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Under 14 Hurling
U14 HC: Bredagh 15-09 Warrenpoint 0-00
As the score suggests this was an easy victory to take Bredagh into the semi-final and, in truth, was little value for either team. Bredagh's two front men, Conor Costello and Aidan Donaghy, did the damage racking up 15-4 between them.
As a contest the game was over within ten minutes as Bredagh piled on the scores although Warrenpoint battled hard to the bitter end. Kaolan Power landed a lovely point in the 15th minute while Ronan Smyth and McGourty controlled the midfield with the latter landing three minors, the last a sweet mid-air strike coming off the inside post. Smyth also had a great game, especially in the second half where he blocked brilliantly and battled with a championship intensity throughout.
Other notable scores came from Hanrahan who drilled over a point from an acute angle at the start of the second-half while Costello had a superb overhead strike for a major as he racked up a massive individual tally of 10-2 on the night. His strike partner, Aidan Donaghy, also hit a superb piledriver for his fifth goal to close out the game.
Overall Bredagh dominated in all departments, Francis was solid at the back but to be fair he saw little of the ball, he received good support from defenders Collins, Niall Smyth and Mulvenna. The half-back line of Fitzpatrick, Patterson and McGonigle let little through. Up front Young, Blaney and Quinn all contributed well but will feel they should have effected the scoreboard with the amount of possession they had.
Liatroim await Bredagh in the semi-final next week, and while this match was a good confidence builder, the Mourne men will be a totally different kettle of fish with all of Bredagh's players needing to be on top of their game to have any chance of causing an upset.
Panel and scorers: Odhran Devlin, Rory Collins, Niall Smyth, Niall Fitzpatrick, Mark Patterson, Enda McGonigle, Ronan Smyth, Sean McGourty 0-3, Damien Hanrahan 0-1, Kaolan Power 0-1, Stephen Young, Sean Blaney, Aidan Donaghy 5-2, Conor Costello 10-2, Ronan Quinn, Daniel Mulvenna.
U14 HL: Bredagh 1-08 4-07 Ballygalget
Bredagh started this game in whirlwind fashion and within 10 minutes were leadind 1-6 to 0-1 with Costello and Donaghy landing a brace of minors apiece,, singles from Doherty and Hanrahan added to that tally while McGourty who was the pick of the team on the night fired 1-1.
Unfortunately, the South Belfast gaels only competed for the first quarter after that the more competitive Ards men started to dominate with the second quarter seeing the sides exchange points to leave the score 1-7 to 0-2 at the short whistle.
The second half was all Ballygalget as they outfought the Bredagh boys in all sections of the field to run out easy winners on the night.
When Bredagh were on top Goldsmith kept an excellent goal with Francis and Patterson dominating the centre back positions. McGourty at centre forward was Bredagh's best man and he received good support from Doherty and Costello especially in the first half. However the second half performance can best be forgotten as Bredagh capitulated to a dominant Ballygalget team.
Panel and Scorers: Ryan Goldsmith, Tiarnan Curran,, Conor Francis, Rory Collins, Niall Fitzpatrick, Mark Patterson, Enda McGonigle, Caolan Schablie, Aidan Donaghy 0-2, Damian Hanrahan 0-1, Sean McGourty 1-1, Conor Costello 0-2, Sean Blaney, Tom Doherty 0-1, Kaolan Power, Odhran Devlin, Conal Gormley, Niall Smyth, Chris ferry, Stephen Young
U14 HL: Bredagh 7-06 0-00 Newry Shamrocks
The South Belfast boys had a relatively easy win against a depleted Shamrocks side on Saturday. Costello did the major damage racking a top scoring total of 4-3 to get the man-of-the-match award while in the defence Goldsmith, Francis and an impregnable Patterson had 'thou shalt not pass' stamped across their forehead keeping a clean sheet throughout.
Bredagh played against a strong wind in the first half but a brace of majors from McGourty and Costello with the latter adding two minors from placed balls saw Bredagh taking a commanding lead of 4-4 to no score at the short whistle.
The Ormeau Road boys resumed normal service in the second half with Costello hitting another brace early on to kill off the game as a contest in the third quarter. Donaghy added a goal from long range and two late Doherty points sealed Shamrocks fate.
Overall this was a good work out for the Bredagh boys, the defence was sound throughout with Collins, Hanrahan and Curran sweeping up anything that got through Patterson and Francis with keeper Goldsmith dealing with everything that came his way. Schablie and Ronan Smyth dominated midfield while up front it was the Costello, McGourty and Donaghy show. Power did well when moved back to the half-back line as did Doherty when moved up front. Niall Smyth, Devlin and Young worked hard in the forward line but will be disappointed not to register a score.
Panel and scorers: Ryan Goldsmith, Tiarnan Curran, Conor Francis, Rory Collins, Tom Doherty 0-2, Mark Patterson, Damian hanrahan, Ronan Smyth, Caolan Schablie, Stephen YoungAidan Donaghy 1-1, Conor Costello 4-3 2f, Sean McGourty 2-0 Kaolan Power, Odhran Devlin, Niall Smyth.
U14 HL: Ballycran 4-08 1-02 Bredagh
The young South Belfast gaels travelled to the Ards for the second week running and put up a valiant effort before going down to the home side. This game was a much tighter affair than the score suggests with three of the Ards majors dropping over the Bredagh keeper's head from distance and but for a series of missed opportunities by the Bredagh boys the score could have been much closer.
Bredagh started well with Blaney sweeping the ball to the net after Costello's shot came off the crossbar. The Cran replied with a couple of points before Gormley caught an excellent pass from Hanrahan and drilled the sliotar over the bar for a great score however a soft goal just before half-time left Bredagh trailing by 2 points at the short whistle.
Bredagh had the lion's share of the possession in the second half but just couldn't turn it into scores while at the other end two long range efforts crept in below the bar to give Ballycran a flattering lead. Bredagh battled hard to the very end with their only reward being a Donaghy point but overall this was a fine display by the Ormeau Road boys.
In goals, Devlin in the first and more so Goldsmith in the second half played well with the latter pulling off a number of fine saves. Patterson was solid at fullback but earned the man of the match accolade when he moved out to centrehalf in the second period. Curran had one of his best games at cornerback and in the other corner Caolan Schablie was excellent throughout. The half back line of Fitzpatrick, Francis and McGonigle were steady but certainly didn't get it all their own way against a strong Cran line.
Midfielder Ronan Smyth ran his heart out and gave Ballycran's star player his fill of it especially in the second half where his surging runs caused havoc in the Cran defence but invariably the Bredagh forwards could not capitalise on his efforts although he was well supported by his midfield partner, Sean McGourty. Bredagh's half-forward line of Hanrahan, Donaghy and Costello had a disappointing night although it must be said the Cran halfback line were very strong and closed down the space to good effect.
The Bredagh front line of Gormley, Power, Blaney, and later Young and Niall Smyth lived off scraps thoughout the game and were unlucky not to register more scores.
Training as usual on Saturday 3pm and Monday 6.30pm with the next game a welcome home fixture against Newry Shamrocks on Tuesday night
Panel and scorers: Odhran Devlin, Tiaranan Curran, Mark Patterson, Caolan Schablie, Niall Fitzpatrick, Conor francis, Enda McGonigle, Ronan Smyth, Sean McGourty, Damian Hanrahan, Aidan Donaghy, 0-1, Conor Costello, Sean Blaney 1-0, Kaolan Power, Conal Gormley 0-1, Stephen Young, Niall Smyth, Ryan Goldsmith.
U14 HL: Portaferry 1-14 1-04 Bredagh
Sounds like an easy win for table toppers Portaferry but in reality except for the opening quarter the young South Belfast gaels matched their more illustrious opponents in every department keeping them to a single point in the second-half.
The Ports started with all guns blazing knocking over a string of well-taken points before Donaghy registered Bredagh's first score from a placed ball in the 17th minute. After that it was more even with Bredagh defending well, especially Francis, and breaking fast where Sean McGourty split the posts after an excellent solo run. With 5 minutes of the half remaining Power pulled first-time and found the corner of the net with a real sizzler but a soft goal conceded on the stroke of half-time saw the Ferry men take a comfortable lead into the interval 1-13 to 1-02.
After a stern talking to by coach Ultan Power at half-time the Bredagh boys put on a magnificient display in the second-half and although they were never going to close the gap they never rolled over fighting for every scrap of ball which was rewarded when Blaney broke through and struck the sliotar over the black spot. Donaghy finished Bredagh's scoring from another placed ball before a late Ferry strike recorded their one and only score of the half.
This was an excellent display against the Down champions, in goals, Devlin in the first half and Goldsmith in the second both put in solid performances. Man of the match Conor Francis defended brilliantly thoughout, first in the full-back berth and later on when moved out to the number six position. He was well supported by Hanrahan when moved to the cornerback berth while halfback Fitzpatrick put in some fine clearances although his fellow defenders, McGonigle and Patterson were unusually quiet, although both were carrying injuries and had a tough job quelling the Ports strong half-forward line.
Midfielders McGourty and Ronan Smyth had a tough job at midfield but both did a sterling job especially in the second-half. Upfront Donaghy wasn't at his best although Doherty, who brought a great save from the Ports keeper, and in particular Costello both hit form to good effect. Power was always a threat at full-forward and got good support from Niall Smyth and the introductions of Ferry, Collins and also Blaney who caused all sorts of havoc as well as taking a nice point under pressure.
Overall Bredagh can be pleased with this performance, especially the second-half, but more work needs to be done both in practising on their own as well as full attendance at training if they are to improve enough to make a serious assault on the championship.
Panel and scorers: Odhran Devlin, Tiarnan Curran, Conor Francis, Conal Gormley, Niall Fitzpatrick, Mark Patterson, Enda McGonigle, Ronan Smyth, Sean McGourty 0-1, Damian Hanrahan, Aidan Donaghy 0-2, Conor Costello, Tom Doherty, Kaolan Power 1-0, Niall Smyth, Sean Blaney 0-1, Ryan Goldsmith, Rory Collins, Stephen Young, Chris Ferry.
U14 HL Div 1: Bredagh 1-5 3-2 Liatroim
This was a hard fought game from start to finish and ebbed and flowed from end to end. In the end it was the goals that made the difference. Bredagh got the better start to proceedings, opening with a point (free) and a goal by man of the match Aidan Donaghy, before Liatroim responded with a couple of points. Bredagh then went further ahead with another pointed free from Donaghy. Again, the Fontenoys stormed back with a well taken major. Towards the end of the first half, Ronan Smyth scored an excellent point from play to leave Bredagh one point ahead at half time.
Bredagh resumed the second half with renewed vigour, determined not to fall again to the Liatroim boys. A point (free) by Donaghy extended the Bredagh lead, which was well justified on the play and commitment of the team. However, Liatroim hit back hard with a couple of fairly soft goals, the second of which had strong arguments for a square ball. With four points to make up, the Bredagh boys fought their hearts out, but could only manage one more point (free by Donaghy) before the final whistle.
Despite the loss, there is very little between these two teams. The standard of hurling on display was good and at times excellent. Devlin pulled off some great saves. He was well protected for most of the match by Gormley and Niall Smyth in a full back line dominated by the excellent Francis. Patterson played a stormer at centre half, completely shutting down the strong number 11, while Fitzpatrick, who played his best game of the season in Bredagh colours, and captain McGonigle were very solid in the half back line. Ronan Smyth had the difficulty task of marking the very strong Liatroim number 8 in the unaccustomed midfield slot and not only did an outstanding job but also scored the only point from play. He was ably assisted by the tenacious McGourty, who had another fine game at midfield. Donaghy, Costelloe and Hanrahan were excellent at half forward, with Donaghy in particular taking on a huge amount of responsibility to set up several waves of attack. The full forward line of Power, Ferry and Young tried hard, but were not able to get on top of a strong Liatroim full back line and the many Bredagh attacks were at times cleared too easily.
Panel and scorers: Odhran Devlin, Conal Gormley, Conor Francis, Niall Smyth, Niall Fitzpatrick, Mark Patterson, Enda McGonigle, , Ronan Smyth 0-1, Sean McGourty, Damian Hanrahan, Aidan Donaghy 1-4, Conor Costello, Stephen Young, Kaelan Power, Chris Ferry, Ryan Goldsmith, Rory Collins.
U14 HL: Ballygalget 1-04 1-04 Bredagh
The young South Belfast gaels battled like demons to earn a draw in this exciting league fixture at the weekend and the result could have been better had Aidan Donaghy took a point from a penalty as opposed to going for goal, that said, Donaghy's contribution was immense accounting for three of the first half points with McGourty getting the other point and an excellent solo and strike.
Bredagh played with a strong wind in the first half and turned round four points to the better as well as keeping the Ards boys scoreless. It never looked like being enough but a superb second half display earned them a point. Ohran Devlin's goal in the 10th minute stretched Bredagh's lead to five but a reply of 1-2 left the sides level going into the final minutes. Bredagh has chances to win it from the place ball but so too had Ballygalget and only for some stout defending from the excellent Francis at fullback Bredagh could have been coming back to Belfast pointless.
Overall it's a rare occassion that a Bredagh team comes out of the Ards with anything to show for it so the boys can be proud of their achievement especially as they were missing a number of regulars but their replacements were more than adequate with Goldsmith in goals and Niall Smyth and Rory Collins in the corners providing good support to Francis. County panellists, Donaghy and Ronan Smyth were superb throughout especially as they were just coming from a tough training session with Down.
McGourty and Costello put in a mountain of work in midfield while Hanrahan was a constant threat in the Bredagh half-forward line. Power, Ferry and Young all put in solid performances while Bredagh's goal hero Devlin was unlucky not to get a couple more. Conal Gormley is worth special mention with a fine game at left half back especially in the second half.
Panel and scorers: Ryan Goldsmith, Niall Smyth, Conor Francis, Rory Collins, Kaolan Power, Ronan Smyth, Conal Gormley, Sean McGourty 0-1, Conor Costello, Damian Hanrahan, Aidan Donaghy 0-3, Chris Ferry, Stephen Young, Odhran Devlin 1-0.
Ulster Feile
Bredagh boys fall at final hurdle in Ulster hurling feile
Bredagh's U14 hurlers put on a magnificient performance at the Ulster hurling feile in Tyrone on Saturday before losing narrowly in a hard fought final against fellow Down club, Liatroim Fontenoys.
In the Division 5 section Bredagh's first opponents were Buncrana, Donegal. The first half was a tightly fought affair but 1-3 from Devlin and a late Doherty goal saw the South Belfast boys home 2-4 to 1-2.
In the semi-final Bredagh met Craobh Rua, Armagh, and again the game was in the balance entering the final stages but a brace of majors from Costello coupled with goals from Devlin and Doherty along with four points from Donaghy's caman which was topped by a superb 65' from Captain and centre-half, Enda McGonigle, saw Bredagh into the final with a comfortable win of 4-7 to 2-4.
There was a long wait for the final as the main parade took place in Dungannon which made for a great spectacle although the Bredagh boys were itching to get going in the final against Liatroim who they had lost narrowly to in a Down league match the week before.
Bredagh started the final in a lively fashion and should have been ahead early on as good opportunities were wasted from placed balls and open play. With the sides still level after 10 minutes double disaster struck for Bredagh when influential midfielder Daniel Devlin suffered a broken arm closely followed by a leg injury to captain Enda McGonigle which left Bredagh with an uphill struggle.
Bredagh re-grouped in the second-half and with only a point between them it was anybody's game. During this period there was great displays of hurling from Conor Francis and Conal Gormley in defence while Patterson, Fitzpatrick and Smyth held firm in the half-back line. Donaghy had dropped back to cover for Devlin in midfield and worked his socks of throughout but the Ormeau Road men simply could not breach a strong Liatroim defence and a late Liatroim goal signalled the end of their battle for victory.
All at Bredagh wish Daniel Devlin a speedy recovery from his broken arm and hopefully he will be sporting the Bredagh colours again before the season is over.
Panel and scorers: Odhran Devlin, Tiarnan Curran, Conor Francis, Conal Gormley, Ronan Smyth, Enda McGonigle 0-1, Mark Patterson, Sean McGourty 0-1, Daniel Devlin 2-4, Tom Doherty 2-0, Conor Costello 2-0, Damien Hanrahan, Aidan Donaghy 0-5, Niall Fitzpatrick, Niall Smyth, Daniel Mulvenna, Rory Collins, Stephen Young, Chris Ferry, Sean Blaney, Ryan Goldsmith
U14 HL: Bredagh 4-05 4-06 Liatroim
This was a tough lesson for the young South Belfast gaels as they led by 6 points going into the final minutes but a combination of indiscipline and poor concentration saw the Fontenoys grab 2-1 during this period to steal the match and win the section. Up to then the Bredagh boys had put on a magnificient display of hurling where they completely outfought and outclassed the Down Feile winners in the previous fifty-five minutes but games last for sixty minutes and Bredagh knew at the end that this was one they could and should have won. All that said it was a great display of hurling by both teams and made for an exciting night in Cherryvale.
Liatroim got off the mark with a well taken point before Costello play a lovely cross to the edge of the large square, Niall Smyth who is still under 12, outfielded his bigger marker and drove an unstoppable shot to the corner of the Liatroim net. Liatroim replied with a major that gave Devlin in goals little chance but this was followed by a brace of points from the superb McGourty and when Smyth notched his second major of the night after a good solo and shot by Donaghy was parried by the Liatroim keeper it left Bredagh leading by two at half-time.
Bredagh dominated the first half to only lead by two and this domination continued in the second half with a superb half-back line of Patterson, McGonigle and Ronan Smyth creating a wall that Liatroim simply couldn't pass. This along with fantastic work by Devlin and McGourty in midfield ensured that the Bredagh forwards got plenty of sliotar. Frees followed and Devlin was extremely accurate scoring 1-3 to edge Bredagh in front. Liatroim hit a major to close the gap to three midway through the second half and a fight back looked ominous but Costello who was excellent throughout in fielding and driving forward to feed the forward line pushed up and got on the end of a McGonigle delivery to boot the sliotar to the net.
With the 6 point lead restored and the game entering the final minutes the Bredagh boys were guilty of a lack of discipline and concentration which resulted in a free getting moved forward to a scoring position and this is what resulted with keeper Odhran Devlin having no chance in stopping the shot. This gave the bigger and stronger Liatroim lads renewed confidence and when Bredagh conceded another free in midfield slack marking in the big square ended with an equalising goal. To cap it all, a poor puck out from Devlin, his only error on the night, was punished with the winning point from the Liatroim corner forward.
Bredagh can take some positives from this display, they were the best hurling team on the night for 90% of the time and they will have learnt the importance of seeing the game out until the final whistle which will no doubt stand them in good stead for future games although a painful lesson nonetheless.
Overall, last 5 minutes apart, this was a great performance from all the Bredagh boys. Keeper Devlin was very steady and got good cover from the fullback line of Curran, Francis and a great performance from Gormley whose performances continue to improve, as mentioned earlier the half-back line were rock solid with Patterson, captain Enda McGonigle and Ronan Smyth continuing to perform at the highest level. Midfielders McGourty and Daniel Devlin contributed an excellent 1-5 between them with the former showing a great fighting spirit in his tackling, blocking and harrassing of his bigger opponent throughout the match. Indeed if all the team showed the same fighting qualities as McGourty there would be few teams could match them.
Up front Hanrahan battled hard and Costello is starting to show the form he's capable of, Doherty fought well but came out second best in his encounter with the Liatroim centre-half while in the full forward line young Niall Smyth was a relevation with two excellent strikes and got good support support from Donaghy, Power and Ferry when he was introduced.
Bredagh's second position in the league will mean they will move up to the top division and will find tougher competition from the Ards contigent, however, if they play the way they did against Liatroim and sort out the indiscipline and concentration they will have nothing to fear at this higher grade.
Panel and scorers: Ohdran Devlin, Tiarnan Curran, Conor Francis, Conal Gormley, Mark Patterson, Enda McGonigle, Ronan Smyth, Sean McGourty 0-2, Daniel Devlin 1-3 1-3f, Damian Hanrahan, Tom Doherty, Conor Costello 1-0, Niall Smyth 2-0, Kaolan Power, Aidan Donaghy, Rory Collins, Paddy O'Neill, Sean Blaney, Chris Ferry, Stephen Young, Ryan Goldsmith.
U14HL: Bredagh 2-6 0-0 Carryduff
The score might suggest an easy victory for the South Belfast boys over local rivals Carryduff but this was far from the case, it was only in the final quarter with goals from Donaghy, Costello and Niall Smyth that Bredagh were able to relax and enjoy a double league success over their neighbours. However the score does point to an excellent defensive display by Bredagh where all six defenders along with goalkeeper Odhran Devlin did not put a foot wrong all night.
The first quarter was a tight affair with Carryduff showing a greater competitive streak but failing to convert the pressure into scores as they came up against a very resolute Bredagh defence. Donaghy fired over a brace from play and the same with placed balls, that tally along with a well taken Patterson point saw them lead 0-5 to no score at the short whistle.
As the second half developed Bredagh's forwards started to compete more effectively and were rewarded with a Donaghy piledriver after 10 minutes, this seemed to break Carryduff's resolve and further goals from Smyth, Costello and Donaghy's second left Bredagh in the driving seat which was polished off with a fine Devlin point finishing the scoring for Bredagh on the night.
There were plus and minuses to this victory, on the downside Bredagh need to show the same battling qualities displayed by Carryduff in the first half especially in the forward division but on the upside no matter how Carryduff tried they were unable to break down the Bredagh rearguard with Devlin faultless in goal, Francis commanded the box and was well supported by Curran and Gormley at either side. The half back line was well lead by captain Enda McGonigle who was well served either side by Fitzpatrick and especially Ronan Smyth who put on another excellent display to add to his previous performances.
Patterson and McGourty were superb in midfield while all the forwards left a lot to be desired on their first-half performance there was a great improvement in the second half with Costello and Hanrahan showing well along with subs Niall Smyth and Tom Doherty as well as scoring machine Aidan Donaghy top scoring again with 2-4. Overall a victory where the opposition fail to score is a strong indication that the performance level of this young team is continuing to improve which augers well for the future.
Panel and scorers: Odhran Devlin, Tiarnan Curran, Conor Francis, Conal Gormley, Niall Fitzpatrick, Enda McGonigle, Ronan Smyth, Sean McGourty, Mark Patterson, Damian Hanrahan, Daniel Devlin 0-1, Conor Costello 1-0, Kaolan Power, Aidan Donaghy 2-4 2f, Chris Ferry, Niall Smyth 1-0, Tom McGonigle, Rory Collins, Sean Blaney, Stephen Young, Ryan Goldsmith.
Down Feile
Bredagh's Feile hurlers made it all the way to the final in sunny Portaferry last Saturday before going down to a narrow defeat to a physically stronger Liatroim side in the final.
Bredagh beat Warrenpoint in the quarter-final 4-8 to no score with Donaghy and Devlin doing the damage with good scores. Ronan Smyth who was probably the best performer at the Feile also managed a great goal and little brother Niall also landed a point. McGourty and Doherty chipped in with points before a late Ferry goal sealed Warrenpoint's fate.
The semi-final was a much tighter affair against neighbours Carryduff who really put it up to Bredagh and it needed all of the South Belfast's boys resilience to scrap through by 4 points in the end with Devlin top scoring with 1-1, Donaghy also hit a major while Costello landed a lovely point from distance.
The semi-final took it out of the Bredagh boys but they started well against Liatroim in the final facing a wind in the first half they turned at the short whistle trailing 0-3 to 0-1, a Donaghy free their only score of the half. At the start of the second half Donaghy had a rasper tipped over the bar to close the gap and in the closing minutes Liatroim extended their lead by two. Bredagh threw everything into attack but there wasn't much left in the tank and two sucker punch goals in the dying seconds sealed a deserved Feile victory for Liatroim 2-4 to 0-02.
Bredagh battled all the way in the final with Patterson putting in a mountain of work to stem the strength of the Liatroim midfield, he was well assisted by McGourty who was absolutely fearless in the tackle giving boys twice his size all they wanted. Captain Enda McGonigle worked hs socks off and was well supported by his corner backs, Curran and Gormley as well as Devlin at centre-half. Again Ronan Smyth was superb at left-half back but tellingly Bredagh didn't have enough firepower up front only scoring one point from play during the final although a strong Liatroim defence must take some credit for this.
While the boys were disappointed at the end they are determined to go one better in 2010 and qualify for the All-Ireland Feile. Coach Eamon Mulvenna was proud of the boys in how they competed throughout the tournament "15 of the 21 boys in the panel today will still be U14 next year and they are detemined to start now and build for next year not only in winning Down but also making an impression in their section at the All-Ireland itself. I believe, if they show the committment and put in the hard work this year they will get their reward in 2010".
Panel and scorers: Odhran Devlin, Tiarnan Curran, Enda McGonigle, Conal Gormley, Niall Fitzpatrick, Mark Patterson, Ronan Smyth, Daniel Devlin 2-3, Sean McGourty 0-2, Damian Hanrahan, Tom Doherty 0-1, Conor Costello 0-1, Niall Smyth 0-1, Kaolan Power, Aidan Donaghy 2-4, Chris Ferry 1-0, Rory Collins, Daniel Mulvenna, Stephen Young, Ryan Goldsmith, Sean Blaney.
U14 HL: Bredagh 18-12 0-00 St Patrick's
As the score suggests this was an easy victory and if the truth be told did neither team much use in terms of improving their hurling skills as there was just too big a gap between the teams.
Bredagh had sound performances from Conal Gormley in defence to hat-trick hero Rory Collins who enjoyed his stint at corner-forward. Donaghy, Patterson, Hanrahan and McGourty were the main other scorers but it was second half sub Tom Doherty who outscored them all with 3-3 although keeper Odhran Devlin came out to kick a goal making it ten Bredagh scorers on the night.
Panel and scorers: Ohhran Devlin 1-0, Conal Gormley, Enda McGonigle 1-0, Rory Collins 3-0, Daniel Mulvenna, Stephen Young 1-0, Aidan Donaghy 3-1, Tom Doherty 3-3, Sean McGourty 1-2, Damian Hanrahan 1-3, Conor Francis 1-1, Mark Patterson 3-2, Ryan Goldsmith.
U14 HL: Liatroim 9-10 4-07 Bredagh
The score would suggest an easy win for Liatroim but, in truth, the sides were level with 20 minutes to play when 2 quick goals by Liatroim saw the young Bredagh outfit give up the fight and allow the Fontenoys to pile on the scores in the final quarter to record a deserved win.
Bredagh started the brighter with Donaghy recording early scores to take Bredagh into the lead, midway through the half a hat-trick of goals from Liatroim put them well ahead before majors from Power and Ferry left Bredagh trailing by two at the short whistle, 4-6 to 3-7.
Again Bredagh started the brighter in the second half but ended up conceding an early point however another Power goal saw the sides level going into the final quarter. By this stage the small muddy training pitch, bitter wind and lashing rain had taken its toll on the younger Bredagh boys and when Liatroim hit a brace of goals within a minute the South Belfast boys were literally frozen out for the rest of the game as Liatroim piled on the pressure and scores to win out easily in the end.
Midfielders Patterson and Devlin were the pick of the Bredagh squad battling all the way to the end and were well supported by McGonigle and McGourty. Defensively Devlin had a great first half in goals but had little cover in the final quarter and the same could be said of the attack with Donaghy influential early on but lost their way as the game entered the final phase.
Bredagh can be proud of their first half display but as coach Ultan Power reminded them at full-time, they need to compete for the whole 60 minutes and when they didn't do this in the final quarter the result was inevitable. Nevertheless Bredagh won't have to wait too long for a chance to get another crack at Liatroim as based on the current form of both teams they are likely to meet again at the semi-final stage of the Down Feile on the 18th April with the winner standing a good chance of qualifying for the big prize of competing in the All-Ireland Feile in June.
Panel and scorers: Odhran Devlin, Tiarnan Curran, Conor Francis, Conal Gormley, Conor Costello, Enda McGonigle, Ronan Smyth, Daniel Devlin 0-1, Mark Patterson, Damien Hanrahan, Sean McGourty, Tom Doherty, Kaelan Power 2-0, Aidan Donaghy 1-6 0-4f, Chris Ferry 1-0, Niall Smyth, Stephen Young, Sean Blaney.
U14 HL: Carryduff 1-0 4-07 Bredagh
The Bredagh boys got off to a great start in their first league game with a superb display against a gritty Duff outfit. Leading 2-3 to no score at half-time Bredagh dominated this game from start to finish to run out easy winners in the end.
Bredagh applied all the early pressure and both Ferry and Power went close before the latter reacted quickest to bat the ball to the net for Bredagh's first goal. McGourty landed a lovely point while Donaghy was having a field day at full-forward driving over a free from 45 yards and then a further two from play before his first goal sent Bredagh into half-time with a nine point advantage.
The South Belfast gaels carried on in the second half where they left off in the first with Donaghy landing another brace, Devlin who was rampant at midfield drove over another point before Donaghy cut inside and found the corner of the net with a rasping shot to take his tally to 2-5 on the night. A shot by Doherty was parried by the keeper and Costello finished the sliotar to the net from close range to close out the game. In added time Carryduff got their first and only score which was well worked and gave Devlin in goal no chance.
This was a great team performance from the whole squad, Devlin was solid in goal and was well protected by a masterful display from Francis at fullback whose flanks were superbly covered by Curran and Hanrahan.
The halfback line of Fitzpatrick, Captain Enda McGonigle and Smyth laid the foundation for this victory with Smyth in particular putting on a man-of-the-match display at wing halfback.
Midfielder Mark Patterson done a great job in marking Carryduff's danger man allowing his fellow midfielder Daniel Devlin to drive forward into attack. All the half-forwards, Costello, Doherty and McGourty were on top of their men with McGourty very dominant throughout. Upfront Donaghy was in fire when it came to taking scores and was well supported on either side by the twin pillars of Power and Ferry.
Mulvenna, Collins, Young and O'Neill all came on to good effect to ensure victory for the Ormeau Road boys.
Panel and scorers: Odhran Devlin, Tiarnan Curran, Conor Francis, Damien Hanrahan, Niall Fitzpatrick, Enda McGonigle, Ronan Smyth, Daniel Devlin o-1, Mark patterson, Tom Doherty, Sean McGourty 0-1, Conor Costello, Chris Ferry, Aidan Donaghy 2-5 3F, Kaolan Power 1-0, Daniel Mulvenna, Rory Collins, Stephen Young, Paddy O'Neill
U14s enjoy Blitz with St Enda's and Liatoim
Bredagh's u14 hurlers completed three games in two days when they participated with St Enda's and Liatroim in an enjoyable blitz at malluak playing fields on Sunday morning.
First up was the St Enda's team who proved too strong for Bredagh but still Daniel Devlin, Sean McGourty and Mark Patterson showed well for Bredagh.
The second game against Liatroim was a much closer affair. Liatroim with the wind at their backs got off to a great start with a hat-trick of goals within the first 10 minutes. Bredagh started to come into it near the end of the half with Devlin pointing from long range.
The second half was all Bredagh as they went all out in attack with Devlin, McGourty and Ferry all scoring to close the gap. In defence Patterson was solid with young Niall Smyth a revelation at right half-back. Liatroim's start held them in good stead and they held out to record a deserved victory.
Panel: Odhran Devlin, Tiarnan Curran, Mark Patterson, Niall Smyth, Ronan Smyth, Enda McGonigle, Niall Fitzpatrick, Conor Francis, Daniel Devlin, Tom Doherty, Sean McGourty, Conor Costello, Kaolan Power, Damian Hanrahan, Daniel Mulvenna, Sean Blaney, Stephen Young, Chris Ferry, Conall Gormley, Rory Collins, Ryan Goldsmith.
U14 Challenge match
Pearse's 3-01 Bredagh 1-08
Bredagh's u14 hurlers recorded their first victory of the season when they held on to record a two point victory over a battling Pearse's team from North Belfast. Played in beautiful conditions at St Malachy's college 3G pitch Bredagh started the sharper with Daniel Devlin landing a brace from distance followed by points from Doherty and Costello before Hanrahan rattled the net from close range after the pearse's keeper made a fine stop from Costello's drive.
Bredagh's defence were totally on top during this period with Patterson pulling the strings at full back well supported by his keeper Devlin and corner backs Gormley and Curran. A strong half-back line led by McGonigle in the centre and flanked by Fitzpatrick and Smyth set up attack after attack but Bredagh's forward unit squandered a number of goal chances before the short whistle with Bredagh leading 1-4 to 0-1
The second half was a much tighter affair as Pearse's superior fitness started to tell and the Bredagh boys started to fade. An early Pearse's goal closed the gap before Francis who was putting in a mountain of work at midfield split the posts, Fitzpatrick sent over a 65 and then the move of the game came when Devlin who lorded midfield throughout broke out of Bredagh's defence and fed McGourty who beat two men before driving the ball over the bar.
However a soft goal conceded by the Bredagh defence made for a nail-biting last ten minutes but sterling work by the defence who were reinforced by the introduction of Goldsmith as well as fresh legs in attack in the shape of Young and Ferry saw the South Belfast boys through to the final whistle.
Panel and scorers: Odhran Devlin, Tiarnan Curran, mark patterson, Conall Gormley, Niall Fitzpatrick 0-1, Enda mcGonigle, Ronan Smyth, Daniel Devlin 0-2, Conor Francis 0-1, Conor Costello 0-1, Sean McGourty 0-2, Tom Doherty 0-1, Sean Blaney, Kaolan Power, Damian Hanrahan 1-0, Ryan Goldsmith, Stephen Young, Rory Collins, Chris Ferry.
U14 Championship Final Photos
Hurling Board Secretary Gerard McShane presents the cup to the Bredagh captain, Lorcan McMullan.
Bredagh boys celebrate!
Stevie Dougal had a superb game at midfield.
Corner-forward Niall Fitzpatrick wins possession as Aaron 'the Bomber' Maguire provides back-up.
Bredagh win u14 Championship!
Carryduff 0-08 Bredagh 3-06
Goals win matches and so it proved in this titanic tussle between near neighbours and rivals Carryduff and Bredagh in the Down 'B' u14 hurling championship final. Bredagh star player Lorcan McMullan notched a hat-trick of goals to lift the honours for the South Belfast gaels. While McMullan had a major influence in the outcome, he had a squad of battling Ormeau Road men to thank for this win. From Conor 'the cat' Costello in goals to the tigerish display of corner-forward, Sean McGourty, in attack, every Bredagh player gave his all for the cause and were deserving winners on the day.
McMullan landed the first point for Bredagh but the Duff men answered with an excellent point from Gareth Lynch. The vital score of the half came in the 20th minute when Sheridan's long free broke to McMullan in the large square and he rifled to the net from close range to leave the scores 1-4 to 0-5 in Bredagh's favour at half-time. As the score suggests there was nothing between the teams at this stage with Bredagh defending superbly while Carryduff would have been disappointed with their recorded score given the pressure they exerted in the opening period.
The third quarter was nip and tuck as Carryduff edged closer but frees from Bredagh's McMullan kept the minimum between them. The telling score came in the 45th minute as McMullan again latched onto another Sheridan free to bulge the net and put four between them. Carryduff attacked in waves at this stage but despite their best efforts the Bredagh defence were intent in not conceding a major as Costello in goals along with McGuigan at full-back put up the shutters. The killer score came on the 50th minute when Maguire played an intelligent ball to McMullan and he completed his hat-trick to leave six between the sides. Again Carryduff pushed forward in search of goals but stout defending from McGonigle, Smyth, Angelone and Deery meant there was no way through and when starman McMullan landed a superb point on the 55th minute Bredagh knew they were home and dry while Carryduff's challenge visibly faded in the final moments.
Sumaray
Overall this was a superb game of hurling served up by both teams, with Bredagh's experience along with their never-say-die attitude being the difference on the day. Every man in the Bredagh squad played their part none more so than midfielder Stevie Dougal who was a major force with his fight and determination at midfield spreading through the team. Younger players like Daniel Devlin and Sean McGourty were superb especially in the second-half while the spine of the team of McGuigan, Sheridan, MCMullan, McKegney and Maguire showed real leadership throughout. Up front Magee, Fitzpatrick, Woods, Maguire, McMullan, Quinn and Donaghy all played their part in what was simply an all-round excellent team performance. The fact that Bredagh did not concede a score from play in the second-half was a major factor in lifting the cup and they have Costello, Angelone, Deery, McGuigan, McGonigle, Smyth and Sheridan to thank in this regard.
Coach Jim Sheridan was full of praise for the boys at the end "we've had some great tussles with carryduff this year and both teams can be proud of their achievements. In previous encounters Carryduff were unlucky not to get something out of it but I thought today our boys were well worth their victory. They were excellent from start to finish and their battling and fighting qualities were true to the championship ethos, I couldn't fault their performance".
This win means Bredagh's u14 hurlers have made a clean sweep this season winning the Down 'B' Feile, Down Division 2 and now the 'B' championship which all augers well for the development of hurling in South Belfast in the future.
Panel and scorers: Conor Costello, Michael Deery, Sean McGuigan, Dario Angelone, Enda McGonigle, Ruairi Sheridan, Ronan Smyth, Ronan McKegney, Stevie Dougal, Niall Fitzpatrick, Lorcan McMullan 3-6, Declan Magee, Aidan Donaghy, Aaron Maguire, Daniel Devlin, Sean McGourty, Daniel Mulvenna, Michael Woods, Mark Patterson, Mark Quinn, Conal Gormley, Tiernan Curran, Ryan Goldsmith.
Team photo to follow
U14 HL: Bredagh 6-08 3-01 Castlewellan
Bredagh won this second round game away to Castlewellan with relative ease maintaining their unbeaten record in the league. What was encouraging about this performance was the number of players who got their name on the score sheet – Michael Woods 0-2, Ruairi Sheridan 0-1, Mark Quinn 1-0, Robert Graham 0-1, Lorcan McMullan 0-1, Aaron Maguire 3-1 and the Deccie Magee’s best performance this year with 2-2.
This was a great team performance but the big test will be the final game to decide the league against neighbours Carryduff.
Ulster Feile
Bredagh u14 hurlers competed in the Ulster Feile on 3rd May. In the 3 group matches Bredagh beat Strabane 4-7 to 1-1, lost to Derrynoose by 3-4 to 1-4 and beat St Bridgid's 3-0 to 1-3.
They finished 2nd in their group narrowly missing out on a place in the final.
U14 HL: Bredagh 2:05 0-00 Castlewellan
Bredagh kept their unbeaten record with a win at home to Castlewellan on Wednesday evening. It was tough going for Bredagh, for despite having the majority of the procession they only managed to score 3 points in the first half, all coming from captain Lorcan McMullan. The second half was a better all round team performance with mid fielder Ruairi Sheridan growing in confidence with every game, scoring a goal and a point. Substitute Mark Quinn battled hard at full forward and was rewarded with a fine opportunist goal driven off the ground to the back of the net. At the other end a strong defensive performance held the Castwellan attack scoreless and the few shots that were on target were easily dealt with by keeper Conor Costello. Another point from McMullan finished it off.
Photographs from the Feile Final in Portaferry
The victorious Bredagh team and mentors.
Action from the final against Carryduff.
Winning goal hero Aaron Maguire
The final whistle!
The winning team receive their medals
Bredagh Captain Lorcan McMullan introduces the winning team. Lorcan also claimed second place in the individual skills competition.
Down Feile Final: Bredagh 1-05 1-02 Carryduff
Bredagh win Down Hurling Feile
Bredagh u14 Hurlers won the Down hurling Feile Division 2 for the third time in four years but this was no easy win. The group stages were played on Saturday and Bredagh won through with wins over Liatrom and Ballyvarley to qualify for finals day on Sunday. The whole squad of 23 players had played their part to get the team through to this stage. It was almost inevitable, that with the ongoing commitment and growth of hurling in neighbours Carryduff, that they too would come through to the final stage and so it turned out with both teams down to meet in Sundays final. With the only previous encounter between these two teams this season ending in a draw, there really was nothing between them going into this game.
Both teams were fired up from the start with Bredagh playing with the advantage of a strong breeze. Despite this, there was evidence of nerves among the Bredagh boys and they struggled to contain the Carryduff attack. It took a Lorcan McMullan point from a free to settle them but this was quickly cancelled out by a Carryduff point at the other end. The Bredagh full back line, led by Joe Shields battled well and Peter Rice and Enda McGonigle did as asked and kept their lines clear. In the attack young under 12, Sean McGourty, was fearless and came the closest to scoring a goal when he gained possession twice, rounding his marker and driving towards the Carryduff goal only to be swamped by the physically bigger Carryduff defence. On the opposite side of the full forward line Aidan Donaghy battled hard for possession. Another exchange of points between the teams left the scores level until disaster struck for Bredagh.
Despite the hard work of half backs Michael Deery and Stevie Dougal the Carryduff attack broke through and rattled a shot at the Bredagh goal which initially looked like it was saved by keeper Conor Costello but which came off the underside of the crossbar and into the Bredagh net. Before the half time whistle, McMullan bagged his third point to leave the score at the break Carryduff 1.2 Bredagh 0.3.
It was decision time for the Bredagh boys going out to into the second half, 2 points down, facing a strong breeze, and a Carryduff team equally determined to win this encounter. The time for talking was over and it was down to the Bredagh boys to make up their minds.
Second half
The second half was end to end stuff and a nerve wrecking experience for the travelling supporters. Sean McGuigan did a fantastic man marking job on the key Carryduff Centre half forward Sean O’Callaghan. Niall Fitzpatrick slotted into defence to replace Perter Rice. The half forwards of Deccie Magee, Ronan McKegney and Michael Woods upped their game. Ruairi Sheridan began to dominate winning the battle in midfield, freeing up McMullan who was playing a true captains role, covering every inch of the park, one minute on the full back line, the next in the middle of the attack. Magee’s hard work was rewarded with a fine point before Mc Mullan struck the sliotar over the bar from a free to get the equaliser.
With time running out, the pressure was on both teams to get a score. Centre half forward Ronan McKegney gained possession within scoring range but immediately surrounded by the Carryduff defence, was unfortunate to be blown up for over-carrying. The frustration was starting to show and the free was moved forward by the referee. Bredagh responded immediately and Dario Angelone won possession back striking the ball up to Stevie Dougal who played it forward to Daniel Devlin. Daniel forced his way through the Carryduff defence striking the ball on towards goal but unfortunately dropping just short. Luckily Aaron Maguire was there to strike the sliotar into the back of the Carryduff net for what proved to be the winner.
Bredagh defended for the remaining few minutes to the final whistle and the whole squad erupted onto the pitch delighted to have pulled off this great victory and a place at the all Ireland Feile in Co Loais & Offaly on 20/22 June. Try telling these guys it’s not about winning!
Final Score: Bredagh 1-5 Carryduff 1-2
Both teams were congratulated in the presentation speeches for what was described as probably the best Feile Division 2 final in the history of the competition in Down. This rounded off a great Feile weekend for Bredagh with Captain Lorcan McMullan having already come second in the Feile Skills competition on Friday Evening.
Bredagh Squad: Conor Costello, Enda McGonigle, Joe Shields, Peter Rice, Stevie Dougal, Sean McGuigan, Michael Deery, Lorcan McMullan, Ruairi Sheridan, Deccie Magee, Ronan McKegney, Michael Woods, Aidan Donaghy, Aaron Maguire, Sean McGourty, Niall Fitzpatrick, Mark Patterson, Daniel Devlin, Mark Quinn, Daniel Mulvenna, Dario Angelone, Ronan Smyth, Robert Graham.
U14 Hurling League: Bredagh 0-04 Carryduff 1-01
This was the Bredagh U14 hurling squads first league game of the season and a local derby away to Carryduff was always going to be a tough one.
The Bredagh lads started well playing with wind advantage in the first half. Captain Lorcan McMullan, who went on to give a man of the match performance, settled the Bredagh lads with a fine point. Deccie Magee followed soon after with a second point for Bredagh. Carryduff kept up the pressure and were always dangerous on the attack. The Bredagh full back line of Sean McGuigan, Peter Rice and Michael Deery defended well but then just before half time Carryduff got the one and only goal of the game to take the lead followed by an equaliser from McMullan to leave the sides all square going in at half time.
Second half
Bredagh knew this was not going to be an easy game and the second half was a scrappy affair. Despite playing against a strong breeze Bredagh had most of the possession but just couldn’t convert this possession into scores. Ruairi Sheridan, partnering Lorcan McMullan at midfield, worked tirelessly trying to keep the ball up in the Carryduff half and was unfortunate not to score on several occasions. The most dramatic moment of the game came in the last seconds when Carryduff broke through the Bredagh defence and were on for a clear goal to win the match. It most surely would have been the winner for Carryduff if it were not for a heroic dive and save by stand in keeper Enda McGonnigle. McGonagle’s diving save of a shot at point blank range, drew applause from both sets of supporters and while McMullan may have been the man of the match, McGonagle was certainly the hero. With the next puck out the referee blew the final whistle and the game ended in a draw.
Overall it was a good team performance and sets the boys up well for their next league game away to Liatroim on Wednesday evening.
Team: Enda McGonigle, Michael Deery, Sean McGuigan, Peter Rice, Niall Fitzpatrick, Ronan McKegney, Michael Woods,Lorcan McMullan, Ruairi Sheridan, Aidan Donaghy, Joe Shields, Stevie Dougal, Deccie Magee, Aaron Maguire, Daniel Devlin, Mark Quinn, Sean McGourty, Daniel Mulvenna, Ronan Smyth.
Qualifying league fixtures 2008
U14 Series 1: Wednesday 2 April 6.30p.m.
Group A
Carryduff v. Bredagh
Liatroim v. Castlewellan
Group B
Clonduff v. Warrenpoint
Shamrocks v. St. Patricks
U14 Series 2: Wednesday 9 April 6.30p.m.
Group A
Liatroim v. Bredagh
Castlewellan v. Carryduff
Group B
Shamrocks v. Warrenpoint
St. Patricks v. Clonduff
U14 Series 3: Wednesday 23 April 7.00 p.m.
Group A
Carryduff v. Liatroim
Bredagh v. Castlewellan
Group B
Clonduff v. Shamrocks
Warrenpoint v. St Patricks
U14 Series 4: Wednesday 30 April 7.30 p.m.
Group A
Bredagh v. Carryduff
Castlewellan v. Liatroim
Group B
Warrenpoint v. Clonduff
St Patricks v. Shamrocks
U14 Series 5: Wednesday 7 May 7.30 p.m.
Group A
Bredagh v. Liatroim
Carryduff v. Castlewellan
Group B
Warrenpoint v. Shamrocks
Clonduff v.St. Patricks
U14 Series 6: Wednesday 14 May 7.30 p.m.
Group A
Liatroim v.Carryduff
Castlewellan v. Bredagh
Group B
Shamrocks v. Clonduff
St. Patricks v. Warrenpoint
U14 Playoffs: Wednesday 21 May 7.30 p.m.
Winner Grp A v. Runner-Up Grp B
Winner Grp B v. Runner-Up Grp A
Two winning teams qualify for U 14 Division 1 League and semi final draw of U14 B Championship.
Remaining teams go to U 14 Division 2 League
U13s win at Ballyvarley!
The winning u13 team.
Team captain Peter Rice receives the trophy.
Bredagh U13 hurlers travelled to Ballyvarley on Saturday 27th October, to compete in an eleven-a-side tournament. They lifted the trophy beating Ballyvarley, Carryduff A and Carryduff B. This adds to their seven-a-side trophy win at Banbridge the previous weekend.
The team elected Peter Rice as team captain to receive the trophy after a superb performance at left corner back. Ruari Sheridan scored three dream points in the final, capitalising on the tireless efforts of Joe Shields and Lorcan Mc Mullan to win possession.
Many thanks to Ballyvarley G.A.C and Dermot Stewart in particular for arranging both tournaments.
U13s win 7 a-side tournament in Banbridge
U13 Captain Sean McGuigan recieves the trophy from the Ballyvarley Chairman.
u14s trip to Mayfield, Cork, September 2007
Bredagh won the Mayfield shield competition.
u14s in action in Cork.
Tony Forristal Tournament
Down u14s at the Tony Forristal Tournament in Waterford.
Jack Hollywood in action against Westmeath.
A well earned rest!
Conrad Quinn played at corner forward against Derry.
Bredagh u14 hurlers play for the County
Eoghan Curran, Kaelan Devlin, Jack Hollywood, Niall Irwin, Conrad Quinn and Daniel Robinson set off to represent Down in the Tony Forristal Tournament in Waterford. The boys played well in matches against Derry and Westmeath and enjoyed the whole experience.
U14 Hurling League: Bredagh 8-02 St Pats 7-09
Bredagh went into this game against St Pats in the Down u14 hurling league still smarting from their narrow defeat to the same team in the championship earlier in the season. Despite a number of first team players missing due to holidays, the breadth of this current u14 squad meant that there was an ample number of quality players available who were only too happy to get their chance to show they deserved their place on the first 15.
St Pats are a big physical team but the Bredagh lads were up for it and got stuck in from the start and gave as good as they got. St Pats took an early lead but Bredagh fought back with great defensive performances from Jordan O'Dowd and Conrad ‘the Rock’ Quinn supported by the two Michaels, Deery and Doran at left and right corner back. Bredagh began to settle and take control of the game led by Eoghan Curran who for the whole 70 minutes hardly stopped to take a breath, playing a sweepers role winning every ball across the entire defence and linking up both with mid field duo Danny Robinson and Kaelan Devlin and also driving the ball directly up to the full forward line were Niall Irwin was unstoppable. In the championship game St Pats had double marked Niall and they paid the price for not applying the same tactic in this game with Niall running up a personal tally of 6 goals. Niall was well supported in the full forwards by Deccie Magee and Dario Angelone who despite being up against physically bigger opponents came out on top in the majority of challenges.
Second half
Bredagh went in at half time with a 2 point lead but the Bredagh boys failed to capitalise on this at the start of the second half and a combination of sustained pressure from St Pats and a lapse of concentration by Bredagh saw St Pats rattle in 3 goals in a 5 minute period followed by a brace of points. Inspired by the return back onto the field of Conrad Quinn after coming off injured, Bredagh upped their game and battled on to reduce the margin to 4 points. Ciaran McFarland began to dominate in the half back line driving long balls up into the forwards and Sean McGuigan was leading the half forward line supported by Stephen O’Connor and impressive newcomers to hurling Brian Cunningham and David Malanaphy.
Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, Bredagh had left it too late and were beaten by the final whistle. This was truly a team effort with great performances right across the team. It’s always difficult on a night like this to single out one player for ‘man of the match’ but after the game the whole team agreed that if one player deserved that accolade, then it would have to be Eoghan Curran.
Team: Jack Hollywood, Michael Doran, Conrad Quinn, Michael Deery, Eoghan Curran, Ciaran Mc Farland, Jordan O’Dowd, Kaelin Devlin, Danny Robinson, Sean McGuigan, David Malanaphy, Brian Cunningham, , Deccie Magee, Niall Irwin, Steven O’Connor, Dario Angelone,
u14 Hurling Blitz off!
The u14 blitz arranged for Ballygalget on Saturday 16th June is off due to the weather. It is hoped to re-arrange for Sunday week. Watch this site for details.
U14 B HC Bredagh 6-12 1-01 Liatroim
Bredagh U14 Hurlers had a comprehensive win over Liatrom in the first round of the Down U14B Championship at Cherryvale on Wednesday night. This was Bredagh’s first game against a non Ards team this year after competing in Division 1 in both the Feile and the League. The experience of competing at this level has paid off and as the score line against Liatrom clearly shows just how far this young team has progressed.
Going into the game, Bredagh weren’t taking any chances facing Liatrom who have traditionally been one of the strongest non Ards teams. From the throw in Bredagh went on the attack but it was to be the performance of full forward Niall Irwin on the night, that was to end the game as a contest by half time. Niall wrecked havoc in the Liatrom defence racking up a personal tally of 5.5 which must surely be a Bredagh record, if not a Down one, in a championship hurling match. Even when Liatrom did manage to get the ball over the half way line the Bredagh defence was solid and as the game progressed Bredagh’s game opened up with some superb and intelligent interplay, moving the ball from the full backs right up to the forwards and finishing off in scores. This was a great team performance with all the full forward line getting on the score sheet including U12 star Aidan Donaghy. Next up is St Patricks on Wednesday in Cherryvale at 7.30pm.
Team & Scorers: Jack Hollywood, Michael Doran, Conrad Quinn (0.1), Eoghan Curran, Ciaran Mc Farland (0.1) Tim Durkan, Jordan O’Dowd, Kaelin Devlin (0.1) Danny Robinson (0.1) Joe Sheilds, Lorcan Mc Mullan (1.1) Stevie Dougal, Aidan Donaghy (0.1) Niall Irwin (5.5), Deccie Magee (0.1), Sean McGuigan, Steven O’Connor, Peter Rice, Michael Deery, Dario Angelone, Mark Quinn.
U14 B HC Bredagh 6-12 1-01 Liatroim
U14 HL - Bredagh 3-08 2-07 Ballygalget
Bredagh U14 hurlers beat Ballygalget by 4 points on Wednesday evening in cherryvale to complete a league "double" over the Ards boys. Report to Follow.
U14 Championship draw
The draws for the Down under 14 and 16 Championships were made on Monday 30 April with Bredagh drawing Liatroim at U-14 level.
Full draw
U-14 B Championship (commencing week beginning 13 May)
A. St Patricks v. Castlewellan
B. Bredagh v. Liatroim
C. Warrenpoint v. Carryduff
D. Clonduff v. Newry Shamrocks
Semi Finals (Cup/Shield) B v. A; D v. C
Down U14 Hurling Feile
It was always going to be a major challenge for Bredagh’s U14 hurlers to win this years Down Feile and emulate the success of Bredagh teams in the previous two Feiles. This years team had been forced to compete in Division 1 along with the Ards teams and were drawn against Portaferry in the semi final – a team that not only had not been beaten this year but had not even conceded a single score.
Playing on the main pitch in Castlewellan, which was in perfect condition for hurling, the boys got off to a nervous start and conceded a soft goal. After this they started to settle and get into the game but the Portaferry midfield and half forwards were particularly strong and continued to pile on the pressure throughout the first half. Despite a battling performance from all the Bredagh defence and in particular Conrad Quinn, Eoghan Curran and the steady Michael Doran, the half time score was Portaferry 3:6 to Bredagh 0:0.
The Bredagh lads knew that the task ahead was massive but didn’t drop their heads. They also knew that Portaferry were defending with pride the fact that they had not conceded a score against them all season. Realising that to win this game would be a bridge too far, Bredagh set themselves the objective for the second half of not conceding any more scores while getting at least one score against this strong Portaferry side.
Bredagh settled from the start playing with greater confidence and more as a unit using the wings to move the ball up to the forwards. Tim Durkan moved out to mid field and Danny Robinson switched into centre half back to pick up one of the main Portaferry danger men who had been doing a lot of the damage in the first half. Danny held him scoreless for the whole second half. Tim Durkan and Kaelan Devlin opened up the midfield and Lorcan McMullan worked hard to keep the ball in the Portaferry half. Then the break came thanks to Stevie Dougal taking on two Portaferry men and wining the ball which he played out to Nial Irwin who cleverly had moved out to the wing from centre full forward. Free of his marker, Niall took the ball, moved into position, steadied himself and played a great shot from a very difficult angle over the head of the keeper into the top corner of the Portaferry net. This was quickly followed by a well taken point from a free out near the halfway line by Tim Durkan. Such was the defending in this second half that Portaferry only managed three scores in the whole half as Ronan mc Kegney, despite an earlier injury, and Ciaran McFarland stepped up their performace in the half back line. The final score was a credible Portaferry 4:8 to Bredagh 1:1.
Bredagh Team:
Jack Hollywood, Conrad Quinn, Eoghan Curran, Michael Doran, Ciaran McFarland, Tim Durkan (0:1), Ronan McKegney, Kaelan Devlin, Danny Robinson, Lorcan McMullan, Joe Shields, Ruairi Sheridan, Declan Magee, Niall Irwin (1:0), Stevie Dougal, Dario Angelone, Lorcan Smylie, Gerard White, Mark Quinn, Aoran Maguire, Robert Graham, Peter Brennan, Peter Rice, Stephen O’Connor, Sean McGuigan, Michael Deerry
Down U14 Hurling ‘A’ Section
Bredagh 0:0 Portaferry 3:12
If ever a score line completely misrepresented a performance, then last Wednesday’s U14 Hurling match between Bredagh and Portaferry was a classic example. Bredagh went into this encounter knowing that Portaferry had already beaten the other Ards teams without even conceding a point. This game had the potential to bring these young Bredagh hurlers back down to earth with a bang after their recent victory over Ballygalget but that would be to underestimate the spirit of this squad. From the throw in Bredagh went on the attack closing down and frustrating the Portaferry forwards. Portaferry had plenty of skill but it still took them 20 minutes to register a score. Jack Hollywood was his usual self continually pulling off spectacular saves and clearances and Eoghan Curran had his best game in a Bredagh Jersey this year which drew the comment “that Bredagh corner back’s a great player” from a Portaferry mentor on the line. In the second half Michael Doran, who has been growing in confidence with every game, unfortunately had to come off after receiving a gash to his leg and was replaced by Gerard White at left corner back. Dario Angelone also came on in the second half at right half back putting in a great defensive performance.
Despite the relentless hard work of Kaelan Devlin and Danny Robinson at mid field and Ciaran McFarland, Lorcan McMullan and Joe Shields in the half forwards Bredagh struggled to get the ball up to their full forwards. Niall Irwin, Declan Magee and Stevie Dougal were unfortunate not to score with the few chances that came their way in both halves. It’s hard to pick a man of the match but Ronan McKegney was outstanding and epitomised the determination and doggedness of the whole Bredagh team in this game.
This experience will have done no harm to Bredagh’s confidence as they prepare to compete as the only non Ards team in the ‘A’ Section of the Down Feile in Castlewellan on 21 April.
U14 'A' Hurling league - Oh Danny Boy
Young Bredagh Hurler Danny Robinson broke Ballygalget hearts and helped make a little bit of history with a superb individual goal last Wednesday evening when Bredagh U14 Hurlers made their second visit to the Ards in less than a week.
After an encouraging result in their first game against Ballycran in the Down U14 ‘A’ League on Saturday, losing 5:6 to 2:4 the boys travelled to Ballygalget with a renewed confidence.
The Bredagh team knew they were up against it, travelling without the injured Emmett Dougan and with star players Tim Durkan and Jack Hollywood both carrying injuries into the game.
The boys got stuck in from the throw in and were quickly on top of their opponents. Niall Irwin was on fire, opening the scoring with a superb point followed up with a goal and a further point to settle the Bredagh boys into a comfortable lead. Ballygalget typically didn’t drop their heads and fought back firing over a couple of points before Lorcan McMullan struck back with a fine point for Bredagh. The Bredagh defence was rock solid marshalled by centre full back and Captain Conrad Quinn who was supported by Eoghan Curran and Michael Doran who cleared his lines with confidence throughout the game. Ronan McKegney fought for every ball in the half backs and Jordan O’Dowd outclassed his man in every challenge. At midfield Tim Durkan despite his injured hip, fought on bravely until he could run no more but refusing to come off, was switched into centre full back.
The second half was a lesson for this young Bredagh hurling team. Despite re-starting with a lead of 2:3 to 0:2 they were suddenly on the defensive as a fired up Ballygalget began to dominate the second half scoring two quick goals to put them right back in the game. Bredagh struggled to contain them and only gained some respite when Lorcan McMullan and Joe Shields fired over points. Despite this, Ballygalget continued to pile on the pressure scoring another point and after a series of superb saves and clearances by the Bredagh goal keeper, Jack Hollywood, they finally broke through to score a third goal to take a 1 point lead. Niall Irwin ran his heart out trying to get the elusive goal to steal the game but was denied a point blank shot on goal by a superb save by the Ballygalget keeper. Then with literally the last few minutes remaining, Irwin pushed forward again only to be denied by the keeper but this time the high rebound was plucked out of the air by Danny Robinson, who made no mistake and drove the ball to the back of the Ballygalget net to put Bredagh back in front. On the puck out the referee blew the final whistle and Bredagh U14 hurlers celebrated their elevation into the top flight of Down underage hurling. Next up Portaferry!
Final Score:
Bredagh 3:5 Ballygalget 3:2
Team: Jack Hollywood, Conrad Quinn, Eoghan Curran, Michael Doran, Jordan O’Dowd, Ciaran McFarland, Ronan McKegney, Tim Durkan, Danny Robinson, Lorcan McMullan, Joseph Sheilds, Michael Deery, Nial Irwin, Declan Magee, Gerard White, Aaron Maguire, Dario Angelone, Mark Quinn, Stevie Dougal, Sreven O’Connor, Sean McGuigan
Final Win
U-14 Hurling Champions Again...
Down U-14 B Championship Final at Castlewellan - Bredagh 8-14 Kilclief 3-3. REPORT: this was a fitting end-of-season display by the best team outside the Ards in their age group. Bredagh have now gone unbeaten outside the Ards for the entire season in both League and Championship, AND they have won this title for the third year in-a-row. There were a number of impressive individual displays notably from Conor McCloskey, Emmett Costello and goalkeeper Jack Hollywood, who shaded the MVP award with Emmett. His courage and maturity in his midfield role against Kilclief’s impressive Barry ‘Baz’ Duignan was awesome in the real sense of that word. Jack’s saves early in the game in particular drew admiration from the crowd including Kilclief supporters and merited a special mention from Pat Waterson when presenting the cup to Bredagh. Jack, with the help of Danny Robinson in particular, ensured that Kilclief did not race into an early lead. Pat also praised Conor as the best player on the Bredagh team. The strength of the team was evident in the range of different players who got on the scoresheet – six players in total with Kealan Devlin grabbing 4-2 in a masterful display at full forward, taking home his second consecutive match ball having achieved a similar feat in the semi-final. Approximately half of this squad are eligible again next year when we must confront the more difficult task of taking on the Ards teams in the ‘A’ division of the Féile.
Squad: Jack Hollywood, Danny Robinson, James Cormican, Michael Doran, Tim Durkan, Damhan Farmer, Conal Mulholland, Eoghan Curran, Conrad Quinn, Emmett Costello 0-1, Conor McCloskey 0-8 (5 frees), Ciaran Kelly 0-2, Ciaran Fitzpatrick, Ciaran McFarland 0-1, Emmet Dougan 3-0, Ben McCaughey, Kealan Devlin 4-2, Niall Irwin, Ben Horner, Stephen O’Connor, Jordan O’Dowd.
Bredagh 4-13 Liatroim 1-13
B Championship Semi-Final, Saturday September 2nd - Bredagh advanced to the final in search of another trophy to add to their Down and Ulster Féile successes. They were put to the test though by a Liatroim side that contains one of the best non-Ards players, Ryan McAleenan, who scored all but one point of his side’s total. The sides were level at half time 2-6 to 1-9, thanks in part to wonder sub Ciaran McFarland who got a great goal with his second touch. However, the work that Bredagh have put in through the year helped them through the second half when they added 2-7 to Liatroim’s second half total of four points. Ciaran Fitzpatrick was the Man of the Match, playing a linking role between half back and half forward and scoring a point. Kealan Devlin had a powerful game at full forward, notching up 3-2 and earning him the right to take home the match ball. Emmet Dougan also had a number of wonder points from play, while Conor McCloskey also scored a number of points and, along with Emmett Costello, played a leadership role in quelling the Liatroim midfield. Conal Mulholland had to be replaced by Eoghan Curran who performed very solidly once again. Conrad Quinn played the role of blood sub when Conor had to be carried off injured. Bredagh now play Kilclief in the final, but before then, a number of lads must surely now qualify for the non-Ards Academy team in their ‘A’ championship semi final against Ballycran on Saturday.
Squad: Jack Holywood, Danny Robinson, James Cormican, Michael Doran, Tim Durkan, Damhan Farmer, Conal Mulholland, Eoghan Curran, Conrad Quinn, Emmett Costello, Conor McCloskey, Ciaran Kelly, Ciaran Fitzpatrick, Ciaran McFarland, Emmet Dougan, Ben McCaughey, Kealan Devlin, Niall Irwin, Sean McGuigan.
Bredagh 1-0 Ballygalget 4-19
U-14 B Hurling League - fourteen Bredagh players showed up for this game, including guest player Peita McAlister from the U-14 Camógie team, who had a tremendous game. Bredagh played some quality hurling against the strongest and most accomplished Ards team that we have met this year so far. Goalscorer Niall Irwin reverted to half back for the second half and had a great game, while Conal Mulholland helped the team out by playing in goal even though injured had a superlative game demonstrating great bravery under the dropping ball. As with all the matches against the Ards this was a learning experience and the score does not do justice to the quality of Bredagh hurling, a point gratuitously acknowledged by the Ballygalget mentors afterwards.
Team: Conal Mulholland, Peita McAllister, James Cormican, Michael Doran, Danny Robinson, Damhan Farmer, Ciaran Kelly, Emmet Costello, Emmet Dougan, Ben McCaughey, Kealan Devlin, Matthew McMullan, Niall Irwin, Jack Hollywood.
Ballycran 8-7 Bredagh 2-1
U-14 B Hurling League - this was a marvellous performance by a team with depleted resources as a result of suspensions and holidays. Two U-12s - Joe Shields and Deccie Magee - supplemented the squad and performed very well, with Deccie in particular breaking two hurleys in the course of the game. The final score gives a most misleading impression as at half time Ballycran only led by 2-1 to 1-1. The first half was easily Bredagh’s best half hour of hurling all year, and Ballycran were clearly worried. They had things a little easier in the second half when they played with the strong sea wind that normally howls down the St Joe’s pitch. Still they were flattered by the final scoreline and there was a clear feeling that Bredagh had made significant progress in the year. Ben and Kealan were the scorers, with Jack making some great saves.
Team: Jack Hollywood, Michael Doran, James Cormican, Declan Magee, Danny Robinson, Damhan Farmer, Eoghan Curran, Emmet Dougan, Emmet Costello, Ciaran Kelly, Keelan Devlin, Ciaran Fitzpatrick, Joe Shields, Ben McCaughey, Niall Irwin.
Féile Pictures 2
All Ireland Féile
Bredagh were hosted by the Aghabullogue club in mid-Cork, between Blarney and Macroom, about fifteen miles from the city. One of their former players is the current Cork senior manager John Allen.
Our hosts had a very strong team and defeated us in our first game on Friday, June 16th, by 5-4 to 1-2. We also lost to Donoughamore on the Saturday morning by 3-8 to 0-1 and then beat Gowna from Cavan by 7-3 to 3-4.
Wearing new jerseys, the boys thoroughly enjoyed the Féile experience and did their club and county proud.
Guess who arrived in the chopper?
GAA President Nickey Brennan paid a flying visit, meeting the Bredagh lads.
No chopping lads!
I'm a Bredagh coach, get me outta here!
Cooling off... a Bredagh player takes a dive.
As always at the Féile, new friends were made.
HOW THEY GOT THERE, winning the Down Féile
Bredagh qualified for the All Ireland Féile for the second year in-a-row by winning the Co Down Division Two title at Castlewellan on Saturday, April 22nd.
Captain Conor McCloskey (pictured above) was the star player for Bredagh, supported superbly by Emmett Costello, while left-corner-back Michael Doran emulated his father Noel by qualifying for the national Féile as a Down champion. Noel was on the very first Down hurling team (Kilkeel) to play in the All Ireland Féile in 1971, also as a left-corner-back. The Bredagh boys stormed through Division Two, scoring a total of 17 goals and 16 points in their five matches. This included 5-2 in the Final against Warrenpoint. The entire squad played marvellous hurling and conceded only 1-3 in the entire series of games. Niall Irwin was the hat-trick hero in the Final, with Kealan Devlin getting the other two. The point-scoring throughout the tournament was impressive as well, with Emmet Dougan getting a spectacular point in the round-robin games against Carryduff when he struck the ball on the ground only to see it deflect over the crossbar.
Squad: Conal Mulholland, Kaelan Devlin, Conor McCloskey, Niall Irwin, Ciaran Kelly, Ben McCaughey, Emmet Dougan, Ben Scullion, Emmet Costello, Jack Hollywood, Tim Durkan, Damhan Farmer, Ben Horner, Ciaran Fitzpatrick, James Cormican, Daniel Robinson, Ciaran McFarland, Matthew McMullan, Michael Doran, Conrad Quinn.
MESSAGE FROM SEAN Óg - All Ireland winning Cork captain Sean Óg O hAilpin sent a message of congratulations to Bredagh hurlers for reaching the All Ireland Féile. In a text message, he said: "Congratulations to your Féile squad on making it to the finals for a second year going. Hope ye can top it off by winning it in Cork. Good to hear of the great strides and developments by your hurling club. Will see you in Cork for the Féile. Sean Óg".
ABOUT AGHABULLOGUE
They wear green jerseys and are in a mad GAA area, playing football and hurling. Last year, they won two of their matches in the Féile and only lost narrowly to another Cork side, Croke Rovers. They have good players coming through to U-14 because they have won the mid-Cork U-12 hurling and football championships in both of the last two years. Their facilities include two full-size pitches, a sports/general purpose hall with a stage, sound and stage lighting, meeting rooms, four dressing Rooms, a shop and a gym.
Check out these links: www.aghabulloguegaa.com & www.feilenangael.com
SEE BELOW FOR A REPORT and PICTURES FROM THE DOWN FÉILE and FROM THE ULSTER FÉILE
Bredagh 0-2 Portaferry 6-10
League, Wednesday June 14th - a disappointing scoreline but it really wasn't as bad as it looks. The Ards teams still seem to have that little bit extra, maybe a killer instinct developed through the decades, but to most observers this contest was evenly matched, especially in the first-half. Bredagh needed a good run-out before heading off to Cork and they certainly got that. It must be remembered that we are now competing with the very best teams in Down, in Division One of the League. We are still on a long-term objective of trying to bridge what used to be a massive gap between the Ards teams and the rest of county Down. And, we really are making progress!
Bredagh 11-11 Clonduff 0-0
B Championship, Wednesday June 7th - the boys warmed up nicely for the All Ireland Féile with a very impressive performance. There were only two goals between the same sides when they met recently in a challenge game, but Bredagh stepped up a gear on this occasion and showed that they are improving all the time.
New Fixtures
Co Down U-14 League Division One Fixtures
Wednesday June 14 - Bredagh 0-2 Portaferry 6-10
Monday June 19 - Ballygalget P Bredagh P
Wednesday June 21 at 7.45pm - Bredagh v Ballycran
Wednesday June 28 at 7.45pm - Warrenpoint v Bredagh
Wednesday August 2 at 7.30pm - Bredagh v Warrenpoint
Wednesday August 9 at 7.15pm - Ballycran v Bredagh
Wednesday August 16 at 7.15pm - Bredagh v Ballygalget
Wednesday August 23 at 7.00pm - Portaferry v Bredagh
Bredagh 8-8 Kilclief 3-1
League, Wednesday May 31 - Bredagh's fourth win out of four. They've beaten Liatroim away, Ballyvarley, Castlewellan and Kilclief. More details to follow.
St Enda's 3-4 Bredagh 0-7
Challenge, Monday May 29th
Bredagh 3-1 Ballyvarley 1-0
League match, Wednesday May 3 - Bredagh had to work hard for this win at Cherryvale where the conditions didn’t help the hurling. With Conor McCloskey, Emmet Costello and Ben Horner not available, Emmet Dougan and Tim Durkan dominated midfield in the first half, but Bredagh had only scored two goals by half-time. With the wind behind them in the second half, Ballyvarley were much more threatening and there were a couple of goalmouth scrambles but Jack Hollywood prevented Ballyvarley from drawing level. Finally, after another great save from Jack, Ballyvarley managed to score from the rebound. Bredagh didn’t let the pressure get to them and they managed to score another goal and a point to secure the match. U-12s Joseph Shields, Aaron Maguire and Ronan McKegney played well and Ronan’s hard work produced a valuable goal for Bredagh.
Squad & Scorers: Jack Hollywood, Eoghan Curran, Conal Mulholland, Stephen O’Connor, Dahman Farmer, Ben McCaughey, Conrad Quinn, James Cormican, Emmet Dougan, Niall Fitzpatrick, Ciaran Kelly, Jordan O’Dowd, Kaelan Devlin, Daniel Robinson, Matthew McMullan, Ben Scullion, Aaron Maguire, Joseph Shields, Niall Irwin 2-0, Ronan McKegney 1-0, Tim Durkan 0-1.
Coaches Comments: After our success in the Down and Ulster Féile, this narrow victory may appear disappointing. However, when you consider that we had three key players missing, that we introduced three U-12s, and that we had a number of players only allowed to use their backhand, the coaches are well pleased with the result. Our major weakness was our inability to raise the ball and drive it a reasonable distance, but this will come with training. The attitude, effort and commitment of this squad are tremendous and in six weeks we will be ready for Cork.
Fixtures & Results
Challenge Games
Saturday, March 11 - Bredagh 1-3 St Enda's 2-5
Wednesday, April 12 - Bredagh lost to Creggan
Wednesday May 24 – Clonduff 3-2 Bredagh 5-2
Monday, May 29 - St Enda's 3-4 Bredagh 0-7
Preliminary League Section A
Wednesday April 26 - Liatroim 5-5 Bredagh 7-6
Wednesday May 3 - Bredagh 3-1 Ballyvarley 1-0
Wednesday May 10 - Castlewellan 0-0 Bredagh 6-13
Wednesday May 17 - Bredagh P Kilclief P
Wednesday May 31 - Bredagh 8-8 Kilclief 3-1
Championship
Wednesday, June 7 - Bredagh 11-11 Clonduff 0-0
Down Féile in Castlewellan
Saturday, April 22
Bredagh 2-4 Liatroim 0-0
Bredagh 2-4 Castlewellan 0-0
Bredagh 5-3 Ballela 1-0
Bredagh 3-3 Carryduff 0-1
Final
Bredagh 5-2 Warrenpoint 0-2
Ulster Féile in Cushendall
Saturday, April 29
Bredagh 2-5 Ardoyne 2-1
Bredagh 1-2 Eoghan Rua 0-3
Final
Bredagh 3-5 Creggan 0-7
All Ireland Féile
Friday, June 16 - Aghabullogue 5-4 Bredagh 1-2
Saturday, June 17 - Donoughamore 3-8 Bredagh 0-1
Saturday, June 17 - Bredagh 7-3 Gowna (Cavan) 3-4
Ulster Féile
Bredagh U-14 hurlers won Section E of the Ulster Feile on Saturday, April 29th. They qualified from their group with two wins and then beat Creggan to repeat their success of 2005 and continue a remarkable few weeks for the U-14s.
2006 Ulster Féile Finals Results
Division A - Loughgiel 4-2 Ballycran 2-5
Division B – Ballycastle 6-7 Glenshesk 1-2
Division C - Glenariffe 4-8 Dunloy 1-1
Division D - Cúhullians (Armagh)3-6 Sarsfields 1-1
Division E - Bredagh 3-2 Creggan (Antrim) 0-7
Division F - Naomh Colum Cille (Tyrone) 0-3 St Enda’s (Antrim) 0-0
Division G - Rasharkin 3-3 Carryduff 0-0
Division H - Shamrocks (Tyrone) 2-0 Sean Tracey’s (Armagh) 1-4
MATCH REPORTS
Bredagh 2-5 Ardoyne 2-1 - Bredagh had only two matches to play at Coleraine University due to Mac Cumhills withdrawing from the competition at late notice. We played Ardoyne in the first match - a huge side, very physical and had it not been for some heroic defending from James Cormican at full back, Bredagh would have been further behind at half time than 2-1 to 1-3. In the second half Bredagh managed to keep the ball in the Ardoyne half through the efforts of Conor McCloskey and Emmet Dougan in midfield. This pressure provided another 1-2 for Bredagh without reply, leaving Bredagh winners by 2-5 to 2-1. Scorers: Niall Irwin 2-0, Conor McCloskey 0-4, Emmet Dougan 0-1. Outstanding Player - James Cormican.
Bredagh 1-2 Eoghan Rua 0-3 - after a short rest Bredagh played Eoghan Rua from Coleraine. They were a very skilful side but this time it was Eoghan Curran’s turn to thwart the opposition. He appeared to be everywhere on the pitch and nothing got past him. There was very little between the two sides at half time, Bredagh leading by 1-0 to 0-2. The second half proved to be just as tight but two more points for Bredagh secured victory. There may not have been many scores but this was a super match, which could have gone either way. Final score: Bredagh 1-2 Eoghan Rua 0-3. Scorers: Kaelan Devlin 1-1, Conor McCloskey 0-1. Outstanding Player - Eoghan Curran.
Bredagh 3-5 Creggan 0-7 - in the final at Glenravel, Bredagh had to face Creggan from Randalstown who had hammered Bredagh in a challenge match only a couple of weeks ago in Cherryvale. Bredagh had only managed to score one point in that game. The first half found Bredagh under predictable pressure with Creggan camped in the Bredagh half. With more heroic defending from James Cormican, Conal Mullholland and Conrad Quinn, some wonder saves from Jack Hollywood and a number of squandered chances Creggan had only three points to show for their first half domination. Half-time: Bredagh 0-0 Creggan 0-3. Bredagh came out for the second half believing that this could be their greatest chance to cause the upset of the tournament. The team battled for every ball and when the first goal came, Creggan were shaken. More superb saves from Jack Hollywood forced Creggan to go for points while Bredagh scored two more goals and two points to clinch the match. Jack Hollywood’s superb performance in goals played a major role in Bredagh’s final victory. Final score: Bredagh 3-2 Creggan 0-7. Outstanding Player - Jack Hollywood.
Féile Winning Squad: Conor McCloskey, Michael Doran, Stephen O’Connor, Conal Mulholland, Kaelan Devlin, Conrad Quinn, Matthew McMullan, Jordan O’Dowd, Daniel Robinson, James Cormican, Ciaran Fitzpatrick, Damhan Farmer, Tim Durkan, Jack Hollywood, Ben Scullion, Emmet Dougan, Ben McCaughey, Ciaran Kelly, Eoghan Curran, Niall Irwin.
Coaches Comments: This was a great team success. The level of commitment given by all the players was so high it is hard to talk about individuals but Conor McCloskey and Emmet Dougan were the outstanding players for Bredagh throughout the competition.
Many thanks to everyone who supported us and supplied lifts and to Mr Cormican who treated the team to a victory meal afterwards.
Liatroim 5-5 Bredagh 7-6
League, Wednesday April 26 - Liatroim gave Bredagh a much harder game than they did at the Down Feile. The home team took an early lead but Bredagh gradually eased their way back into the game to lead at half time by 5-3 to 2-4. Liatroim never gave up and with five minutes left they had reduced Bredagh’s lead to 6-6 to 5-5. Jack Hollywood in goals rescued Bredagh on at least three occasions when Liatroim looked certain to score. Another 1-1 for Bredagh secured their first League victory. Daniel Robinson scored a goal in his first full hurling match and Niall Irwin has now scored a hat trick in his last two games. There were notable performances from Kealan Devlin, James Cormican and team captain Conor McCloskey.
Squad & Scorers: Jack Hollywood, Eoghan Curran, Conal Mulholland, Conor McCloskey 1-4, Niall Irwin 3-0, Ciaran Kelly, Ben McCaughey, Emmet Dougan, Tim Durkan 0-1, Damhan Farmer, Ciaran Fitzpatrick 1-0, James Cormican, Daniel Robinson 1-0, Jordan O’Dowd, Matthew McMullan, Michael Doran, Conrad Quinn, Stephen O’Connor, Kaelan Devlin 1-1.
Down Féile Pictures
Click HERE for more information about the Feile.
Down Féile
Bredagh U-14 hurlers are going to the All Ireland Féile in Cork for the second year in-a-row after winning the Co Down Division Two title at Castlewellan on Saturday, April 22. Conor McCloskey (pictured above with Down Hurling Chairman Bernard McGrattan) was the star player for Bredagh, supported superbly by Emmett Costello, while left-corner-back Michael Doran emulated his father Noel by qualifying for the national Féile as a Down champion. Noel was on the very first Down hurling team (Kilkeel) to play in the All Ireland Féile in 1971, also as a left-corner-back.
RESULTS
Bredagh 2-4 Liatroim 0-0
Bredagh 2-4 Castlewellan 0-0
Bredagh 5-3 Ballela 1-0
Bredagh 3-3 Carryduff 0-1
Final
Bredagh 5-2 Warrenpoint 0-2
REPORT: the hurlers stormed through Division Two, scoring a total of 17 goals and 16 points in their five matches. This included 5-2 in the Final against Warrenpoint. The entire squad played marvellous hurling and conceded only 1-3 in the entire series of games. Niall Irwin was the hat-trick hero in the Final, with Kealan Devlin getting the other two. The point-scoring throughout the tournament was impressive as well, with Emmet Dougan getting a spectacular point in the round-robin games against Carryduff when he struck the ball on the ground only to see it deflect over the crossbar.
FÉILE WINNING SQUAD: Conal Mulholland, Kaelan Devlin, Conor McCloskey, Niall Irwin, Ciaran Kelly, Ben McCaughey, Emmet Dougan, Ben Scullion, Emmet Costello, Jack Hollywood, Tim Durkan, Damhan Farmer, Ben Horner, Ciaran Fitzpatrick, James Cormican, Daniel Robinson, Ciaran McFarland, Matthew McMullan, Michael Doran, Conrad Quinn.
FIRST GAME OF 2006
Saturday March 11th, Bredagh 1-3 St Enda's 2-5 - missing players such as Emmett Costello, Conor McCloskey and Ben Horner, Bredagh held St Endas to a 2-point draw at half time in this challenge game. Bredagh lost Tim Durkan and Emmett Dougan through injury, which gave St Enda's the edge in the second half. Jack Hollywood had a great game in goals. Conal Mulholland was outstanding and thoroughly deserved his MVP award.
Squad: Jack Hollywood, Michael Doran, Stephen O'Connor, James Cormican, Conal Mulholland, Ciaran McFarland, Damhan Farmer, Conrad Quinn, Timothy Durkan, Emmett Dougan, Niall Irwin, Ben Scullion, Jordan O'Dowd, Martin Maguire, Kaelan Devlin, Ciaran Kelly, Danny Robinson, Pat Nevin.
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U14 HC: Bredagh 15-09 Warrenpoint 0-00
U14 HL: Bredagh 1-08 4-07 Ballygalget
U14 HL: Bredagh 7-06 0-00 Newry Shamrocks
U14 HL: Ballycran 4-08 1-02 Bredagh
U14 HL: Portaferry 1-14 1-04 Bredagh
U14 HL Div 1: Bredagh 1-5 3-2 Liatroim
U14 HL: Ballygalget 1-04 1-04 Bredagh
Ulster Feile
U14 HL: Bredagh 4-05 4-06 Liatroim
U14HL: Bredagh 2-6 0-0 Carryduff
Down Feile
U14 HL: Bredagh 18-12 0-00 St Patrick's
U14 HL: Liatroim 9-10 4-07 Bredagh
U14 HL: Carryduff 1-0 4-07 Bredagh
U14s enjoy Blitz with St Enda's and Liatoim
U14 Challenge match
U14 Championship Final Photos
Bredagh win u14 Championship!
U14 HL: Bredagh 6-08 3-01 Castlewellan
Ulster Feile
U14 HL: Bredagh 2:05 0-00 Castlewellan
Photographs from the Feile Final in Portaferry
Down Feile Final: Bredagh 1-05 1-02 Carryduff
U14 Hurling League: Bredagh 0-04 Carryduff 1-01
Qualifying league fixtures 2008
U13s win at Ballyvarley!
U13s win 7 a-side tournament in Banbridge
u14s trip to Mayfield, Cork, September 2007
Tony Forristal Tournament
Bredagh u14 hurlers play for the County
U14 Hurling League: Bredagh 8-02 St Pats 7-09
u14 Hurling Blitz off!
U14 B HC Bredagh 6-12 1-01 Liatroim
U14 B HC Bredagh 6-12 1-01 Liatroim
U14 HL - Bredagh 3-08 2-07 Ballygalget
U14 Championship draw
Down U14 Hurling Feile
Down U14 Hurling ‘A’ Section
U14 'A' Hurling league - Oh Danny Boy
Final Win
Bredagh 4-13 Liatroim 1-13
Bredagh 1-0 Ballygalget 4-19
Ballycran 8-7 Bredagh 2-1
Féile Pictures 2
All Ireland Féile
Bredagh 0-2 Portaferry 6-10
Bredagh 11-11 Clonduff 0-0
New Fixtures
Bredagh 8-8 Kilclief 3-1
St Enda's 3-4 Bredagh 0-7
Bredagh 3-1 Ballyvarley 1-0
Fixtures & Results
Ulster Féile
Liatroim 5-5 Bredagh 7-6
Down Féile Pictures
Down Féile
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