Boyle GAA Blog ...by Tony Conboy

Mon. 2.30am The following were €20 winners at the most recent Club Lotto draw which was held in the Patrick's Well; John Joe Nerney,Sandra McCrann, Bernard Hickey, John Joe Carty, Gerry Nerney, Karl Kennedy, Martin Boston, Michael Harrington, Mark Nevin and Mary and Michael Beirne. The house prize was won by Natasha Miiskell. The jackpot wasn't won and it will stand at €3,100 for this week's draw which will be held in the Royal Hotel on Saturday night next. Team B will be in charge. It was a weekend of 100% success for Boyle teams on the playing fields. The U14s’ had a good win over St Dominic’s in the first round of the Feile Competition. Their next outing in this competition is away to St Brigid’s in Kiltoom on this Thursday at 6.45pm. The U16s’ had a hard earned win over St Croan’s in the Division 1 League in the Abbey Park. They will travel to Johnstown on Sunday next to take on Clan na Gael at 12 noon. The Minors had a good win over Michael Glavey’s in Ballinlough in the Division 1 League. They will now have a short break until the commencement of the special minor league. The Cooney Motors/Cooney Centra Junior team had a well merited win over Strokestown in the Abbey Park on Sunday in the Tansey Cup. Their next outing will be a trip to Croghan at the weekend to take on Shannon Gaels. Congratulations are extended to our Club President John Joe who recently celebrated his birthday. Congratulations are also extended to the Roscommon Seniors and to Fergal and his management on securing promotion to Division 3 of the National League. Roscommon is the the only team to have guaranteed promotion from any of the League divisions with a round of games remaining. The Club also congratulates Roscommon CBS on their All Ireland Colleges success. Comiserations to Roscommon U21s. It is indeed a pity that so many supporteres from the area were forced to chose one of those important games over the other because of their scheduling at such diverse locations and with not sufficient time to travel to both. Indeed it is dissappointing that so many supporters were delayed in Galway's Saturday afternoon traffic in trying to reach an extremely inaccessable Pearse Stadium. The Club wishes Conor Tivnan a speedy recovery from injury. The Club is appreciative of and proud of the excellent work that is ongoing in the Abbey Park by the Rural Social Scheme under the leadership of Gerard Tivnan. Sympathy is extended to the Dennedy Family, Boyle on the sad passing of John. John will be remembered by generations of Boyle footballers because in his role as bus driver for McKennas, he drove them to venues all over the County and elsewhere. The Club ask all members to support Club mentor Barry Greaney's fund raising table quiz, to support the needy in Kenya, which will be held in the Moylurg Inn on Friday night next 8th April. Boyle Ladies Club; The U16 girls defeated Castlerea in O'Rourke Park on Sunday last. This was their fifth consecutive win in this competition and results in their winning of Division 2 A of the League. They will play Clan na Gael in the quarterfinal this weekend in Johnstown-see fixtures. The U12s start their competitive season on Sunday evening next at 7pm when they will take on Eire Og in the Abbey Park. They will play Eastern Harps in challenge game on this Tuesday evening in the Abbey Park. The U14s will take on St Barrys in the preliminary round of the Feile Competition. The winners will then play Shannon Gaels in the quarter final. Both games are scheduled for Saturday next 9th April-check fixtures for details. Boyle Junior ladies will play Shannon Gaels in the League on Sunday next in Croghan at 2pm. EXTRAS (T.C.): It is with sadness that I mention the sudden death last night of John Dennedy. I was on many a bus trip with John as driver and he was always so patient and just a nice quiet man. I am sure that there are many Boyle sportspeople who will remember John for his kindness, helpfulness and courtesy on those trips. I made the right decision on Sat. by going to the Roscommon C.B.S. v Clane All-Ireland ‘B’ Colleges Final at Mullingar. C.B.S. won a cracking game in extra time. There was a great atmosphere with reasonable admission prices and so on. C.B.S. had a very balanced team. John McManus, son of Tony’s, really came good from centre back in the extra time as he powered forward. It will be interesting to see who might be nominated as ‘Man of the Match’ if one is nominated. The overall person might come from Clane with Conor Herbert their main threat but C.B.S. would have a good few contenders Nally and Connolly being the uppermost. While it is not an ‘A’ category win (Jarlath’s minus the traditional Mayo boarders are in that Final) it is good to see C.B.S. at this level. It has been a central weakness of Roscommon football that they have not had a consistently competitive second level school in college’s football. In 1951 Ros. C.B.S. won the Connacht ‘B’ also (there was no follow on) and 10 of the team were on the All-Ireland minor winning side later that year. Micheal Shivnan from Cootehall. Not that the management might see this but well done. One of the measurements of class games (in my eccentric book) is the little frenetic shouting/calling that prevails as was the case here. On Sunday’s Indo. There was a real dearth of GAA coverage with significant games not mentioned like the above and the Colleges Hurling final where St. Kieran’s prevailed and I saw nil of the U 21 game Ros. V Galway. I watched some of Kilkenny v Dublin hurling on T.V. and another cracking game that turned out to be. Also the effort/risk/imagination that went into the presentation of what was termed ‘The Spring Series’ of games involving Dublin at Croke Park was very worthwhile. Roscommon will now be back in Croke Park at the end of the month in the Div. 4. Final. Don’t forget Barry Greaney’s Quiz this Friday night in The Moylurg. I attended Dominick Nicholson’s fundraising quiz in The Moorings on Sat. night and one always learns something (as is a sub text with quizzes). Which has most sugar, a bottle of coke or a regular container of Ketchup? Answer = Ketchup. So go easier of the K. Over my head on Friday night I heard a group on the Late Late Show and they really caught my attention with their melody/ lyric and audibility. I never heard of them before but I’d be surprised if I did not hear a good deal more of them. Last week the cricket, this week the U.S Masters. I got a text on Friday saying that Jackie Healy Ray was putting his cap in the ring for President!!! Re. David Norris’s aspirations in same: If England can have a Queen why not Ireland? (You have hardly arrived here?) Go raibh maith agaibh, Martin Dolan/T.C. P.R.O. Boyle GAA Club 086 2413529.