McCarthy, D.Spillane, M.Jordan, P.Brady, B.Cusack, T.Pearce, J.Tuohy, D.O?Sullivan, S.Downey, C.Murphy, Subs: M.O?Neill, D.Murphy, J.Breen

Week ended - 16th November 2003

Junior Football League Final - 16/11
Shamrocks 1-5,Kinsale 0-9
Kinsale were deserving winners of the Carrigdhoun Cup which was played at Shanbally last Sunday. It was a hard fought contest between 2 evenly matched teams, but Kinsale were able to hang on in the last 10 minutes when Shamrocks, by this stage down to 13 men after the dismissal of 2 of their players, threw everything into attack. However, despite some gilt edged chances, including goal ones, the equalising point never came. Joe Shanahan was the chief Shamrocks scorer, helping himself to 1-4 while Brian Sweeney, playing his last game along with chopper before they head off to the land of Oz, kicked a nice first half point. A good season overall for the footballers, spoiled by 3 final losses, 2 of them at the expense of Kinsale. Team: B.Mulqueen, K.Hegarty, P.Prout, C.Brady, D.Sheehan, M.Prout, C.Ronayne, B.Sweeney, C.O?Neill, S.Collins, J.Shanahan, S.Andrews, S.O?Neill, M.Hickey, D.Bourke. Subs used: S.O?Reilly, N.Hayes, D.Collins

U13 Football - 16/11
Shamrocks 2-6, Sliabh Rua 3-9
Shamrocks lost out to Sliabh Rua by 6 points in the league. More on this to follow. Team: S.Hurley, A.Hickey, J.Browne, S.Walters, C.Murphy, M.Jordan, D.Spillane, A.McCarthy, P.Brady, B.Cusack, M.O?Neill, J.Tuohy, D.O?Sullivan, S.Downey, C.Murphy, J.Wells , R.Breen and D.Breen

Week ended - 9th November 2003

U13 Football - 8/11
Ballinhassig 2-5, Shamrocks 1-11
Shamrocks had another great win in this competition when they had 3 points to spare over the home side last Saturday evening. Playing with the wind in the first half, Shamrocks led by 4 points at half time and considered themselves lucky as Ballinhassig had some missed opportunities. Shamrocks performed with more control after the break and held out for a deserved win. While it was entirely a team effort, great commitment was shown by Aaron Hickey, Stephen Walters, Roisin Breen, Jonathan Tuohy and Stephen Downey. Team: S.Hurley, A.Hickey, J.Browne, S.Walters, D.Spillane, A.McCarthy, R.Breen, P.Brady, M.Jordan, B.Cusack, M.O?Neill, J.Tuohy, D.O?Sullivan, S.Downey, C.Murphy. Subs- T.Pierce, D.Breen

Week ended - 2nd November 2003

U21 Hurling final - 2/11
Shamrocks 1-18, Ballygarvan 1-5
November Hurling!! Shamrocks won the B title after pulling away against Ballygarvan in the second half at Ballygarvan on Sunday morning last. A gale force wind blew right up the pitch and was worth at least 5 points, but Shamrocks, having played against it in the opening period, managed to go in at half time leading by 1-6 to 1-4, so optimism was high at half time of victory. Dave Bourke pounced for the Shamrocks goal, which cancelled out Ballygarvans early major. Mickey Prout, operating at half forward, Joe Shanahan, Ciaran Fitzpatrick and Terence O?Sullivan from frees did the point scoring before the break. There was inevitability about the second half as Shamrocks turned to play with the strong wind advantage. Ballygarvan did hang on manfully for about 15 minutes until the floodgates opened and Joe Shanahan, Ciaran Fitzpatrick, Barry Mulqueen (now taking the frees), Mickey Prout, Terence O?Sullivan and sub Oisin Boland with a beauty piled on the points. On the morning, there were some solid performance from all the Shamrocks players, who played well as a team above all else. They will move up to A level next year, where all the players are underage again. Captain Colin Brady accepted the trophy on behalf of the Shamrocks team. Team: D.O?Neill, S.O?Reilly, C.Brady, S.Collins, S.Andrews, N.Hayes, C.O?Neill, T.O?Sullivan, B.Mulqueen, C.Fitzpatrick, J.Shanahan, M.Prout, D.Bourke. Subs used: S.McGarry, O.Boland, R.Brien.

U13 Football - 2/11
Shamrocks 6-12, Courcey Rovers 6-7
Shamrocks had a well merited win over our hurling conquerors from the week before. Playing into a very strong wind in the first half, Shamrocks were mainly on the defensive and were behind at half time, 3-6 to 2-1. On the resumption, they used the elements to their advantage and picked off some good scores with Michael O'Neill, really on form. Others to stand out were Stephen Hurley, Darragh O'Sullivan, Philip Brady, Mark Jordan and Brian Cusack. Team: S.Hurley, A.Hickey, J.Browne, S.Walters, C.Murphy, M.Jordan, D.Spillane, A.McCarthy, P.Brady, B.Cusack, M.O?Neill, J.Tuohy, D.O?Sullivan, S.Downey, C.Murphy, J.Wells , R.Breen and D.Breen

Week ended - 27th October 2003

U13 Hurling final - 27/10
Courcey Rovers 7-8, Shamrocks 5-3
Shamrocks suffered defeat at the hands of Courcey Rovers in the final of this competition played at Ballygarvan last bank holiday Monday. The winning and losing of this game occured in the first half - Courcey Rovers scored 3 goals early doors. It was an uphill battle after that but in fairness to Shamrocks, they never gave up and battled right to the end, matching Courceys in every department, especially in the second half. Final score 7-8 to 5-3 for Courceys. Philip Brady was Shamrocks most accomplished player, and he finished with 3-1 from midfield. Jason Browne and Mark Jordan were other Shamrocks players to shine. B.Cusack, A.McCarthy, J.Tuohy, P.Brady, M.Jordan, D.Murphy, M.O?Neill, D.O?Sullivan, C.Murphy, S.Downey, S.Walters, S.Hurley, D.Spillane. Our underage sponsored walk also took place after the game and we thank all our contributers and sponsors

Week ended - 21th October 2003

Junior A Football Final - Shamrocks denied (20/10)
Ballygarvan 0-12, Shamrocks 0-5
Ballygarvan retained their crown rather comfortably at Carrigaline last Sunday afternoon. Shamrocks contributed immensely to this game of football, but when the need was greatest, midway through the second half, they had no answer to Ballygarvans power football.

A strong breeze blew diagonally across the pitch and Ballygarvan played with its advantage in the first half. After 15 minutes it was 0-2 each, Mickey Prout and Mark Hickey with the Shamrocks scores. However, Ballygarvan were creating chances at the other end, and let Shamrocks off the hook on numerous occasions, shooting 11 wides. They did kick 3 points to move 0-5 to 0-2 ahead before Steven O?Neill pegged the deficit back to 2 points with a free. Shamrocks turned with the wind to their backs for the second half but Ballygarvan seemed to up their game. Their half back line and midfield got on top and they played controlled possession football up the pitch, denying Shamrocks much needed control of the ball. After Joe Shanahan kicked over a lovely point, Ballygarvan turned the screw on this game and suffocated the Shamrocks; their physical advantage over Shamrocks was striking. They chipped away at their points tally to deservedly take the trophy home for the second year in a row. On the day, Shamrocks can have no complaints ? they were beaten by a better team. However, it was generally agreed amongst everybody present, on both sides, that this not the last to be seen from this extremely young Shamrocks team. We wish our conquerors all the best in the county. Team ? D.Kilgannon, K.Hegarty, P.Prout, C.Brady, D.Sheehan, I.Breen, C.Ronayne, M.Prout, C.O?Neill, S.Collins, J.Shanahan, S.Andrews, S.O?Neill, M.Hickey, A.Geary. Subs used ? B.Sweeney, T.O?Sullivan, D.Collins (0-1).

U13 Hurling - 19/10
A second victory in a row over a determined Tracton side was achieved at wind swept Shanbally on Saturday morning. Playing into a strong wind in the opening half, Shamrocks were very slow to settle and found themselves 4 goals in arrears at half time. The second half was an entirely different affair and Shamrocks were camped in the Tracton half for long periods and the scores just had to come. Our game against Ballygarvan next week will determine whether or not we advance to the knock out stages of the competition. Panel: B.Cusack, J.Brown, A,McCarthy, J.Tuohy, P.Brady, M.Jordan, D.Murphy, M.O?Neill, D.O?Sullivan, C.Murphy, S.Downey, S.Walters, S.Hurley, Spillane

Week ended - 14th October 2003

U13 Football - 12/10
The Shamrocks U13?s had a narrow win over Ballinhassig last Saturday. Best players for Shamrocks on the day were Mickey O?Neill, Mark Jordan, Philip Brady, Stephen Hurley, Conor Cusack in goal and Darragh O?Sullivan.

U11 Hurling - 12/10
The U11 hurlers were well beaten by a much bigger Crosshaven on Saturday.

Week ended - 6th October 2003

Junior B Championship Semi - 4/10
Courcey Rovers 2-6, Shamrocks 1-6
A tough, uncompromising game of football went all the way to the wire on Saturday afternoon last at Belgooly before Courceys deservedly booked their place in the final. Having said that, it was a game that the Shamrocks side will feel they left after them. Unfortunately, some bad options taken at various times and some simple point attempts put wide at crucial stages cost a gallant Shamrocks side the game. The wind was a telling factor all through; it blew right down toward the bottom goal and made life difficult for everyone. Courceys enjoyed its advantage in the first half and they were 1-2 to 0-0 up before Shamrocks even had an attack. Then Terence O?Sullivan and Alan Geary had Shamrocks points before Shamrocks shot 5 wides in a row coming up to half time. Courceys showed them how it was done with the last attack of the half to leave the half time score 1-3 to 0-2. Shamrocks knew that the deficit was manageable and after a half time roasting, got exactly what they needed, an early second half goal courtesy of Rob Lannon. This should have been the launching pad for a dominating second half performance but they really only got going in fits and starts and the high balls into the forwards wasn?t really working. After they were reduced to 14 men, they did forge a point ahead, Mick Lannon obliging. But tragedy was to strike at the other end as the Courceys corner forward punished a defensive mix up. There were 5 minutes left but the Rovers defence comfortably dealt with the desperate Shamrocks attacks. Their last point only consolidated their position. Nevertheless, a good season from a second Shamrocks team that managed to get a strong panel of more than 20 players out for each and every game. Hopefully, the trend will continue into next year. Team: B.Mulqueen, C.Tierney, A.Aherne, D.Livingstone, S.O?Reilly, D.Roche, K.O?Mahony, S.Jordan, T.O?Sullivan, B.Hickey, D.Collins, A.Geary, B.Sweeney, R.Lannon, M.Lannon. Subs used: C.O?Sullivan, E.O?Rahilly

Week ended - 29th September 2003

Junior B - 28/9
Shamrocks 1-10, Ballinhassig 1-09
Punters who paid into this game on a perfect Sunday morning last certainly got their moneys worth as they witnessed three games in one. Shamrocks won the first 30 minutes, Ballinhassig won the next 25 minutes and finally, and most crucially, Shamrocks reinserted themselves and won the important last 5 minutes. Shamrocks were impressive in the first half as they played good football to dominate the blues and got most of their scores from play, Bernard Hickey, Terence O?Sullivan, Darragh Collins, Alan Geary and Mick Lannon obliging. Half time 0-9 to 0-3 in favour of Shamrocks. Whatever happened in the second half, whether it was complacency or whatever, the transformation was total. Shamrocks resembled a sinking ship for the first 25 minutes as ?hassig took over completely all over the field, starting from their half back line down. They controlled the ball, won most of the kick outs and 50/50 balls and were putting the Shamrocks defence under enormous pressure. It was simply 2 different teams out on the pitch. Ballinhassig went into the lead for the first time (1-9 to 0-9) with 8 minutes left and it looked all over for Shamrocks. At this stage, Eoghan ?Ratso? O?Rahilly and Colin O?Sullivan were on as subs on the right flank of the Shamrocks attack and it was they who combined to ultimately win the game for Shamrocks. After Darragh Collins put over Shamrocks first point of the second half with 7 minutes left, O?Sullivan won vital possession on the wing, passed it inside to Ratzo who finished to the far bottom corner. Shamrocks had completed a remarkable comeback for the second game in a row and are now into the semi final against Courceys next weekend. Team: B.Mulqueen, C.Tierney, A.Aherne, D.Livingstone, S.O?Reilly, D.Roche, K.O?Mahony, S.Jordan, T.O?Sullivan, B.Hickey, D.Collins, A.Geary, B.Sweeney, R.Lannon, M.Lannon. Subs used: C.O?Sullivan, E.O?Rahilly

U13 Hurling - 27/9
Shamrocks travelled to Ballinspittle at the weekend to take on the home side with a youthful, experimental side. Having already played an U11 game in the morning, it was encouraging to see 17 players on duty. While we were beaten on the day, good performances were recorded from Stephen Hurley, Philip Brady, Jonathan Tuohy, Jonathan Radley, Thomas Pierce, Stephen Downey, Michael O?Neill and Brian Cusack.

U11 Football - 27/9
Kilbrittan made the long journey to Shanbally last Saturday morning for the first underage game ever between the clubs and after a close run contest, the visitors came out on top of an extremely young Shamrocks team. Among the stars of the future on display were Joey Brady, Roy Twomey, Dara O?Sullivan, Christy O?Sullivan, Jack Breen and Laura McCarthy

Week ended - 22th September 2003

Juniors in South East Final
Shamrocks 0-10, Kinsale 0-7
Shamrocks relished the tag of underdogs at wet and windy Camden on Sunday afternoon. Playing against the elements from the first whistle they made the running difficult for their opponents who were never able to gain a clear advantage in spite of some awkward moments at times in the Shamrock defense. Despite this, Shamrocks had more than enough posession to suggest that a shock was on the cards here. Kinsale were beginning to concede frees in point scoring range and Stephen O Neill was obliging on the scoreboard while Senan Collins and Mark Hickey contributed from play. Kinsale led 0-6 to 0-5 at the short whistle. On the resumption some early attacking forays were repulsed by the Shamrock defense but some wayward shooting at the other end was preventing a come back. However, Michael Prout swung over a magnificent point from midfield to put Shamrocks ahead for the first time into the second half, and Shamrocks were gaining in confidence. Kinsale again conceded frees which were punished by Steven O'Neill. A grandstand finish by Kinsale left our followers with some tense moments but only one point was conceded and this was cancelled out by a Joseph Shanahan point in injury time, which was greeted by scenes of celebration by the Shamrocks following. While all 16 players played their part on a famous occasion for Shamrocks, on the day, Micheael Prout gave a virtuoso display of midfield play. He was simply everywhere, catching high ball from kick outs, cleaning up in the full back line toward the end and kicking the most important point of the day, the one that that put us ahead for the first time in the match. The defence tightened up considerably in the second half, Kinsale only got one point in that half, while the forwards looked dangerous, and could have had two second half goals. Shamrocks will now be waiting a few weeks to know their final opponents as there are 4 teams still left in the other side of the draw. For now, we can enjoy our football into November. Team- D. Kilgannon,K Hegarty, P.Prout,C.Brady, C. Ronayne.I. Breen. D.Sheehan, M. Prout, C O Neill, S. Collins, J. Shanahan S. Andrews, D. Burke, M. Hickey,S.O Neill. Sub used, N. Hayes

Minor Football Championship
Shamrocks 1-14, Valley Rovers 6-6
The concession of three early goals to a slick Rovers fifteen meant that Shamrocks were chasing an almost impossible task for most of the game. Trailing by 10 points after 40 minutes the Shamrock mentors made some wholesale changes which steadied matters to such an extent that with 10 minutes to go the defecit was reduced to 4 points. Shamrocks again pressed the selfdestruct button and after some sloppy defending Rovers were again presented with a further three late goals. Team- S McGarry,R Brien, D Tuohy,K Fitzpatrick, S O Reilly,S Andrews,D Kirwan, C O Neill, T O Sullivan,D Hayes,J.Shanahan ,E O Mahony N Tuohy,B Mulqueen,O Boland. Subs used, T Barrett S Sergie, S Burke.

Week ended - 15th September 2003

U21 Stroll to victory - 9/9
Shamrocks 4-15, Kinsale 3-4
Shamrocks had a comfortable victory over a depleted Kinsale in Belgooly. With over half our Junior team on display, Shamrocks had far too much experience and firepower for our opponents and the game was over as a contest early on when Shamrocks got in for a few goals. Ballygarvan now await in the final (B Final) Players used: S.O'Neill, C.Brady, S.O'Reilly, S.Collins, S.Andrews, N.Hayes, B.Mulqueen, C.O'Neill, T.O'Sullivan, C.Fitzpatrick, J.Shanahan, D.Bourke, M.Prout, (13-a-side) O.Boland, S.McGarry, R.Brien, T.Forde

U16 Football Championship - 10/9
Shamrocks played two games in the space of 3 days in the championship last week. Valley Rovers were too strong in the first round and condemed Shamrocks to a losers group game against Ballinhassig 2 days later. The blues won on a scoreline of 2-11 to 1-7. At the start of the year, the club had reservations about Shamrocks playing in the top grade, but the addition of some new players and the efforts of football trainer, Ollie McCann, made the exersise worthwhile and the stood up to the best of them, including Rovers and Carrigaline, who are probably among the best in the county at this age group. However, it has to be asked - why were Shamrocks asked to play 2 games in 3 days in the middle of September and then see their season over? Their whole Championship season condensed into 72 hours? It just isnt right, and we're trying to hold onto U16 players in this difficult age group, not drive them away. A small club like Shamrocks simply cannot afford to be treated in a way like this.

Week ended - 8th September 2003

Minors go down bravely in A Final ? 8/9
Carrigaline 3-12, Shamrocks 0-9
The scoreline did not do justice to a brave performance put up by skilful and spirited Shamrocks side on a perfect night for hurling at Ballygarvan on Monday evening. Shamrocks tore into their opponents from the first whistle and were unfortunate not to score at least a goal, which would have merited from their early initiative. Instead Carrigaline grabbed three goals within five minutes, which gave them a cushion, putting Shamrocks on the back foot from there on. It must be said that some of the best players on view were wearing green jerseys, and their opponents would concede that Senan Andrews, Chris O?Neill, Terence O?Sullivan and Steven O?Reilly were as good as Carrigaline?s best on the night. The second half saw Shamrocks engage in a titanic struggle and indeed shaded matters, bringing the deficit down to five points at one stage. But we must concede that our victors were overall a stronger side, and we congratulate them, and wish them well in the County.
Team: C O?Neill, S Burke, R Brien, D Hayes, S O?Reilly, S Andrews, O?Boland, C O?Neill, B Mulqueen, S McGarry, C Fitzpatrick, D Tuohy, N Tuohy, T O?Sullivan, R McCarthy.
Subs: O O?Mahony, F O?Neill, P Dwyer, T Barrett, R O?Sullivan

Congrats to Mikey and Joe
Special congratulations to Michael Prout who won an All-Ireland Intermediate hurling medal with Cork by beating Kilkenny over the weekend. He had a fine game at corner back. He also was a member of the Cork under 21 football team beaten narrowly by Waterford last week. We also congratulate Joseph Shanahan who was a member of the Cork Minor Football team beaten by Dublin at the All-Ireland semi-finals last weekend. Joseph stroked a lovely point over the canal end bar to start the Cork mini revival at the start of the second half, unfortunately they couldnt sustain it.

Week ended - 1st September 2003

Shamrocks Football Double over Carrigaline ? 26/8
Shamrocks 1-12, Carrigaline 3-4
Shamrocks had a thrilling victory over Carrigaline in the first round pf this JBFC at wet and windy Camden last Tuesday night. The game started in an absolute downpour, which seemed to favour the team playing ?out to sea? in the first half, that being Carrigaline. Despite Shamrocks having an even amount of the play, they found themselves 1-2 to 0-1 down early on and the object of the exercise at this stage was to keep the Carrigaline lead to the minimum before half time. The (enforced) switch of Mick Lannon from half back to corner forward seemed to work for Shamrocks as he kicked over 3 points from play leading up to half time, while Carrig got in for another goal just before the half time whistle, which left the scoreline 2-2 to 0-4 for Carrigaline. Shamrocks came out battling in the second half and with the wind at their backs started to eat into the lead with some points from Darragh Collins, Rob Lannon and sub Colin O?Sullivan. This left the teams level and the initiative lay with Shamrocks. However, Shamrocks were soon after reduced to 14 men and this seemed to give the Carrigaline men a boost and soon they had opened up a 5 point lead with 7 minutes to go. But, Shamrocks staged a remarkable comeback in this time. Everyone lifted their game for one last effort and manager and sub Bernard Hickey stroked over 2 points, Stephen O?Reilly had another and Darragh Collins slotted over a free to leave a point between the teams in injury time. Que Terence O?Sullivan: He picked up the ball 45 yards out, went through 3 players before driving the ball to the top corner of the Carrigaline net. A hectic 4 minutes of extra time were played after that with Carrigaline striving in vain to find the Shamrocks net again. Team: S.McGarry, C.Tierney, A.Aherne, S.O?Reilly, M.Lannon, D.Roche, K.O?Mahony, T.O?Sullivan, S.Jordan, I.Cummins, D.Collins, A.Geary, R.Lannon, E.O?Rahilly, J.Sweeney. Subs: C.O?Sullivan, B.Hickey, P.Andrews, B.McCarthy, D.Livingstone

Week ended - 25th August 2003

Shamrocks make it a Double over Tracton ? 19/8
Tracton 1-7, Shamrocks 1-9
Shamrocks Minor Footballers had a hard earned victory over the home side at Minane in the first round of the Championship where the lack of recent football practice was evident throughout the field. After a fairly even opening half, Shamrocks led by the narrowest of margins at half time. Tracton upped their game on the resumption and with a goal direct from a free and some points from play, opened up a 3 point lead. A long-range effort from Terence O?Sullivan deceived the Tracton keeper and went all the way to the net. This finally settled the Shamrocks side who added some more points to run out narrow winners. Team: S.McGarry, C.Fitzpatrick, R.Brien, D.Hayes, S.O?Reilly, S.Andrews, D.Kirwan, T.O?Sullivan, C.O?Neill, N.Tuohy, J.Shanahan, R.McCarthy, C.O?Neill, E.O?Mahony, T.Barrett. Sub P.O?Dwyer

U14's go down in thriller - 22/8
Shamrocks 2-12, Courcey Rovers 6-5
This was a very close and exciting semi final contest with end-to-end football played by both sides in Shanbally. The lead changed hands many times throughout the course of the game. Shamrocks won the toss and elected to play with the wind in the first half. Two early Shamrocks points were quickly cancelled out by two easy Courceys goals but Shamrocks battled back with a superb goal from Cormac Horgan and some excellent out-the-field points from Gary Ronayne and Mark Jordan to lead by 3 points at the half time break. Shamrocks could have been further ahead but for some close encounters with the upright add some marvellous saves from the Rovers keeper. Some lose Shamrocks marking and some quick play from Courceys saw them put 2 quick goals on the scoreboard early in the second half and a further 2 goals were to follow before the final whistle. Shamrocks never laid down and battled back with a goal from Mark Jordan and some further excellent points from play. Shamrocks firepower up front was somewhat weakened by the absence of our regular centre forward while several late goal attempts were saved and cleared off the line by a strong Courceys defence that were difficult to penetrate. Shamrocks again played the better free flowing football over the hour but Courceys finished the game on a stronger note and a five point lead to deny Shamrocks a place in the final. Best players on the night were Mark Jordan(1-6) at centre forward, Cormac Horgan (1-2) and Gary Ronayne(0-3) at midfield, while Ronan Murphy, Jason Browne, Aoife Breen and Aideen O?Mahony.

Week ended - 18th August 2003

Shamrocks Beat Carrigaline in JF Championship QF ? 15/8
Shamrocks 1-11, Carrigaline 1-3
This was a satisfying win for Shamrocks over fierce rivals and neighbours Carrigaline at Minane on another perfect night for football. It has to be admitted that Shamrocks were completely dominant over an out-of-sorts Carrigaline team and the result was never in doubt once Steven O?Neill scored the Shamrocks goal 10 minutes before half time. Shamrocks went behind to an early Carrig goal in their first attack, but the defence were to tighten up considerably after that, in fact not allowing a further Carrigaline score from play. Peter Prout led by example at full back and all other backs were to have their moments, especially the half back line. Chris O?Neill, Stephen O?Neill, Joseph Shanahan and Seanan Collins scored Shamrocks points to open up a 1-6 to 1-2 half time lead and the initiative lay with Shamrocks. They consolidated their position after the break with a 3-point burst in as many minutes to move comfortably ahead. Further scores from Brian Sweeney and Chris O?Neill had the gap at 8 points and hard as Carrigaline tried to score a goal, Shamrocks were never in any real trouble and the defence held up, with keeper Dave Kilgannon making a brilliant save from a penalty in injury time. Kilgannon was safe in goal, the two corner backs, Hegarty and Brady did what was asked of them when the ball came their way on the few occasions, Peter Prout was Shamrocks best player at full back. The half back line of Sheehan, Mickey and Ian Breen (especially in the second half) were well on top, the midfielders of Sweeney and Chris O'Neill won their battle, while contributing 4 points from play, the half forward line of 18 year olds, Andrews, Shanahan and Collins ran all night and got on the scoresheet while the full-forward line of Ronayne, Hickey and Steven O'Neill caused problems all night, O'Neill finishing up with (I'd say) 1-4 of the Shamrocks total. Shamrocks now go on to play Kinsale at a later date. Team: D.Kilgannon, C.Brady, P.Prout, K.Hegarty, M.Prout, I.Breen, D.Sheehan, C.O?Neill, B.Sweeney, S.Andrews, J.Shanahan, S.Collins, S.O?Neill, M.Hickey, C.Ronayne

Junior B Football League Final ? 13/8
Kinsale 3-9, Shamrocks 0-9
The Shamrocks suffered defeat in their quest to win a first Junior Football competition in 9 years when Kinsale proved too good in the B League final played at Belgooly. Just glancing at the scoreline tells you the story of the game ? Kinsale were able to strike the back of the net while Shamrocks did not. This was very simply the only difference between the teams after a good, hard hours football. The Shamrocks passing in the early stages was sloppy with the result that possession was being given away far too easily, especially when the ball was being worked out of defence. The Kinsale midfield was well on top at this stage, and their forwards were getting plenty of ball. Shamrocks rued some early missed chances when Kinsale struck for the 3 goals inside a five minute period half way through the 1st half. It made the scoreline 3-3 to 0-3 and really knocked the stuffing out of a Shamrocks side that up to that point looked well capable of winning this game. Afterwards they were chasing the game and started going for goals early on in the second half. In fairness, Shamrocks did pile on the pressure in the second half and virtually owned the ball for the last 20 minutes. The Kinsale goal lived a charmed life at times and with a bit more luck Shamrocks could have had a goal or two. On the night, Rob Lannon scored a few from frees and play, while Cian Ronayne, Mick Lannon and Darragh Collins also got on the Shamrocks score sheet. Team (13): D.Kilgannon, D.Roche, D.Livingstone, S.O?Reilly, K.O?Mahony, C.Ronayne, N.Hayes, S.Jordan, A.Geary, M.Lannon, D.Collins, R.Lannon, J.Sweeney. Subs used ? T.O?Sullivan, C.Tierney, E.O?Rahilly

U14 Football Championship ? 13/8
Shamrocks 5-12, Ballygarvan 0-6
A good game of open football was played by both teams. They were evenly matched in the first half even though Shamrocks missed two goal opportunities which would have put a comfortable distance between the two teams at half time. The welcome return of our three female players, Aideen, Aoife and Roisin and two other players meant the team were almost back to full strength. A severe dressing down of the first half ?non-performance? by team coach Jim Ronayne at the break helped Shamrocks raise their game in the second half and score 4 crucial goals to put the game beyond Ballygarvan?s reach. Some excellent points from play were also scored from out the field . Words of encouragement and practical advice from ex-stalwart keeper Pat Cusack helped settle the team throughout the game. Beat for Shamrocks on the night were Aideen O?Mahony, Aoife Breen at corner back, Mark Jordan at full-forward (2-1), Gary Ronayne and Cormac Horgan, (both centre field (0-3 each)), Philip Brady (2-2) and John Horgan (0-1). Semi Final V Courcey Rovers is on Friday night, @ Shanbally, 7.00. Come on out and support the team.

Week ended - 11th August 2003

Minor Hurling Championship Semi Final ? 11/8
Shamrocks 1-8, Tracton 2-3
Shamrocks advance to the final where they will meet neighbours Carrigaline after this 2-point victory over Tracton on a perfect night for hurling last Monday. After having built up a big lead, Shamrocks had to withstand heavy pressure in the closing minutes to pull through against a determined second half Tracton onslaught. An equally determined and well-prepared Shamrocks completely dominated the first half and led 1-5 to 0-0 at one stage, Niall Tuohy with the peach of a goal and Joseph Shanahan, Simon McGarry and Ciaran Fitzpatrick with the points from play. Tracton did add on two points before half time and could have had a goal but Cian O?Neill (who had a superb game in goal) saved the pile driver and Terence O?Sullivan cleared. The early stages of the second half followed the same pattern but Shamrocks were finding scores very hard to come by, considering their possession. Tracton made some positional switches and it seemed to work, they threw everything at the Shamrocks defence, but some heroic defending from Rory Brien, Terence O?Sullivan, Senan Andrews and Chris O?Neill (now at half back) kept the score down. Tracton did get in for a goal and a point before Shamrocks had a goal disallowed. Tracton set up a grandstand and nail biting finish with a goal 3 minutes from the end but Shamrocks held on just about. All players played their part in what was a big victory for this particular group of Shamrocks players. Team: C.O?Neill, D.Hayes, R.Brien, O.Boland, S.O?Reilly, S.Andrews, T.O?Sullivan, C.O?Neill, B.Mulqueen, S.McGarry, C.Fitzpatrick, D.Tuohy, R.McCarthy, J.Shanahan, N.Tuohy. Subs used ? R.O?Sullivan, E.O?Mahony

U16 Hurling League - 6/8
Ballygarvan 5-10, Shamrocks 2-5
13-man Shamrocks put up a brave display before being over whelemed in the second half of this league game in Ballygarvan. Fact is that Shamrocks are very short of hurlers at U16 level this year and only for the dedication of the players available, some U14's and selectors Martin Barrett, Tony O'Sullivan and in particular John 'Socket' Twomey, they'd be dishing out walkovers all over the place. The championship is this coming Wednesday so lets hope for a favourable number of players and result.

U14 Hurling Championship - 11/8
Tracton 5-3, Shamrocks 5-6
Some great football played by both teams. Shamrocks under-strength as key players on holidays. Half time was 3-3 to 2-0. Best players, Stephen Hurley (goalie) brave attempt to save a penalty,Mark Jordan (full forward) scored 1-1, Ronan Murphy solid performance at full back, Gary Ronayne (centre back),Cormac Horgan (centre field) 1-1, Philip Brady (centre forward) 2-1,Brian Cusack (half Forward) scored 1-0 and Colin Murphy (half foeward) who set up crucial scoring opportunities. Next game v Ballygarvan (away) on Fri Aug 15th leaving Shanbally@ 6.30 pm

Week ended - 4th August 2003

Junior Football
The Junior A Footballers are continuing preparations for the upcoming Quarter Final of the Championship, and played two games over the weekend. On Friday night, they drew with Crosshaven in Camden, 1-9 to 1-9. Shamrocks led up till the very end when Crosshaven equalised with a last minute pointed free. Then on Sunday morning, they lost 1-3 to 0-8 against Ballygarvan. The team on the morning was D.Kilgannon, D.Stuart, P.Prout, C.Brady, C.Ronayne, I.Breen, K.Hegarty, N.Hayes, C.O?Neill, S.Andrews, M.Hickey, S.Collins, S.O?Neill, R.Lannon and D.Bourke.

Minor Hurling Championship - 29/7
Shamrocks 3-9, Courcey Rovers 4-5
Shamrocks had to withstand a last ditch flourish from Courer-top:none;border-left:nones and a point in the last few minutes, before booking their place against Tracton in the next round. This was a topsy turvey game at Ballygarvan last Tuesday night. Shamrocks controlled the early stages of the game and led by 3 points after 10 minutes. A Simon McGarry goal consolidated their position but some slack marking allowed Courceys back into the game before half time. Shamrocks made some positional switches after the game which seemed to settle the side and goals from Ronan O?Sullivan and Dave Tuohy put them in a commanding position with 8 minutes to go. Lack of concentration at the back almost handed Courceys the initiative and indeed only a last minute missed free denied them the equaliser. We wish a speedy recovery to Gearoid Quinn of Courceys who suffered a nasty hand injury during the game. Team: C.O?Neill, D.Hayes, R.Brien, S.Bourke, S.O?Reilly, S.Andrews, O?Boland, C.O?Neill, B.Mulqueen ,S.McGarry, J.Shanahan, N.Tuohy, R.O?Sullivan, C.Fitzpatrick, D.Tuohy. Subs ? R.Murphy

Week ended - 27th July 2003

Junior Hurling Championship Quarter - 26/7
Ballymartle 2-12, Shamrocks 2-9
A heartbreaking defeat was Shamrocks? fate at Carrigaline on Saturday last when a physically strong Ballymartle side just held out over the last few frantic minutes. A grandstand finish was probably the most surprising phase of the game as Shamrocks had trailed by nine points on two separate occasions, once in each half. Shamrocks had a disastrous start when all lines of the team were slow to pick up the pace of the game and conceded a soft goal and numerous unnecessary frees which our opponents capitalised on. Trailing by nine points with five minutes to the break, a fine Senan Andrews goal sparked a mini revival and we trailed by five points at half time. Hopes of a positive start after the break were dashed when Ballymartle again found the net and put more points on the board from frees. Again with a nine point deficit to overcome Shamrocks looked for goals when points were there for the taking and a heavy defeat was imminent, but Alan Aherne tipped a high cross to the Ballymartle net and the game was on again in earnest. A grandstand finished yielded three more points but the elusive equaliser was not forthcoming and Ballymartle now advance to the semi-final.
Team: Stephen O? Neill, Darren Roche, Robert Lannon, Peter Prout, Chris O? Neill, Michael Prout, SenᮠCollins, Stephen O? Reilly, Brian Sweeney, Senan Andrews, Pat O? Sullivan, Terence O? Sullivan, Dave Burke, Alan Aherne, Darragh Collins. Subs used: Barry Mulqueen, Colin Brady.

Week ended - 20th July 2003

Junior Hurling Championship - 19/7
Shamrocks 2-13, Courcey Rovers 0-8
Shamrocks had a comprehensive victory over Courceys at Kinsale on Saturday night in a match which was played throughout in true championship intensity, victory being achieved by Shamrocks? greater ability to pick off scores at vital times. From a neutrals perspective the first half provided better value for money as in that period Courcey?s challenge was at its strongest and they probably deserved a better harvest before half time. Shamrocks settled the better and some pointed frees from Brian Sweeney and two from play by Senan Andrews was keeping their noses in front when a speculative shot from Dave Burke deceived the Courcey keeper and gave Shamrocks a mid-way lead of 1-8 to 0-5. Courcey?s challenged strongly at the restart but were set back in their tracks when a Darragh Collins shot went all the way to the net. From here on Shamrocks would not be beaten and some fine points from Terence O?Sullivan, Stephen Reilly, Dave Burke and Brian Sweeney put them into an unassailable position.
Team: S. O?Neill, D. Roche, D. Lannon, P. Prout, S. Reilly, M. Prout, S. Collins, C. O?Neill, B. Sweeney, S. Andrews, P. O?Sullivan, T. O?Sullivan, D. Burke, A. Aherne, D. Collins.

U10 Football
At Shanbally on Sunday morning the curtain came down on what has been a very enjoyable season for our younger set. This was the occasion of our invitation blitz which saw Ballygarvan, Tracton and Crosshaven combining with the locals to make for a very entertaining mornings football. On the day Shamrocks just proved the better and it was a very proud Jack Breen who picked up the Shamrock Bar sponsored trophy on his birthday. Team: Cathal Kidney, Roy Twomey, Daniel Breen, Jack Breen, Michael Howard, Gerard O?Connell, Jamie O?Driscoll, Aengus Boland, Christopher O?Sullivan, Daniel O?Reilly, Rory Horgan, Josh Hanlon, Jack Howard and Conor Cusack. Damien Kelleher, James and David O?Rahilly and Conor Walters who are on holidays were missed on the morning.

Week ending 13th July 2003

It was a blank week on the playing front with no games in any grades due to holidays, postponements etc.
Junior hurling and football training has been continuing with the hurlers in action against Courcey Rovers in the Championship on Saturday night.
Our under ten football blitz is scheduled for next Sunday morning and the panel has been enjoying the training sessions being held on a regular basis.

30th Jun 2003

Junior B Hurling Championship - 25/6
Shamrocks 2-4, Crosshaven 1-10
An early goal by Bernard Hickey did not have the desired impact on Shamrocks at Carrigaline on Wednesday night last. With an abundance of possession the Shamrocks forwards were wasteful of many fine opportunities in spite of another opportunist goal from Jamie Sweeney and led by the narrowest of margins at half time. Shamrocks resumed with high hopes after the break but a very determined Crosshaven side upped their game considerably and rarely allowed Shamrocks to gain any foothold in their half of the field. It looked like going to a replay but Crosshaven put over the vital points in the last five minutes to record a deserved win.

Minor Hurling League - 27/6
St. Finbarr?s 0-9, Shamrocks 2-10
In this our first game back after the exam break a fair bit of rustiness was evident but two first half goals from Cian and Fergus O?Neill gave Shamrocks the edge which they never looked like relinquishing in spite of a spirited late surge by the ?Barr?s at Togher on Friday night last. Terence O?Sullivan was Shamrocks? top scorer on the night with five points and there were notable performances as well from Barry Mulqueen, Stephen O?Reilly, Chris O?Neill and the fit again Simon McGarry. Some work has to be done yet in advance of our championship game against Tracton next Sunday night.

City Junior Hurling League - 30/6
Shamrocks 0-8, Rathpeacon 1-12
After some recent good performances, Shamrocks were brought down to earth by a hard-hitting Rathpeacon side at Shanbally on Monday night. No one line of the home side were comfortable on the night with the exception of Stephen O?Neill in goal and the result should serve as a warning that all opposition have to be treated seriously and much more commitment is expected all round.

U16 Hurling Blitz - 28/6
Shamrocks put up some very commendable performances against strong opposition in Carrigaline, Courcey Rovers and Ballygarvan in the annual 7-a-side blitz at Ballygarvan on Saturday last. The rules of the competition limited the playing panel to ten and a number of our players could not be accommodated. Panel: R. O?Sullivan, E. Cole, G. Ronayne, C. O?Neill, S. Burke, C. Fitzpatrick, D. Hayes, F. O?Neill, O. Hickey, R. Murphy.

23rd Jun 2003

Junior B Football - 20/6
Shamrocks 2-12, Courcey Rovers 0-7
Shamrocks won this game comfortably in the end due to a completely dominant second half display. The first half was even enough with the visitors to Shanbally having a bit more of the play and scoring opportunities. Despite some fine scores from play from Rob Lannon, Nicky Hayes, Dave O?Neill and Darragh Collins in the first half, Shamrocks trailed at the break 0-7 to 0-4. Shamrocks were a completely transformed team in the second half of the match. After drawing level soon after the break through scores from the above plus Alan Geary and Terence O?Sullivan, Shamrocks powered ahead with 2 goals from Collins and Geary to finish off the game and gather the 2 vital points for Shamrocks, who still can qualify for the knockout stages of this competition. Team: B.Mulqueen, A.Aherne, D.Livingstone, B.McCarthy, K.O?Mahony, D.O?Neill, N.Hayes, S.Jordan, T.O?Sullivan, A.Geary, D.Collins, J.Sweeney, R.Lannon (13-a-side). Subs used: D.Stuart, T.Forde, E.O?Rahilly, B.Beale, T.Carpenter.

U10 Hurling Blitz - 22/6
This grade are continuing to play every Sunday evening and last Sunday were in Ballygarvan where they played 4 tremendous games against Tracton, Valley Rovers, Kinsale, and the home team. Enthusiasm is high at this level and those to shine on this occasion were Michael Howard, Jack Howard, Daniel Breen, Damien Kelleher and Angus Boland from Monkstown who got 3 goals. There will be no game for this group this coming week.

U14 Hurling League - 20/6
Shamrocks made the trip to Crosshaven and ran out very easy winners. The upshot of this victory is that Shamrocks have managed to qualify for the semi finals of this event due to their tremendous victory over unbeaten Ballygarvan the week before.

Junior Hurling League - 23/6
Tracton 3-9, Shamrocks 2-12
While this may look like a good game of hurling from the scoreline on a perfect night for hurling in Minane, in hindsight this was a sickener of a result for Shamrocks. The simple fact was that Shamrocks were home and dry 10 minutes into the second half when they led 2-10 to 0-3. This scoreline had been built up through solid play all over the field and the margin of victory seemed to be the only issue. Darragh Collins and Alan Aherne with goals and points from Dave Bourke, Senan Andrews and Colin O?Sullivan had helped Shamrocks open a 12 point half time lead. Tracton then started to get on top in their half back line and centre field up, with the result that the Shamrocks keeper and back line came under almost constant pressure. Tracton got a goal and few points to creep back into the game, Shamrocks should still should have been able to kill them off but they kept coming and two late goals from close in frees plus a late point tied up the game. It could have been worse for the green with the full back line at times making some fine last minute clearances while Patrick Andrews brought off 2 wonderful saves in the last 15 minutes. The final whistle was a relief for Shamrocks. On the night, Patrick Andrews played his first game in a year in goal and showed some good handling, Chris O?Neill and Senan Andrews played a lot of ball at midfield while Darragh Collins and in particular Dave Bourke were always threatening up front. Team: P.Andrews, D.Sheehan, P.Prout, D.Roche, S.O?Reilly, B.Sweeney, S.Collins, C.O?Neill, S.Andrews, T.O?Sullivan, P.O?Sullivan, C.O?Sullivan, A.Aherne, D.Collins, D.Bourke. Subs used: E.O?Rahilly, B.Mulqueen, N.Hayes, C.Brady

16th Jun 2003

U14 Hurling - 11/6
Shamrocks 2-10, Ballygarvan 2-5
After suffering a defeat to Courcey Rovers 2 nights earlier, this was a welcome first win of the competition for Shamrocks on Friday night last. Shamrocks took the initiative from the start and with Michael O?Neill in scoring form up front, Jason Browne solid at fullback, Alan McCarthy and Ronan Murphy keeping things ticking over at midfield and Philip Brady and Gary Ronayne prominent also up front, Shamrocks ran out deserving 5 point winners. The last game is against Crosshaven where the points are vital.

U10 Hurling Blitz - 15/6
Played in glorious sunshine last Sunday evening, this was a big occasion for our 8 to 9 year olds. Playing against some very accomplished sides in Valley Rovers, Douglas and Blackrock,. Shamrocks gave as good as they got and showed some tremendous talent exists at this age group in the club. Those who caught the eye this time were Roy Twomey, Jack Breen, Cathal Kidney, Conor Cusack, Stephen Healy and James Reilly. Shamrocks will again be in action on this Sunday at 6.30E<´@>@???nB?e are reliable reports that disenchantment has been growing with the existing management of this group, which surfaced after some over zealous celebrations of Fathers day! Ye?re being watched boys, watch this space for developments.

U12 Hurling - 16/6
Shamrocks 1-4, Crosshaven 4-5
Played under ideal conditions on Monday night in the track, this game was hotly and sportingly contested from start to finish. Just like our U10?s, there were some fine displays put in by some of the Shamrocks U12 players, where enthusiasm and commitment know no bounds and everyone is keen to learn the skills of the game and to make an impact in a green jersey. Team was Roisin Breen, Aileen McCarthy, Aaron Hickey, David Spillane, Karen Twomey, Sean Yuohy, Joseph Brady, Liam Horgan, Donal Brown, Jordan Wells, Cathal Kidney, James Raleigh.

9th Jun 2003

SE Junior Hurling League - 5/6
Courcey Rovers 1-12,Shamrocks 2-6
Shamrocks made the long journey to Balinspittle last Thurday night and were unlucky to come home with a 3 point defeat. The game was played in a downpour which made control of the sliotar difficult. The Shamrocks scorers on the night were Darragh Collins (1-2), Pat Sullivan (1-1), Colin O'Sullivan (0-2) and Brian Sweeney one point. On the night, Senan Andrews, Darren Roche, Peter Prout, Colin Brady and Bernard Hichey played well for Shamrocks.

SE Junior B Football League - 3/6
Belgooly 1-10,Shamrocks 2-4
Report to follow

2nd Jun 2003

Junior Hurling Championship - 31/5
Shamrocks 0-15, Kinsale 0-7
Played under miserable conditions at Riverstick on Saturday night last, this game was hotly comtested for 45 minutes from where Shamrocks' greater desire to prevail ensured a facile last quarter onslaught which yielded six points without reply. Early uneasiness in the Shamrocks back division could have been more costly but for the steady influence of Michael Prout at centre back. The reliability of Robert Lannon at full back and the dependability of Stephen O'Neill in goal during Kinsale's best period of the game. Shamrocks led 0-6 to 0-5 at half-time due to the ability of Dave Burke and Darragh Collins to poach scores with limited possesion. Kinsale came out strongly after the break and rocked Shamrocks with two quick points but Darren Roche, Peter Prout, Stephen O'Neill and SenᮠCollins thereafter upped their game and kept the town sides offensive at bay. Shamrocks now began to pick off the scores with Pat, Terence and Colin O'Sullivan and Mark Hickey revelling in the open spaces of this fine pitch. In a field of Riverstick's magnitude centre-field dominance or at least parity is vital and here Brian Sweeney fielded and delivered many fine attacking balls, while his partner Senan Andrews ranged far and wide demonstrating his considerable repertoire of hurling, craft and resilience.

City Junior Hurling League
Shamrocks 3-15, Whitechurch 0-4
Played as a build up to the Kinsale game this was one way traffic all through where the visitors second string only made token resistance after a Shamrocks scoring spree midway through the first half yielded 2-5 without reply. Coupled with a game against Nemo Rangers earlier in the week it proved invaluable hurling practice after our recent concentration on football.

25th May 2003

Junior Football Championship - 24/5
Shamrocks 0-12, Ballinhassig 0-8
Shamrocks put the frustrations of recent years to the background on Saturday night at Ballygarvan with a thrilling four point win over our hurling conquerors of two years ago. After playing into a stiff breeze in the opening half Shamrocks were well in the game at the interval when they trailed by just one point. The youthful enthusiasm and stamina of the Shamrocks side prevailed over the last ten minutes when Ballinhassig threw all their resources into a late rally but on this occasion they gave second best. Michael Fitzgerald was dependable in goal all through while the full back line of Colin Brady, Peter Prout and Man-of-the-Match Kieran Hegarty were on their game all through. Ian Breen at centre back showed some great positional sense and wing back Declan Sheehan and Michael Prout, who reads a game impeccably, coming forward. Brian Sweeney was majestic in his fielding at critical times and Chris O'Neill contributed a valuable point against the wind. Senan Andrews' stamina and running abilities were invaluable in the last quarter while Joseph Shanahan and SenᮠCollins were always threatening when in possesion. Stephen O'Neill with six points made an enormous contribution and Dave Byrne and Mark Hickey made life extremely difficult for their respective opponents. Nicky Hayes, when introduced in the second half, used his strength and all-action style to great effect. Shamrocks now advance to the quarter-finals with renewed confidence that they are there on merit and could spring a few surprises yet.

Junior B Football League - 20/5
Shamrocks 1-11, Carrigaline 2-4
Shamrocks led comfortably at half time after some great scores from Darragh Collins in particular but a spirited second-half Carrigaline rally was only halted by an Eoghan O'Rahilly assisted own-goal which settled the Shamrocks side over the last five minutes. Team: B. Mulqueen, B. McCarthy, K. O'Mahony, S. O'Reilly, B. Hickey, T. O'Sullivan, C. Tierney, N. Hayes, S. Jordan, I. Cummins, D. Collins, A. Geary, K. Tierney, R. Lannon, T. Forde. Sub used: C. O'Sullivan

City Junior Hurling League - 25/5
Nemo Rangers 0-2, Shamrocks 2-10
It was back to hurling at Trᢥg on Monday night and recent lack of match practice was evident at times. Shamrocks did not stand around and hit Nemo hard from the start with some great scores from Darragh Collins. Nemo Rangers never breached a solid Shamrocks rear guard. Michael Lannon was solid all through. The boys from Shanbally used up the full compliment of players in a game in which they were never threatened.

18th May 2003

Carrigdhoun Cup (football) - 17/5
Valley Rovers 2-2, Shamrocks 3-13
Shamrocks put up a display that was good enough to see off the home side at Brinny last Saturday night. Shamrocks played against the breeze in the first half and led at half time 2-5 to 2-2. Underfoot conditions were difficult with players slipping on the hard but wet surface. Darragh Collins and Mark Hickey scored the 1st half Shamrocks goals while Dave Bourke added the second half major. Overall, a handy workout with many subs being used in the second half. Others to get on the score sheet from play included Seanan Collins, Chris O'Neill, Brian Sweeney, Mickey Prout and Stephen O'Neill. In reality, Rovers were short on the night and were never going to trouble Shamrocks who were focused on preparing for championship. The match saw the return to Shamrocks colours of Kevin O'Mahony who hadnt played in a good many years.

11th May 2003

Junior Hurling Championship - 10/5
Ballinhassig 3-6, Shamrocks 0-14
A one point deficit was all that seperated the teams in this keenly contested first round tie at Camden. Shamrocks took the game to their more fancied opponents from the throw in with a combination of strong commitment and first time hurling, with the result that Ballinhassig were never allowed to settle and avail of the wind advantage to their backs in the first half. With Colin O'Sullivan on his game from placed balls combined with some lapses from the Ballinhassig free taker, Shamrocks led by 5 points at half time. Ballinhassig introduced former Cork star Sean McCarthy at half time in in hindsight, this proved to be the winning of the game for Ballinhassig. They upped their performance after the break and scored 2 goals at vital times to keep the pressure on the Shamrocks side, who were just about keeping their noses in front, but in reality needed a goal of their own to consolidate their position. A late Ballinhassig goal just about got them home and consigned Shamrocks to a quarter final stit with Kinsale. Stephen O'Neill was sound in goal while Brian Sweeney won a lot of ball around midfield but the inability of the forwards to create or finish a goal chance cost us dearly on the night. Robert Lannon played well at full back in the first half, Mickey Prout played well throughout. Team: S.O'Neill, S.O'Reilly, R.Lannon, P.Prout, D.Roche, M.Prout, S.Collns, B.Sweeney, C.O'Neill, S.Andrews, M.Hickey, T.O'Sullivan, B.Bourke, D.Collins, D.Bourke.

City Junior Hurling League - 12/5
Shamrocks 2-10, Bishopstown 2-10.
This game took place the following Monday night and is a game that Shamrocks should have won but bad shooting from frees and play cost us on the night. This was probably a game too far in the circumstances but City games have to be fulfilled. Many of our players were below their best. It was encouraging nonetheless to see such a large number of players in attendance and arguers well for the B League.

S/E Junior B Hurling League - 13/5
Shamrocks lost out by a goal to Crosshaven in this first league game of the campaign. For the first time in a long time, Shamrocks will not be playing any A players in this league so even more players will be getting a game this time. Seventeen players togged out in a B game is testament to the commitment being shown this year. Details on the match are sketchy from this writer but some of the players involved were as follows: Dave Kilgannon (making his hurling debut in goal), Kieran Hegarty, Colin Brady, Eoghan O'Rahilly, Deccy Sheehan at centre back, Conor Tierney, Barry Mulqueen and Nicky Hayes at midfield, Ken Tierney, Cian Ronayne, Alan Aherne, Tadhg Forde, Andrew O'Neill, Bomber Coveney. Both Cian and Ken required hospital treatment after the game so we wish them a speedy recovery.

Under 16 B Football League Final - 10/5
Carrigaline 5-14, Shamrocks 2-3.
In the end, overwhelming favourites Carrigaline had their expected easy victory over suprise finalists Shamrocks at Shanbally. Despite Shamrocks getting a goal inside the first few seconds, Carrig took over all over the field and gave a powerful performance of football. The game was over as a contest at half time with the score at 3-11 to 1-2 in favour of Carrigaline. Shamrocks tried very hard up till the final whistle and did manage to restrict Carrig in the second half. Whatever about this game, this was a wonderful league campaign from the lads. Remember, they were playing in the lower grade just 2 years ago but have made the successful step up and that victory over Vallys in the semi will be long remembered by everyone involved. Theres a break now for the exams.

U14 C Football League Final - 9/5
Tracton 3-4, Shamrocks 1-7
Shamrocks and Tracton once again played out a thriller in this very close league final. An earlier league final had ended in a draw so a close game was always on the cards. Tracton started well with their centre forward looking dangerous but Philip Brady opened the scoring for Shamrocks. A goal for Tracton left the score at 1-2 to 0-2 at half time. The Shamrocks defence played very well with Ronan Murphy at full back, Aoife Breen, Thomas Pearce and Jason Browne playing well. The midfield of Cormac Horgan and Gary Ronayne were having great difficulty with the Tracton midfield but as the half went by began to take control. Philip Brady, though quieter than usual, was the only effictive Shamrocks forward. The second half began with Ronan Murphy moving to centre back to mark the Tracton danger man. Nathan Kirwan moved to full back and the move worked. Shamrocks were in control now and with the above mentioned players playing well, the forwards saw more of the ball. Mickey O'Neill and Brady got a brace of points each to leave the score 0-6 to 1-2 for Shamrocks with 10 minutes left. However Tracton put pressure on and a high lobbing ball was adjuged to have been taken behind the goal line by Thomas Pearce. This was hard luck on Shamrocks who had Stephen Hurley playing well in goal. Tracton scored a further goal and 2 points through their excellent centre forward to leave 7 points between the teams. Shamrocks rallied before the end and a marvellous goal from Ronan Murphy after a run from midfield left 4 points between the teams. Philip Brady added a point but the vital goal wouldnt come despite great Shamrocks pressure. Team: S.Hurley, T.Pearce, R.Murphy, A.Breen, Aideen O'Mahony, N.Kirwan, J.Browne, C.Horgan, G.Ronayne, Alan McCarthy, P.Brady, M.O'Neill, Brain Cusack, Stephen Downey,, Roisin Breen. Subs used: Colin Murphy, John Horgan, Stephen Walter.

U12 C Football League Semi-Final - 11/5
Kinsale 4-4, Shamrocks 1-3
On Sunday morning, the home team once again proved too strong for this very young Shamrocks team. 11 of this team are underage again next year. However, Shamrocks put up a great performance and gave Kinsale a great game particularly in the firat half. With a little bit of luck Shamrocks could have been level at half time. Daniel Browne in goal was the star of the show with a great display of goalkeeping, especailly in the first half when Kinsale were on top. Time after time he brought off save after save. Jonathon Radley at full back and David Spillane at center field were others to shine for Shamrocks. Darragh O'Sullivan who scored 2 points also played well along with Karen Twomey, Aaron Hickey, Roisin Breen, Cathal Kidney, Stephen Healy, Jack Wilson, Jonathon Tuohy and Laura McCarthy. All subs were used and surely we'll see some of these players in the years to come. Team: D.Browne, J.Radley, K.Twomey, A.Hickey, R.Breen, C.Kidney, D.O'Sullivan, D.Spillane, S.Healy, A.McCarthy, J.Wilson, J.Tuohy, L.McCarthy. Subs used: D.Breen, J.O'Connell, J.Raleigh, R.Twomey, J.O'Driscoll

4th May 2003

City Junior Hurling League - 16/4
Shamrocks 1-15, Blackrock 0-3.
Shamrocks had a facile victory on the night against the visitors to Shanbally. The reason for the unusually wide margin of victory over a team of Blackrock's calibre was that the Rockies were extremely short on the night. It was clear form an early stage that Shamrocks were going to win this one in a canter and they led 0-10 to 0-2 at half time. Darragh Collins, Colin O'Sullivan, Terance O'Sullivan, Dave Bourke, Senan Andrews, Chris O'Neill, and Steven O'Reilly did the Shamrocks scoring, with O'Neill gradding the second half goal. Team: S.O'Neill, S.O'Reilly, P.Prout, C.Tierney, N.Hayes, M.Prout, D.Roche, D.Sheehan, C.O'Neill, S.Andrews, T.O'Sullivan, C.O'Sullivan, D.Bourke, D.Collins, B.Hickey.

Minor Football - 20/4
Shamrocks 4-10, Brian Dillons 0-1.
A first win for Shamrocks in this City\Carrigdhoun Minor A Football League, and it was attained in rather easy fashion from almost a full panel to pick from. The 'real' Shamrocks minor team finally turned up and they turned in a good hours football to totally dominate. Shamrocks were on top everywhere and played nice ball into the forwards who took their scores. Joe Shanahan had 1-4 before being taken off at half time, while David Hayes, Chris O'Neill and Sergie Lernov the Russian got the other scores. The game was over as a contest at the short whistle, 4-5 to a point. Shamrocks gave a run out to their extended panel in the second half and though playing into the wind, had the majority of possession and added some nice scores from Niall Tuohy amongst others. Team: R.O'Sullivan, D.Kirwan, D.Tuohy, R.Brien, S.O'Reilly, S.Andrews, R.McCarthy, C.O'Neill, T.O'Sullivan, O.Boland, B.Mulqueen, C.Fitzpatrick, D.Hayes, D.Hayes, J.Shanahan, S.Lernov. Subs used - PJ O'Dwyer, N.Tuohy, Cian O'Neill

Junior B Football - 22/4
Kinsale 1-12, Shamrocks 2-9.
This was an excellent, exciting game of football played in sunny Kinsale. Both teams were strong on the night, with many players playing themselves into contention for the upcoming A Championship. The game itself was a roller coaster affair and can be analyised into four different sections. First 15 minutes- Kinsale were completely dominant and led by 0-7 to 0-1 after this time and an absolute rout was on the cards. Second 15 - Shamrocks reasserted themselves and dominated. Midfield came more into the game and Mark Hickey stuck away a penalty and a couple of frees along with Jamie Sweeneys beauty from play. Half Time - 0-7 to 1-4. Third 15 - Kinsale were completely dominant again, scoring 1-4 without reply and they looked to have secured victory. However, in the last 15 minutes, Shamrocks fitness told, the half back line got on top and the half forwards started running at the Kinsale defence, more often than not drawing the foul which Hickey punished expertly. Dave Bourke got a goal, Kinsale nudged ahead with a breakaway point but sub Rob Lannon levelled it just before the end. Team: D.Kilgannon, D.Stuart, K.Hegarty, S.O'Reilly, P.Prout, C.Tierney, N.Hayes, S.Jordan, C.Ronayne, M.Hickey, I.Cummins, J.Sweeney, D.Bourke. Sub used : R.Lannon

Minor Hurling League - 27/4
Shamrocks 5-4, Ballygarvan 2-5
Shamrocks had a good win over the reds on Sunday last. Playing with the strong wind advantage in the first half, Shamrocks led by 12 points at half time after some fine scores from Terence O'Sullivan, Barry Mulqueen, and Ronan O'Sullivan. Ballygarvan came out strongly in the second half but were curtailed by some excellent hurling from Senan Andrews, Rory Brien, Chris O'Neill and Steven O'Reilly. This was our first hurling outing of the season and some ring rustiness was evident at times but improvements can be made.

Under 16 A Football League - 16/4
Shamrocks 3-10, Courcey Rovers 2-8.
Shamrocks made the long trip to Ballinspittle a winning one with a deserved 5 points win over the home side. After heavy defeats to the big two, Carrig and Valleys, in their first two league games, this was a welcome first victory after a hard fought match against a good Courcey's team. Shamrocks gave a vastly improved performance from earlier games and were the better team throughout. Good games from Ronan O'Sullivan, Ivan Murphy, Darren Kirwan, Thomas Barrett and Cain O'Neill helped them to victory

Under 16 A Football League - 21/4
Shamrocks 2-7,Ballinhassig 1-8.
Shamrocks made it two wins from two and qualify for the semi finals of the league. At U16 level, Shamrocks and Ballinhassig always produce a good contest and this game was no exception. Players to impress: Cian McCann, Gary Ronayne, Cormac O'Shea, Owen Hickey and Ronan O'Sullivan.

Under 16 A Football League - 23/4
Shamrocks 2-7, Carrigaline B 2-4.
Shamrocks made absolutely sure of qualifying for the semi's with victory over Carrigaline's second string last week. Second string or not, this was a good Carrigaline team and they made Shamrocks work very hard for the victory eventhough Shamrocks led throughout the match. Shamrocks played with the aid of the breeze in the first half and led by six points at half time, after 2 goals and a point from Ronan O'Sullivan and some nice scores from Owen Hickey, Darren Kirwan and Rory Timmons. Shamrocks turned in a determined display after the break and really should have added more to their score. They went 7 points up with 5 minutes to go. Carrigaline finished strongly with a goal and a point but Shamrocks held on. They now qualify to play Valley Rovers in the semi final.

U16 A Football League Semi-Final - 30/4
In the previous league encounter Valley Rovers whipped Shamrocks on a scoreline of 4-16 to 1-4 and certainly looked on a different planet to Shamrocks. But such are the uncertainties of sport and it was never more evident in Brinny last Wednesday night. Shamrocks went out more in hope than anything else but turned in a once in a lifetime performance to stun the home side with a last minute goal from full-forward Ronan O'Sullivan to win, unbelievably, by a point. Shamrocks had led at half-time by a point, Rovers had gone into a six point lead into the second half but Shamrocks showed tremendous character to cause the shock of the season so far. Another Everest awaits them however in the final, as we play neighbours Carrigaline A in the final, which hasnt been fixed yet, due to the U14's footballers also qualifying for their Final. The price of success!

U14 Football.
The boys are playing in the second grade and have qualified for the final which will take place against Tracton. They qualified by virtue of a victory over Courcey's last Friday night and the following is a report on one of the other games they have played.
Shamrocks 2-6, Tracton 3-3 - 11/4
Shamrocks played out a thrilling draw at Minane Bridge in what turned out to be a dress rehersal for the final to come. Ronan Murphy had a great game at full back, Aoife Breen, Aideen O'Mahony, Jason Browne, and Gary Ronayne played well also. The midfield duo of Cormac Horgan and Nathan Kirwan were outstanding and supplied planty of ball to the forwards who had Phil Brady, Mickey O'Neill and John Horgan in good form. Team: Stephen Hurley, Aideen O'Mahony, Ronan Murphy, Jason Browne, Tomas Pearse, Gary Ronayne, Aoife Brown, Cormac Horgan, Nathan Kirwan, Alan McCarthy, Phipip Brady, Michael O'Neill, John Horgan, Stephen Walter, Brian Cusack. Sub Colin Murphy

U12 Football - 16/4
Douglas C 3-10, Shamrocks 4-6.
Shamrocks were most unlucky to lose this game as Douglas scored from a penalty kick in the last minute to win by the odd point. A draw would have been a fairer result but this Shamrocks team proved thet they have great spirit and never gave up. Best for Shamrocks were David Spillane, Karen Twomey, Daniel Browne, Cathal Kidney, James Raleigh, Laura McCarthy and Jonathan Tuohy. Team: Daniel Browne, Karen Twomey, Jack O'Connell, Stephen Healy, Aaron Hickey, Roisin Breen, Cathal Kidney, Alan McCarthy, David Spillane, Chris O'Sullivan, Joey Brady, Roy Twomey, James Raleigh, Jonathan Tuohy, Laura McCarthy.
Shamrocks 5-6, Tracton 6-14 - 21/4
On a perfect evening weatherwise at Shanbally where three matches took place, the U12's were defeated by a strong Tracton team. Once again, Shamrocks gave a great second half performance but were too far behind after a poor first half. Shamrocks were best served by Roisin Breen, Daniel Breen, Karen Twomey, Jack O'Connell, Darragh O'Sullivan, Jonathan Radley and Aaron Hickey.
Shamrocks 3-8, Ballygarvan 1-3 - 28/4
This was Shamrocks first win of the league. After a day of heavy rain, the pitch was in good condition, but slippery. The frist half was even with Shamnrocks drawing away in the run up to half time to lead 0-4 to 0-1 at the short whistle. (D.O'Sullivan 0-3, Alan McCarthy 0-1). The defence once again played very well with Jonathan Radley in particular having a great game at full back. Karen Twomey at corner back along with Cathal Kidney and Roisin Breen also played well in defence. Alan McCarthy scored a great goal just before Ballygarvan replied with one of their own to leave just 2 points between the teams entering the last quarter. However, with Darragh O'Sullivan and David Spillane playing well at midfield and the half forwards of Jordan Wells and Jonathan Tuohy getting more of the ball, Shamrocks took control of the game. Alan McCarthy got 2 more goals from half back and three points from Darragh O'Sullivan and anothr point from Jonathan Tuohy helped Shamrocks to a co???iԯ𐼺??Browne, Aaron Hickey, Jonathan Radley, Karen Twomey, Alan McCarthy, Roisin Breen, Cathal Kidney, David Spillane, Darragh O'Sullivan, Jordan Wells, Joey Brady, Jonathan Tuohy, Darren Barry, Jack O'Connell, Laura McCarthy. Subs Roy Twomey, Stephen Healy, James Raleigh, Colman Moore, Jamie O'Driscoll, Danile Breen, Jack Wilson

13th April 2003

Junior B Football League- 13/4
Shamrocks 2-8, Ballygarvan 1-6
Due to various circumstances, only one adult game was played in the last week, a good 2-8 to 1-6 victory over Ballygarvan last Sunday. As you?ll probably remember, Sunday heralded the end of our recent dry spell and the game was played in a downpour and strong winds. Ballygarvan led at half time on a scoreline of 1-4 to 1-1, Jamie Sweeney scoring the Shamrocks goal in that half. Shamrocks had wasted some golden scoring opportunities in that time and just after the restart Ballygarvan stretched their lead by a further point. However, Shamrocks showed their superior fitness and finished the match much the stronger, indeed scoring 1-3 in the last ten minutes, Dave Bourke getting the all important goal. On the day, Dave O?Neill, Nicky Hayes and Jamie Sweeney were Shamrocks players, while the scoring was shared between the above mentioned plus Mark Hickey, Ian Cummins, Stephen Jordan and half time sub Brian Beale who scored 0-4. Team : D.Kilgannon, K.Hegarty, D.Stuart, D.O?Neill, P.Prout, B.McCarthy, N.Hayes, S.Jordan, C.Tierney, M.Hickey, I.Cummins, J.Sweeney, D.Bourke. Subs B.Beale, K.Tierney, T.Forde, E.O?Rahilly, C.O?Sullivan, T.Carpenter

6th April 2003

Junior A Hurling League- 6/4
Shamrocks 1-10, Valley Rovers 5-8
This was a very disappointing display from Shamrocks on Sunday last and the selectors voiced their concerns and disappointment to the panel of players in the dressing room after the game. As one can see from the scoreline, the deciding factor were the goals, the Rovers full line grabbing 4 between them before half time. Darragh Collins replied with the lone Shamrocks major, along with points from Chris O?Neill, Collins and Colin O?Sullivan from frees. Brain Sweeney kept Shamrocks in it in the first half with a superb display at left half back. Half time 4-4 to 1-6. The second half was a lot more even, Rovers got an early goal to finish the game as a contest, while Shamrocks plugged away with scores from the afore mentioned players. Team: S.O?Neill, D.Roche, R.Lannon, K.Hegarty, B.Sweeney, M.Prout, C.Tierney, C.O?Neill, P.O?Sullivan, C.O?Sullivan, D.Sheehan, T.O?Sullivan, D.Collins, A.Aherne, D.Bourke. Subs used ? B.Hickey, T.Forde, K.Tierney

U21 A Football Championship - 5/4
Carrigaline 2-11, Shamrocks 0-5
Shamrocks had the misfortune to come up against a very strong and well-drilled Carrigaline team in the quarterfinal played at Ballygarvan last Saturday evening. Carrigaline were well up for this one and you could see that their physical size gave them an advantage over the younger Shamrocks players. Carrigaline started at whirlwind pace and had 1-4 on the board before Shamrocks could mount an attack. 20 minutes in and the Shamrocks position looked impossible. But they fought back bravely up to half time with some nice scores before Carrigaline added a goal and a few points to effectively finish the game off as a contest. Half time Shamrocks 0-3, Carrig 2-9. It must be said that Shamrocks certainly weren?t disgraced at any stage; Carrigaline just had more firepower up front. The second half was played at a fierce pace and a both teams played some excellent football, with the defenses on both sides being on top. That half was shared, 2 points each. Shamrocks really needed a goal or two to get back into it but their hopes were in vain against a Carrig team, which will take some stopping. On the night, Barry Mulqueen in goal was solid, Senan Andrews at corner back, Chris O?Neill at centre field and Stephen Carroll in attack were Shamrocks best players while the scores came from Joe Shanahan, Stephen O?Neill, Terence O?Sullivan and Chris O?Neill. Team: B.Mulqueen, D.Tuohy, D.Stuart, S.Andrews, D.Bourke, M.Prout, D.O?Neill, C.O?Neill, N.Hayes, S.Carroll, J.Shanahan, I.Allen, T.Forde, E.O?Rahilly, S.O?Neill. subs used ? T.O?Sullivan, C.Fitzpatrick.

Junior Hurling League- 2/4
Shamrocks 2-10, Ballymartle 2-10
An understrength home side had to come from behind at Shanbally on Wednesday night. The game was there for the taking during the second half but numerous scoring chances from play and from frees were missed leaving Shamrocks dependent on a brace of goals from Dave Bourke near the end to earn a share of the points. Team: S.O?Neill, D.Roche, R.Lannon, P.Prout, N.Hayes, M.Prout, S.Andrews, B.Sweeney, C.O?Sullivan, D.Collins, C.Tierney, B.Hickey, E.O?Rahilly, D.Bourke. Subs ? T.Forde, K.Tierney

29nd Mar 2003

Junior B Football League- 30/3
Crosshaven 1-7, Shamrocks 3-8
A good start to the league was achieved at Camden on Sunday morning last. Shamrocks had an opportunity to try out some new players who have not been around for some time and some fine performances were evident to the selectors. Team: E.O?Rahilly, D.Stuart, D.O?Neill, P.Prout, N.Hayes, K.Jordan, S.Jordan, I.Cummins, J.Sweeney, R.Lannon, D.Roche, C.Tierney, K.Tierney. Subs used - T.Forde, T.Carpenter

Junior Hurling League- 31/3
Shamrocks 0-13, Ballinhassig 1-7
A good win was recorded against the blues reserve side but such was the depletion of the Shamrocks side a good deal of encouragement can be taken from the result. On a pitch (top one) in excellent condition for hurling, the standard of skill displayed by Stephen O?Neill in goal, Senan Andrews at wing back, Chris O?Neill and Brian Sweeney at centre field and Darragh Collins at centre forward was pleasing to watch. Team: S.O?Neill, D.Sheehan, R.Lannon, P.Prout, C.Tierney, D.Roche, S.Andrews, C.O?Neill, B.Sweeney, D.Bourke, D.Collins, J.Sweeney, B.Hickey, C.O?Sullivan. subs ? T.Forde, E.O?Rahilly, N.Hayes

Cork Players over the weekend
This weekend, 4 young players from the club played in the ?blood and bandage? of Cork. Joe Shanahan played at half forward for Cork Minor Footballers against the auld enemy Kerry and scored 3 points. Cork won. Mickey Prout played for Cork U21 hurlers against Tipperary in Thurles, a well-contested challenge match. Senan Andrews and Terence O?Sullivan were part of the Cork Vocational Schools panel who lost to Galway in the All-Ireland semi final at Mallow. Senan played at centre field and had a fine game, and became the first player from the club to play for this particular team. With Senan in 5th year and Terence only in 4th year currently, the boys have time on their side.

U16 Football League - 29-3
Shamrocks 1-3, Valley Rovers 4-16
A physically stronger Rovers team were far too good for Shamrocks at Shanbally in this the first league game of the year. It really was a mismatch from the start. Shamrocks had just 15 players available against a team who won the County U14 title two years ago. However, they never gave up and battled away until the very end, their 2nd half performance being much better. Best for Shamrocks were Paul Stuart, Sean Bourke, Stephen Dunne, Dave Hayes and Cian McCann. Team: I.Murphy, S.Bourke, P.Stuart, G.Ronayne, C.McCann, C.O?Neill, C.O?Shea, D.Hayes, O.Hickey, R.Hourihan, M.O?Neill, S.Dunne, F.O?Neill, R.O?Sullivan, T.Barrett.

U12 Football League - 31-3
Shamrocks 2-6, Crosshaven 5-9
At Shanbally on Monday night, Crosshaven U12?s proved too strong for this young Shamrocks team playing their first league match. Crosshaven started well but Shamrocks came back into the match and had the deficit reduced to a point with 10 minutes remaining. However the stronger Crosshaven team scored 3 quick goals and ran out easy winners.. Team: Daniel Browne, Aaron Hickey, Karen Twomey, Jonathan Radley, Stephen Healy, David Spillane, Roisin Breen, Alan McCarthy, Darragh O?Sullivan, Jack Wilson, Jack O?Connell, Laura McCarthy, Jonathan Tuohy, Jordan Wells, Joey Brady. Subs ? David Barry, Daniel Breen, James Raleigh, Cathal Kidney

22nd Mar 2003

U21 A Football Championship - 22/3
Shamrocks 4-12, Courcey Rovers 0-5
Shamrocks had a comfortable victory over a youthful Courceys side at Minane last weekend. Indeed, this Shamrocks team is a youthful one itself as only one player is U21, the rest below. While most of the scoring was done in the second half, the real ground work was done in the first half when our opponents were at their best and Shamrocks still deserved their halftime lead of 3 points. Team: B.Mulqueen, D.Stuart, C.Brady, D.Tuohy, D.Bourke, M.Prout, D.O?Neill, C.O?Neill, N.Hayes, S.Andrews, S.Collins, S.O?Neill, I.Allen, T.Forde, J.Shanahan. Subs used-E.O?Rahilly, T.O?Sullivan, S.Carroll.

Underage Trip to Wexford - 22/3
The club organised a trip for the U12 and U14 Footballers to Wexford town last weekend. With club PRO Patrick Andrews working in the town, ties were set up with two local teams and a game was played against them. 29 players and 6 adults joined Patrick in Wexford around noon. We couldnt have asked for a better day weatherwise. Pairc Charman was the venue for Shamrocks V St Johns Volunteers U14's and 'the Vols' ran out easy winners in the end, Shamrocks short some of their best players. At little bit later at Clonards pitch up the road, the home team and Shamrocks played out a thriller at U12 level, Shamrocks holding on for a 2 point win. Alan McCarthy and David Spillane played both games, but they could have played 5 games such was the excitement. Thanks to both St.Johns and Clonard who provided refreshments after the games. On then to New Ross, to visit the Dunbrody Famine ship which is a fantastic piece of restoration work. An before the final journey home, everyone tucked into a meal in the Rhu Glen Country Club, Co. Kilkenny, near Waterford City. So a great adventure for the club and everyone ended at 8.30 when we returned exhausted but with many happy memories of the trip.

Junior Hurling League - 23/3
Shamrocks 4-11, Lough Rovers 2-3
After last weeks reverse at Delaneys, Shamrocks got back on winning ways with an easy win over Lough Rovers at Shanbally last Sunday morning. For the third game in a row, the selectors had to make wholesale changes due to various circumstances. Thankfully, we are operating off a much bigger panel this year. Shamrocks lead from start to finish and were never threatened. Team: S.O?Neill, D.Sheehan, P.Prout, D.O?Neill, C.Tierney, M.Prout, D.Roche, P.O?Sullivan, C.O?Sullivan, P.Ronayne, D.Collins, B.Sweeney, D.Bourke, A.Aherne, B.Hickey. Subs used- T.Forde, E.O?Rahilly, K.Hegarty

Carrigdhoun/City Minor A Football League - 23/3
Whites Cross 2-9, Shamrocks 2-6
Shamrocks are still without a win in this league and this was a case of getting a team togother more than anything. The problem lies in the fact that a couple of key players are out injured till the summer so hopefully things will improve before championship. Last Sunday a severly weakened Shamrocks team lost 2-9 to 2-6 to Whites Cross at Whitechurch.

Paddys Weekend 2003

Junior Hurling League - 16/3 and 17/3
Shamrocks 2-12, Ballygarvan 3-8 and Delaneys 1-8, Shamrocks 0-6
Shamrocks had a one point victory on their first outing at hurling this year, the South East League at Shanbally. This game was dominated by the strong wind that blew right up the top pitch. Shamrocks played with it in the first half, but Ballygarvan were the first to settle, getting a few points into the breeze. Shamrocks gradually fought their way back into it and fine points from Colin O?Sullivan, Terence O?Sullivan, Chris O?Neill, Pat O?Sullivan and Darragh Collins, all from play put Shamrocks back in front approaching half time. Dave Bourke from play and Colin O?Sullivan from a 21 yard free scored Shamrocks goals coming up to half time and this gave them a 2-10 to 0-4 lead facing into the wing in the second half. While Shamrocks scored only 0-2 in the second half, Ballygarvan were restricted to 3 goals and a few points, a few wides costing them towards the end. Shamrocks just about held on in the end for a deserved narrow win. On the day, Michael Prout showed his class on many an occasion, along with Senan Andrews and Seanan Collins in the half back line. Pat Sullivan (until he went off injured) and Chris O?Neill worked tirelessly at midfield. Colin O?Sullivan had a good game at half forward while Terence O?Sullivan and Darragh Collins had their moments.
On Monday, Shamrocks traveled to Delaneys to take on the home side and the excursions of the previous day (or night?) seemed to affect their performance. Shamrocks never really got going in this one. It was a lethargic display throughout yet Shamrocks could have won the game towards the end, finding themselves only a goal down with 5 minutes left, Delaneys wasting a pile of possession through wides. Darragh Collins, Brain Sweeney and Terence O?Sullivan from play and Colin O?Sullivan from a sideline cut were responsible for the Shamrocks total of 0-6, while Delaneys finished on 1-8. Indeed, the Colin O'Sullivan sideline cut is an interesting story! About 35 yards out, he struck a beauty over the bar into the wind. To his disappointment, the referee wasnt ready so it had to be retaken. The Delaneys player who was standing in front of Colin 'dared' hi?ם??- '࿠տ񱟿??g?!ǣ?him 5 pints after the match. Much to the delight of everyone on the sideline, Colin did exectly that, right over the centre point. It raised the biggest cheer of the day, even from the Delaneys players, except yer man, who ran off with his tails between his legs, and he didnt open his mouth for the rest of the game! Just shows you that the phrase 'let your hurling do the talking' can sometimes be proved true. Well done Professor O'Sullivan!

Junior Football League - 2/3
Shamrocks 0-6, Ballygarvan 1-14
Ballygarvan were the visitors to the lower pitch at Shanbally last Sunday and they showed just why they are SE champions with a very impressive display of football. The half time score of 1-9 to 0-1 tells its own story and this was achieved despite Shamrocks playing with the hill and the wind in the first half. Ballygarvans strong running, support play and fitness had the Shamrocks team all at sea in that period, with wave after wave of Ballygarvan attack ending in scores. Steven O?Neill scored Shamrocks point from a free just before half time. However, the disappointment of the team and mentors on that first half hour was forgotten about in the second half as Shamrocks upped their performance considerably, without ever threathening the Ballygarvan lead. The half back line became more of a force and Shamrocks enjoyed a lot more possession. Further points from O?Neill, Seanan Collins, Colin O?Sullivan and Ian Breen brought Shamrocks back within 7 points of the visitors before Ballygarvan reinserted themselves with some late points. They go on and qualify for the league semi-finals along with Kinsale, who had a better scoring record than Shamrocks, who are eliminated. Team: M.Fitzgerald, C.Brady, P.Prout, K.Hegarty, N.Hayes, D.Sheehan, S.Andrews, B.Sweeney, M.Prout, S.Collins, I.Breen, D.Bourke, S.O?Neill, C.O?Sullivan, C.Tierney. subs used ? J.Sweeney

2nd Mar 2003

Junior Football League - 22/2
Shamrocks 2-13, Crosshaven 2-2
A third game undefeated leaves Shamrocks in an excellent position to qualify for the League semi finals. This was a game that Shamrocks completely dominated territorially, yet Crosshaven kept in touch until well into the second half. The first half saw Shamrocks with 80% of the possession , playing into the wind, yet, unbelievably, the trailed at half time. They scored most of their points in that half from Steven O?Neill from frees, the Shamrocks midfield and half line being fouled every time they came through the middle. Seanan Collins was the other scorer from play and Shamrocks were 0-7 to 0-2 in front approaching the short whistle. Yet Crosshaven punished some slack Shamrocks defending to score 2 quick goals before half time to lead. The second half was Shamrocks out of the blocks straight away, with Dave Bourke, Brian Sweeney and Steven O?Neill again registering Shamrocks points to claw ahead until subs Mark Hickey (1-1) and Colin O? Sullivan finished the contest with goals. To their credit, Crosshaven played played good football till the end and added a goal from a penalty and a point to their score. On the day, Todds Sweeney, Colin Brady, Nicky Hayes and Senan Collins were Shamrocks best players. Team: M.Fitzgerald, C.Brady, P.Prout, D.Stuart, N.Hayes, D.Sheehan, K.Hegarty, B.Sweeney, C.Ronayne, S.Andrews, S.Collins, C.Tierney, S.O?Neill, D.Collins, D.Bourke. subs used ? C.O?Sullivan, M.Hickey, D.O?Neill, D.Kilgannon, D.Roche

Carrigdhoun/City Minor A Football League - 2/3
Shamrocks 3-6, St Vincents 4-7
Things haven?t clicked for the Minors yet this year so far and this trend continued at Shanbally on Sunday morning. Vincents were a handy team with some good forwards and really should have won by more. But credit to Shamrocks, despite playing below par again, they hung in there right till the end and were a tad unlucky not to be closer at the finish. Vincents got their goals at vital stages, their first half goal the difference between the teams at half time, despite Senan Andrews and Joe Shanahan?s points. Shamrocks did dominate after the break and Barry Mulqueen?s goal and Cian O?Neill point brought them to within 2 points of the visitors. But Vincents enjoyed most of the possession for the next 10 to 15 minutes and 2 very soft goals conceded in this period effectively ended the game as a contest. Shamrocks did plug away and Chris O?Neill and Shanahan?s goals brought the greens right back into it again. However, Vincents broke again and sent over the insurance point. Overall, better than the previous weeks performances, but plenty of work still to do. Team: R.O?Sullivan, R.Brien, D.Tuohy, S.Bourke, S.Andrews, C.O?Neill, O.Boland, T.O?Sullivan, J.Shanahan, R.McCarthy, C.Fitzpatrick, N.Tuohy, C.O?Neill, B.Mulqueen, D.Hayes. subs used ? T.Barrett, G.Foley

16th Feb 2003

Carrigdhoun/City Minor A Football League - 16/2
Shamrocks 0-10, Tracton 2-5
A second successive defeat for Shamrocks in the league. Shamrocks played below expectations on the day. They enjoyed plenty of possession but a lack of punch up front was evident. Shamrocks played with the strong breeze in the first half and were 7 points up at half time, Senan Andrews, Oisin Boland, Niall Tuohy and Chris O?Neill doing the scoring. Tracton came much more into the game and started to pick off their scores. They went ahead inside the last 5 minutes and held on. Team: D.Kirwan, P.Stuart, D.Tuohy, R.Brien, O?Boland, C.O?Neill, R.McCarthy, T?O?Sullivan, S.Andrews, C.O?Neill, B.Mulqueen, S.Bourke, P.J.O?Dwyer, C.Fitzpatrick,

Junior Football League - 16/2
Carrigaline 0-6, Shamrocks 0-10
Shamrocks had a good win over neighbours Carrigaline on Sunday afternoon in Carrigaline, winning by 0-10 to 0-6. This was a tough game of football and the teams were evenly matched all through, with very few goal-scoring chances created. It was close at half time and it was only in the last 10 minutes of the game that Shamrocks pulled away, getting the winning scores. Brain Sweeney, Cian Ronayne, Michael Prout and Ian Allen did most of the scoring for the greens. Team: M.Fitzgerald, C.Brady, P.Prout, D.Stuart, N.Hayes, D.Sheehan, K.Hegarty, B.Sweeney, M.Prout, C.Ronayne, S.Collins, C.Tierney, S.O?Neill, D.Collins, D.Bourke. subs used ? I.Allen, A.Geary

9th Feb 2003

Carrigdhoun/City Minor A Football League 9/2
Bishopstown 2-7, Shamrocks 1-7
The concession of 2 goals, one in each half, just proved too much of a handicap to overcome at an extremely heavy pitch at Bishopstown on Sunday last. Shamrocks were considerably understrength on the day but put up a good performance nevertheless, before fading before the end. Team: R.O?Sullivan, R.McCarthy, D.Tuohy, R,Brien, S.Bourke, C.O?Neill, P.Stuart, T.O?Sullivan, D.Kirwan, O?Boland, S.Andrews, D.Hayes, N.Tuohy, B.Mulqueen, P.J.O?Dwyer.

Carrigdhoun Junior Football League - 9/2
Shamrocks 0-11, Kinsale 2-5
A strong finish, which yielded 3 points without reply, achieved a share of the spoils for Shamrocks at Shanbally on Sunday afternoon last. Kinsale were more forceful in the first half and deserved their lead of 3 points at the interval. Strong defending by the Shamrocks backs and some good football at midfield and up front brought about the revival. Team: M.Fitzpatrick, C.Brady, P.Prout, D.Stuart, N.Hayes, D.Sheehan, K.Hegarty, B.Sweeney, M.Prout, C.Tierney, A,Geary, D.Bourke, S.O?Neill, D.Collins, S.Collins. Subs used: I.Breen, T.Forde, I.Allen, C.O?Sullivan

20th Dec 2002

Carrigdhoun/City Minor A Football League Semi Final - 1/12
Valley Rovers 1-6, Shamrocks 0-3
A most dissapointing end to the playing year for Shamrocks as Valleys qualified for the Final of this competition. The simple fact, as one can see from the scoreline, was the poor return from the forwards. Only one score came from play while Valleys had built up a 5 point lead at half time, having played with the wind. Shamrocks attacked with the wind, but didnt really have the ability to prise open the Valleys defence. Again, the Shamrocks backs played well on the day.

Underage Get Togother - 30/11
There was a very enjoyable get togother for the U12's, U10's and U8's on Saturday November 30 at the track. Each group of players played a game amoungst each other on the bottom field and as one would expect from these age groups, they didnt mind the heavy conditions one bit. Afterwards, they went into the clubhouse for food and refreshments. An enjoyable day was had by everyone in recognition of their efforts during the year on the field of play, and lets hope we'll see the same players and more out next year representing Shamrocks. Well done to chairperson Pat Tuohy and his hard working committee for their efforts and to everyone who showed up on the day.

9th Nov 2002

Carrigdhoun/City Minor B Hurling League Final - 9/11
Shamrocks 5-7, Whitechurch 3-11
After suffering much heartbreak in the 3 previous weekends, this was a fantastic victory for Shamrocks over the city champions at Ballinlough. This game doubled up as a County League Quarter final as well so the victory was all the sweeter. With only one training session put in the night before the match and going into the match with a host of injuries, this was a tall order for Shamrocks. But they rose to the occasion and their ability to get goals at crucial stages was the winning of the game for Shamrocks, Chris O'Neill, Barry Mulqueen and David Bourke (3-1) contributing.

Seanan Collins scored the frees and Ciaran Fitzpatrick was consistent throughout. The new midfield partnership of Terence O'Sullivan and Stephen O'Reilly was a great success with O'Sullivans striking in the wet in particular a feature towards the end when Shamrocks were under much pressure. Stand in keeper Joe Shanahan cleared his lines effictively as did Tadhg Fordy, Dave O'Neill, Rory Brien, Nicky Hayes and a back on form Senan Andrews.

3rd Nov 2002

Minor A Football Championship Final - 3/11
Carrigaline 0-8, Shamrocks 0-7
This was absolute heartbrake for a Shamrocks team who met the formidable Carrigaline challenge head on with a display of real guts and character but who suffered defeat in the worst possible manner - a last minute point having led for the entire game up till then. Credit to both teams: the huge crowd was treated to a brillant, exciting game of November football. It was just a pity that somebody had to loose. Shamrocks had the wind advantage in the first half and after a few opening scores from both side, they went on to dominate the rest of the half, pinning back Carrigaline for long periods. One or two goal chances went abegging along the way which could have changed things entirely. The second half was always going to be about containment and an early point from Shanahan opened the gap to 4 points. From here on it was backs to the wall stuff as Carrigaline got on top at midfield and poured forward in search of scores. They werent forthcoming as much as expected and for a while it looked as if Shamrocks might hold on for a famous win. But Carrigaline scored two points in the last minutes to edge ahead. Shamrocks made one last drive forward into the wind but a point attempt came up short and the cup was Carrigalines. While the disappointment was acute amoungst Shamrocks players, mentors and supporters, it is worth remembering Shamrocks got hammered by the same opposition 2 years ago in the U16 final. The huge gap that existed is now gone and a lot of the team are underage again next year. Team: S.McGarry, D.Tuohy, D.Stuart, D.O'Neill, D.Bourke, C.O?Neill, S.O'Reilly, T?O?Sullivan, N.Hayes, S.Andrews, E.O'Mahony, S.Collins, S.Carroll, S.Carroll, J.Shanahan, T.Forde.

26th Oct 2002

Minor B County Hurling Championship Semi - 26/10
Shamrocks 0-3, Aghada 4-11
One suspected that Shamrocks lost their chance to shock Aghada the previous week in the drawn game and this wes clearly evident in the replay in yet more driving rain at Brinny. Aghada made no mistake this time and apart from the first 15 minutes when things were pretty even, when Shamrocks saw a couple of goal chances go astray, they were well on top. Shamrocks didnt score in the second half, largely due to the fact that they started going for goals from the off. Nothing much really went right on the day while Aghada had all their big guns on top form. Chris O'Neill was Shamrocks best player on the day. Team: T.O'Sullivan, R.Brien, T,Forde, S.O'Reilly, D.O?Neill, S.Andrews, N.Hayes, C.O'Neill, S.Collins, B.Mulqueen, C.Fitzpatrick, E.O'Rahilly, D.Bourke, J.Shanahan, S.McGarry. Subs D.Stuart.

20th Oct 2002

Minor B County Hurling Championship - 20/10
Shamrocks 2-7, Aghada 1-10
Shamrocks very nearly pulled off a major shock against fancied Aghada at wet and windy Blarney. It was a miracle that this game went ahead at all as the conditions were appalling. Playing with the wind and with Aghada having no answer to Shamrocks on-form full forward Joseph Shanahan, Shamrocks led 1-7 to 0-2 at half time, Shanahan scoring 5 wonderful points from play. David Bourke scrambled an early goal. To add further impetus after the break, Seanan Collins struck a 21 to the net and Shamrocks were in with a real chance here. But Agahda started firing after this and chipped away at the lead until they got the equalisr with the last puck of the game. Team: T.O'Sullivan, R.Brien, T,Forde, S.O'Reilly, D.O?Neill, S.Andrews, N.Hayes, C.O'Neill, S.Collins, B.Mulqueen, C.Fitzpatrick, E.O'Rahilly, D.Bourke, J.Shanahan, S.McGarry.

26th Aug 2002

Minor A Football Championship - 20/8
Shamrocks 1-13, Ballinhassig 1-4
Shamrocks are into the semi-final after this nine points victory over Ballinhassig at Ballygarvan last week. After some early scores from both teams, Shamrocks pulled away coning up to half time and opened up that nine points margin, a margin they were to keep to the end. Joe Shanahan, Senan Andrews and Chris O?Neill kicked the Shamrocks points while Seanan Collins goal midway through the first half was the launching pad for the victory. Team: K.McGarry, D.Tuohy, D.Stuart, N.Hayes, D.Bourke, C.O?Neill, D.O?Neill, S.Andrews, T?O?Sullivan, B.Mulqueen, J.Shanahan, E.O?Mahony, S.Collins, S.Carroll, T.Forde. subs used: S.O?Reilly, E.O?Rahilly, R.McCarthy, N.Tuohy, O.Boland
Shamrocks went on to beat Ballinhassig by 6 points in the semi final proper.

19th Aug 2002

City Junior Hurling League - 19/8
Douglas 0-14, Shamrocks 2-10
Shamrocks championship hurling season may be over but if this game is anything to go by, there is still a bit of life left in the season yet. This was a game Shamrocks went up to lose and things were going according to plan at half time, Douglas 0-10, Shamrocks 0-4. Michael Prout, playing in goal due to a slight injury, made two wonderful saves in that first half to keep Shamrocks within reasonable distance of the home team. Again both teams went through the motions in the first 10 minutes of the second half and the gap was the same. Whatever happened (we don?t know), somehow The United Nations of Shamrocks got the bit between their teeth all over the field. They started to finally get some scores from play through Patrick Andrews, Colin O?Sullivan, Andrew O?Neill and Rob Lannon smashed one to the net. Still the vagabonds were a point down when good old Ken Coveney, using all his height and speed, popped up with his yearly rasper to win the game. It was a most welcome result for the team which featured some of the following returning players from hibernation ? Robert Lannon from Rotterdam (first game in a year), ?The Quiet Man? Pa Andrews, returning from the Conemara Gaeltacht, D?arcy (first game in 21 years), the fisherman from Alaska, Jamie ?Mackey? McCarthy (first game in 8 years) and a few others who hadn?t played in a few months. Along side these, Finny O?Flaherty, Brian Beale, Conor Tierney, Darren Roche, Stephen O?Reilly, Brian Sweeney, Bernard Hickey and Dick Andrews were other stars on the night.

Minor A Football Championship - 20/6
Shamrocks 1-13, Ballinhassig 1-4
Shamrocks had a merited victory over a spirited Ballinhassig side on Tue night. Seanan Collins first half goal plus points from Senan Andrews, Joe Shanahan (0-9) and Chris O'Neill were responsible for the scoring side of things while the defence as a whole played well. Ballinhassig certainly didn't lie down without a fight, although their goal came from the last kick of the game. Shamrocks may well end up playing Ballinhassig in the semi final as they are favourites to come out of the loosers group.

24th June 2002

Junior Hurling League - 19/6
Shamrocks 1-9, Glen Rovers 4-11
Shamrocks gave a good enough account of themselves against City champions, Glen Rovers, who won 4-11 to 1-9 last Monday week. The difference here were the goals ? three of the Glen?s goals were of the very soft variety. Otherwise, Shamrocks battled hard against more skillful opponents and were unlucky with some goal attempts, especially in the first half. Ken Tierney was the Shamrocks goal scorer, scoring with a fabulous ground shot, which had the Glen goalkeeper rooted to the spot. They plugged away in the second half after the 4 goals were scored without ever threatening to make a significant comeback.

Non Exam Minor Leagues - 21/6
A couple of games have been played in the last week. In hurling on Thursday, Tracton were the opponents and on yet another wet night, a Shamrocks team short a number of regulars went down to a flurry of late Tracton points, after a battling display, a result which could have gone either way with 10 minutes to go. Final Score 0-10 to 1-4 for Tracton. Whatever about the hurling, Shamrocks have qualified for the final in the football group. This was after drawing with Kilmurry away on the Tuesday. The boys need a rest at this stage and will get it as the final, probably against a strong Macroom team (who Shamrocks beat by 1 point earlier), wont be held for a week or two.

U12 Hurling - 22/6
Shamrocks 4-8, Douglas3 2-6
Shamrocks ran out 8 point winners on the day, 4-8 to 2-6. Philip Brady was top scorer with 0-7, while Brian Cusack, Stephen Downey, Alan McCarthy and Jonathan Tuohy played well

U14 Hurling - 21/6
Shamrocks 0-3, Carrigaline 2 1-1
Report to follow

17th June 2002

Junior Hurling Championship - 15/6
Ballymartle 3-11, Shamrocks 2-9
Even though a strong Ballymartle junior team beat Shamrocks in the opening game of the Round Robin by 5 points here, this was an encouraging performance from the men in green. Fielding a young and depleted team, they made a huge effort, especially in the second half, when they found themselves 9 points down, but they ran out of time in the end. The game was played in the worst possible conditions ? a constant downpour throughout ? and both teams are to be commended on a clean, high scoring game of hurling. Ten minutes in and Ballymartle led 1-3 to 0-0 and a rout looked on. But inspired by captain Finny Flaherty at full-back, a strong half-back line and Darragh Collins at half-forward, Shamrocks came more into the game and the half time score stood at 2-6 to 0-5, the Ballymartle goal a sideline cut which made its way to the back of the net. The lads settled down in the second half (after conceding another goal within the first minute) and played some good hurling in this period. Colin O?Sullivan was back on form, both in play and from frees and he scored both Shamrocks goals. He played a big part in the Shamrocks comeback. Ballymartle kept Shamrocks at arms length on the scoreboard, replying with a score to every Shamrocks score. They were put to the pin of their collar by a satisfying Shamrocks display under the circumstances. On that Shamrocks side, apart form the players mentioned above, young Senan Andrews at half back gave a brilliant performance, time and time again soloing the ball out of danger. Alongside him, Darren Roche and another U17, Stephen O?Reilly, Pat O?Sullivan and Willie Ashman had their moments. Team : T.O?Sullivan, M.Kidney, F.O?Flaherty, D.Sheehan, S.Andrews, D.Roche, S.O?Reilly, P.O?Sullivan, C.O?Neill, B.Hickey, A.Aherne, C.O?Sullivan, D.Collins, W.Ashman, B.Beale. Sub used ? J.O?Sullivan.

Non Exam Leagues
A few games have been played in the last week or so. Bantry Blues made the long trip to Shanbally but Shamrocks made sure it was in vain by sending them packing on a scoreline of 3-6 to 0-9. However, this was a lethargic Shamrocks display. It was only when Joe Shanahan put the ball in the Bantry net 5 minutes from thime could Shamrocks breathe a sigh of relief. Senan Andrews scored the other 2 Shamrocks goals. In hurling, on Monday night, an accomplished Barryroe outfit made the trip to Shanbally worthwhile after a 2-13 to 1-10 victory. However, this was a close game all through and could easily have gone the other way. Shamrocks were behind at half time, 1-8 to 0-6; however, they made a big effort in the second half, with Senan Andrews scoring 1-3 in that time, and were searching for the equalising goal in injury time when Barryroe broke for the killer goal. Barryroe qualified for the final as a result of this victory

10th June 2002

Junior Football Championship - 7/6
Kinsale 2-14, Shamrocks 1-4
Shamrocks bowed out tamely of the championship in Camden last Fiday night. Make no mistake about this score ? Shamrocks were hammered. Kinsale improved from their last performance while Shamrocks did the opposite. This explains the 12 point difference at the end. Kinsale were on top in every sector of the pitch and taught the young Shamrocks team a footballing lesson. Alan Aherne was the only Shamrocks player to come out of the game with any credit and this on the back of an excellent second half. The half time score was 2-6 to 1-3, Michael Kidney with the goal, the only bright bit of play really from Shamrocks. However, Kinsale just went up the field to score 2 quick goals to finish off Shamrocks. The half-time talk stressed the need to get some early scores. But it was Kinsale who got them to pull right away. In fact, Shamrocks didn?t score in the second half until 2 minutes from the end. Team: M.Fitzgerald, C.O?Mahony, A.Aherne, C.Brady, D.Sheehan, I.Breen, C.O?Neill, M.Prout, B.Sweeney, B.Hickey, M.Kidney, S.Andrews, S.O?Neill, D.Collins, J.Shanahan. Sub used ? C.Tierney

Junior Hurling League - 9/6
Passage 3-10, Shamrocks 1-7
Sundays City league game against Passage was used as preperation for the upcoming championship game against Ballymartle.Passage deserveadly won on a scoreline of 3-11 to 1-7. Shamrocks were just trying out some new players in new, unfamiliar positions and were always going to lose this game. They started brightly with Willie Ashman playing well at centre-back but then Passage got scome scores while playing against the gale force wind. Half time was 1-5 to 0-4 to Passage. Passage dominated most of the second half, Shamrocks only came back into it near the end when they played some better hurling. Chris O?Neill, Pat O?Sullivan and Bernard Hickey tried hard for Shamrocks.

U12 Hurling - 10/6
Kinsale 2-5, Shamrocks 2-2

U14 Hurling - 7/6
The U14 hurlers had a one sided victory over Crosshaven last Friday night in Shanbally, with Stephen Twomey the outstanding player on the field at centre back. Stephen also played centre back for Carrigdhoun U14 hurlers who won the Inter-divisional tournament over the weekend and played well by all accounts. Also well done to John ?socket? Twomey who helped out with the preparation of the team.

Non Exam Minor Leagues
The footballers continued their unbeaten run on Tuesday night with a high scoring win against Glanmire, 6-9 to 3-4. A strange game in many ways. Shamrocks led by 3-2 to 0-4 at half time having played against the wind but should have been so much farther in front against a Glanmire team who werent on the same level as Shamrocks. The selectors gave the lads a bit of a toungu lashing at half time and it worked. They added a lot more scores to lead by 5-8 to 0-4 but then 1. brought on all their subs and 2. Conceded 3 goals in as many minutes to give Glanmire hope. Order was soon restored however and the ball spent the rest of the game at the other end.

3rd June 2002

Junior Football - 2/6
Ballygarvan 2-12, Shamrocks 4-7
Shamrocks warmed up for this Fridays nights championship do or die championship clash with Kinsale with a morale boosting win over Ballygarvan last Sunday morning. This was a good team performance overall. Shamrocks found themselves a point down at half time but managed to reverse that deficit in the second half. Joe Shanahan got 1-3, and the 2 Hickey brothers Mark and Bernard, were responsible for the other 3 Shamrocks goals. Team: P.Cusack, D.Sheehan, A.Aherne, C.Brady, D.Roche, I.Breen, C.O?Neill, B.Sweeney, M.Prout, C.Tierney, C.O?Mahony, B.Hickey, S.O?Neill, M.Hickey, J.Shanahan. Sub used M.Fitzgerald

U12 Hurling - 3/6
Three games were played in the last week and defeat was avoided in all games. The closest and most exciting game was against Ballygarvan and it ended in a draw, Ballygarvan 0-10, Shamrocks 2-4. The defence was the best part of the Shamrocks display here and Stephen Hurley, John Horgan, Stephen Downey, Roisin Breen and Mark Jordan played well for Shamrocks on the night. Philip Brady scored 1-1 in the last few minutes to earn Shamrocks the draw. Shamrocks then had a comfortable win against Crosshaven last Saturday, 2-19 to 1-2. The feature here was Michael O?Neill?s almost incredible haul of 0-14, mostly from play. Jon Tuohy (2 goals), Darragh O?Sullivan and Alan McCarthy were the feature players for the greens in this one. Monday night, Douglas 4 were defeated easily in Shanbally. Philip Brady (5-3), Johnathan Tuohy (5 goals), Aaron Hickey (1 goal), Brian Cusack (1 goal) and Jordan Wells were the stars for Shamrocks. So, a good start to the hurling season from the lads.

Non Exam Minor Leagues
Two victories in the last week for the lads who alternate between football and hurling every 4 days. First the football. Shamrocks made the long trip to close to Baltimore to play Ilen Rovers and left with the points after rarely being troubled. Shamrocks led 1-6 to 1-4 at half time after having played into the strong wind and in fact, Ilen Rovers didn?t score in the second half while Shamrocks scored at will. Joe Shanahan (1-6) and Tadhg Forde (0-4) were top scorers while Kieran McGarry in goal, Nicky Hayes, Stephen O'Reilly and Niall Tuohy (1-0) played well. Next the hurling on Saturday. Shamrocks lost a County final 2 years ago to Clonakilty at U16 level. This was revenge. Shamrocks reversed proceedings 5-5 to 2-11. Dave Bourke, playing in the 2 man full forward line, was the star of the show, scoring 3-2, all but a point coming from play. Barry Mulqueen and Joe Shanahan scored the other goals.

20th May 2002

Junior Hurling - 14/5
St Finbarrs 2-15, Shamrocks 1-8
In preperation for this Saturday nights first round championship game against Kinsale, Shamrocks played two games in the City League this week. Firstly, a 2-15 to 1-10 loss to St.Finbarrs. Compared to the week before, this was a much improved performance from a weakened Shamrocks team. The 'Barrs played with the wind in the first half and with the help of their deadly free taker led 2-10 to 1-4 at half time, Patrick Andrews responsible for 1-1 of the Shamrocks total. The second half saw Shamrocks come more into it with the wind and scored 5 quick points after the restart to come right back into the game. However, a tired Shamrocks midfield, who had dominated up to that point, faded from the game and St.Finbarrs finished up matters with a couple of points.

Non Exam Minor Leagues
On Tuesday in Football, Shamrocks scored a last minute goal to defeat a strong Macroom team, to continue their unbeaten run in football. This was a great team display all through, final score 2-8 to 1-10.

U21 B Football Championship Final - 18/5
Shamrocks 3-8, Ballymartle 2-7
Shamrocks captured the B title for the first time in a few years, when they beat a gallant Ballymartle side at a wet Ballygarvan last Saturday night. Shamrocks were pushed all the way and the result was in doubt up until Senain Collins scored the decisive third Shamrocks goal to put them 6 points ahead with only 5 minutes remaining. The first half was even enough with Shamrocks, having played with the breeze, only leading by 2 points. Barry Mulqueen and Eoin O?Mahony after a great team movement, scored the Shamrocks goals while Stephen O?Neill from frees was responsible for most of the Shamrocks points. Half time 2-4 to 2-2. The players responded to the half time rollicking by playing better football in the second half, the half back lines and midfield coming more into the game. Both teams tipped away with points before Collins? late effort, again after a great move, effectively finished off the game. Team ? S.McGarry, D.Stuart, C.Brady, C.O?Neill, S.Andrews, D.Bourke, M.Prout, C.O?Mahony, S.Collins, J.Shanahan, E.O?Mahony, S.O?Neill, B.Mulqueen. Subs used ? N.Hayes.

U12 Football Final - 20/5
Courcey Rovers 6-6, Shamrocks 2-9
Shamrocks made the long journey to Ballinspittle last week and in the end were beaten by a fine Courceys team. The first half was evenly contested with the locals leading at half time by 1 point. Rovers more all round ability was evident in the second half. The game was watched by as big a crowd seen at any underage game in recent times.

13th May 2002

U12 Football Semi - 13/5
Shamrocks 5-11, Carrigaline 1-5
Shamrocks played Carrigalines second team twice last weekend, winning both games comfortably. The first game was the last round of the league, while the second one, featured here, was the semi final of the same competition. It was played in Brinny, and featured Philip Brady scoring 2-6 for the second successive game, Johnathan Tuohy (2-0), Stephen Hurley (1-0) and Mark Jordan (0-3). Brian Cusack in goal, Roisin Breen, John Horgan, David Spillane and Stephen Downey played well for Shamrocks in both games.

U14 Football Semi - 12/5
Carrigaline 5-6, Shamrocks 0-6
This game was played in artrocious conditions last weekend and resulted in Carrigaline getting the vital goals at vital times to win the game handily enough. It was even enough early on, but Carrigalines three quick goals in the second half finished off Shamrocks brave effort.

Junior Hurling - 7/5
Courcey Rovers 2-10, Shamrocks 0-6
A disappointing performance from Shamrocks under the darkening skies of Ballinspittle last week. Apart from the opening 20 minutes and the first 10 minutes of the second half, Shamrocks played second fiddle to a Courceys team that played some nice hurling at times. Stephen O'Neill, Andrew O'Neill, Colin O'Sullivan and Darragh Collins got the Shamrocks scores while Colin Brady and Declan Sheehan were the only Shamrocks players to perform on the wet night.

Non Exam Minor Leagues
Shamrocks have entered the 12-a-side leagues in both hurling and football and played a game in both in the last week. On Tuesday night,. they started the football league with a win over Aghabollogue on a huge pitch in Coachford. Chris O'Neill was top scorer with 1-4, while Senan Andrews got 1-1. On Saturday night, a rusty hurling team played their first hurling match and had to settle for second best to Ballinascarthy, who won by 4-8 to 2-5. Eventhough the visitors to Shanbally had more better players throughout their team, Shamrocks tried hard till the very end with Dave Bourke top scorer with 1-2. Ciaran Fitzpatrick scored the other Shamrocks goal.

U16 B Football League - 8/5
Shamrocks 0-14, Valley Rovers 2-10
A heart breaking defeat for Shamrocks was compensated for the fact that they took part in a superb game of high scoring football. Shamrocks should have won this game but Valley Rovers 2 goals midway through the second half swung the game in their favour. Shamrocks first half performance was their best of the season. From goalkeeper Eanna Cole, to full-backs Sergui whatshisname from Russia, Paul Stuart, Oisin Boland, Terence O'Sullivan and Darren Kirwan at midfield and David Hayes at centre forward, Shamrocks had some tremendous displays. Some of the Shamrocks scores were of the highest quality, particularly Darren Kirwan, Terence O'Sullivan, Dave Hayes, Ronan O'Sullivan and Cian O'Neill's points. Valley Rovers were on the back foot throughout, but managed to stay within 3 points at half time. Shamrocks tagged on 3 points within five minutes of the restart to go 6 points in front. But then Valley Rovers struck for a sloppy goal and all of a sudden Shamrocks couldnt win a kickout. Another goal and a few points later, Valleys were in front by 3. Shamrocks laid seige to the Rovers goal in search of the dramatic winner but the visitors just about held out. Well done to both teams on a brillant game of exciting football. Shamrocks can go into this championship with confidence in September after this encouraging display. They get a break now until after the exams.

U12 Football League- 6/5
Valley Rovers 2-4, Shamrocks 4-8
Shamrocks were in control against a youthful Rovers side at Innishannon on Monday night. Some early Philip Brady goals set them up for the victory, while Stephen Hurley, Michael O'Neill and Roisin Breen showed up well.

6th May 2002

Junior Hurling
Bishopstown 2-8, Shamrocks 2-8
Both teams must be commended for serving up a thriller in Bishopstown last week. This match was played in terrible conditions, with the 'brown' ball proving hard to find, especially in the fading light. It was tough going all through with scores hard to come by. Bishopstown, who played a number of their Intermediate team (in preperation for their Championship this weekend) led at half time by 1-2 to 0-3. The second half was a bit more free flowing with Shamrocks coming back from a goal down twice to draw. Stephen O'Neill's frees, Senan Andrews and Darragh Collins accounted for most of the Shamrocks points while Stephen O'Reilly and anybody in the scrum in front of the goal scored the goals.

U16 B Football League - 1/5
Carrigaline 3-6, Shamrocks 3-3
Shamrocks are ruled out of qualifying for the knockout stages of the league after this 3 point defeat. While Shamroks lost this one narrowly, it was a much improved performance from the previous week and the lads must take the credit for it. This will be an interesting championship meeting later on in the summer between these two teams. On the night, Oisin Boland, Sean Bourke, Donal McAulliffe and Terence O?Sullivan were Shamrocks beat players, while Ronan O?Sullivan, Terence O?Sullivan and Cian O?Neill scored the Shamrocks goals. Ronan O?Sullivan was again unlucky with one or two goalbound efforts that were, not for the first time this season, attracted to the crossbar.

U12 Football League - 6/8
Valley Rovers 2-4, Shamrocks 4-8
Shamrocks were in control against a youthful Rovers side at Innishannon on Monday night. Some early Philip Brady goals set them up for the victory, while Stephen Hurley, Michael O'Neill and Roisin Breen showed up well.

U10 Football Blitz - 6/8
Shamrocks beat Tracton and had narrow defeats at Carriagline and Crosshaven on Monday evening. Dara O'Sullivan, Johnathon, Daniel Breen, Laura McCarthy and Cathal Kidney showed up well.

29nd April 2002

U16 Football
Shamrocks 0-3, Tracton 3-10
Shamrocks capitulated completely to Tracton's supremacy in this league game which, believe it or not, would have put Shamrocks top of the table. A lack of consistancy is this teams problem, playing well one week and well below par the next. It was certainly the latter in this one. Shamrocks fell asleep for 2 minutes midway through the first half allowing Tracton to score a massive 2-3 in that time. That was the end of the game effectively. A much better second half performance was called for but in fact it got worse. Shamrocks didn't score in this time while Tracton piled on the agony. Only David Bourke and Niall Tuohy came out of this game with their reputations intact.

Junior B Hurlers
Shamrocks 2-9, Carrigaline 0-10
On Tuesday night in the fading light, Shamrocks and Carrigaline served up a typically lively encounter in the SE B League and Shamrocks came out winners by five points. It was the two goals from Darragh Collins and Alan Aherne just after half time which gave Shamrocks the cushion which they more or less kept until the end. Other than that it was even enough throughout the 60 minutes.

U21 Football Championship Semi's
Shamrocks 3-11, Carigaline 1-4
Shamrocks comfortably defeated Carrigalines second team in the B semi-final last Saturday night to set up a meeting with Ballymartle this Saturday night. Shamrocks led 3-2 to 0-3 at half time, Joseph Shanahan with two goals and Stephen O?Neill with the other. A good team performance overall, Shamrocks best players were Chris O?Neill, Colin O?Mahony and David Bourke.

U12 Football League - 29/4
Douglas 2-5, Shamrocks 6-8 - Tracton 2-10, Shamrocks 4-4
A win in atrocious conditions at Douglas on Saturday was followed by a hard earned draw at Minane Bridge on Monday evening. Brian Cusack, John Horgan, Thomas Pierce, Darragh O'Sullivan, Johnathan Tuohy, Philip Brady, Stephen Downey and Steven Hurley have been showing up well for the greens

22nd April 2002

Junior Hurling Season begins
Shamrocks 0-6, Na Piarsaigh 2-15
Shamrocks played two hurling matches in the last week. Iniscarra made the trip to Shanbally on a wet Friday night and leftb with a two point win. Two nights previous, the gulf in class was all to evident in Shamrocks first City League game. Na Piarsaigh were very strong on the night while Shamrocks showed that there?s lots of work to be done on the training ground yet. They hadn?t much preparation done for this one and one knew after 10 minutes that Piarsaigh?s were going to win. Every clearance from defence found one of their own men and they started picking off the points easily. Half-time score was 0-10 to 0-3. The second half was a bit more evenly contested but the visitors to Shanbally still picked off their scores to run out comfortable winners. Declan Sheehan, Conor Tierney, Mickey Prout, Senan Andrews and sub Stephen O'Reilly tried hard on the night.

U16 Football League
Ballygarvan 1-10, Shamrocks 2-8
Shamrocks came away from Ballygarvan with a victory which could easily have been a defeat on the night. The fact was that Ballygarvan outplayed Shamrocks for long periods, their ball retention excellent, but their shooting let them down at times. It?s surely a good sign for Shamrocks that they didn?t play well on the night yet still managed to sneak a win. The selectors made some positional switches throughout the game and these certainly worked. Donal McAulliffe to full-back, Simon McGarry to centre-back, David Tuohy to half-back, Terence O?Sullivan to midfield, David Hayes to centre forward and the introduction of Stephen Jones to corner forward when he scored a vital point chief amoungst them. Hayes and Ronan O?Sullivan were responsiblke for the Shamrocks goals and Darren Kirwan was very accurate from frees.

U14 Football League - 19/4
Tracton were comfortable winners in the end. Again, Shamrocks played well in the first half but some early goals in the second half for Tracton knocked the stuffing out of the Shamrocks challenge. In fairness to the players, they are improving slightly from week to week. On the night, Shamrocks best players were Aoife Breen, Cian McCann, Philip Brady, Owen Hickey and Nathan Kirwan.

U12 Football League - 22/4
Shamrocks dominated from start to finish and ran up a big total against Douglas 4 last Monday night. There was never much doubt about the outcome of this one and most of the Shamrocks scoring was done by Philip Brady (2-6), Stephen Downey with 2 goals, Michael O?Neill and Mark Jordan, while John Horgan, Roisin Breen, Colin Murphy and Alan McCarthy played well.

15th April 2002

Junior Football Championship
Courcey Rovers 2-13, Shamrocks 2-7
Shamrocks pushed Courcey?s until the 55th minute at Ballygarvan last Saturday night before getting swamped in the last few minutes. Courceys scored 1-3 in those last few minutes and it had looked likely up to that point as Shamrocks determined effort was being worn down all the time by the men from Ballinspittle. The game got off to a flyer of a start with 3 early goals, two of them to Shamrocks, Alan Aherne and Stephen O?Neill?s effort from the penalty spot being separated by a Courceys goal. Shamrocks were loosing their early dominance as half time approached; Courceys were doing just enough to keep within 2 points all the time. Shamrocks started the second half much better and scored 2 quick points to go 3 ahead. But one always felt that Courceys would get the upper hand eventually, and so it was. They got on top around the middle of the field and their forwards began to pick off the scores. It was a decent enough performance from Shamrocks who will play in the losers round sometime in June. They were best served on the night by Dick Andrews (until he got injured), Michael Prout who saw off a succession of opponents at centre back, and miracle man Brian Sweeney. Team: P.Cusack, D.Sheehan, C.O?Mahony, C.Brady, C.O?Neill, M.Prout, D.Andrews, I.Breen, S.Andrews, J.Shanahan, B.Sweeney, A.Geary, S.O?Neill, A.Aherne, D.Collins. Subs used ? M.Kidney, B.Hickey, C.Tierney, D.McCann

U16 Football League
Shamrocks 4-7, Courcey's 1-9
10/4 - A good victory for a depleted Shamrocks over Courceys on Wednesday night. Shamrocks won this game inside the first 15 minutes after which they were 2-3 to 0-0 ahead, Gavin Rogers with the two goals. Courceys were caught cold in this period and in fairness to them, they took over around the middle of the field and picked off some points before half time. Simon McGarry in goal made some good saves in that half. Half time score 2-3 to 0-4 for Shamrocks. The second half was more even with keeping Courceys at bay, replying with a point to every Courceys point. Stephen Dunne's goal stretcehed the lead to 8 points, Courceys came back with a goal straight away but Darren Kirwan's penalty more or less wrapped it up. Donal McAuliffe, Niall Tuohy, Darren Kirwan, Gavin Rogers, David Hayes and Stephen Jones played well.

City/Carrigdhoun Football League - 14/4
Douglas 0-4, Shamrocks 3-5
A good win against a strong Douglas second fifteen keeps Shamrocks on course for the knockout stages of the league. The game was more or less over at half time as Shamrocks led 2-3 to 0-1 and it could have been a lot more only for some sloppy shooting. Stephen Carroll scored 2-1 from half forward, while Joseph Shanahan finished with 1-2, his goal a typical solo effort. The Shamrocks half back line of Bourke, O?Neill and Tuohy were well on top while Eoghan O?Rahilly played well also at midfield, as did Eoin O?Mahony and Tadhg Forde in the forwards.

U12 Football League - 15/4
Ballygarvan 0-5 , Shamrocks 6-10
Two early goals set up Shamrocks for a comfortable win at Ballygarvan. Philip Brady (2-6), Arron Hickey, Johnathon Tuohy and Mickey O'Neill were the main Shamrocks scorers while Mark Jordan and Thomas Pierce showed up well.

8th April 2002

U21 Football Championship
Shamrocks 6-8, Belgooly 0-10.
The old adage that ?goals win games? was never more evident in this first round game held in Carrigaline last Saturday night. Shamrocks had the game over by half time with their extra class and ability to rip open the Belgooly defence at the appropriate time. Most of the scores came from quick ball released into the 2 man full-forward line (13 a side) of Stephen O?Neill (4-4) and Barry Mulqueen. Joseph Shanahan also scored a beauty in the first half which Shamrocks played into the breeze. Still Belgooly tried manfully to stay with Shamrocks without ever threatening a goal. They did score 10 points which was respectable enough scoring in itself but the youthful Shamrocks players, most of whom had being playing regular Minor Football recently, ran out comfortable winners in the end. There?s a small break now until the Semi-Finals on April 28. Shamrocks team: S.McGarry, D.Stuart, C.Brady, C.O?Neill, S.Andrews, N.Hayes, M.Prout, C.O?Mahony, S.Collins, J.Shanahan, E.O?Mahony, S.O?Neill, B.Mulqueen. Subs used: D.Bourke, S.Carroll, D.Tuohy

U14 Football League
Carrigaline 2-13, Shamrocks 0-4
Their first game in the league ended in defeat last week against a very strong Carrig team. Shamrocks played some great football in the first half and led 0-4 to 0-2 at half time. However, they were'nt able to sustain it in the second half. They lost their way around the middle of the field and the backs came under tremendous pressure. Carrigaline poured forward and got their scores to win the game. Shamrocks beat player on the night was Cian McCann at his new position of centre back and he was ably assisted by Aoife Breen, Cormac Horgan, Gary Ronayne and the returning Gavin Boland.

U12 Football League
Courcey Rovers 2-11, Shamrocks 3-7
A heartbreaking defeat for Shamrocks in their first league game of the year. They played some tremendous football in Ballinspittle over the hour but Courceys snatched victory with a point with the last kick of the game. Shamrocks best players on the night were Brian Cusack, Mark Jordan, John Hurley, Alan McCarthy and David Spillane.

1st April 2002

Easter Sunday Activities
Minor A Football League
Shamrocks 1-1, Ballinhassig 1-6
What can only be described as THE all-time worst performance from this particular bunch of lads, it is now hopefully out of the system for the bigger challenges, which lie ahead. Ballinhassig deserved their victory on the day without question; however they were helped by an insipid Shamrocks display. Ballinhassig raced into a 0-6 to 0-0 lead at half time after playing with the elements. You waited for Shamrocks to take over on the changeover but it never happened. Two scores from 60 minutes play, none of which came from the forwards, tells its own story. It was Shamrocks second defeat in the league while it was only Ballinhassigs second win. Funnily enough, they clash in the first round of the championship in August ? that?s the only consolation Shamrocks can take from this showing, that there?s enough time, backup and talent to bounce back. Despite all this, Shamrocks will qualify for the knock out stages of this league as most of the better teams have been beaten with 3 more league games to go.

Easter Sunday Dinner Dance
Pfizers Sports Complex was packed on Easter Sunday night form our Annual Dinner Dance. It was great to see so many familiar faces, mingling with so many great Shamrocks names from the past. Old and young were present on a very successful night for the club- well done to the staff of Pfizers who kept things running smoothly on the night.

25th March 2002

Sunday Triple Header at Shanbally
Minor A Football League
Shamrocks 2-6, St Vincents 0-8
Shamrocks continued their recent good performances with this victory over last years champions. Shamrocks were never in any danger in this game and their ability to get goals was the main difference between the teams. Shamrocks led by 1-3 to 0-3 at half time, Robert McCarthy with the goal. Senan Andrews and David Tuohy scored the other goals in the second half and while Vincents finished with a flurry of points, the game was well over at that stage. Team: S.McGarry, D.Tuohy, D.Stuart, D.O?Neill, S.O?Reilly, C.O?Neill, D.Bourke, E.O?Mahony, T.O?Sullivan, S.Andrews, S.Collins, O.Boland, C.Fitzpatrick, R.McCarthy. Subs used: N.Hayes, T.Forde.

Junior Hurling
Shamrocks played a useful challenge match on Sunday morning against Whitechurch who made the trip to Shanbally. No goals were scored in the game and Whitechurch ran out convincing winners, in a game played in wet conditions. The game was a nice workout for the City League campaign which begins mid April.

U16 Football League
Shamrocks 0-4, Douglas 2-9
Shamrocks were no match for Douglas on the day in their first game of the season. Short a number of regulars and with some of their players playing their 2nd and 3rd games of the day (!), Shamrocks only woke up in the second half. With a couple of league games already under their belt, Douglas caught Shamrocks cold in the first 20 minutes, by which time they had scored 2 fortuitous goals for a 2-5 total. Terence O?Sullivan had Shamrocks only point in that half. A much improved performance was asked for at half time and in fairness to the Shamrocks players, it was delivered. Shamrocks applied pressure to the Douglas goal for long periods but had only 3 points to show for their efforts, Ronan O?Sullivan at full-forward being unlucky with a few goal attempts. Backs Sean Bourke, Donal McAulliffe and in particular Oisin Boland had storming second halves while keeper Eanna Cole made some great point blank saves. There?s a break of a few weeks for this team when hopefully they?ll be better prepared for what lies ahead.

11th March 2002

Mixed Weekend
Minor A Football League
Shamrocks 2-6, Valley Rovers 1-4
A noteworthy scalp for Shamrocks with their third victory in a row, which sets them up nicely in the league table. This game was played in heavy conditions and a gale force wind and at one stage in the first half, the referee took both sets of players off the field as the hailstones and driving wing were so bad. Shamrocks were the much better team throughout the 60 minutes and deserved to win. The backs were well on top, particularly Dave Tuohy at corner back and the half backline of David Bourke, Chris O?Neill and Stephen O?Reilly. Shamrocks played good football into the wind and had some nice scores from Joe Shanahan and Senain Collins. They led at half time and consolidated their play in the second half. Wides were shot throughout in the blustery conditions but the Senain Collins goal gave them extra breathing space. Valley Rovers responded with a goal from an unstoppable shot and appeared to be getting on top but then Barry Mulqueen scored the clinching goal 5 minutes from the end and the game was as good as over. Team: S.McGarry, D.Tuohy, D.Stuart, N.Hayes, D.Bourke, C.O?Neill, S.O?Reilly, S.Andrews, T.O?Sullivan, S.Carroll, J.Shanahan, S.Collins, R.McCarthy, B.Mulqueen, C.Fitzpatrick. Subs used: T.Forde

Junior Football
Shamrocks 0-6, Kinsale 0-7
The simple story of this game, played in very heavy conditions in Shanbally last Sunday, was that Shamrocks should have won it. There was disappointment in the dressing room afterwards as Shamrocks knew this was a golden chance to beat the SE champions and County Finalists thrown away. Numerous chances went abegging throughout; certain points should have been goals, wides should have been slotted over, possession should have been converted into scores. It was almost a re-run of last years championship semifinal - Shamrocks much the better team in the first half, Kinsale coming back in the second. Shamrocks led at half time by one point after virtually owning the ball for the entire first half. However, the wind advantage was to be with Shamrocks in the second half. It made no difference ? Kinsale capitalised on some woeful Shamrocks finishing to put togother some nice scores to just come out on the right side of the scoreline. In years gone by, a scoreline like this might be viewed as a moral victory for Shamrocks ? and while there were some good performances, hopes are much higher now, and this loss was a blow to the team. It was the last competitive game before they take on Courcey Rovers in the Championship in a months time.
Team: P.Cusack, D.McCann, D.Sheehan, D.Andrews, C.O'Mahony, I.Breen, C.Ronayne, B.Sweeney, M.Prout, B.Hickey, S.Andrews, S.O'Neill, A.Geary, D.Collins, M.Kidney.Subs: P.Andrews, W.O'Sullivan, K.Tierney

4th March 2002

Another 2 Victories for Shamrocks over Weekend
Minor Football
Shamrocks 0-15, Ballygarvan 0-4
Shamrocks eventually ran out convincing winners after failing to make the most of many clear-cut first half chances. Shamrocks led 0-5 to 0-1 at half time after squandering numerous point blank chances. The mentors obviously had the remedy at half time and most of the chances were taken in the second half. Senan Andrews kicked 5 points from play, while Chris O'Neill kicked 2 points. Simon McGarry in goal was commanding, Daniel Stuart at full back was always dependable, Senain Collins was back to his beat in a forward role, while Robert McCarthy and Eoghan O?Rahilly who plenty of possession up front as well.

Junior Football Shamrocks 2-7, Ballinhassig 0-9
Another satisfactory result for the Juniors leaves them in a good position in the league after 2 games. A good performance from throughout the team again, but in particular the half-back and midfield was enough to give Shamrocks the 4 point cushion at the end. Darragh Collins scored 1-2 in the first half and this was more or less the margin at half time, with many Shamrocks attacks breaking down through poor final passing. Half-time score ? Shamrocks 1-3, Ballinhassig 0-3. Shamrocks enjoyed a purple patch midway through the second half when they dominated possession and scored 1-3 without reply and while Ballinhassig finished much the stronger, Shamrocks had done enough at that stage to build up a lead to collect the league points. A much bigger test lies ahead this weekend when SE champions Kinsale travel to Shanbally on Sunday afternoon.

Congratulations
Shamrocks Minor player Joseph Shanahan of Colaiste Chriost Ri played half forward for his school in the Corn Ui Mhuiri semi-final victory over St.Fachtnas last weekend. Joseph set the Criost Ri comeback in motion after the restart with a goal and a point so we wish him well in the final. What many people don?t know was that Joseph picked up a Simox Cup (Cork Senior Colleges) medal in the process (his second in a row) so we congratulate him on that and hope there?s greater prizes to come.

25th Febuary 2002

2 Victories for Shamrocks over Weekend
Minor Football
Shamrocks 3-5, Brian Dillons 1-5
Shamrocks made heavy weather of defeating Dillons last Sunday morning before pulling away in the second half for their first victory in the league. The first half, played in high winds can be best forgotten by both teams as they found it difficult to get anything going and kicked some terrible wides. Ciaran Fitzpatrick had Shamrocks ahead at half time with the goal; 1-1 to 0-2. Dillon?s were proving to be sticky opponents but Shamrocks upped their game after the restart and good points from Terence O?Sullivan and Senan Andrews along with further goals from Ciaran Fitzpatrick and David Bourke saw Shamrocks pull away toward the end. The goalie and full-back lines played really well after some early scares along with Barry Mulqueen and Stephen Carroll. Team: S.McGarry, D.O?Neill, D.Stuart, D.Tuohy, D.Bourke, N.Hayes, B.Mulqueen, T.O?Sullivan, C.O?Neill, S.Carroll, S.Andrews, S.O?Reilly, S.Collins, E.O?Mahony, C.Fitzpatrick. Sub used; T.Forde

Junior Football
Shamrocks 0-8, Valley Rovers 1-2
Again the wind had a major bearing on this game blowing right across the field. However, it was a much improved Shamrocks performance in the second half which turned the whole game around after Valleys had led at half time 1-2 to 0-2. The shooting on both sides was poor, especially in the first half as both sides tried to adjust to the conditions. The first half was an even enough affair, with Valleys goal being the difference. Brian Sweeney and Michael Prout at midfield were hugely responsible for Shamrocks dominance in the second half as they won plenty of ball while kicking over 0-5 between them for good measure. Shamrocks scored some nice points in that second half in what was a good overall performance and a good start to the year. Team: D.Kilgannon, D.Sheehan, A.Aherne, C.Brady, C.Ronayne, I.Breen, C.O?Mahony, B.Sweeney, M.Prout, K.Tierney, B.Hickey, M.Kidney, P.Andrews, B.Beale, S.O?Neill. Subs used: D.McCann, J.McGuinness.

18th Febuary 2002

City/Carrigdhoun A Football League
Shamrocks 1-7, St.Michaels 2-5.
A game that should have been won was dramatically transformed by two late St.Michaels goals at the death that left our visitors relieved and counting their good fortune.
An under strength Shamrocks team played some outstanding football in the poor conditions and heavy rain which fell for the duration of the game. Dave O?Neill, Daniel Stuart, Nicky Hayes and David Bourke were towers of strength at the back while Terence O?Sullivan was very prominent at midfield, Eoin O?Mahony was his usual all action self at centre forward and Stephen Carroll showed a lot of skill on the wing.
S.McGarry, D.O?Neill, D.Stuart, R.Brien, S.Collins, N.Hayes, D.Burke, T.O?Sullivan, S.Carroll, E.O?Mahony, N.Tuohy, R.McCarthy, T.Forde, E.O? Rahilly. Subs used : S.O?Reilly, O.Boland, C.Fitzpatrick, N.Tuohy.

2nd Febuary 2002

Juvenile Club AGM - 2002
This was held last Thursday night (Jan 31st) in the Community Centre, Ringaskiddy before a large attendance. A full and frank discussion on all matters relating to the furtherment of our youth section was held, and the groundwork for the year ahead was laid out. All outgoing officers were re-elected for 2002. The Selectors for the various teams are as follows:

U10	Michael Kidney, John Twomey(Ring), Ian Breen
U12	Aidan Dwoney, Alan Tuohy, Pat McCarthy
U14	Diarmuid Murphy, Jim Ronayne, Oliver McCann
U16	Pat Tuohy, Patrick Andrews, Martin Barrett, Aidan Punch, John Twomey(Ring), Tony O'Sullivan

16th January 2002

Club AGM - 2002
The 104th Shamrocks AGM was held last Tuesday, night January 15, in Ringaskiddy Community Centre before a good sized attendance. The outgoing Club chairperson, secretary and tresurer gave their annual reports. Mr Florrie McCarthy was elected President of the club for life before all outgoing officers were re-elected to their positions. Pat Cusack, Michael Kidney, Ian Breen and Martin Jennings will again be in charge of Junior Football matters for 2002 while John Hanley, Liam Shanahan and Finny O'Flaherty will be at the helm of Junior Hurling, with the option of bringing in 2 more selectors/coaches. The outgoing Minor selectors were returned, along with last years Minor captain, Michael Prout. Club membership (euros - 40 ordinary, 10 oap and juveniles) will be targeted this year along with a hoped revamp of the club lotto. These two vital sources of income have been somewhat neglected by members of the club in recent years, so its hoped to target these areas for Income.

10th December 2001

Minor Football
9/12/2001
Shamrocks 1-7, Dromtarriffe 3-11.
Shamrocks in the end did play Dromtarriffe in the County Minor A Football League quarter final last Sunday at Shanbally, but their lack of match practice offset against Dromtarriffe recent schedule contributed to their downfall. While the scoreline looks a bit lopsided towards the visitors from the Duhallow division, in reality, this was a good competitive game in difficult conditions. Dromtarriffe got 2 very soft goals in the first quarter and really these were the killer blows. Another one before half time and the game was as good as over from a Shamrocks point of view, despite some nice points from Tadhg Forde, Steven O'Neill and Mikey Prout. Shamrocks turned to play against the wind in the second half and actually did quite well, controlling the play throughout. However, they started going solely for goals after the resumption, and despite Joseph Shanahan's effort, the Dromtarriffe goalie and defence helf firm and repelled the constant wave of attacks. While it would have been nice to win the game, Shamrocks season finished a couple of weeks back and the hastilly arranged game really was a game too far for Shamocks. On the day, Nicky Hayes was Shamrocks best player, while he got good support from Dave Bourke, Chris O'Neill and Eoin O'Mahony

3rd December 2001

U16 Footballers put up great fight
2/12/2001
Valley Rovers 3-10, Shamrocks 2-6.
This was a tremendous performance from a youthful and severly understrength Shamrocks side. Fielding no less than seven U14 players, Shamrocks were short the same number of first team players. Shamrocks surprised the large attendance at Minane Bridge by their resolve from the start but trailed by 5 points at half-time after a gutsy performance. On the resumption, Shamrocks really took the game to Rovers and cut the margin to 2 points with 10 minutes to go. At this point, Rovers rallied and scored 6 points without reply. A game Shamrocks team were not finished however, and roared back in the last 5 minutes with some great scores, the highlight being a by now trademark Joseph Shanahan special. . However, Valleys held on for the victory. This was a courageous and skilful performance from everyone. Two years ago, the same two teams reached the U14 final and Shamrocks were comprehensively beaten on that occasion by the Rovers. However, taking everything into account, including the scoreline here, Shamrocks are now capable of beating this Rovers team and have closed the gap considerably. The more senior players on the team, Rory Brien, Chris O?Neill, Joseph Shanahan, Robert McCarthy and Barry Mulqueen led by example throughout and brought out the best from the younger players, namely Eanna Cole in goal, James Dunne, Darren Kirwan, Thomas Barrett, Sean Bourke, and Ronan O?Sullivan.
Team: E.Cole, N.Tuohy , R.Brien, J.Dunne, D.Kirwan, C.O?Neill, T.Barrett, J.Shanahan, T.O?Sullivan, O.Boland, S.McGarry, R.McCarthy, R.O?Sullivan, B.Mulqueen, S.Bourke, C.McCann.

12th November 2001

Minor Footballers Lose Way
11/11/2001
St. Vincents 5-6, Shamrocks 0-4.
St Vincents ran out easy winners of the Carrigdhoun/Seandun Minor Football League Final at Shanbally last Sunday. Nothing went right for the Shamrocks on the day; various positional switches were of no benefit. Best for Shamrocks on the day were Barry Mulqueen in goal, who had an excellent game and could not be faulted for any of the goals conceded, Daniel Stuart, Nickey Hayes, Stephen Carroll and David Bourke.

3rd November 2001

U16 Hurlers Claim County Title

3/11/01
Shamrocks 1-7, Tracton 1-3
Shamrocks claimed their first County title in 29 years at Ballygarvan after a titanic struggle against Tracton in the C grade final last Saturday. Irrespective of the grade, this was a timely success and County titles in any grade are welcome. In an all-Carrigdhoun final, Shamrocks had the added bonus of winning the SE League final in this one as well, with the net result being that Shamrocks have now won a unique ?treble?; all at the expense of Tracton. Both teams contributed to this great game. It was close all through and the hurling was tough but fair from first whistle ?til last. There was never more than one score in it until 3 minutes from time when Shamrocks moved into the winning position. After Joseph Shanahan had put Shamrocks ahead early on, Tracton scored their goal to give themselves a boost. Gradually Shamrocks started getting on top and with Chris O?Neill leading the charge from centre back with an inspirational point, Shamrocks edged ahead after David Tuohy goaled. Halftime 1-4 to 1-1 for the greens. The second half was even tighter with both sides having chances. Tracton came more into the game and piled on the pressure. But not for the first time this season, the Shamrocks defence remained defiant. Tracton twice brought the lead back to 2 points, but each time Shamrocks went down the other side of the field to score. None more so than 3 minutes from time when Niall Tuohy with a great point and Barry Mulqueen immediately afterwards sealed the win and the County Trophy. Again, a tremendous panel effort from everyone involved. The defence, as was mentioned before, were magnificent, the 2 midfielders worked tirelessly while the forwards did the business up front by getting the vital scores. Also, well done to selectors Paddy O?Mahony, Pat McCarthy, John O?Keeffe, Alan Tuohy and Patrick Andrews who put in the effort off the field during the year. Panel: T.O?Sullivan, S.O?Keeffe, R.Brien, C.Fitzpatrick, D.Hayes, C.O?Neill (0-1), R.McCarthy, S.Andrews, E.O?Mahony, B.Mulqueen (0-3), J.Shanahan (0-2), S.McGarry, N.Tuohy (0-1), D.Tuohy (1-0) , O.Boland, R.O?Sullivan, D.McAulliffe, S.Bourke, T.Barrett

15August 2000

Minor Football Championship
24/8/2000
Tracton 2-9, Shamrocks 1-6
A close and hard fought semi-final all through deservedly went Tractons way in the end. Tracton were first on the scoreboard with an early goal. Playing against the hill in the first half, Shamrocks weathered the storm with Mark O?Sullivan scoring a goal from a penalty and slotting over a free. The Shamrocks defence lived a charmed life at times in that first half.
It was 1-2 each at the break with everything to play for. It was clear that Tractons physical superiority was contributing to them getting on top in the 2nd half while Shamrocks performance was littered with mistakes throughout. After a rather fortunate goal and the sending off of one of Shamrocks players, Tracton pulled away in the last 5 minutes.
All but three of the Shamrocks panel are underage again next year. Mark O?Sullivan was easily Shamrocks best player, scoring 1-5.
Team: B.Mulqueen, E.O?Sullivan, C.Brady, D.Touhy, C.O?Neill, J.Delanty, T.O?Keeffe, M.Prout, S.Andrews, S.Collins, M.O?Sullivan, I.Allen, T.Forde, E.O?Mahony, D.Burke. Subs used: S.O?Neill, L.O?Sullivan, N.Hayes

Major Scalp for Minor Footballers
15/8/2000
Shamrocks 5-14, Ballygarvan 1-9
Shamrocks Minor footballers shocked County Champions Ballygarvan in the Quarter-final of the SE Minor A Football Championship at Carrigaline last week.
They played some superb football in the first half in particular, and had the game more or less wrapped up at half-time. Their ability to get goals was striking, considering their first three scores were majors, two from Eoin O?Mahony and another from Tadhg Forde.
Ballygarvan managed to recover with 1-3 but that was largely the extent of their first half effort. With superp running off the ball and support play, allied to their dominance at half-back and midfield, Shamrocks went in leading 3-5 to 1-4.
It was a case of keeping the expected Ballygarvan revival at bay in the second half, and this they did admirably, scoring some nice points, particularly from Steven O?Neill, who ran riot in that second half, scoring 0-6.
Yet again, every player on the panel played their part, but the one?s who really stood out were Colin Brady, Jamie Delanty, Chris O?Neill, Michael Prout, Steven O?Neill and Mark O?Sullivan, who was back to his very best.

U16 Hurling Championship
18/8/2000
Shamrocks 4-8, Kinsale 2-3
Nine of that Minor Football team switched codes on Friday night but it didn?t seem to matter as they comfortably disposed of Kinsale, who yet again, sportingly made the long trip to Shanbally.
As this was coupled with a league game as well, a competition Shamrocks are very much in the running for, a lot was riding on the result, especially for the home team. However, after Barry Mulqueen (now operating at full-forward) had completed his hatrick by the 20th minute, the outcome was a forgone conclusion.
Shamrocks were well ahead at halftime, and just went through the motions in the second half to close out the game. Kinsale did make a fight of it in the second half even when they were down to 14 men through injury, but found Terence O?Sullivan dependable in the Shamrocks goal. Others to play well included Joseph Shanahan, Robert McCarthy who won a lot of ball, and Barry Mulqueen.
Having said all that, a much improved performance will be needed if the lads are to challenge Ballinhassig in the next round, which was being played this week

12th August 2000

CARRIGALINE HURLERS BITE THE DUST!
12/8/2000
Shamrocks 0-11, Carrigaline 0-7
A truly wonderful team performance paved the way for this famous Shamrocks victory over Carrigaline in the South-East Hurling Championship quarter final at Ballygarvan last Saturday night. Revenge was sweet for the greens, who had been beaten by the same opponents in last years Championship.
The game was very close all through. Carrigaline raced into an early 2 point lead and their forwards looked very sharp. Shamrocks hit back, mainly through Colin O?Sullivan from frees. Willie Ashman contributed the half-time lead point from play. The second half saw Shamrocks remerge really believing in themselves, and almost from the throw in, Michael Prout sent over a great point from play, to make it 0-5 to 0-3 for Shamrocks.
Carrigaline began to get on top after that, without ever threatening Ronan Collins in goal. They clawed back to 0-7 all with 10 minutes to and looked like they might go on to win. But this Shamrocks team showed it true character, and after John O?Sullivan went close to a goal, the floodgates opened and Shamrocks scored four unanswered points from play to finish out the game.
Darragh Collins, Colin O?Sullivan (2) and fittingly John Dineen put the icing on the cake. I say fittingly because John Dineen was the best player on the field at centre-back. He gave an exhibition of covering and clearing his lines, both on the ground and in the air. Carrigaline simply had no answer to him. Michael Kidney at corner back and Dick Andrews were others to excel, and these wise heads showed the way for ?younger? Brian Sweeney who had an absolute stormer at midfield. Alan Geary stymied Carrigaline efforts in the same area, while Darragh Collins (when moved to half-forward), Michael Prout and sub Alan Aherne all made vital contributions.
With the clubs Vice-President Donal Brady and Treasurer Helen Prout talking to the Man upstairs in Lourdes all weekend, their efforts were well and truly rewarded. In reality however, it was Shamrocks greater will to win which told in the end, and Carrigaline, gracious as ever in defeat, wished us well in the semi-final against Courcey Rovers (who Carrigaline have already beaten in the Championship).

Team: R.Collins, P.Prout, R.Lannon, M.Kidney, D.Andrews, J.Dineen, D.Roche, A.Geary, B.Sweeney, C.O?Sullivan, J.O?Sullivan, M.Prout, C.O?Mahony, D.Collins, W.Ashman. Subs used: A.Aherne

4th August 2000

Junior Hurling
4/8/2000
Shamrocks 3-14, Ballygarvan 0-11
Shamrocks had a fairly convincing win over Ballygarvan in the end last weekend in the championship. It was only in the last 15 minutes that they pulled away with centre forward John O?Sullivan mainly responsible. His first goal ten minutes into the second half was the real turning point, and Shamrocks never looked back after that.
The game was tied at 6 points each at the break, with Colin O?Sullivan being his usual reliable self from frees, hitting over 0-5 in that first half. He continued his form into the second half and along with O?Sullivan, Darragh Collins, Colin O?Mahony and a beauty of a goal from Cian Ronayne accounting for the scores, they pulled away to set up a quarter final against old rivals Carrigaline next weekend.
Peter Prout, Darren Roche, Brian Sweeney, Alan Geary were others to play well.
Team: R.Collins, P.Prout, W.Ashman, M.Kidney, B.Sweeney, D.Andrews, D.Roche, P.O?Sullivan, A.Geary, C.O?Sullivan, J.O?Sullivan, M.Prout, C.O?Mahony, D.Collins, A.Aherne. Subs used: J.Dineen, F.O?Flaherty, C.Ronayne.

24th June 2000

Junior Hurling
In preparation for this weeks championship encounter against Ballinhassig, Shamrocks have played a number of games at Junior A and B. On Tuesday night in Delaneys against the home team, Shamrocks turned in a very disappointing performance. Conditions were very poor and Shamrocks were never in front in this game. Alan Aherne got Shamrocks goal in the second half. John Dineen, and the two Prout brothers were best for the losers.
On Wednesday night in similar conditions, it was the turn of the Junior B?s, who took on Tracton in a challenge match. Tracton led 2-2 to 0-1 at half time. But Shamrocks had the strong wind at their backs in the second half, and with Brian Sweeney and Bernard Hickey tagging on the points,and strong displays from Keith Roche, Kieran Hegarty, Mick Lannon and Tomas O?Sullivan, Shamrocks eventually won by a point, 1-7 to 2-3.
Last Saturday night, the City League game against Brian Dillons turned out to be a procession for Shamrocks, as they won by 3-11 to 0-5. Darren Roche, Deccy Sheehan and Alan Geary played well, while the scoring was done mostly by evergreen Willie Ashman with 2 goals, Alan Aherne, Darragh Collins, Colin O?Sullivan, Colin O?Mahony and Bernard Hickey

U16 Hurling Blitz
Shanbally was the venue for group 1 of the SE invitational blitz on Saturday morning. Shamrocks, Sliadhb Rua, Killeagh and Newcestown played off. An understrength Shamrocks acquitted themselves well, but found the pace of 7-a-side too much. Tadgh Forde, Robert McCarthy, David Tuohy and Cathal Fitzpatrick were best for Shamrocks.

Minor Football
Shamrocks had a useful workout against Bishopstown in preparation for the upcoming championship game against Ballygarvan. Eoghan O?Sullivan, Mickey Prout, Senain Collins and goal scorers Steven O?Neill, Senan Andrews, Mark O?Sullivan were on top form for the winners.

7th June 2000

Junior Hurling
7/6/2000
Shamrocks 3-9, Blackrock A 3-7
Just the one match played in the past week, and it proved to be a good effort from a Shamrocks point of view. Blackrock first Junior team came down to Shanbally, and left with no points as Shamrocks turned in a fine hours hurling in wet and windy conditions.
Colin O?Sullivan with 2-5 and Darragh Collins were the main scorers, while Darren Roche and Colin O?Mahony turned in great displays.

U14 Football Semi-Final
9/6/2000Shamrocks 5-7, Kinsale 2-8
On the toss of a coin, our sporting opponents Kinsale made the trip to Shanbally to play their second match against Shamrocks this year. The previous league game ended in a draw, however this time Shamrocks had 8 points to spare in the semi-final.
Shamrocks had great performances from Eanna Cole in goal, Ronan O?Sullivan, Steven Twomey, David Hayes, Oisin Boland and Cian O?Neill. Shamrocks now play the winners of Carrigaline and Courceys in the final. We wish them well.

Late April 2000

Junior Section - Hurling
29/4/2000
The Junior Hurlers have played two matches in the last week, recording two victories. Last Wednesday night, they beat the Barrs in Togher.
This was a close one all the way, with Shamrocks turning in a fine second half to win on a scoreline of 2-13 to 2-8.
John Dineen was outstanding again at centre-back, with the tireless Pat Sullivan at midfield also a revelation. Mark Hickey, Darragh Collins and Colin O?Sullivan from frees got most of the Shamrocks scores. Alan Aherne saved his second half energy for the all important goal which brought Shamrocks into the lead for the first time and sub Finny Flaherty got the clincher.

On last Saturday night, the Junior B?s beat Crosshaven in a controversial game. The game was ?over? by half time, with Shamrocks about 15 points to the good.
To their credit, Crosshaven did make a game of it in the second half without ever threatening to win. Players to play well included Keith Roche, Michael Prout and Kieran Hegarty. Final score: 4-9 to 1-10.

2/5/2000
The Junior Hurlers have recorded two victories in the last week, the first coming against an experimental Ballinhassig in the City JHL.
Shamrocks led for most of the match, with Colin O?Sullivan putting over frees from all angles, along with Colin O?Mahony and Mark Hickey. Shamrocks conceded some late goals but held on for a one point win. br>Then last Sunday in the sweltering heat of Mallow, Shamrocks and Kanturk played out a thriller, before Shamrocks pulled away towards the end of extra-time. It really was a mixed bag of a performance from Shamrocks.
They led by a point at half time, Willie Ashman getting the goal. They looked out of it approaching fulltime, before Darragh Collins? goal brought them back into it. When the final whistle went, it was all square, 2-9 to 1-12.
The heat was certainly on at this stage as the two committed teams took to the field for 30 extra minutes. It was a ding-dong affair for most of the extra period, until Colin O?Sullivan, rather fortuitously it must be said, goaled from a long range free. Another followed, and the game was over.
Peter Prout, Pat Murphy, John Dineen, and Pat Sullivan were best for the greens. Final Score: Shamrocks 4-13, Kanturk 1-15.

Junior Football Championship
14/5/2000
Shamrocks 0-7, Courcey Rovers 2-8.
Shamrocks made a losing start to their football championship last Sunday night. Courcey Rovers proved too powerful in the end, even though the final result proved to be a bit flattering for them.
Shamrocks certainly put it up to the winners, especially in the middle section of the match, where they completely dominated. However, Courcey?s pace, in particular in their forward line, won them the victory on the night.
A scoring burst of 1-4 in the last 10 minutes was crucial, after Shamrocks had battled back from 1-4 to 0-1 down after 15 minutes of the first half. Another mixed bag of a performance, two points from play in the entire match tells its own story.
Shamrocks were best served by Ian Breen, Colin O?Mahony, Bernard Hickey and Gary Prout in the first half.
Team: R.Stuart, D.Sheehan, I.Breen, R.Collins, M.Prout, P.Prout, C.Ronayne, M.Kidney, P.Ryan, C.O?Mahony, A.Gaery, B.Hickey, D.O?Flaherty, D.Collins, G.Prout. Subs used: B.Sweeney, I.Allen, A.Aherne.
The losers go into a special first round losers group.

U16 Section - Football
22/4/2000
In the U16 league it finished Shamrocks 1-6, Ballinhassig 3-5. Shamrocks went down in the end to a more determined Ballinhassig last week. This was a very disappointing performance, as a promising half-time position didn?t produce a sufficient second half performance. The concession of two soft goals early on didn?t help Shamrocks.
Tadhg Forde got the Shamrocks goal in the first half. Most of the Shamrocks scores came via Joseph Shanahan frees. Ballinhassig deservedly pulled away in the last couple of minutes.
Team: B.Mulqueen, S.O?Keeffe, D.Tuohy, D.O?Neill, N.Hayes, T.O?Keeffe, R.Brien, S.Andrews. J.Shanahan, S.Collins, E.O?Mahony, S.Carroll, D.Bourke, T.Forde, M.O?Mahony. Subs: C.Fitzpatrick, G.Jordan, O.Boland, R.McCarthy

U16 Hurling
13/5/2000
The lads have played two matches in the last week. Tracton were the visitors last week, and after the Shamrocks team turned in a courageous performance, the game ended in a draw. Both teams must be complimented on an excellent display of hurling.
Man of the match was certainly Terence O?Sullivan, who pulled off a number of brilliant saves. Rory Brien, CiarᮠFitzpatrick, and David Bourke were others to play well.
Then last Sunday morning, Shamrocks ran out comfortable winners (in the end) over Kinsale. Kinsale put up a good show for ??s of the game, but once Tadhg Forde and David Bourke in particular cut loose, then game was over as a contest. Dave O?Neill, Chris O?Neill, and in particular Joseph Shanahan had superb games for Shamrocks.

U16 Football
10/5/2000
Shamrocks 1-11, Carrigaline 1-4.
A great second half display from a number of players inspired Shamrocks to this league win over a good Carrigaline team. The first half performance certainly didn?t please the selctors, as Carrigaline led 1-2 to 0-3. Whatever was said at half time really worked in the second half as Senan Andrews and Chris O?Neill inspired the rest of the team to overwhelm Carrigaline in the second half.
Andrews ended up with 1-4 from midfield, while O?Neill was outstanding at half-back. Steven O?Keeffe, the excellent David Tuohy and David O?Neill were on top in the fullback line, and not far behind were Tadhg O?Keeffe and Terence O?Sullivan in the half-back line. Eoin O?Mahony was deadly accurate from frees, as was David Bourke from play, ending up with 0-3.

U14 Football
29/4/2000
Two games have been played in this past week. Firstly a loss to Courceys in a very tough game at Shanbally. Despite being short a few regulars, the Shamrocks lads turned in a fine performance, especially in the second half. Gavin Rogers, new addition David Taggert and Sean Bourke were the pick of the Shamrocks players.
Final score: Shamrocks: 2-5, Courceys 4-9.
Then last Friday, Shamrocks and Kinsale played out an absolute thriller in Kinsale, the game ending in a draw. Again, a fine second half performance from the greens. RonᮠO?Sullivan in his new position of full-back was excellent, as was goalkeeper Eanna Cole. Others to shine were Cathal Fitzpatrick, Steven Twomey, Shane Hickey, Tom᳠Barrett and David Hayes. The bulk of the scoring was done by Terence O?Sullivan with 3-2, and Niall Tuohy with 2-1.

5/4/2000
Then last week, Shamrocks beat Carrigaline second string in the League. This was a great 4 point win as Carrigaline proved tough opposition. Steven Jones at corner forward got a great goal. Other players to play well included Gavin Rogers, David Palmer-Taggart, Ronan O?Sullivan and Sean Bourke. They have now qualified for the semi-final on a date yet to be announced.

U12 and U10 Section
6/5/2000
The U12 footballers had a great victory over Douglas 1 last Saturday, which enabled them qualify for the semi-final, played last Monday night. Shamrocks were unfortunate to run up against a very strong Kinsale outfit in this one, who proved much too strong for a Shamrocks team which perhaps underperformed on the night.
Aoife Breen, Cathal Fitzpatrick Gavin Boland were best for Shamrocks, while the goalie couldn?t be blamed for any of the goals.

9/5/2000
Shamrocks played in the U10 Football blitz at Shanbally last Sunday. They came 2nd of 4 teams, the others being Crosshaven, Carrigaline and Douglas. There is another blitz in Riverstick this weekend, on a day yet to be announced. Well done to the organisers of this group of players for their efforts

19th April 2000

Junior Section
City Junior Hurling League
4/4/2000
Shamrocks 3-10, Blackrock 1-5
Shamrocks made an excellent start to their venture in the City League with a polished performance against a disappointing Blackrock side. Shamrocks were in top in all areas of the field, with the halfback line supplying plenty of ball to the forwards. Of this bunch, Willie Ashman with 2 goals, Colin O?Sullivan with 1-3, Pat Sullivan and John Dineen did most of the scoring. Shamrocks used the second half to give a run to most of the subs.

9/4/2000
Bishopstown 0-6 Shamrocks 1-8
A strong half performance saw Shamrocks keep up their good run in the league. John Dineen was outstanding for Shamrocks at centre-back, while Colin O?Sullivan got the goal with a great ground shot. Darragh Collins and Alan Aherne also got some good scores from play.
Team: R.Collins, P.Prout, R.Lannon, M.Kidney, D.Roche, J.Dineen, D.Sheehan, A.Geary, P.Sullivan, D.Collins, B.Sweeney, C.O?Sullivan, B.Hickey, W.Ashman, A.Aherne. Sub used: C.O?Mahony

U21 Section
U21 B Football Championship
8/4/2000
Crosshaven 1-9, Shamrocks 1-7
Shamrocks made their exit from the championship after a rather tame effort at Carrigaline. Crosshaven tore the formbook to shreds with a real smash and grab show and deservedly took the honours. They showed how to win a match by living off scraps. Shamrocks had enough possession to win two matches but their shooting was terrible at times, and must have kicked upwards of 20 wides. Colin Brady was Shamrocks best player at corner back.
Team: R.Stuart, C.Brady, J.Delanty, B.McCarthy, M.Prout, A.Aherne, B.Sweeney, R.Collins, C.O?Sullivan, G.Prout, C.O?Mahony, A.Jeffers, P.O?Mahony. Subs used: M.O?Sullivan, D.Livingstone, I.Allen

U14 Section - Football
The U14's got the season off to a winning start with victory against Crosshaven last week. After a slow start, they started to get on top and RonᮠO?Sullivans goal set them on their way. Good points followed from Niall Tuohy. The rest of the game was fairly competitive, with the bigger Crosshaven team having their chances. However, Shamrocks deserved their 3-9 to 2-5, and were best served by David Hayes, Niall Tuohy and Oisin Boland.

U12 Section
U12 Football
This enthusiastic group had their first win of the season last weekend, beating Ballygarvan on a scoreline of 2-9 to 0-5. Jason Brown and Fergus O?Neill were Shamrocks best players on the day.

4th March 2000

JuniorSection
Junior Football
4/3/00
Shamrocks 2-7, Valley Rovers 2-8
A strange game in many respects, with both teams enjoying long periods of complete dominance. Shamrocks controlled the start and end of the game, with Valley Rovers doing all their damage in between.
Shamrocks started off as if they were going to blow Valleys away, leading 0-6 to 0-0 after 15 minutes, many of the points being of excellent quality. But they let it slip altogether until the last 10 minutes. Valley Rovers completely dominated in between and had racked up 2-7 without reply, to lead by 6 points.
But Shamrocks got on top towards the end, helped by goals from Cian Ronayne and Colin O?Mahony. However, that elusive point to draw level was squandered on a few occasions by Shamrocks.
Team: P.Cusack, D.Sheehan, I.Breen, D.Roche, D.O?Flaherty, P.Prout, C.Ronayne(1-0), D.Andrews, B.Sweeney(0-1), G.Prout (0-2), M.Prout(0-2), M.Kidney(0-2), B.Hickey, C.O?Mahony(1-0), S.Kelly. Subs: P.Ryan, C.O?Sullivan, M.Lannon, J.Sweeney, B.McCarthy, A.Carroll, D.Livingstone.

Minor Section - Football
5/3/00
Kinsale 3-12, Shamrocks 0-10
A comprehensive win for a far stronger Kinsale outfit . With only 4 on the year minors and 3 of last years U14 team on duty, our performance was commendable.
Team: B.Mulqueen, D.O?Neill, C.Brady(0-2), E.O?Sullivan, S.Andrews, J.Delanty, T.O?Keeffe, M.Prout(0-2), I.Allen(0-1), S.O?Neill(0-3), E.O?Mahony, L.O?Sullivan (0-2), S.Collins, A.McGarry, D.Bourke. Subs: S.Carroll, T.Forde, E.O?Rahilly , D Tuohy.

U10 Section - Indoor Hurling Blitz
We had two teams on duty at Rochestown Hall last Sunday when teams from Douglas and Carrigaline provided stern opposition. On the day, our young boys and girls scored six win out of ten.

Panels:: Team 1. Colin Murphy, Frank Bruen, Philip Brady, John Horgan, Sarah Edwards, Laura McCarthy, Brian Cusack, Darragh O?Sullivan; Team 2. Michael O?Neill, Alan McCarthy, Stephen Hurley, Colm Barrett, Eimer O?Rahilly, Jonathan Tuohy, Thomas Dinan.