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A bright future for the Club The Rebel Óg Academy teams / Cork Development Squads had a day to remember in August with a stunning clean sweep of all seven Munster and All Ireland hurling tournaments from U14 to U17 (winning all 24 matches). These results bode well for the future of Cork Hurling and Ballincollig in particular, with 10 local lads togging out for Cork on the day. This is a great achievement for Ballincollig GAA, contributing as many players as any other club in the County. It is important to recognise the huge volume of work completed by Youth Development and Juvenile coaches and players over the past number of years, in both football and hurling. These young lads visited the Youth Development Programme the following Sunday to inspire the younger members of the club to follow similar paths in the future. It was not too long ago that these intercounty players started out here on the Sunday morning training sessions. A bright future for the club with such talent coming on stream. Well done to the lads who represented the Club : Sean Ryan : Paul Cooney : Josh Cotter : Conor O Leary : Sean Walsh : Ben Keohane : Jordan Murray : Ross O Donovan : Tom mc Elliott : Robert Burke : James Lenihan : Gearoid o Donoghue
Runai Report 2015 Failte a charda go leir, I welcome ever yone to the J uvenile/ Youth Development A.G.M. for Cumann Luth Chleas Gael Baile an Chollaigh 2015. This section of the Club is growing and growing and we must get better and better at making this the best under age show around. We have in the region of 500 children and 100 mentors on the go from February to November and for these Children we must have the coaching, facilities, gear and finance in order. We have provided players to Cork teams in the past but this year we have a Cork Minor Hurler and 12 players to help Cork complete a clean sweep of under age Hurling All Irelands. This is down to your work on the ground and to make sure this continues we must work as hard if not harder in 2016. A new coaching committee has been put in place and I must thank Patrick Kelly for the last 3 years of working with us and welcome Dave Walsh as his replacement. The new committee now consists of Dave Walsh, John Dwyer and Michael O Brien and I wish them all the best. Our Finance is always a talking point so I will leave the nitty gritty to Stephen Lyons, but as you all know finance is always a drag, but without the Lotto, Cork GAA Clubs Draw, Walks, Bag Packs, Christmas Draw, Door to Door etc the Section could not survive. People feel it is the same people all the time but if it stops we stop. If we could go forward in 2016 with a new subscriber to any of our money making ventures it would be much appreciated. The Cul Camp was again a major success and I thank al involved, it is our aim to provide the best coaching by the best coaches available. I thank everyone for helping me perform my job and making it easy for most of the time, hoping we can improve year on year. My sympathy must go out to Club Members who lost relatives during the year and a speedy recovery to those who are sick. Finally, I believe we have the right people in the right places within teams and committees but we cannot stand still in 20116.. We must improve again Baile an Chollaigh abu Is mise Runai KELLOGG S CUL CAMP 2015 The Club hosted one of Munster s largest Kellogg s Cul Camps this year with over 300 youngsters taking part led by 40 local coaches. The hectic week took place across 3 pitches over 5 days with a range of Hurling and Football drills for all ages. Organised by Louise Wills and John Dwyer and ably assisted by coaches like Cork Camogie panellist Leah Weste, Cork Under 21 Footballer Cian Kiely, Cork Minor Hurler Rob Bourke, ex Cork Minor Footballer Peter O Neill and former Belle of Ballincollig Laura Barry. The week ended with a surprise visit from Cork Intercounty Star Alan Cadogan which ensured the Kids are now counting down to Cul Camp 2016. Well done to all concerned. Mike McGrath P.R.O. 3
Youth Development Youth Development Chairman s Report It gives me great pleasure to present to you all my second report as Youth Development Chairman. First of all I wish to thank all the managers and coaches for all their dedicated work throughout the year. The numbers that continue to turn up training on Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings are huge. It is vital that we try to keep as many children playing our national games as possible. The aim of Youth Development has to be that we provide a fun environment to coach the skills of hurling and football. I will know give a summary of what happened in Youth development this year and then finish with a brief report on each Youth Development Team. Registration day The year began with our registration day on the first Sunday in February. Leaflets were distributed to all the schools and signs erected around the village to advertise Registration Day. The day itself was professionally organised and credit goes to all who helped out on the day. We again registered a record number of kids (388) in Youth Development this year which is a testimony to all the great work that is being done in Youth Development at the moment. U5s Training Programme This year the U5s had an indoor training programme for eight weeks in Gaelscoil Ui Riordain in February and March. Over 30 kids turned up each week. The focus of the training was on the development of children s fundamental movement skills. The weather in February and March can be very cold and wet which is not ideal for 4/5 year olds. Parents can therefore be reluctant to bring their kids training. The feedback for the indoor programme from parents was very positive. St Patricks Day Parade There was a huge turnout from Youth Development in the St Patrick s Day Parade and portrayed the club in a very positive light. Again Ballincollig GAA was the biggest sporting organisation in the parade. Schools Coaching Thanks to Ballincollig Credit Union for continuing to sponsor the School Coaching Programme. It is very much appreciated by Youth Development. John Dwyer continues to provide excellent coaching to the kids and the feedback this year has been tremendous. It definitely contributes to the increase in our playing numbers. John currently coaches kids from 1st to 4 th class in the three primary schools. He coaches Football from September to October and Hurling from March to June. He also helps out with the Sciath na Scoil teams. The Secondary School programme is now in its second year. There is support for this programme from the other clubs in Mid-Cork as well as Cork GAA. This is a long term project but the club is very hopeful to see the benefits in the years ahead. Coaching the Coaches In March, 8 of our coaches attended a coaching foundation course. During September and October four coaching workshops were held for coaches in the U6 to U10 age groups. The U6/U7 coaches came together to attend the Hurling and Football workshops. The U8,U9 and U10 coaches came together to attend their workshops. John Dwyer took the hurling workshops and Tom Dorgan did the football. This proved very popular and was very well attended by coaches. It is vital as a club that we engage and work with each management team to ensure the highest levels of coaching are delivered to each team. 4
Youth Development Camps John Dwyer ran the Easter and Halloween Camps again this year for U10 to U-13 age group. As usual it was a great success with huge numbers attending. Garret Harrington ran an Easter Camp for U6 and U7 age groups. Over 40 boys attended the camp in Gaelscoil Ui Riordain and thoroughly enjoyed it. Fun Day The annual Fun Day was again held during the week of Belle of Ballincollig Festival. It begins with the finals in the morning. The piper leads out the excited kids onto pitch one. They then stand together and listen to the National Anthem. Mini-blitzes are then held within the various age groups. Afterwards each player was presented with a medal by Sean Kiely. In the afternoon we had bouncy castles, relay races etc for the kids along with a DJ and music for the parents. The weather was nice and a wonderful day was had by everybody. Sponsored Walk and Skills Challenge This year the Sponsored Walk was confined to the groups from U6 to U9. The weather on the day was very good and the turnout was high. This year a new initiative the Skills Challenge was introduced for the first time for the U10, U11 and U12 groups. This proved very popular with the kids. This should be continued in the future. We collected over 3000 this year. This continues to be an excellent way to raise much needed funds for the section. Fundraising I would like to thank everyone who supported the section financially throughout the year. Registrations, Sponsored walk and the Door to Door Collection are our biggest source of income. Thanks to all the club members who helped in the door to door collection and to Brendan Murphy for organising it so efficiently. Christmas Party Next Sunday sees the official ending of the Youth Development year for 2015. We plan to have our old friend Santa arrive by Fire Brigade to the GAA pavilion at 2pm sharp. We will then go to main hall where we will present each child with their End of Year Certificate and a selection box as a reward for all their hard work during the year. My second year as Chairman of Youth Development was thoroughly enjoyable. Thanks also to our outstanding P.R.O Mike McGrath who did a fantastic job putting weekly reports into local publications. We are very lucky at the moment in the juvenile section to have such dedicated officers. The amount of work that goes on behind the scenes is incredible. In that respect I would like to pay tribute to Brendan Murphy, Brendan O Connell, Dave Walsh, Stephen Lyons, Louise Wills, Donie Hegarty and Mike McGrath.Presently the numbers in Youth Development are huge and continue to grow each year. The challenge for the club is to keep as many playing our games as possible as they move into the juvenile ranks and also to coach them correctly so they can hopefully go on to play with the club at adult level. Garret Harrington Chairman of Youth Development December 2015 5
Youth Development UNDER 6 : Garret Harrington Coaches Involved. Edward Power, Annette Murphy, Michael O Draignean, Stephen Coomey, Jimmy Donegan, John Teahan, Tom Skehan, Enda Hurney, Liam Cotter, Pat McDonnell, Colin Harris, Sean McCarthy, Michael O Brien, Brendan O Connell, Frank O Riordan. Thanks to all the coaches mentioned and all other coaches who helped throughout the year. This group registered 83 kids. Well over 100 kids turned up for training at different stages throughout the year. Just like last year the group was split into two based on age- U5 and U6. Michael O Brien took charge of the U5 group. If possible this should be done every year going forward. The year begun in February with the U5s going indoors for the first eight weeks in Gaelscoil Ui Riordain. The focus here was on fundamental movement skills. The U6s used the newly laid Astroturf pitch in Gaelscoil Ui Riordain for the first three months of their training on Sunday mornings. This proved hugely successful with the kids. We held a coaching workshop for this group in March which was well attended by the U6 Coaches. During the summer the U6s continued training on Wednesday evenings. Sunday morning training resumed in September. The management decided to continue Wednesday night training for September and October. Matches Played Away against Sars (Hurling) Saturday 29th August Home against Sars (Hurling) Sunday 20th September Home against Carrigaline (Football) Sunday 4th October Away against Eire Og (hurling +football) Sunday October 18th Away against Carrigaline (Hurling) Sunday November 1st Youth Development 6th Dec 2pm 6pm 6
Youth Development UNDER 7 : Padraig Twomey. This group registered 54. As manager of the Ballincollig Under 7 hurling and football teams I'd like to give a synopsis of our year's activities. Our playing year began on Sunday Febuary 8th. In a new departure our first 10 training sessions took place at Gaelscoil Ui Riordan on their fantastic AstroTurf facilities. 54 boys registered with us this year, and the majority of those made an appearance at various stages of the season. We then switched training to our own facilities at The Powdermills towards the end of April. We hosted a hurling and football blitz involving Bishopstown and Inniscarra at the start of May which proved to be a great success mainly due to the fact that we were blessed with 20 degree sunshine. 3 weeks later Eire Og kindly invited us to a blitz they hosted in Ovens which was enjoyed by all. Our final blitz took place in June when we invited Douglas to play us in hurling and football at Ballincollig. I've included photos of this final game below. In a First for Ballincollig U7s we decided to train for six weeks over July and August on Wednesday nights. Normal Sunday morning training resumed in September. I'd like to thank my fellow coaches Shane Hayes, Keith Ryan, Adrian Kenneally, John Coffey, Mick O Donovan, Liam O Callaghan, Jimmy Delaney, Niall Murphy and Ian Moore. I'd also like to thank Garret Harrington and Conor Cronin for all their help and advice over the year. Here's looking forward to an equally enjoyable and successful 2016. Join for 10 per month 45% of ticket goes direct to Juvenile/Youth Development Contact : DONIE HEGARTY, Runai 7
Youth Development UNDER 8 : Kevin Kirstein THE U8s had a very enjoyable and worthwhile season, completing 46 training sessions, and playing in 14 blitzes, between February and November 1. This was the first year this age group was eligible to enter the Rebel Óg Monster Blitz scheme and therefore it was a big step forward for the group of 50 registered players, and the 11 mentors. We primarily entered the city section, but also made the trip to Mid Cork to Macroom, Cloughduv and Inniscarra for variety and to take on our more local rivals. Unfortunately one of the scheduled blitzes was cancelled mid-summer due to a clash with the Cork -Kerry Munster final replay, but the players overall thoroughly enjoyed facing a range of clubs at various venues. We trained on Wednesday nights from summer through to late October, and decided to continue training Sunday mornings even when we played blitzes the day before. Numbers were occasionally down those days, but it was felt by the group that continuity in the regular timeslot was important to parents. Attendance at training and matches varied between 20 and 40 depending on the time of year, but taking out summer holidays the average number of U8 players was 35 each time. While coaching was shared between all 11 coaches involved, Paul O Connor and Kevin Kirstein handled more of the hurling, with Kieran O Toole and Eugene Lynch generally looking after the football. Pearse Ryan, Tim Kelleher, Ian Murphy, Brian Delaney, Keith Brown, Conor Fitzgerald and Éamonn Murphy are the other mentors. The season concluded with an entertaining but challenging hurling blitz when we hosted Sarsfields. Keeping pace with clubs like that is our goal going forward, while keeping all the youngsters involved enthusiastic and passionate about GAA. Huge progress was seen across the year in both codes, but particularly hurling as we moved on from the ground hurling rules. A similar effort and commitment is needed in 2016 as we progress into the more competitive U9 blitzes. UNDER 9 : John Dwyer. This group registered 45. They trained every Sunday and Wednesday throughout the year and played in Rebel Og blitzes on Saturdays in both hurling and Football. It was an extremely enjoyable year where the improvements were huge. They have big numbers, with an average of 34 at each training session. Thanks to the 10 coaches and also the parents for all the effort and support. 8
Youth Development Under10 : Gerard Dore Manager Gerard Dore Assistant Manager Darren O Neill Coaches: Kevin Dalton (Football - Lead Coach), Garrett Irish (Hurling -Lead Coach), John Buckley, Dermot Carew, John Kelly, Robert King, Denis Keane, John O Neill, Damien O Sullivan, Rob Walsh, In February, we started back training on Sundays and Wednesday evenings. We had our first Rebel Og blitz in late March in Football and from then on we had a total of 14 matches, a combination of Rebel Og blitzes and challenge games. We had on average 24 of the 32 registered boys at each game. The boys in all games accounted for themselves well. Details of the matches & venues are as follows; One of the highlights of the year was our trip to Pairc Ui Rinn on the 14 th of June to see the Cork senior footballers play Clare in the Munster Championship. The day began with both hurling & football matches v s Mallow in B/Collig. This was part of a home and away return leg with Mallow where the first leg was played the previous October. Our thanks to the B/Collig club and to parents for the food & refreshments served to all. A team trophy was sponsored for the matches and is now being passed around from player to player to keep at their home for a week. It has stirred keen interest and competition on which boy will get it the next time!! We carried on the day with a full bus to see Cork win over Clare. The first part of the year was completed with a hurling challenge match versus Sarsfields which ended in 2 games won by each side. While Youth development training closed for the Summer break of July & August we continued to train on the Wednesday nights during July for those around. Another highlight of the year was the hurling blitz for U10 s at St Martins Club in Wexford on the 29 th of August. Thanks goes to Conor Cronin for his work in getting us invited. We travelled with a full bus of boys and parents to Wexford town early on a lovely sunny Saturday morning. Thanks goes to a number of U9 s who travelled with us as well to ensure we had a full 26 panel. Two teams of 12 from Ballincollig played Ballygunnar from Waterford, Thomastown from Kikenny, Kilmacud Crokes from Dublin plus from Wexford St Annes and the hosts St Martin s. It was great for the boys to play the likes of such teams from outside of Cork and see for themselves 9
Youth Development Under10 continued the level of hurling in other counties. It was also a good team building exercise with a memorable (if not in key) sing song on the way home! We continued the year with training twice a week and matches on average every two weeks and we plan at this point to end the year with a return hurling match versus Sarsfields on the 28 th of November. We set out as one of our key aims for the year to focus on improving some of the weaker player s skills particularly in hurling. To this end for example we ran on the Wednesday evenings in February, small group training sessions in the ball alley with those boys who needed some additional assistance with the skills of hurling. This as well as a general focus throughout the year certainly has borne fruit with these boys skills improving significantly during 2015. A further positive development during the year was the intensity at which the boys begin matches. Previously they were slow to start however this element has been removed from their play and the intensity of their matches throughout has greatly increased. As always however while the games are enjoyable for all, the key focus of the coaching team is to develop the boys skills in hurling and football. An additional positive development during 2015 was the new boys who have joined us. Much of this is the result of the good work that John Dwyer is doing under the schools programme. To end we thank the parents& grandparents for their commitment in bringing the boys on a consistent basis to the training sessions plus also all the coaches for their work in assisting in the sessions & matches. It was a busy but we hope a rewarding year for all involved in the U10 s both players, parents and coaches and we look forward to another one particularly as we enter into competitive leagues in 2016. 10
Youth Development UNDER 11 : Danny Dwyer Starting out 2016 with 36 registered players, our focus for the year was to partake in the Rebel Og U11 Hurling and Football Leagues, while hosting the Joe Delaney Tournament in mid -June. In preparation for the above tasks we trained twice a week for most of the year, with games taking place most weekends. To start with the report from the Joe Delaney Cup, on Saturday June 20th, we hosted Na Piarsaigh from Limerick, James Stephens of Kilkenny and our neighbours Valley Rovers, with each club bringing 3 teams with them and in all approximately 150 boys took part. The day itself was a fantastic success, the good weather played its part and was a welcome bonus, the conditions were perfect for summer hurling and all teams plus supporters enjoyed the day. The competition itself was played at an exceptionally high standard and the final round of games had Ballincollig and James Stephens neck and neck, where unfortunately we narrowly missing out on the day. The U11 Management Team would like to thank everyone who got involved on the day, where there was no shortage of volunteers and supporters while thanks to the Juvenile Section Committee, and particular Dave Walsh, for holding this excellent tournament for the third consecutive year On the Rebel Og front, our U11 Teams qualified for both League Finals in Hurling and Football. Our Hurlers topped the League defeating Ballygarvan, Valley Rovers, Blackrock, Carrigaline and Inniscarra along the way. However, we came out second best in the Hurling Finals. After a winning performance in the semi-final against Blackrock, we were beaten in the final by steely rivals Ballingarvan. We will take it as a learning experience and look forward to the competitive action in 2016. As for the Football Finals, we qualified after beating Glanmire, Midleton, St Nichs & Cobh during the year. At the semi-final stage, we lost to an excellent Glenville team while thereafter we beat Mallow in the Plate Final. Once again it was a great learning experience for the lads to qualify for the latter stages for the competition. While the U11 Management Team would also like to thank the U10 Management Team for the support during the year as we we could not field the necessary 22 players at times during the league, and it was great to be able to call upon the bodies needed so as to avoid dropping unnecessary League points. Finally our year ended with an action-packed visit to the West Cork Secret Activity Centre recently, where a military regime with mud, sweat and waterslides provided a great team-building experience as we prepare for 2016; 11
Youth Development UNDER 12 : Pat Aherne We started 2015 season in the first weekend of February and our session finished on Sunday 22 nd. The Manager of the squad at the start of the year was Ken Quinn, who resigned his position back in April. So all the Selectors had to rally together and keep the focus on behalf of the kids. We have a total of 39 kids in this age group with one dropping out in 2015. We had four teams in this grade, we were Premier One Football and Hurling, played Premier 2 in Hurling and Central 3 in Football. We struggled in the Premier 2 Hurling grade and will not play in this grade in 2016. FOOTBALL In Premier One Football we played 8 games, however did not play Glanmire (originally fixed for September but pushed into August by the Bord while everyone on holidays, they could not play and took our place in the play offs) and St. Nicks. We won 5 and lost 3 games, finished on 10 points, finished fifth. In the Autumn League (started in October) we played 5 games and were unbeaten. We beat the Barrs in the final on Sunday November 22 nd. In the Central 3 League, we played 11 games throughout the year, winning 6 and losing 5, finished in the top 3. We beat Nemo Rangers in the semi-final and played Douglas in the Final on November 15 th. This was Douglas s only defeat in Football in 2015 and was a sweet victory for this team. To date we played 24 games plus 3 Football games at a Blitz in Mungret on Saturday June 27 th. We intend to enter into more Football Blitz s in 2016. HURLING In Premier One Hurling played 8 games, won 5 and lost 3, did not play the Glen (date mix up) and Sars (bad weather), finished fifth in the League (again Bord pushed to play in early August). In the Autumn League we played 4 games and won all of them, beating Blackrock on Saturday September 27 th, this being the first Final we won in 2015. In the Premier Two Hurling we played 7 games, winning 3 and losing 4, we had a top four finish. We also played Inniscarra in a practise match. We took part in the Premier Two Autumn League where we played 4 games, winning 2 and losing 2. So we played a total of 24 Hurling matches in 2015. We learned that we were not strong enough to play in Premier Two Hurling this year (three players have stopped playing Hurling as a result), so we have collaborated with the other Premier One Teams, we can enter into a Central 3 Type League in 2016 and give the weaker Hurlers a chance to develop in this environment. This was very evident in the Central 3 Football League this year, as some of them make it into the Premier One Football later in the year. It is also our intention to enter into Hurling Blitz s played in Tipperary and Kilkenny to bring on the kids in developing their Hurling prowess in 2016. CONCLUSION Overall we played a total of 51 games in both Hurling and Football and this would not be possible, only for the work of the following people, Paddy Ahearne, Eamonn Keating, Jim Mannix, Dave O Driscoll, John Sheehan, Tom Dorgan, Con O Connell, JP O Leary, Barry Gleeson and Noel Kelleher. Everyone pulled together to be at most training sessions and matches, some selectors cannot be there all of the time, but due to having a large number involved, we got everything to run smoothly all the time. A big thanks goes to all these guys for taking the time to be involved in 2015 and will again in 2016. Finally the Under 12 Team Management, like to thank John Purcell for his Pitch Management, this was never an issue with John. Donie Hegarty was also a great help in getting Ref s organised and very helpful with other requests he got throughout the year. John O Driscoll was on hand for our two finals over the last few weekends, looking after the kitchen for us and Douglas and the Barr s were very grateful for this after the two Finals. Ciaran Ryle was very helpful throughout 2015 as the Club Rep s to the Bord with all the fixtures, thanks again on behalf of the Under 12 Group. Honours Central 3 Football League winners Captain Ryan McCarthy Premier One Autumn Hurling League winners Captain Brian Keating Premier One Autumn Football League winners Captain Conor O Driscoll 12
UNDER 13 : Conor Cronin Under 13 Manager: Conor Cronin Coaches/Selectors/Mentors: Denis McGarry, John Oldham, Cathal Cleary, Dave Walsh, Brendan Murphy, Jerry Ring, Ger O Donoghue, Derry O Connor League Games played Won Draw Lost P1 Football 10 3 0 7 C3 Football 8 1 1 6 P1 Hurling 8 2 0 6 P2Hurling 10 3 0 7 Total 36 9 1 26 As mentioned above our U-13 squad competed in 2 football and 2 hurling leagues in 2015. I d like to thank all the coaches and mentors who helped out during the year as the workload involved in running 2 teams (4 leagues) takes a lot of commitment and time. There was over 30 boys registered in 2015 and all of these were involved at some stage during the year. We obviously would have liked to have won more games throughout the year but I still believe in the longer term we will achieve our objectives. I would also like to thank the U-12 management team who helped us out on a few occasions when numbers were tight with our C3 football and P2 hurling teams. The big problem of player dropout will undoubtedly raise its head over the next few year and on this end we will need to work hard to keep as many of the boys as possible still playing. Maintaining a 2 team strategy is vital to this objective as lack of playing time is one of the major factors in boys giving up. We would also hope to have a C3 hurling league in place next year to cater for the boys who are still developing. P2 hurling was too strong for some of these lads this year as it was primarily made up with club first teams like Cloughduv, Blackrock and Valley Rovers to name a few. We have broad agreement from Douglas, Sars and Inniscarra to go about this next year. Down but not out! Getting ready for the next battle! Players and coaches pictured at recent Colm Cooper Tournament in Killarney where they lost out narrowly in the final after extra time. 133
UNDER 14 : Terence O Leary Under14 Football Challenges: Kenmare and Macroom. Won both game. League Games:Bishopstown, Nemo Rangers, St. Michaels, Carrigaline, St. Finbarrs Unfortunately beaten in all league games. Lost to Carrigaline in Champsionship. Hurley Challenges: Carrigaline and Bishopstown. Won both games. League Games Midleton, St. Finbarrs, Shandrum, Douglas, The Glen, Blackrock, Cobh, Sarsfield and Dullhallow. Lost out to league play offs because rained off against Dulhallow and Sarsfield postponed games on three different occasions. Lost to Glen Rovers in Championship. Feile Football: Group Stage was against Bandon, Aghangailes and Glenville. Won all three on the Saturday and qualified for the playoffs on the Sunday. We were beaten by Douglas in a thrilling game by 2 points in the quarter final. Feile Hurling: Group Stage was against Courcey Rovers, Sarsfields, Aragideen/Barryroe. Won all three games. Qualified for the play offs the following day. We beat Cobh in the quarter final and lost out to Douglas by a goal and a point. I would like to thank the club for its great support in both of the Feile competitions and would highly recommend this competition for up and coming teams. We qualified for the Feile B All Ireland which was played in Waterford, we won our section and lost our narrowly to eventual winners James Stephens of Kilkenny in the semi final. A special thanks to the under 13 boys who helped us out in the competition. Travelling Teams: We had a busy and enjoyable year hosting three teams. On the Easter weekend our friends from Crossmaglen came to us, which we took them to spike island adventure centre. An American team from Hartford and also Ballyboden from Dublin travelled to us which we played a hurley and football game. A big thank you to families who hosted these travelling teams. Achievements: We had nine of our boys that represented Cork under 14s Hurley and Football which was a great achievement for them and their club. In all we had a very busy year with close on 80 training sessions and 32 matches between Hurley and Football. We feel that with our limited numbers (20 players) that it is best for this team to compete in a premier 2 division in both codes. We feel that we will be more competitive at this lesser grade rather than playing against the top teams that can draw on the age below them. A special thanks to our juvenile committee for their support and to John O Driscoll for his catering services. Manager: Terence O Leary Selectors: Steve Wills, Barry Ryan, Dave Burke, Donie Hegarty and John O Driscoll 14
Under15 Under15 : James Lynch Manager: James Lynch Hurling Coach: Finbarr Kelly Football Coach: John Kelly Selectors: Charlie Barrett, Conor O'Sullivan, John Kennelly & Mick Murphy This year Ballincollig U-15 s were entered into the premier 1 hurling and premier league 2 football leagues. Hurling In a number of premier 1 league games in hurling we narrowly lost but in the end we ended up losing all of our league games. In the championship were drawn against Blackrock, on the day we were competitive for a lot of the game but failed to score at crucial time and ended up losing well in the end. Our number of hurlers that we can call upon is quite limited as we have only 15 registered players that are regularly turning up, thus for most of our matches we are reliant on the age below us to fulfil games. In Hurling we played a total of 7 league games, 1 championship game, 3 practice matches and 32 training sessions. Football This year we decided to step down from premier 1 football to premier 2 football. We ended up playing 5 league games where we won 4 games and lost 1 game. We are currently waiting to play the final of the league. In the football championship we lost out in the semi-final to Ilen Rovers by 3 points in a very tight game that could have gone either way. We also had championship games against Bandon and Bride Rover. Our number of footballers that we can regularly call upon is 19. In football to-date we have played 5 league games, 3 Championship games, 5 practice matches and 34 training sessions. ADULT TEAM OF 3 30 CAMOGIE TEAM OF 3 20 JUVENILE TEAM (under 16) 20 SPONSORED BY : BALLINCOLLIG JEWELLERS 26th December @ 10.15 a.m. From Greenfield 15
Under16 Under16 : Dave Walsh Management team: Dave Walsh, Pat Walsh, Paddy Lucey, John O Driscoll, Dan Twohig This year a new management team joined the boys with the hope of helping to progress the skills and enjoyment of playing Gaa with a results will follow philosophy. To the most part I feel we were successful with our first objectives, although we lost a couple of players from last year we did add 2 new recruits to the team who contributed greatly to the year, we also saw an increase in the number of players attending training, football in particular thanks in no small part to Paddy, and even though we run off of a tight squad we had no issues in completing all fixtures with the help of some of the under 15 players. We had a long year which means it can t have been too bad to say we were still involved in football league up until recently, we had our first meeting on Saturday the17th of January and finished with our last football match on Tuesday the 3 rd of November. HURLING Our goals for the year in Hurling included using as many under 16 players as possible in the league, cementing our place in premier 1 Hurling, and growing the team spirit and pride to represent both our Club and ourselves as best as possible in championship. In the league all of our main aims were achieved, all players on the age were given preference over the younger age in league games and I think the evidence of this was born out in our training attendance. We finished our league campaign mid table unable to complete 1 or 2 winnable fixtures as the deadline for league games expired during our Football championship, the only Cork teams to finish above us were eventual winners Na Piarsaigh,Midleton, Douglas, Sarsfields, and Glen Rovers, which shows we are still up there with the traditional Clubs especially considering only 2 of these teams are also dual Clubs. In championship we were dealt a favourable draw against Duhallow but couldn t capitalise on it in Mallow, we were dealt a couple of major injury blows prior to the game but that shouldn t have prevented us from winning so it was a disappointing day. The way the boys bounced back from this though was fantastic, our next game was against Shandrum, county champions of 2013, the boys put in a huge performance that day, some of them playing in positions they were not used to and asked to change again during the game which they did with the same enthusiasm as they had been showing all along in training, our team spirit was definitely starting to grow. We won that day to set up a quarter final meeting with Na Piarsaigh, we started extremely well and stood up to Na Piarsaigh score for score in the first half, indeed we had 2 good goal chances of our own that half which we didn t convert only for Na Piarsagh to finish they re 2 chances to end the half with a score line of Ballincollig 9 points Na Piarsaigh 2-9. We started the second half poorly and eventually ended up losing to the eventual winners of the competition, it does have to be noted however that our final total of 3-15 was the highest score conceded by Na Piarsaigh for the whole year, the boys fighting spirit was truly alive and kicking. FOOTBALL This year it was felt that it would serve us better if we competed in the premier 2 grade for Football while still maintaining our overall goals of as much game time in the league for players on the age and giving a good account of ourselves in championship. There was a lot of uncertainty this year as we were up against teams we had never played before and thus didn t know what to expect from them, this was certainly the truth in our opening game against Glanmire where we started very well only to lose our way in the second half and lose by a goal in the end. Whilst it was a defeat, we learned an awful lot that day and put it to good use while we went on to win the next 3 straight games setting us up for a semi final playoff later on in the year. Again we faced Glanmire in the playoff, the game was played in great spirit with both sides going score for score, in the end neither full time nor extra time could separate the sides while I do feel we had the better chances and probably should have won on the night. 16
Under16 Under16 continued Our rematch was fixed for Glanmire and unfortunately key injuries to a number of players didn t allow us to put out our full strength side, with this in mind we were still only 2 points down with 2 minutes to go which was an incredible achievement considering the calibre of players we had missing, again a great display of the boys not giving in no matter what the odds. Our championship campaign got off to a great start with a comprehensive win over Douglas which set up a local derby against Inniscarra. This must have been one of the most frustrating games for us over the year, we had beaten Inniscarra earlier in the league and were really looking forward to the game only to be caught with 5 key players picking up injuries on the lead up to the game and unable to take any part, the day itself was wet and didn t lend itself to a good game of Football however our boys battled on and narrowly lost out in the end, it was a very disappointed dressing room afterwards, full of what ifs, but that s sport. All in all I feel we had a good year, we run off of a tight squad so our options are limited and the demands of the boys are great, however, we are still competing at a very high level which is testament to the hard work that has been put in to the boys not just this year but in years gone by, to put this in perspective we had 4 players involved with the Cork Hurling squads this year that went on to win all Ireland glory. While we did not win any medals this year successes can be measured in many different ways and I do feel we were true to our goals and achieved so much because of them. The boys commitment to making themselves available for training and matches was unquestionable, the passion they played every game with and the never say die attitude they showed in many games will stand them in good stead for the rest of their GAA lives. This is a talented group of boys which will add greatly to the minor team of next year and to whatever team they find themselves in years to come. I would just like to take some time to acknowledge the wonderful work and commitment shown by the entire management team this year, it s not easy to come in for a year and try to leave a favourable mark on a team but no stone was left unturned in our endeavour to help the boys better themselves, from the sat nav required Football sessions run by Paddy, the expert knowledge of the game shown by Johno and Danny in their Hurling training and to the Guidance and expertise shown by Pat of the boys, everyone pulled together and our success will be shown in the amount of boys who will continue with the minor teams of next year. I would also like to thank the under 15 management and players for their help throughout the year in particular James Lynch who always came up trumps when we needed help. Every success and the very best of luck to all of the under 16 squad in your future life and participation in GAA, 17
Minor Hurling Minor Hurling : John Linehan Manager : John Linehan Selectors : Eamonn Keating, Noel Kelleher, Denis Twomey, Frank Daly Let me start by saying what a great privilage it was to work with this group pf players and selectors. The season started with a challenge against Blackrock in February and ended with a County Semi Final defeat to Charleville in Castlelyons on the 25th August. In between we played 13 games including challenge games against Lismore and Ballincollig Senior Camogie. We also had two games in the non exam league and we also played four Minor League games. We had some exciting days in Championship with an extra time win over Ballinhassig ; a one point win in a thriller against Eire Og and a fine victory over Glen Rovers in the Quarter Final. We had a gallant effort against Charleville in the Semi Final, but they were too strong for us on the night. Thirteen of the team that finished the match are under age again next year and this bodes well for the year ahead. Player wise we had six players in the victorious Lord Mayor s Cup winning team and we has three players wearing the Red Jersey of Cork during the year. Gearoid O Donoghue and James Linehan with the under 17 s and Robert Bourke with the Cork Minors. Four of our under 16 s also represented Cork. I would like to thank everyone at the under 16 s for their great help and cooperation during the year, especially Dave and Pat. I would also like to thank all the officers for their help and advice. A special thanks to Louise for her help on championship days. Also thanks to all the parents for their help and patience regarding transport. Finally, I would like to thank this great bunch of players who are a credit to their Club, families and to themselves. We had a representative on every adult team from Senior, Intermediate to Junior C and they gave a great account of themselves when they were called upon 19.02.15 BALLINCOLLIG 1-12 V BLACKROCK 4-12 01.04.15 BALLINCOLLIG 3-10 V VALLEY ROVERS 3-10 (L) 12.04.15 BALLINCOLLIG 6-15 V LISMORE 3-09 18.04.15 BALLINCOLLIG 5-12 V BALLINHASSIG 2-19 AET (C) BALLINCOLLIG 3-09 V BALLINHASSIG 3-12 (L) 24.04.15 BALLINCOLLIG 1-16 V BISHOPSTOWN 0-13 (L) 30.04.15 BALLINCOLLIG 1-10 V INNISCARRA 2-09 (L) 08.05.15 BALLINCOLLIG 0-13 V BLACKROCK 2-15 (N/E) 18.05.15 BALLINCOLLIG 9.31 V CAMOGIE 0-11 03.06.15 BALLINCOLLIG 4-12 V NA PIARSAIGH 4.13 (N/E) 28.06.15 BALLINCOLLIG 0-15 V CLOUGHDUV 0-23 (L) 08.07.15 BALLINCOLLIG 0-16 V EIRE OG 2-09 12.08.15 BALLINCOLLIG 2-20 V GLEN ROVERS 4-11 /(L) 25.08.15 BALLINCOLLIG 0-11 V CHARLVILLE 1-19 Received w/o from CLONAKILTY 18
Minor Football Minor Football : Micheal Quealy Premier 1 Championship 1st Round v Douglas Mardyke - 26/03/2015 The 1st round fixtire presented a very tough draw for us against the overwhelming favourites for the whole championship but confidence was high that we could suprise a few people if we played to our full potential. The first half was a tight affair, with score at premium, even if we did ride our luck a bit in front of our own goal a few times. Once we settled into our own game, we started to create chances and finally just before half time, we broke quickly from midfield to score a goal to bring us within a point going into half time. The game reamined tight in the second half, with each side creating few opportunities and when they did, were wastlefull. A few of those missed opportunitues proved crucial as Douglas s greater experience and physical presence in central positions meant they were able to pull away with 4 points in the last 5 minutes. Final Score Douglas 0-16, Ballincollig 1-06 2nd Round v Nemo Mardyke - 15/07/2015 In what was to prove a very dissapointing night in the Mardyke, the lack of competitive football was to prove decisive. After a fantastic start where we had Nemo in trouble at the back, we failed to fully capitalize, letting an early 3 point lead slip to level at half time 5 points each. In the second half, those missed opportunities in the first half were to prove very catly as Nemo were able to catch us on the break for a goal when the game was still level. This meant that we now had to chase the game, leaving up exposed at the back to Nemo s very effective counter attacking. Even though we always kept within touching distance, the decisive goal always eluded us until it was too late and Nemo had already added another. Final Score Nemo 2-11, Ballincollig 1-08 Premier 1 League Central 1st Round v Aghada, in Aghada 31/01/2015 In attrocious conditions at the end of Jan at Rottellan, we had our first league outing of the year. It was the first time for many of these players playing at this level and the condiitons did not help to ease them into it. Against a very physcial Aghada it took 10 / 15 minutes to adapt to the wind swept conditions, during which we conseeded 2 goals. By half time, as a result of settling down and playing more composed and mature posssesion football, the deficete had been redused to a minimum (2-0 to 0-5) due in no uncertain terms to outstanding free taking. After getting to grips with the game in the second half, we manageed to take a lead of 3 points into the last 15 minutes, only to conceed 2 more soft goals totally against the run of play. The reaction was outstanding reducing the margin to 1 pojnt again, but we could not get one final score to get what would have been a deserved draw. Final Score Aghada 4-1, Ballincollig 0-13 2nd Round V St Finbarrs in Ballincollig 16/02/2015 On a perfect night for football on pitch 2 in Ballincollig, we took on St Finbarrs. Injuries and school tours had resulted in a few players being missing but those that stood in their place more than nade their mark on a much improved defensive peformance from the 1st outing. Again a more physical Barrs side were able to enjoy more possesion than us but some outstanding defending and gaolkeeping ensured that we were in the game all the way through until Barrs pulled away in the final 5 minutes. Final score Ballincollig 0-6 St Finbarrs 0-12 19
Minor football Minor Football continued 3rd Round V StMichaels in Mahon 14/03/2015 Heading into this game, hopes were for a big peformance in our last competive gane before 1st roud of Championship and a lot of work done on the training pitch. This confidence was not unfounded as we dominated the game from start to finish, showing a new appetite for goals and fast running, football. An even spread of scores through out the 6 forwards and midfield was the hall mark of a strong performane.final Score St Michaels 2-08, Ballincollig 4-10 4th Round V Nemo (see Champ fixture) 5th Round v Carrigaline in Carrigaline 04/09/2015 Score Carrigaline 1-12 Ballincollig 2-12 Non Exam League Premier 1 In what proved to a very one sided league group, we produced a number of very impressive performances against what must be said was very weak opposition. Victories over Clonakilty, Valley Rovers, St Finbarrs and Bishopstown resulted in us topping the table and qualifying for a home semifinal v Douglas In what was a very impressive performance against a strong douglas side, we held on a the end after opening a early lead, setting up a final against St Michaels in Mahon. Ultimatitly, this was to prove beyond us as we were beaten by a physically bigger and more aggresive side on the evening who took every opportunity that came their way. Premier 3 League and Championship League: Beat Nemo (3-12 to 0-6), Douglas (1-14 to 1-8). Beaten by St Finbarrs in the league semi final 2-08 to 1-12 Championship: Beat Douglas in the 1st round (1-14 to 1-08) Beaten in the Semifinal by St Finbarrs 20