Moycullen U16 Boys put in a tough shift on Saturday in Cork coming up just short in the County Board annual tournament. Drawn in a very difficult group with other main contenders Liffey Celtics & Blue Demons, the lads hit the track running when beating Demons much more comprehensively than the 5 points suggest. They then demolished Liffey Celtics by 21 points and booked their place in the Quarter finals against Limerick Lions. This game was over early as the lads raced into a 13 to nothing lead, 19-2 at the end on the first, as they pressed the Lions from the off. Next up in the semis were Ballincollig Red – who looked the pick of all the other teams as they impressively marched into the last four. Moycullen won all 4 quarters and never looked in danger. While the lads were moving towards the final, Demons were also looking impressive as they hammered Liffey Celtics in the group and had a good win against a resurgent Titans in the other semi.

The final proved a step too far as the early start, 5 games, the last three – consequetive – took their toll. Refereeing also played its part as Paul Kelly controversially picked up his fourth foul with 2:50 left in the second quarter. The second was where it went pear-shaped as Moycullen lost the quarter 15-2. The boys won the other three – and while they slipped to 17 points in arrears at one point in the third, they never gave up – showing great grit – pulling it back to a six point game with a minute on the clock. Unfortunately, they ran out on seconds and had to be content with silver.

Next up will be their final League game & a probably area final with an improving Titans and then on to the AICCs. The lessons learned in Cork will stand the team in good stead. There were lots of heros over the weekend, all of the players had their moments when they contributed to the cause. The depth of the bench gave coach Nollaig Cunningham plenty of opportunity to experiment and all did their bit. Nothing wrong with losing as the faces in the photograph shows…..We’ll learn from it!

Squad: James Wall, Aaron Kiernan, Tommy Mc Neela,  Cormac Croke, Mairtin O’Conghaile, Iarlaith O’Sullivan, Paul Kelly, James Connaire, Oisin McDonagh, James Cummins, Rian Oates & William Onyenweson.

Group C Results:

Moycullen Blue 46 : 41 Blue Demons

Moycullen 64 :43  Liffey Celtics

Quarter Final:Moycullen 53 : 31 Limerick Lions

Semi Final: Moycullen 68 : 55 Ballincollig Red

Final: Moycullen 44 : 51 Blue Demons

Categories: News