Just in are reports from last night’s Rackard League finals. These reports bring to a 
conclusion the Rackard League football season. The Rackard League, I would like to thank you for your fantastic support throughout 2013.
The reports feature:
- Coolcotts v Kilmore
- Horeswood v Crossabeg
- Kilanerin v Ramsgrange
Coolcotts work hard to overcome Kilmore
Coolcotts 1-5 Kilmore 0-6
The conditions may not have been great in Taghmon last Wednesday, but that did not stop these two teams from playing a fierce brand of competitive football in the Allianz Cumann na mBunscol Rackard League Girls Roinn A football final.
Coolcotts huffed and puffed early in play but could not blow the impressive Kilmore defence down. Latisha Cullen looked very dangerous for the Coolcotts forwards in these opening minutes but try as she might, Kilmore were not going to give her any time or the space to shoot at goal. Were it not for the brilliant defending of Ana Bates, Olivia McDonnell and Amy Cousins, Coolcotts could have had a lot of early scores.
Instead it was Kilmore who scored first when Kira Bates Crosbie shot from distance over the bar in the 6th minute. Coolcotts continued to create many chances but the greasy conditions and aggressive Kilmore defending saw them kick many wides as the half continued. Kilmore were far more economical in front of the posts. Kira Bates Crosbie got her second point in the 14th minute when Sophie Boxwell set her up for a cool finish. Coolcotts got their first point through Latisha Cullen in response to this Kilmore score. This was to be Coolcotts’ only score of the half however and Mollie Bates scored her first to ensure a halftime lead of two points for Kilmore.
Mollie Bates scored again after the restart after some good work by Grace Cousins. Coolcotts now needed a goal to get back into the game almost did before Kilmore goalie Kate O’Reilly did well to clear her lines under pressure. From the resultant 45, Kilmore full back Ana Bates also had to punch the ball clear from goal but Coolcotts were adamant that they got what they were looking for and it finally came when Aliat Kotun stole the ball off a Kilmore defender and turned to lob the keeper with a spectacular effort. Kilmore’s Mollie Bates then responded quickly by scoring her third point of the game to put her team back in front.
Despite this Horeswood lead, the momentum was slowly shifting in Coolcotts favour with the help of Coolcotts inspirational captain Abby Walsh who was playing the game of her life. In the 13th minute she won a free that was converted by Hollie Sinnott to level affairs again and then she pushed on to get a score of her own to put Coolcotts in the lead for the first time in the match. Hollie Sinnott extended this lead to two points moments later when she landed over a massive free from out the field.
Kilmore got back into it through another trademark Mollie Bates solo and score but the more they chased the game, the more they began to open up at the back and in the final minute of normal time Izabela Zielinski got an important score to clinch the Roinn A title for the Wexford town girls. Kilmore’s Sophie Boxwell still had some time to get off a powerful shot at the Coolcotts goal in the dying moments but none other than Abby Clancy was at hand to get in a heroic block to ensure it was Coolcotts’ day. Also showing her class off the pitch, winning captain Abby Clancy was quick to compliment Kilmore for the quality side that they are and by honestly admitting that they were the toughest opposition that Coolcotts had played throughout the year. It was clear that the Coolcotts girls had fully understood that to be the best, they had to beat the best and so a victory against Roinn A final specialists Kilmore will always live long in the memories of those involved in this special win for the Wexford town side.
~Seán Óg Whelan
Coolcotts: Kyra Lacey, Alanna Fusciardi-Wallace, Ruth Hendrick, Siobhan Rossiter, Abby Walsh, Cathlin Murphy, Regina Beary, Hollie Sinnott, Casey Jordan, Aliat Kotun, Coast Moroney, Latisha Cullen, Izabela Zielinski, Tamzin Howell, Nadine Lynch, Nicole Tierney, Shauna Scallan Doyle, Lillian McDonald, Zoe Anglim, Aisha Mounhamir
Kilmore: Kate O’Reilly, Amy Mulligan, Ana Bates, Lorraine Power, Olivia McDonnell, Amy Cousins, Mollie Bates, Sophie Boxwell, Kira Bates Crosbie, Ellen Berry, Grace Cousins, Amy Bates Crosbie, Megan Doyle, Alex Brady, Niamh Bradfeld, Joely Doyle, Grace Lambert, Ciara Nash, Ciara Moore, Shauna Koolhof, Sophie Keating, Leanne Raftery
Horeswood second half blitz proves too much for Crossabeg
Horeswood 2-18 Crossabeg 1-4
Only one thing was on everyone’s mind as they left Taghmon after witnessing the Allianz Cumann na mBunscol Rackard League Boys Roinn B football final last Wednesday. What exactly did the Horeswood mentors say to their young charges at halftime to spark such a complete and flawless second half performance? Maybe someone within the parish will leak this information in the coming weeks so that the rest of the county will know these wise words for future use.
The game began with some lively play and free flowing exchanges. In the space of a few minutes, Crossabeg had opened the scoring with a free from wing forward Cian Kinlough and Horeswood were unlucky not get an early goal when they rattled the crossbar. Crossabeg went two points up through a Brody Murphy solo and score before Brody turned provider and set up Cian Kinlough for a third Crossabeg point in the 11th minute.
As the half developed, Crossabeg seemed much more confident in their style of play and their centre back Michael Cullen was dominating the centre of defence. Horeswood on the other hand were finding scores hard to come by and saw a series of wides go over the endline in quick succession. Speedy Horeswood defender Jim Wallace was having a great battle with skilful Crossabeg attacker Cian Kinlough. It did not look good for the Ross boys however when Crossabeg full forward James Dixon set up teammate Conor Doyle for a great goal that brought the scores to 1-3 to 0-0.
Horewood urgently needed to find inspiration from somewhere and it came from none other than their centre back and captain Jack Kehoe who made a rampaging run up the field to score a tremendous point seven minutes before halftime. This sparked the start of a savage comeback that saw the lead swiftly reduced to one point after two Joe O’Sullivan scores, a Matthew Foley point and another inspirational Jack Kehoe score before halftime.
The second half turned out to be a completely different game. Horeswood immediately levelled from the restart with a Barry Walsh Howlin score and then went on a crippling seven minute scoring spree that saw them charge ahead into the lead for the first time in the game. Jack Kehoe, Jason Murphy and Matthew Foley scored a point apiece and Barry Walsh Howlin got a crucial goal with a clinical soccer style finish to put six points between the teams. This newfound gap continued to widen further with more scores from Matthew Foley, Joe O’Sullivan and Conor Foley. The tenacious attitude of the Horeswood forwards saw them constantly win Crossabeg kickouts to create many of these scoring opportunities.
The game was put well and truly beyond Crossabeg’s reach when the impressive Conor Doyle finished into the net after a great team move by the Horeswood boys. Barry Walsh Howlin, Neil Ennis and Joe O’Sullivan got the final scores to seal a remarkable turn of events that saw Horewood complete a twenty four point turnaround from the 18th minute of the game when they were six points down. Such a turnaround suggests a serious amount of talent in the Horeswood team and on the day it was just unfortunate for Crossabeg that they encountered a team in unstoppable form.
~Seán Óg Whelan
Horeswood: Ryan Rowe, Daryl Walsh, John Chapman, Conor Foley, Alex Molloy, Jack Kehoe, Jim Wallace, Danny Nolan, Jason Murphy, Kyran Mylett, Dean Roberts, Joe O’Sullivan, Matthew Foley, Barry Walsh Howlin, Neil Ennis, Nigel Dunne Sheriff, Jack White, Ryan Mylett, Kevin Wall, James Murphy, Alan Kehoe, Aaron Rowe
Crossabeg: Aaron Cummins, Josh Waldron, Cathal Byrne, Mark White, Peter Duffy O Leary, Michael Cullen, Cian MacAogain, Brody Murphy, Mark Byrne, Cian Kinlough, Joe Kelly, Patrick Redmond, Sean Walsh, James Dixon, Conor Doyle, Conor Bernard, Shane Cullen, Cian Buttle, Jack Forde, Maurice Logue, Ciaran Ryan, Nick Scallan, Chonaill Devlin, Alan White, Adam Leahy, Shane Walker, Will Sidney, Micheal O’Connor, Eoghan Cullen, Adam O’Brien, Liam Molloy, Mikey Hynes,
Kilanerin edge Ramsgrange in Roinn C decider
Kilanerin 2-6 Ramsgrange 2-5
After watching their girls lose by the bare minimum in the curtain raiser, the Kilanerin faithful were probably hoping for an easier ride in the Allianz Cumann na mBunscol Boys Roinn C football final. As the hour unfolded however, there proved to be just as much drama in the boys challenge for a county title.
The game began at a lively pace that saw fast interchanges up and down by both sides. In the 6th minute Conor Hughes opened the scoring when he put over a free. This small lead soon grew much bigger when an excellent Cian Hughes blockdown created the chance for Conor Hughes to also score the game’s first goal. Ramsgrange dusted themselves down quickly and got a point on the board when Alfie Eite took a snap shot on a loose ball around the Kilanerin square. The first half then descended into a hard fought battle between both sides and it was the 18th minute before there was another score. This time it was Kilanerin midfielder Paddy D’Arcy who put the ball over the bar. A combination of some great attacking play from Ramsgrange and indiscipline by the Kilanerin defence saw the New Ross District side finish the half very strongly. Ben McPhillips scored a point from the narrowest of angles and Owen Whitty made sure his free went over to put two points between the sides going in at half time.
Kilanerin were severely shaken when Ramsgrange came out and rattled the net at the resumption of the second half. Alfie Eite goal put Ramsgrange ahead 1-3 to 1-2. At this time of crisis, Kilanerin centre back Tom Mordaunt and midfielder Jason Bolger steadied the ship with numerous displays of driving play and Conor Hughes made it his business to ensure that the frees kept counting on the scoreboard by converting two frees to put Kilanerin back on top by a point. Ramsgrange’s speedy midfielder Owen Whitty continued to cause Kilanerin problems and levelled the scored with a driving run and point in the 10th minute. Jason Bolger replied in kind with an inspiring point from out the field that also kickstarted a purple patch for his team. His score was quickly followed by a Conor Hughes point from play and then William Higgins did very well to set up Lee Cushe for a well taken goal.
Five points up with eight minutes to go, Kilanerin looked for all the world to be in the driving seat and cruising, but Ramsgrange were not yet beaten. Ben Mc Phillips scrambled a goal into the Kilanerin net to rally the troops and Josh White-Keating kicked a great point under pressure to bring on the second nail biting finish of the evening. With a couple of nasty injuries to key players and sustained Ramsgrange pressure, the writing seemed to be on the wall for the Kilanerin boys but they repeatedly defended with the utmost determination to emerge the victors in the end. It was fitting that the hard working trio of Tom Mordaunt, Jason Bolger and Cian Hughes won and cleared some important ball at the very death and it was also excellent to see both teams almost immediately line up at the final whistle to shake hands after what was a very sporting and keenly contested game.
~Seán Óg Whelan
Kilanerin: Jason Byrne, Cillian Byrne, JJ Kinsella O’Neill, Fintan Staunton, Robert Murphy, Tom Mordaunt, Conor Kinsella, Jason Bolger, Brian Cushe, Garbhann Finn, Paddy D’Arcy, Conor Hughes, Cian Hughes, Lee Cushe, Sean Hughes, Gavin Murray, Michael Higgins, William Higgins, Shane Kelly, Conor Jones, Nathan Bolton, Michael Fortune, David Neville, Micheál McGonigle, Gearóid Boland
Ramsgrange: Colum Fitzgerald, Mark Whitty, Rory Lynch, Keelan Foley, Darragh McPhillips, Sam Wallace, Daniel Behan, Owen Whitty, Tomas Barron, Ben McPhilips, Padraig Barron, Ethan Keogh, James Nolan, Alfie Eite, Josh White-Keating, Jamie Foley, Shane Dunne, Jack Nolan (Ramsgrange), Jack Nolan (Duncannon), Sean Bennett, Ciaran Phillips, Keith Mowatt, Joe McPhillips, Dion Donnelly, Aaron McPhilips, Conor Clarke
