PARK/ RATHENISKA GAA CLUB NEWSLETTER

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1 July 2014 Volume 1, Issue 1 PARK/ RATHENISKA GAA CLUB NEWSLETTER Inaugural Park/Ratheniska Club Newsletter Welcome to the first Park/Ratheniska GAA Club Newsletter. We ve reached the halfway point of the year and things are in full flow with the majority of our teams readying themselves for Championship action. Aside from on field matters we ve already had a busy time off the field kicking off with our Christmas Cracker in December through to our hugely successful Motor Neurone Fundraiser and Strategic Development Plan launch. Club Strategy Plan Club Treasurer Christy Fingleton, Laois GAA Chairman Gerry Kavanagh, Club Chairman Jim Morrin, Strategic Plan Chairperson Brian Ramsbottom, Laois GAA Development Officer Tom Jones Over the past 18 months or so we have been hard at work behind the scenes formulating our latest Club Strategy Plan. Much like our previous plan the goal behind this undertaking was to allow the Club Committee plan and set our goals for the next 5 years. We are very proud of where we ve come from in this Club and it is our belief that this plan will provide the route-map for us to drive forward once more. Copies of the Plan can be sourced from any Committee member at no cost, or you can simply go to our website at and download a PDF copy. CLUB EXECUTIVE 2014 President : N Mansworth Vice President : D Mansworth, H Fingleton, P Drennan (RIP), P Rankins, S Cushen, T Cushen, J Leonard, D Fingleton, L Wall, M Cushen, A Corcoran, H Ramsbottom. Chairman : Jimmy Morrin Secretary : Tommy O'Connell Asst Secretary : John Kelly Treasurer : Christy Fingleton Asst Treasurer : Brendan Delaney PRO : Brian Ramsbottom Asst PRO : Max Ramsbottom Committee : P Brennan, H Ramsbottom, L Wall, T White, J Kelly (Grange), J Kelly (Loughteague), J Shields, G Ramsbottom, B Greene, J Brennan, D Kennedy, S Tynan.

2 2013 Christmas Cracker While it of course took place in 2013 its only fair to give our very successful Christmas Cracker a mention here. The brainchild of John Kelly, the planning and organisation process proved worth the effort when over 200 people lined up in our GAA Grounds for our first ever Christmas Cracker Run & Assault Course in December. Our first ever Christmas Cracker Winner Richie Reid The feedback from the event has been immense and plans are already underway for a 2014 event, so keep your eyes peeled. Special mention must go to our winners on the day, and to everyone who helped in making the event such a success. I n t o t a l, t h e C l u b r a i s e d a w h o p p i n g 4, f o r t h e I r i s h M o t o r N e u r o n e D i s e a s e A s s o c i a t i o n Joe Ramsbottom Memorial Cup Under the stewardship of John Sugrue & Brendan Delaney The Joe Ramsbottom Memorial Cup was up for grabs once more this year when it was decided to resurrect our pre-season tournament. Players Paul Brennan lifts the Cup were split into 4 sides captained by Paul Brennan, Paddy Kelly, Benny Dowling and Benny Greene and In the end Brennan and Kelly s charges were left standing. With Sea n Tynan excelling for Brennan s outfit, it was the A-Team who came out on top. Max Ramsbottom presented the winning captain with the trophy bearing his father s name and with it, the bragging rights for the next 12 months. The Club was proud to be able to host a Fundraiser in aid of the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association in April. Motor Neurone Fundraiser It was decided the best way to Gerard Ramsbottom (Social Committee Chairman), John Kelly (Social carry out Committee), Jim Morrin (Club Chairman), Stephen McLaughlin (Social this effort Committee), Liam Wall (Social Committee), Marie Reavey (IMNDA) was a Table Quiz which would also incorporate a Raffle and Auction in The Rock Inn. In what turned out to be a hugely successful night, a total of 4,182 was raised for this worthy cause. Highlight of the night would have to have been the Auction for the signed Paul O Connell 6 Nations winning rugby jersey which saw some great to ing and fro ing before proprietor Phil Lewis was left standing as MC Jack Nolan dropped the hammer. 2

3 U16 Football League Champions! Ploughing 2014 As part of the Upcoming Championship which will be taking place on our doorstep in September, the Club will be supervising Car Parking over the course of the 3 days. What a game, what a finale! From 4 points down with 5 minutes to go, to a 6 point winning margin, and a man down to boot, this game truly had it all! Well done to all our young footballers, the management team Anthony, Ger and Glen and our captain Dean Bland on securing our first piece of silverware of the season and setting the marker down for the rest of the Club. This grade has been a happy hunting ground for us in recent years and we wish these youngsters all the best now for the upcoming Championship! Cu l Camp 2014 What a week was had in our GAA Grounds over the past 5 days as our young boys and girls took part in our 2014 Cu l Camp. Following on from the successes of previous years, this was another wonderful week of fun and enjoyment all taking place through the medium of Gaelic football with our youngsters learning all the skills of the game under the tutelage of the Laois GAA Coaching and Games Development coaches. Once more our numbers have been outstanding, with well over 100 young boys and girls (easily the largest camp of its sort this year in Laois) enjoying themselves in the lovely sunshine. We d like to thank everyone involved in making the week such a great success. The full details have yet to be confirmed but we expect it will be much along the lines of last years successful event. And we will be hoping to get the same commitment and more for the 2014 event. This will require a large amount of manpower, up to 40 people on each day, and as a result we will be asking each member to donate a day to the efforts, to help the event run off as pleasantly as possible. Each and every Club man and woman will be contacted over the coming weeks, and we would ask that you give what you can to the effort. If you wish to put your name down for service, please contact Jim Mor- The Cu l Camp followed on this year rin at or John Kelly at from the Easter Coaching Camp we Our 2014 Cúl Camp in full swing ran earlier in the year for our U6s U10 s. 3

4 Adult Team & Competition Updates Sub Committees Grounds and Match Day Officials Jimmy Morrin (C), Liam Wall, Ger Ramsbottom, Brendan Dowling, Tommy White, John Brennan, Benny Greene. Club Organisation and Development Jimmy Morrin (C), Brian Ramsbottom, Pat Brennan, Tommy O'Connell, John Kelly (G) Finance Committee Christy Fingleton, Har Ramsbottom, Joe Cunningham, Brendan Delaney Sean Tynan Coaching/Games & Development & Fixtures Darach Kennedy (C), Pat Morrin, Brendan Delaney, Pat Brennan, Joe Cunningham, Padraig Dermody Social Committee Ger Ramsbottom (C), Liam Wall, Christy Fingleton, Stephen McLaughlin, Darach Kennedy, John Kelly (L) Liaison Committee Jimmy Morrin (C), Jimmy Shields, Pat Brennan Communication Brian Ramsbottom (C), Max Ramsbottom, David Kelly Ploughing Committee Har Ramsbottom, Jimmy Morrin, Benny Greene, Stephen McLaughlin, Martin Howe ASAP Officer - Jimmy Shields Intermediate Football However as the league campaign progressed, with games, training and more experience, our Footballers have begun to dig out some good results, notably wins over Stradbally, Annanough and Ballyfin. With a number of absentees through injury, retirement and emigration it was a rocky beginning to our league campaign for the Intermediate Footballers in Division 2. The final victory was enough to secure the sides Division 2 status for 2015 with two games to spare and allows them to focus on the upcoming Championship in August. Intermediate Hurling Under new Manager Jack Nolan there s been a renewed emphasis on hurling this year and while much like the Intermediate Football early league outings proved troublesome due to injuries, retirements and emigration, back to back wins in the final two league games against Ballypickas and Castletown Slieve Bloom sets them up nicely for Championship in July. The emergence of some of our younger talent has been handled well and with the return of Brendan Fingleton, hopes are high in advance of the Championship opener in mid July against Ballypickas. Junior Football Darragh Nolan v Annanough Paddy Kelly v Camross Brendan Conroy v Clonaslee St Manmans Our Junior Footballers have finished up their League campaign for 2014 and are now preparing for Championship in late July. While a semi final place was narrowly missed out on, the integration of our younger faces from last years U16 team has been progressing quite well and Team Manager John Kelly can be pleased with the development of his young charges under the stewardship of some of his senior charges in the side. It took a few rounds for the side to gel during which they suffered some heartbreaking defeats, but wins over Annanough and Courtwood have given the side a boost as they await their first round Championship tie with Ballacolla in July.

5 Juvenile Team & Competition Updates U6 Football Mentors: Joe Cunningham (M), Liam Dunne, Darach Kennedy, Michelle McEvoy, Padraig Dermody, Fergal Bracken, Damien Kavanagh Over 20 young boys and girls joined our U6 panel this year and we have had a great time so far learning some of the skills of the games as well as having plenty of fun along the way. So far we have been focusing on building the new skills into team games and look forward to organising a few games with other clubs later in the season. We have a committed group of mentors who have great patience and dedication. U6 Hurling Mentors: Joe Cunningham (M), Liam Dunne, Eamon Carroll, Michelle McEvoy, David Larkin, John Kelly We have a committed group of young hurlers with us on Monday nights who are displaying great perseverance in getting to grips with the basic skills of hurling. At present we are focusing on holding the hurley and ball striking while, at the same time, having fun and the progress is visible from week to week. We have some current Club hurlers helping out with the training and we would be delighted to see more of our younger folk try our hurling. U8 Football Mentors: Chris Kavanagh (M), Pat McEvoy, Kevin Bowe, Enda Fingleton, Conor Shiels, Jimmy Fitzpatrick The U8 footballers are going from strength to strength as the year progresses and the hard work at training is paying dividends. As we participate in the GAA Go Games blitzes we try to ensure that, as per the slogan, 'Every child gets a go'. We can really see the development of the skill sets, especially among the younger members of the panel, as they gain more experience in real game situations. We are very grateful to the parents for all their support and effort and look forward to their continued involvement over the summer months. U8 Hurling Padraig Dermody instructs our U8 s Our Underage Coaching is going from strength to strength as the year progresses and the hard work at training is paying dividends. As we participate in the GAA Go Games blitzes we try to ensure that, as per the slogan, 'Every child gets a go'. Mentors: Padraig Dermody (M), Mark Carroll, Pat McEvoy, Conor Shiels, Enda Fingleton, Seamus Kelly The average at training for this group is around the 18 mark, with the highest numbers having reached 25. This is a very willing group of youngsters, mad to learn the skills of the game and training matches amongst themselves have of late been full blooded affairs! Mentor numbers have never dipped below 4 adults at any training session and we normally have 5/6 mentors in attendance. Under Mark Carroll's leadership he and the other mentors and indeed everybody is having fun while slowly developing the skills, which is the most important thing. We have 2 rounds of Hurling Go Games left in the Calendar which will finish on the 9th of August. After this we would hope to pick some stand-alone fixtures as needs be for U7s and U8s. We would also plan to have alternate training sessions for both Football and Hurling every Friday after the 9th of August. Simon Fingleton The Master plan we devised is working well and gives both Hurling and Football mentors a match and training Calendar until October. We would like to put a plan in place for indoor hurling for this group once the outdoor season ends in October to keep their skills alive until next March. 5

6 Juvenile Team & Competition Updates Juvenile Club Committee U10 Football Mentors: Colm O'Hara (M), John Ramsbottom, Liam Smith, Karl Byrne Starting in March our U10 Footballers have been busy under the watchful eyes of their coaches. Numbers vary between 15 and 20 for this 2014 squad and we work hard to ensure every child is given specialist attention and coaching to develop their skills and maximize their enjoyment. O Moore Park Nights Hurling Chairman: Joe Cunningham Vice Chairman: Liam Dunne Secretary: Kevin Fingleton Asst. Secretary: Colm O Hara Coaching Officer: Darach Kennedy Children s Officer: Walsh Brigid They competed in the Go Games exhibition game at half time in the Laois v Donegal NFL game earlier this year and in recent weeks have competed against both St Jude s of Dublin and then last week welcomed JK Our U10 s with JK Brackens of who visited recently Brackens of Tipperary to Ratheniska for a challenge game. They also were part of the recent O Moore Park Nights Experience night. Coaching and games will continue throughout the summer and we are looking forward to some upcoming blitzes home and away. U10 Hurling Mentors: John Ramsbottom (M), Colm O'Hara, Jimmy Fitzpatrick Our U10 Hurlers also began their year in March and the year has been progressing well with both the Coaches and players have taken advantage of an experiment which has seen them travel to Castlecomer where they have undergone Coaching sessions with the local Club which seems to have been a great success thus far. They ve also been attending the Setanta Hurling Coaching sessions every Saturday morning in Portlaoise, all under the watchful eye of the Laois Coaching and Games Development Officers aided by current Laois Senior Hurlers. The Coaches also hope to arrange a coaching session with Laois Developments officer Andrew Kavanagh. U12 Hurling Mentors: Kevin Fingleton (M), John Ramsbottom Our players at Laois Donegal NFL game Coaching The Coaches! Our Underage continues apace in 2014 and as our numbers continue to grow so does our need for new coaches, so parents, don t stand back, get involved! Coaching courses are always available and for more information on how to become a Mentor and Coach, contact our dedicated Coaching Officer Darach Kennedy at We have 2 teams who are competing very well in both Division 1 and 2 of the hurling league. In Div 1 (11 teams) we have had 4 wins from 7 games and are just 1 place outside the top 4. In Div 2 (10 teams) we have had 2 wins from 7 games; this team is made up mainly of U11s, competing against the 1st team of many traditional hurling clubs in the county. Attendance at training and matches has been excellent all year. We have had training session on ball wall with Paudie Butler and worked with Castlecomer hurling on a joint training session. Our coaches are doing follow up work sessions in the coming weeks. U12 Football Mentors: Kevin Fingleton (M), John Connolly, Pat McGurk, Niall Aird, Roger Young We have 24 players on our panel and we entered 2 teams in Groups C and E of the league. Our team in Group E are mainly our U11s and are in a very tough group with The Harps, Ballyroan 2, and Portlaoise 3. They have lost a couple of very tight matches but had a great draw away to The Harps last Friday on a score of 2-9 to 4-3. Our Team in Group C remain unbeaten after 4 games, with some very solid performances. We need to win at least 2 of our remaining games to be sure of a semi-final spot. A number of our players are partaking in the Laois u12 development squad sessions as well as the Setanta hurling programmes which gives extra coaching, ball and skill work as well as a different perspective for all our players.

7 U14 Football Juvenile Team & Competition Updates Mentors: Pat Brennan (M), Paddy Dalton, Jimmy Renehan, Ken Byrne Our U14 Footballers have had a good campaign to date with victories over Portlaoise B, Ballylinan/Glenmore and an excellent performance from the whole team in a play off against Graiguecullen qualifying us for a league semi final on a score line of 4-9 to 2-5. We then faced the table toppers from the other group - Naomh Eamann, where despite a promising opening half where we trailed by just a point at the break we were unable to match their intensity in the 2nd half and they ran out winners. U10 Football O Moore Park Nights Overall the league campaign and practice games went well and the team is starting to gel together as the games progress. The Championship commences in the second week of July where once again we play Naomh Eamann. We are hoping for a good run through either the front or back door and hopefully the team will continue to develop. We are pleased that Jonathan Rafter was selected on the Laois U14 Football Development Squad and with the U13 trials currently taking place we are hoping some more of our players will receive the call to wear the County colours. We are pleased that Jonathan Rafter was selected on the Laois U14 Football Development Squad and with the U13 trials currently taking place we are hoping some more of our players will receive the call to wear the County colours. U14 Hurling Mentors: Hugh McCabe (M), Pat Brennan, David O Brien (Clonad) Our U14 hurlers are combined with Clonad and have been doing very well in the league to date and are building good momentum as the year progresses. The league campaign started on 31st March against Ballypickas where we recorded a facile victory, this was followed by a seven point win over St. Josephs in round two. Round three brought our first defeat away to Clonaslee but we bounced back to share the spoils with a fancied Rosenallis side in round four. Next on the list was an away trip to Borris/Kilcotton where we produced an excellent display to defeat the home side by twelve points. We are currently in joint second place in the league and hoping to make the league knockout stage. Head coach for this group is David O'Brien from Clonad assisted by Hugh McCabe & Pat Brennan from the Park/Ratheniska side. U16 Hurling Mentors: P Morrin (M) Our U16 hurlers are combined with Clonad and have had a tough start to the year. A number of league games were lost by a small margin and we didn t make the play-off as a result. We re training hard for the Championship which is due to start in early August. U16 Football Mentors: Anthony Hitchcock (M), Glen Maher, Ger Ramsbottom Our U16 footballers are going well again this year. Despite a number of injuries to players during the league campaign we managed to win our way through to the League final where after a titanic struggle we defeated Ballylinan Gleanmor 4-13 to This silverware is now put away and we are preparing for the Championship which is just a few weeks away. 7

8 Our Club Our Club is at the coalface in the promotion and development of our games and culture We provide enjoyment, involvement and personal development for all our members and players (especially for our youth ) Club Finance It s been an eventful year for our Club Lotto, and we re far from done yet. Having been capped at 15,000 since May 2012 our primary jackpot was won by Caroline Brennan in March. Reverting to our Secondary Pot for the following week, lightning struck once more, with Violet McNulty swooping in for a Jackpot of 14,300. Congratulations to both of our winners! We develop friendships, teamwork, and equality for all We provide our community with a positive identity and a sense of pride Park/Ratheniska GAA Club Powellstown, Ratheniska. Telephone (Secretary) secretary.parkratheniska.laois@gaa.ie Chairman Jimmy Morrin presents Caroline Brennan with her Lotto winnings of 15,000. Also pictured are ticket seller Johnny Brennan and Club Treasurer and Lotto Organiser Christy Fingleton The Jackpot currently stands at over 4,000 and we would urge all our members and supporters to ensure they are entered each week to be in with a chance to win. We remind all that our Lotto is our primary fundraiser and is responsible for all the day to day running costs of the Club and we as always thank you all for your continued support. Weekly results can be found on There are a number of payment options including weekly/monthly/half yearly/annual payments or direct debit - if interested in joining please contact Club treasurer Christy or any member of the Senior or Juvenile Club Committee. The Club would once again like to express our sincere thanks to all our tickets buyers in this year s Laois GAA All County Clubs Members Draw. Once more we are overwhelmed by your support and generosity and we congratulate our winners in the 2014 Draws. Newsletter by PRO Brian Ramsbottom pro.parkratheniska.laois@gaa.ie 2014