St Declans N.S.

Archives News and Match Reports ’06 – ‘07

1. Athletics 2. Gaelic Football 3. Swimming 4. Hurling 5. Soccer 6. Tennis

1. Athletics News 2006 - 2007

[Sept 21^st ‘06] The weather did not look very promising today for our School Athletics Team as they took part in the Waterford and South Kilkenny Primary Schools Cross Country Athletics Meet in the Clover Field. Fortunately it stayed dry for all the races much to the delight of the many teachers and parents gathered to watch. We had boys competing in all races from 1^st to 6^th all of whom did their school proud by doing their very best. At the end of the day we were declared winners of The Best Boys School. Well done everyone.

Success on the Track for St Declans

[Apr 26^th ‘07] Tonight at the RSE our School Athletics Team competed in the Waterford Primary Schools Sports. Leading up to this, trials had been run in school and so on the night every athlete was eager to do well in the sprints, distance and relay events. Fortunately we had many successes during the evening and Mrs A Brennan [coach] gave great praise to all the boys for their competitive spirit and co operative behaviour. At the end of the night we were awarded “Best Overall Boys School”. Well done to everyone involved.

Declans Find Gold in Dungarvan!

[May 29^th ‘07] Tonight in Dungarvan on a beautiful evening the recently successfully members of our School Athletics Team competed in the Waterford Primary Schools County Athletics Finals. 14 boys travelled in all ranging from U8 to U11. We were mainly competing in the relays but we did have 5 boys competing in individual events as well.

At the end of the night the results were …..

U8 relay – gold ; U9 relay – gold ; U9 80m – C McCann – gold ; U9 300m – T Brennan – gold.

Tonights team was: C Giles Doran, F Dolphin, J Goldsmith, M O Connor, T Brennan, C McCann, D O Rourke, L Fan, J Ryan, C Dowling, E Mc Grath, T Parker, T Kent, A Phelan.

Well done to all the boys who were excellently behaved once again and of course thanks to their coach Mrs A Brennan.

2. Gaelic Football News 2006 - 2007

U13 Gaelic Football Campaign match by match ’06 – ‘07

St Declans off to a winning start

[Sept 19^th ‘06] Our first game of this years U13 Schools Gaelic Football League was played today in bright but breezy conditions at home in the college field against Ballygunner. As always everyone is anxious to get off to a winning start so it was no surprise that both teams competed very hard early on for every ball. We were fortunate to have the wind in the first half and even though we missed some good chances we went in at half time leading 1-2 to 0-2. The second half was equally competitive and Ballygunner thundered into the game with an early score. Our lads worked very hard for each other and in defense Gary Walsh began to clear a lot of good ball. Kenneth and Dylan brought plenty of ball forward from the middle of the field while in front of goal Jack was always dangerous. Many of the subs also got a try out today so the coaches will have plenty to think about before next weeks match. Well done everyone on a great start.

Final Score - St Declans 1-4 Ballygunner0-4

St Declans U13 Footballers make it 2 wins in a row!

[Sept 26^th ‘06] In our second game of the U13 Schools Gaelic Football League we played away to Glór na Mara Tramore. This was not an intense game but it was competitive none the less. In the end we ran out comfortable winners but there were long spell in the game where scores were hard to come by. A good start sent us on our way to a win and with everybody working hard we knew we would be hard to beat. All of the panel played well today so now all the lads are already looking forward to next weeks game. Keep it up

Final Score - St Declans 3 - 6 Tramore 0 – 1

Todays Panel: D. Connolly, J Sharpe, G Walsh, S Dalton, M Duggan, J Grogan, K McEvoy, D Foley, T Mullally, C Whittle, E O Dwyer, L Sammon, J Hale, C Gannon, D Hobbs, J, Maher, T Moran, E Hurley, R Fitzpatrick, L Kelly,

U13 Footballers suffer heavy loss

[Oct 3^rd ‘06] Coming on the back of two good wins we entered today’s game away Scoil Lorcáin in the U13 Schools Gaelic Football League in somewhat confident mood sure that we would at least be competitive. Alas, even though we were just two points behind at half time we were swept aside in the second half by a Scoil Lorcáin team that played with great direction and passion, who defended well and clocked up a number of impressive scores. In fairness to our boys the score line may be a little harsh as we did have good opportunities to claw our way back but too often the chances were squandered and in the end the mountain was just too big to climb.If we are to seriously consider progressing in this competition we all will have to improve on today’s performance as its all knock-out from now on. Well done to today’s captain Conor Whittle who played his best game of the year so far.

Final Score - St Declans 0 - 6 Scoil Lorcáin 3 – 9

U13 Footballers Reach 5^th Consecutive Eastern Final

[Oct 10^th ‘06] Today we played in the semi final of the U13 Schools Gaelic Football League against St Pauls over in the College field. Despite heavy weekend rain the pitch was solid and underfoot conditions although slippery in places didn’t affect the game in any way. Above all else, a positive result today was paramount and thankfully that was secured. Fortunately for us it was just one of those days where everything just seemed to go right. The backs made a number of telling interceptions while the forwards availed of a few opportunistic goals. The game itself was closely contested for a good spell but as the points went over a gap began to appear and after Ross scored our third goal there was only ever going to be one winner. Well done today to Luke who didn’t put a foot wrong after he came on for the second half. Certainly we played better than last week but there is still a huge effort to be made if we are to emulate in any form the heroics of recent St Declans teams. Well done boys.

Final Score - St Declans 4 - 9 St Pauls 0 – 4

An Incredible 4 in a Row

[Oct 24^th ‘06]Our supporters in Walsh Park could be heard all across Waterford at 2pm today as we played Scoil Lorcáin in beautiful Autumn sunshine in the Eastern Final of the U13 Schools Gaelic Football League. We had suffered a heavy defeat to our opponents earlier in the league phase and so were anxious to be at the very least more competitive today.

Kenny got us on the scoreboard with an early point which was soon followed by a goal from Ross. Despite our good start Scoil Lorcáin were soon back on level terms so we knew victory today would not be easy. Tom put us ahead yet again with a great goal but nobody could have predicted what was about to happen. Within minutes of the half time whistle we had scored 3 more goals and were now leading unbelievably 5 – 1 to 1 – 1.

There was obvious delight at the break but extreme caution was now needed as we faced into a stiffening breeze and a Scoil Lorcáin team that we knew would not lie down. However, we conceded an early goal and had to absorb a lot of pressure and so began a lot of anxious time watching. The momentum of the game swung to and fro until James Grogan scored a great point followed by another which was the score of the game.

From here on the game was ours and the final whistle was greeted with wild cheers of delight and a few sighs of relief. The team had played like a team should … every player doing his bit for the cause.

Captain Whittle hardly put a foot wrong, Kenneth was magnificent in mid field, Dylan was secure and solid at wing back, Jack was energetic throughout, Tom was lethal in front of goal and Ross our “Man of the Match” must have thought he was in dream world after striking a hat trick of goals. Conno, Stephen, Michael, Jake, Ethen, Luke, Jack, Eoghan and Conor all made important contributions throughout the game.

An amazing victory against the odds, champions playing like champions against a Scoil Lorcáin team that had set the standard throughout the league campaign. Well done to them for making this final the spectacle it turned to be. Today was our 5^th final in a row and amazingly our 4^th consecutive victory. Incredible!!!

Final Score : St Declans 5-5 Scoil Lorcáin 2-2

Scorers today: Ross 3-0 goals, Tom 2–1, James 0-2, Kenneth 0-1 and Conor 0-1

Todays Panel: D. Connolly, J Sharpe, G Walsh, S Dalton, M Duggan, J Grogan, K McEvoy, D Foley, T Mullally, C Whittle, E O Dwyer, L Sammon, J Hale, C Gannon, D Hobbs, J Maher, T Moran, E Hurley, R Fitzpatrick, L Kelly, C Browne

History Made as U13’s Make Another it 4 in a Row!

[Nov 25^th ‘06] There are some games you just have to be at! Such was the case this morning at the County Final of the Schools U13 Gaelic Football League played in a cool but sunny Dunhill. To fully understand and appreciate the nature and difficulty of today’s win then the exhausting pace, the heavy tackles, the pressure kicks and the ferocious competition for possession had to be witnessed at first hand. We believe we are a good team and today we met a team equally as good as ourselves who within 3 mins had flown into a 2 point lead. Kenneth’s opportunistic toe poked goal from short range put us into the lead before Jack having broken from half forward scored the goal of the match with a thunderous shot. A Lismore point shortly afterwards made the score 2-1 to 0-3 at half time. With nothing in it and everything to play for spectators eagerly awaited the second half. Lismore had us chasing a lot yet again in the early stages but fortunately for us our backs especially Jake and Dylan managed to get in the vital blocks when goals were looming. Early points were exchanged before Lismore did manage to raise the green flag. However literally within seconds Luke, who played a solid game throughout, had scored our third goal. The next phase of the game was dominated by Lismore who relentlessly drove at us with speed, aggression and energy. Stephen now epitomized our teams need to defend with a full length diving save to his left which saved a certain goal. This may indeed have been the turning point and when Ross scored our final goal after a good run by Tom it was now looking good for us. Lismore though must be given great praise for the manner in which they finished the game as they continuously drove forward to the last second in an effort to win the match. When the final whistle blew …history had been made… 4 County Football U13 Titles in a row. Truly remarkable!

At the end of the day when you look back at the result… it was 7 scores a piece… but as it is so often said .. goals win matches.. and today we were lucky enough to score enough and concede the minimum.

Well done to Conor Gannon and Jake who had their best games of the year and to Conor Whittle and Jack who battled so hard in very tight situations. Daniel was again secure and confident in goal. Michael, playing a little out of position, gave his all and James too grew into the game after he came on as a sub. Thanks again to our coaches Mr Doran and Mr Fitzgerald for a wonderful year and finally to the parents who are always so supportive.

Final Score St Declans 4 – 3 Lismore 1 – 6

Scorers today: Ross 1-1, Kenneth 1-1,Luke 1-0, Conor G 0-1 and Jack 1-0

U10 Gaelic Football Campaign match by match ’06 - ‘07

U10s well on top

[Sept 21^st ‘06] As we kick off another U10 Gaelic Football season we are again blessed with a talented and hungry set of players. We are fortunate to still have a few experienced players that took part in last years Under 10 campaign. Pre season training went excellently and we have a panel of eighteen strong links.

Ballygunner, St Pauls, St Stephens and Scoil Lorcain stand between us and the trophy this year.

Our first game was against Ballygunner. Every player was looking forward to the match and the spirit was very high during the bus journey to the pitch.

We started excellently and within the first ten minutes we had mounted up an impressive lead 3-5 to 0-0. As the game progressed it was obvious to see that we were the stronger team.

At half time every player looked fresh and fit and ready to go out play the same impressive football as they did in the first half. Three substitutions were made in the second half and we went on to put more goals and points on the board.

The game finished with a good win. All the players played well and showed that they are a formidable force in this years league.

Final Score St Declans 9-10 Ballygunner 0-1

The Campaign continues

[Oct 12^th ‘06] After our U10 Footballers comprehensive win over Ballygunner we had time to reflect and work on some new tactics and strategies in training. Praise must be given to all the players on their positive attitude and hard work given in every training session.

Whenever St Stephens and St Declans meet it is always a hard fought and close game. As we all try to forget St Stephens beat us in the final last year we are determined not to let that happen this year. Going into this game St Stephens had already won their three games and were keen to keep a clean sheet.

The game played at the Cleaboy started at a frantic pace with both teams battling for the ball. St Declans were the first team to settle into the game. As they started to pass the ball and make runs down both wings the gaps soon opened. St Declans took full advantage of this and at half time the score was 2-3 to St Declans and 0-2 to St Stephens.

The second half started with Ross Fitzpatrick scoring a point from play and Craig Brown from a free. St Stephens seemed to lose hope and we capitalised on this and secured our third goal.

As the full time whistle blew all the St Declans player s can be proud of an excellent display of football. In combining skill, fitness, sensible play and heart they won convincingly

Final Score : St Declans 3-5 St Stephens 0-3

We keep on winning!

[Oct 16^th ‘06] With our U10 Footballers full of confidence from their last win there was great excitement on the bus traveling to Roanmore for our third match. It was clear in every boys mind that it was vital that we won this game. Sitting in the changing rooms before facing St Pauls there was silence, you could hear a pin drop. Every player thinking what is required of them throughout the game to parade victorious after the match. With a few choice words from both Mr Morgan and Mr Kirby the boys burst out from the changing rooms and were ready to display there skills.

The throw in was won by Craig Brown who weaved his way past his marker and placed the ball over the bar for the first point. It was clear to see that St Pauls were no match for the strength, skill and ability of this St Declans team. St Declans proceeded to put more points and goals on the board. At half time the score was 2-5 to 0-0. At the beginning of the second half five substitutions were made. St Declans proceeded to dominate the game and were playing fantastic flowing football.

As the final whistle blew it was clear to see that this U10 Gaelic Football side are a strong and gifted bunch of 18.

Final Score : St Declans 4-8 St Pauls 0-0

U10s lose football final to St Stephens 1 - 5 to 1 - 2.

[Oct 26^th] Our U10 Gaelic Footballers contested their final today at Mt. Sion Grounds. We were very hopeful coming into this game having gone through the league unbeaten. But on the day we came up against a very determined and skilful St. Stephen’s team whose defence was brilliant throughout. St. Stephen’s played with the aid of a very strong breeze in the first half and led at the interval by 1 – 5 to 0 – 2. We began the second half with a good goal from Craig Browne which put us in a very good position. But despite valiant efforts from James Grogan, Ross Fitzpatrick and Jack Maher we could not break down the St. Stephen’s defence and St. Stephen’s ran out worthy winners by three points.

Our goalkeeper Jack McCarthy had an outstanding game and he was well assisted by Aaron O’Connor in defence. James Grogan never gave up in the centre of the field. Up front Craig Browne, Ross Fitzpatrick David Hobbs and Jack Maher were unlucky not to have gotten a few more scores.

Finally we say thanks to all the boys for their efforts at training and in the various games and we now look forward to the hurling season later in the New Year.

Final Score : St Declans 1-2 St Stephens 1-5

Mini 7’s Gaelic Football campaign match by match ‘06 – ‘07

7’s Team Move into Next Round

[Nov 14^th ‘06] Today our 7 a side team played in the first round of the INTO mini 7’s Gaelic Football competition up in the Cleaboy. Ferrybank and Stephen Street were the opposition in this mini blitz with the overall winner moving on to the face other group winners next week. We got off to a great start with a first match victory against Ferrybank. Jack, Conor and Dylan all played very well this opening game. With Stephen St. winning their first game as well, the final game of the day would decide who would go through to the next round. This game started off at a tremendous pace and both teams gave it their all. At the break there was only two points of a difference. However during the early stage of the second half we managed to get the vital scores and then ran out convincing winners. Well done to Ethen today who played his best ever football in a St Declans shirt.

The results were……

St Declans 6 – 6 Ferrybank 2 – 1

St Declans 4 – 3 St Stephens 1 – 0

The panel was ….. Tom Moran, Dylan Foley, Stephen Dalton, Conor Whittle, James Grogan, Jack Hale, Eoin O Dwyer, Craig Browne, Ethen Hurley and Aaron O Conor.

7’s Retain Title in Dramatic Finish

[Nov 21^st ‘06] Neutral observers today in Dunhill were almost aghast at the level of good fortune that fell St Declan’s way in the closing minute of our final game of the INTO mini 7’s Gaelic Football competition against our close rivals Scoil Lorcáin. Lady Luck may have been shining on us at the end but it was persistent and diligent football which brought us to that point in the first place. This was the Eastern Final of the competition and once again it was played as a blitz with four teams in all competing …Clonea and Knockmahon being the other two. We had good wins on the scoreboard against both these teams but our overall performance were certainly far from slick and there was a slight unease in advance of the last game against Scoil Lorcáin who we knew would stretch us to the limit. They too had had good early wins so this game would prove to be the decider on the day. We fell behind for the first time in any game and were soon two points down however the margin was back to a point at half time 1-2 to 1-1. Every score now would be vital. We took the lead late in the half, first by a point and then by 2 but we were constantly under pressure as Scoil Lorcáin searched for the winning goal. In the last minute a fierce shot flew across our goal destined for our net when it rebounded off the upright and broke in front of the keeper. In an attempt to gain possession a free was conceded and we were forced to defend against a close in free. This time the shot was deflected up on to the crossbar and as the ball broke the final whistle blew. We had won but you would have to feel very sorry for the Scoil Lorcáin players who had played so well throughout the game. In the end a “lotta luck” carried us over the finishing line.

Stephen proved to be the hero of the day in the final game as time and time again he made vital interceptions and blocks. Tom was faultless in goal and Dylan was probably our most consistent player in the competition. Ethen and Conor both worked very hard and covered a lot of ground helping both the back line and the forward line. Eoin contested very strongly for every ball while Jack was again lethal in front of goal. Craig, Aaron and James all made important contributions in the various games. Finally well done to our coaches Mr Doran and Mr Fitzgerald. Champions again..well done.

The results were……

St Declans 3 – 3 Clonea 2 - 0

St Declans 8 – 7 Knockmahon 0 – 0

St Declans 2 – 3 Scoil Lorcáin 1 - 4

The panel was ….. Tom Moran, Dylan Foley, Stephen Dalton, Conor Whittle, James Grogan, Jack Hale, Eoin O Dwyer, Craig Browne, Ethen Hurley and Aaron O Conor.

A Hat Trick of County Titles

[May 9^th ‘07]On the face of it this result in Bushy Park, Dungarvan, against Lismore in the Waterford County Final of the INTO Gaelic Football Mini 7’s Competition may seem to have been an easy one but if you were to ask any of the players who were involved they’d quickly tell you that that was far from the case. The small crowd in misty conditions saw us get off to a flier and within a minute Jack had hit the back of the oppositions net. This set the tone for the day as in the course of the game he raised the green flag an incredible four more times! In truth though it was the sheer hard work of all concerned combined with Jack’s ability to finish that saw us through today. Not alone did we have to chase but we had to defend strongly as well as Lismore relentlessly piled on the pressure especially in the second half anxious to get the goal to start a comeback. Our backs were great and in the end we were deserving winners. This was our 3^rd County Final victory this year and a unique achievement for our school.

Final Score: St Declans 7 – 2 Lismore 0 – 6

The panel was ….. Tom Moran, Dylan Foley, Stephen Dalton, Conor Whittle, James Grogan, Jack Hale, Eoin O Dwyer, Craig Browne, Ethen Hurley and Aaron O Conor.

3. Swimming News 2006 – 2007

[Oct 8^th ‘06] Today our School Swim Team took part in the Waterford Area Swimming Heats out in the Crystal Centre and once again it was another successful day for St Declans. Here are the results………

Gold

U8 Backstroke - Ōdhran O Brien Kenny

U8 Butterfly - Darragh O Rourke

U8 Freestyle - Darragh O Rourke

U9 Breaststroke - Tadgh Brennan

U10 Individual Medley - Ben Jacob

U11 Backstroke - Eoin Falconer

Relays U10 Medley and U10 Freestyle - Ōdhran O Brien Kenny, Darragh O Rourke, Tadgh Brennan and Jack Ryan

Silver

U8 Backstroke – Jack Ryan

U8 Butterfly - Tadgh Brennan

U10 Butterfly - Ben Jacob

U10 Backstroke – Sono Rizman

U11 Freestyle - Eoin Falconer

Bronze

U9 freestyle - Ōdhran O Brien Kenny

U10 Breaststroke - Ben Jacob

Swimmers Excel in Cork

[Nov 11^th ‘06] Today our School Swim Team competed in the Schools Munster Swimming Gala in Mayfield Cork and again it turned out to be another great day for our swimmers.

The results were

Tadgh Brennan – 3^rd in 50m Butterfly

- 3^rd in 50 Breaststroke

Odhran O Brien Kenny – 2^nd in 50m Backstroke

Darragh O Rourke – 1^st in 50m Freestyle

- 2^nd in 50m Butterfly

Tadgh, Jack Ryan, Odhran and Darragh also won 2 further relay medals as they came 2^nd in the Freestyle Relay and 2^nd in the Medley Relay.

Great stuff boys!

Darragh Swims into Silver

[Dec 9^th] Today 2 of our swimmers swam in the Irish Schools Minor Championships at the National Aquatic Centre Dublin. Daragh O Rourke came 4^th in the 50m Butterfly final and won silver in the 50m Freestyle final. Tadgh Brennan came 6^th in both the 50m Butterfly and Breaststroke finals. These results represent a major achievement for both these boys and it also must be kept in mind that this event was a 32 county national competition so well done to both of you on this considerable achievement.

4. Hurling News 2006 – 2007

Indoor Hurling News ’06 – ‘07

Indoor Hurlers Capture County Title

[Mar 6^th 2007]Today for only the second time we won the Waterford Primary Schools Indoor Hurling County Final beating Lismore 9-6 in a very close game played in Ballinamealagh. Don’t be fooled by the final score line as this game was competitive right to the end and but for an outstanding save by James when the score was 8-6 with only minutes to play this game may indeed have ended up so differently for us. From the throw in the game was played at a tremendous pace with the lead changing a number of times before everyone got a chance to catch a breath at half time when the score read 3-3.With nothing in it and everything to play for Mr Fitzgerald urged the boys on to give everything they had for the next 10 minutes. Fortunately for us the early stages of the second half proved to be our most successful as we hit 4 unanswered goals. But then came the Lismore come back as they threw everything at us, got a few goals and were on a roll. Then in the blink of an eye came that save …a powerful shot …destined for the net …only to be deflected away by an outstretched foot! From there on the game was ours, despite Lismore’s gallant efforts, making up for our defeat in last years final.

Jack, who played his best hurling in the second half, was a tower of strength in defence. Shane was busy all over the hall and kept the ball moving nicely all the time. Aaron and Mark both had great games and had a hand in every goal scored. Finally well done to the whole panel who didn’t lose one game in this entire competition. Remarkable!!!

Final Score: St Declans 9 – Lismore 6

Panel: James Grogan{Capt}, Aidan Lawless, Shane Hannon, Jack McCarthy, Aaron O’Connor, Jamie O’Regan, Conor Hogan, David Hogan, Conor Murphy, Mark Mullally

St Declans Retain Eastern Indoor Hurling Title

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[Feb 14^th ‘07] Today at the Butler Community Centre we competed in the Eastern Final of the Waterford Primary Schools Indoor Hurling Tournament. 5 teams in total were involved in this finals blitz event and we played against Clonea, Faithlegge, Ferrybank and Rathgormack. The results below show how well we performed. We were undefeated on the day and in 40 mins of play conceded only 6 goals while scoring 45!

St Declans 10 - 1 Ferrybank

St Declans 16 - 1 Clonea

St Declans 9 - 2 Rathgormack

St Declans 10 – 2 Faithlegge

Great praise must be given to Mr Fitzgerald who had the team well prepared and focused from the start. Aaron stood out as one of the best forwards on display today. Jack had a significant impact at midfield while James was very solid in goal. Overall everyone played their part in this competitive and sporting occasion. Although we retained our title from last year we must now prepare ourselves for the County Final and hopefully make up for our defeat last year.

Panel: James Grogan{Capt}, Aidan Lawless, Shane Hannon, Jack McCarthy, Aaron O’Connor, Jamie O’Regan, Conor Hogan, David Hogan, Conor Murphy, Mark Mullally

Indoor Hurlers Overcome First Hurdle

[Feb 7^th ‘07]The first round of the Primary Schools Indoor Hurling Competition was held at the Butler Community Sports Hall today. There were four teams in our group - Ballygunner, St. Paul’s, St. Stephen’s and St. Declan’s.

We had a good victory in the first game against St. Paul’s, winning on a scoreline of 12 goals to 2. In the second game we faced our great rivals St. Stephen’s. This game proved to be a much closer game with St. Stephen’s pushing us all the way. Final score St. Declan’s 8 goals St. Stephen’s 5 goals.

In the final and decisive game Ballygunner were our opponents. We played well in this game and we won on a scoreline of 12 goals to 6. We have now qualified for the Eastern Final which will take place at the same venue.

Panel: James Grogan, Aidan Lawless, Shane Hannon, Jack McCarthy, Aaron O’Connor, Jamie O’Regan, Conor Hogan, David Hogan, Conor Murphy.

U 13 Hurling Campaign ’06 – ‘07

A Bright Start for Our U13 Hurlers

[Apr 19^th ‘07] This years U13 Schools Hurling League got under way today once again in glorious sunshine away to Glór na Mara, Tramore. The game was brisk at times but overall it seemed to suffer a little from everyones efforts yesterday at the Mini 7’s Competition. Unlike yesterday however we were on top throughout and were comfortable winners in the end. This game will be remembered in particular for 3 superb long range points by players from both teams. Tom, Liam, Dylan, James and Jack all played well and overall it was a pleasing start to the new campaign.

Final Score: St Declans 7 – 7 Glór na Mara 0 – 2

Todays Panel: T Moran, J McCarthy, G Walsh, L Sammon, J Grogan, E O Dwyer, S Dalton, T Mullally, C Browne, D Connolly, A Lawless, A O Connor, J Hale, E Hurley, J Maher. D Foley

A Fair Result

[Apr 25^th ‘07] If the Harty Cup Team coaches were looking out on to the College field today I’m sure they would have been delighted with the prospect of working in the future with many of the players who were involved in today’s derby match between St Declans and Stephen Street in the U13 Schools Hurling League. This was a competitive first class contest where all the great shills of hurling were on display and no amount of courage too! It was tight and tough match where no player was left on the ball for any length of time. We finished the first half 4 points down and were fortunate not to have been further behind as St Stephens had a lot of wides. We regrouped at the break and went out determined to do better. However we slipped further behind and at one stage were 8 points in arrears! Then came the come back. We got the goals we needed and when the final whistle blew we were all square. Both teams had very good chances in the closing minutes to seal a victory but at the end of it all maybe a draw was a fair result! Tom in goal pulled off 2 fantastic saves, Daniel had his best game ever in a St Declans shirt, Ethan battled bravely all through, Tom was always a threat and Eoghan was just tremendous in defence. No doubt we will see more of Stephen Street in this competition!

Final Score: St Declans 4 – 3 St Stephens 3 – 6

Todays Panel: T Moran, J McCarthy, G Walsh, L Sammon, J Grogan, E O Dwyer, S Dalton, T Mullally, C Browne, D Connolly, A Lawless, A O Connor, J Hale, E Hurley, J Maher. D Foley, D Fitzpatrick, A Lawless, S Hannon

St Declans Win Difficult Game

[May 2^nd ‘07] Our U13 Hurling Team played Portlaw away today in the Primary Schools U13 Hurling Competition. The hurling never matched the beautiful day as this game never really got going. Neither team played particularly well overall .. despite their best efforts. However we did run out convincing winners in the end against a battling opposition who gave nothing away easily. We led at half time by 5 points to 2 but once again we missed too many chances especially in the second half. Some good points were got from Craig and Tom.

Final Score: St Declans 2 – 5 Portlaw 0 - 3

Todays Panel: T Moran, J McCarthy, G Walsh, L Sammon, J Grogan, E O Dwyer, S Dalton, T Mullally, C Browne, D Connolly, A Lawless, A O Connor, J Hale, E Hurley, J Maher, D Foley, A Purcell, D Fitzpatrick, A O Beirne, S Hannon

Poor Start Proves Costly

[May 21^st ‘07]If ever there was “a game of two halves” it was this one! Our first half performance in this U13 Schools Hurling Semi Final against Scoil Lorcáin was so poor that despite a far more spirited and energetic second 20 mins we were left with what turned out to be an insurmountable mountain to climb. There can be no arguing that the better team won on the day and we wish them luck in the final. However as Scoil Lorcáin left the College field elated we were left pondering as to how to explain our poor start. Half time couldn’t come soon enough as we trailed 4 goals to 3 points! After a little chat at the interval we were a different team in the second half because we had to be and now began to play with the belief that a victory was possible. We had narrow misses at crucial times that denied us that vital breakthrough and even though we scored 1-1 and conceded nothing in the second half, time eventually ran out on us. We had made a brave attempt …it was just a bridge too far.

The whole team were much improved in the second half but it was Tom Mullally who led by example from start to finish today and gave all he had in the pursuit of victory for his school.

Final score: Declans 1 – 4 Scoil Lorcáin 4 - 0

That brings our season to a close so thanks as ever to the boys for their efforts, their parents and to the coaches Mr Doran and Mr Fitzgerald.

U 11 Hurling Campaign ’06 – ‘07

U11’s Make Impressive Start

[Apr 17^th ‘07] Today our young hurlers played their first game in the U11 Schools Hurling League in St Johns Park against Scoil Lorcáin. We played well throughout and had a convincing win to get the year off to a good start.

Final Score: St Declans 6 – 6 Scoil Lorcáin 1 – 0

Todays Panel: L Wall, C Power, A Lawless, D Hogan, J McCarthy, S Hannon, A O Connor, J Grogan, J Maher, C Browne, G Coppinger, J O Regan, M Mullally, R Fitzpatrick, C Hogan, A Purcell, D Fitzpatrick, D Sheehan, K Tyrell, C Murphy.

Deadly Declans

[May 1^st ‘07]The St. Declans U11 Hurling League match against Ballygunner was very enjoyable to watch. Everybody played extremely well. The top scorer was Craig Brown. He scored 5 goals. Ballygunner put up a good fight but St. Declans were a stronger team on the day. The scorers were: Shane Hannon .. he got 1-1, Craig Brown got 5 superb goals, Aidan Purcell and Mark Mullaly got a goal each. The team put in a huge effort in their large win over Ballygunner. This was a huge achievement as St. Declans have not beaten Ballygunner under 11 in six years.

The team was: L Wall, D Hogan, A Lawless, C Power, A O’Connor, J McCarthy, S Hannon, J Grogan, J Maher, M Mullaly, G Copinger, C Browne, R Fitzpatrick, C Hogan, A Purcell, D Fitzgerald, D Sheehan, K Tyrell

Report written by our new reporters - Eoghan O’Dwyer and Tom Moran

Luck Runs Out In Mount Sion

[May 10^th] It was an unlucky day for our St Declans U11 Hurling Team as we played Mount Sion in the third round of the Schools League. Our boys had a good start with points from Craig Browne and Mark Mullaly. Mount Sion fought back and really took control of the game. They went in five points ahead at half time. After half time we upped our game for the first five minutes but to no avail because Mount Sion took control and beat us by eleven points. Let’s hope we can improve for our next match against St. Stephen’s.

Final score: Mount Sion 3 - 08 St Declans 1 – 03

Todays reporters were - Jack Maher, Ethan Hurley and Stephen Dalton

Declan’s leave it late!

[May 15^th ‘07] We played St. Stephens today in the U11 Hurling League in a must win game for us. St. Stephens got off to a great start going ahead by a goal and two points. It took our lads time to get settled in to the game but when they did they started to come back with a goal from Craig Brown. Then St. Stephens got some superb scores. St. Stephens were up 4 points coming close to half time. St. Declans came out in the second half like they were a different team. St. Stephens were shocked at St. Declans. St. Stephens still managed to get some great scores but each one was answered with a great score from St. Declans. The move of Aidan Purcell from full forward to goalkeeper was a defining moment in the game as he made quite a number of inspirational saves in the closing few minutes. A late goal from Mark Mullaly sealed the win for St. Declans.

This makes the competition very interesting as St. Stephen’s, Mount Sion and ourselves are equal on points at the top of the table now!

Final score: Declans 4-1 St. Stephens 2-6.

Match reporters today were Eoghan O’ Dwyer, Tom Moran and Gary Walsh

Declan’s Reach Final

[May 29^th ‘07]The St. Declans U-11 Hurling Team were playing St. Pauls in a must win game today in De La Salle College field. Fortunately Declans ran out comfortable winners in the end.

Declan’s started the game brightly with a fine goal from Jamie O’Reegan. St. Paul’s failed to make too many clear chances in the first-half and St. Declans went on to get one more goal and three points before half-time. The half-time score read: St Declans 2-3 St Paul’s 0-0. The second-half was dominated by Declans as they scored three goals in quick succession, including a fine lob from Colm Power. St Pauls did manage to get two points, but it was to be Declan’s day. We are now into the Eastern final, where we will play the winners of St. Stephens and Mount Sion.

Final score: St. Declans 6-5 St. Pauls 0-2.

The team was: L Wall, D Hogan, A Lawless, C Power, A O’Connor, J McCarthy, S Hannon, J Grogan, J Maher, M Mullally, G Copinger, C Browne, R Fitzpatrick, C Hogan, A Purcell, D Fitzgerald, D Sheehan, K Tyrell.

Heads High after Proud Display

[June 25^th ‘07] Its often said that “games are won by inches” but today in Walsh Park in the U11 Primary Schools Hurling Final against our old rivals St Stephens it was these very few inches during a crucial phase in the second half that would deny us the scores we needed to drive this game on for us. In this vital 10 minute spell great opportunities fell our way but we just couldn’t nudge the sliotar across the white line of the goal and in the end it was great goalkeeping and resolute defending that kept us at bay.

In the first half we were far from our best but were only a point behind at the break. {1-1 to 1-2} Competition for every ball became fierce and we battled right to the end. With only a minute to go the result was still uncertain but a late late goal secured it for St Stephens. We congratulate them on their victory.

During the game we had some fine performances from Craig, James and Aaron and especially Mark who played extremely well throughout. Both Jack and Shane improved greatly in the second half which made a big difference as we brought the game to St Stephens. Every player contributed in one way or another in what was a tough and competitive match.

Both coaches { Mr Fitzgerald and Mr Kirby} spoke later in the dressing room of how proud they felt of the team for the effort they had put in … during …. and in preparation for this final. Such a solid display left them feeling very optimistic about the future.

Final Score: St Declans 1-3 St Stephens 3-3

INTO Hurling Mini 7s ’06 – ‘07

Good Fortune helps us into Mini 7s Eastern Finals

[Mar 27^th ‘07] In glorious sunshine today in Ballygunner we played in the first round of the INTO Mini 7’s Hurling Competition. This was played as a blitz between ourselves, Ballygunner and Scoil Lorcáin. Conditions were perfect and a lot of good hurling was on display especially when you consider that 2 sideline cuts were sent directly over the bar…. and both from long range too. As ever the pace was fast and furious and at times it was tough going in the heat as well as in the competitive heat of battle. We played Ballygunner first in a game that looked at one stage to be out of our reach but with the true spirit that all St Declans teams have now we pushed right to the end and managed to be ahead at the final whistle.

We had a rest while Scoil Lorcáin drew with Ballygunner and so that meant that we had to win the final game against Scoil Lorcáin if we were to proceed to the next round. This was anyone’s game as the scoreline seemed to change by the minute! Both sets of forwards seemed to be on top. We were ahead, they were ahead but most importantly when the final whistle we were 2 points up and so moved into the next round.

Even though improvement will be needed everyone played their part today with many fine displays but it was “The Whizz Foley” who impressed most and scored the vital goals at the vital times.

Match Results

St Declans 2 – 3 Ballygunner 2 – 2

St Declans 6 – 1 Scoil Lorcáin 4 – 5

Todays Panel : T Moran, S Dalton, D Foley, C Browne, J Grogan, J McCarthy, E Hurley, E O Dwyer, A O Connor, G Walsh.

Luck Runs Out In Tramore

[Apr 18^th ‘07] Today in Summer like conditions in Tramore we played in the Eastern Final Blitz of the INTO Mini 7’s Hurling Competition. We played 3 games in all against St Stephens, Glór na Mara and Clonea. If truth be told we had a fortunate last second one point victory in our first game but then suffered a defeat with a poor performance against Tramore. However results in other games meant that if we were to have any chance of proceeding we had to beat Clonea in our final match. Despite the final scoreline this strangely was our best performance of the day if only we had taken more of our chances! In the end congratulations to Clonea who were deserving overall victors and were by far the best team on the day. All our players had their golden moments out on the field of play today but it was Dylan and Eoghan who played consistently well throughout.

Results:

St Declans 2 – 1 St Stephens 2 – 0

St Declans 1 – 1 Glór na Mara 2 – 1

St Declans 0 – 0 Clonea 2 - 4

Todays Panel : T Moran, S Dalton, D Foley, C Browne, J Hale, J McCarthy, E Hurley, E O Dwyer, A O Connor, G Walsh

5. Soccer News 2006 - 2007

Jack Kennedy Cup ’06 – ‘07

“A” Team results and match reports {April / May/June 2007}

Day 1 – St Declans A 5 - 0 Mount Sion

Day 2 – St Declans A 4 - 0 Holy Cross

Day 3 - St Declans A 0 – 0 St Stephens

With both teams through to the next round this game against St Stephens was to determine who tops the group. Before the game St Declans ride high with a better goal difference than St Stephens.

Whenever these two schools play it is always an exciting encounter. The game started at an enthralling pace which carried on through out the first half. Both teams were gifted chances but couldn’t find the net. St Declans came closest with a disallowed goal on the stroke ok half time.

The second half started well with both teams having clear chances. St Declans started to pass the ball better and more and more chances appeared. The best chance came when the ball was gathered by Conor Whittle in the middle of the field and worked wide to Alan Kerr. He took the ball past his opposing player and struck a powerful shot that hit the post.

The final whistle blew and the game ended in a draw. A fair result in the end both teams had chances but never converted them.

St Declans progress to the Semi finals along with St Stephens, St Pauls and Scoil Lorcáin.

Semi Final

Final Score St Declans 4 - 0 St Pauls

As St Declans topped their group we were due to play St Pauls who came second in their group. The venue was at ‘Hibs’ home ground. St Declans have won the Jack Kennedy cup the last two years running and are eager to keep the tradition alive and complete the treble.

As followers can see the quality of soccer played in the competition this year is very high.

With all players present and correct we were geared up for the challenge. The game started at a steady pace both teams sizing each other up. As soon as the nerves diminished some great soccer began to appear. St Declans started to get the upper hand and stretch the defence with some piercing runs by Kenneth and Conor Whittle. With about twenty minutes past Jack Hale threaded a pass through to Kenneth McEvoy, his first touch found Conor Whittle unmarked in the box who struck the ball cleanly in the far right hand corner. And so at the break the score was 1 nil in our favour.

The second half started in the same manner as the first half finished with St Declans controlling play and St Pauls chasing. It wasn’t long before the St Pauls defence gave in to the constant pressure. Kenneth controlled the ball in the centre circle and what seemed to take on the whole St Pauls side as he side stepped the last defender he blasted the ball with astonishing pace into the back of the net. St Declans secured possession immediately after the St Pauls centre and from that they worked the ball well from midfield to the St Pauls box. With some quick passing from Jack Hale and David Hobbs Conor Whittle again found himself in acres of space. He took a moment to steady himself and neatly rolled the ball past the goalkeeper for his brace (2).

With minutes left in the game Alan Kerr was introduced and he sprung immediately into action with a superb through ball by Jack Hale, Alan found himself with just the goalkeeper to beat. His first attempt was saved but made no mistake when he was gifted a second chance.

Well done again on a fantastic display of football. We now look forward to the final against Scoil Lorcáin or St Stephens.

Report written by Mr Morgan

Final

Mighty Comeback Earns Third Title in a Row

[June 26^th ‘07] St Declans yet again have proved their worth. They have campaigned excellently and have deserved to be in the final.Their opponents this year are their rivals St Stephens.

To recap they topped their qualifying group and went on to play St Pauls in the semi final which they won comfortably.

The Jack Kennedy Cup started in 2005 and it was a testament to the late Jack Kennedy for his dedication and efforts made with schoolboy football. He was a former pupil of St Declans. The cup has sat proud in the entrance to St Declans School for the last two years.

Mr Michael Carey a teacher and the soccer coach in St Stephens is retiring this year and as a mark of respect and thanks to his dedication all the boys gave him a guard of honour and clapped him on to the field.

As the whistle blew for kick off the remaining St Declans fans took their seat around the pitch. The game started at a frantic pace with both teams gifted early chances. With both teams not settled a loose ball fell to a St Stephens player and with his first touch he blasted it in to the back of the net. Not the start St Declans wanted. With great determination St Declans put their best foot forward and didn’t let one goal dishearten them. With half time looming St Declans started to get more of the ball and Stephens cleared the ball twice off their goal line. At half time I thought St Declans were doing everything right and looked to be getting on top. It was all about converting those chances in the second half.

The second half started with St Declans taking control and making St Stephen s work for the ball. Within two minutes St Declans managed to hit the post twice. Their persistence finally paid off, with a great through pass from Jack Hale Kenneth, McEvoy latched on to it and planted it in the back of the net. The chances then seemed to flow for St Declans. With the ball worked from the defence it was dropped in nicely to Ross Fitzpatrick who took his opportunity well and rolled it past the keeper. With St Declans now in the lead they seemed to be a lot more confident and more passing avenues seemed to open. With only five minutes left of the game Aaron O’Connor took on his man down the right wing, played it into Ross who played it directly back into Aaron’s path. Aaron took his chance and buried the ball in the bottom left corner. The final whistle blew St Declans again are the U13 Jack Kennedy Cup Winners.

Final Score: St Declans 3 - 1 St Stephens

After going down one goal it takes a special team to keep battling away and believe in themselves. This team kept focused and never gave up they did themselves proud and St Declans proud too. Until next year - GOOD LUCK.

Report written by Mr Morgan{Coach}

“B Team results and match reports {April / May 2007}

Day 1 - St Declans B 3 - 3 Glor na Mara

Day 2 - St Declans B 2 - 4 St Pauls

Day 3 - St Declans B 1 - 2 Scoil Lorcáin.

Although with little chance of St Declans B qualifying to the semi finals the boys were convinced they were going to finish on a high in this final game against Scoil Lorcáin.

It was great to see that all the boys were bursting with enthusiasm before kick off.

During the first half both teams had plenty of chances to convert but shot wide. Twenty minutes into the game Scoil Lorcáins persistence paid off and they scored a goal on the break. With half time looming St Declans gave one last push. Out of frustration Scoil Lorcáin gave away a free kick on the edge of the box. With the Scoil Lorcáin wall standing tall Marcus Oliver curled the ball around the wall and over the goalkeeper, it was all square at half time.

St Declans started strong and were testing the Scoil Lorcáin defence throwing every player at the Scoil Lorcáin goal. Scoil Lorcáin started to catch St Declans on the break and were lucky not to score a few times. With 15 minutes left it was difficult to predict what the final score would be. Scoil Lorcáin started to push harder and surrounded the St Declans box. With a lucky bounce the ball fell clear to a Scoil Lorcáin player he struck it well and slid under the goalkeeper.

An excellent game some fantastic passing and intelligent play.

Unfortunately St Declans B team will not progress to the Semi Finals

Ribena 5 - a - Side National Soccer Competition -

On Monday May the 14^th our school five a side soccer team played in the Ribena 5-a-side tournament in Villa.

The first match was against Scoil Lorcáin. The game started badly with Scoil Lorcáin scoring a goal in the first few minutes leaving Daniel Connolly our keeper no chance and so at half time St. Declans were trailing by 1 goal to no score. At the start of the second half St. Declans hope of a comeback were shattered as Scoil Lorcáin scored another but St. Declans fought on and managed to sneak a goal into the back of the net. Scoil Lorcáin scored another goal with 1 minute to go. Then the whistle blew for the end of the game.

Final score Scoil Lorcáin-3

St. Declans-1

The second match was against Mount Sion. After losing the match the boys needed to win this match if they wanted any way of getting through to the Munster’s. They started the match great because the score 6-0 to St. Declans by half time. They kept going for goals in the second half and scored most of them. Mount Sion were not strong enough to score and the match finished with Daniel Connolly keeping a clean sheet.

Final score St. Declans-15

Mount Sion-0

The third match was against St. Stephens and the score here at half time was 5-1 to St.Declans. St. Declans kept on trying and scored 2 more goals in the second half.

Final score St. Declans-7

St. Stephens-1

The final match was against St. Paul’s. St. Declans needed Scoil Lorcáin to loose their match against St. Stephens if they wanted to get to the Munster’s. But sadly Scoil Lorcáin won and the match against St. Paul’s was just for fun. The match was going good for Declans apart for a goal conceded in the opening minutes. At half time the score was 5-1 to St. Declans. The second half began with 3 early goals for the Declans team but after five minutes the game was abandoned as the St. Pauls keeper was hit in the face by a firm strike from Kenneth McEvoy.

Final score St. Declans-8

St. Pauls-1

School 5 - a - side Soccer League Final –

St Declans
5th and 6th class
5 a side soccer tournament

[Dec 19^th ‘06] As you are well aware a 5 a side soccer tournament was run last year for the 5^th and 6^th classes. Due to it’s success and thorough enjoyment by everybody who took part we decided to do it again.

This year from the four class’s 85 boys took part. The boys that were on the school soccer team last year and players who play for local clubs were given captaincy. This allowed every team to have an experienced player on their side. Sixteen teams were then picked and divided into four groups four teams in group. Every team played each other once and the top two teams from every group qualified into the quarter finals, the captains of the teams are as followed: Kenneth McEvoy - Tom Mullally - Ethan Hurley - Daniel Connolly - Jack Hale - Lorcan Fullham - Conor Whittle - Conor Gannon

We then had a draw to see who was to play who in the quarter finals the draw ended up as follows:

Kenneth Mc v Jack H Ethan H v Conor W

Conor G v Lorcan F Daniel C v Tom M

The venue for the finals was the Sports hall in De la Salle College. 5^th and 6^th classes sat in the gallery and watched.

With the quarter finals played there were only four teams left in the competition and all the players could feel the cup in their clasp.

The semi finals looked like this: Kenneth M v Conor G Ethan H v Tom M

Both games were thrilling to watch there and was skill, determination, teamwork, flare and lots of hard work displayed. After a gruelling 20 minutes we had our FINAL.

Kenneth M v Tom M

Mohammed Dafalla Tom Moran

Sean Cunningham Sono Rizwan

Monzir Tony Melay

Marcus Oliver Patrick Martin

The final was 15 minutes long and was played at an amazingly quick pace. At the half time period there was only a goal in it.

At the end of the match we emerged with a clear winner. Kenneth McEvoy and his team had won this years competition. It was well deserved and the soccer produced by the team during the game was sublime and deservingly of the cup. The Cup and the medals were presented by Mr Fitzgerald.

Again this year the tournament emerged a success.

Thanks has to be given to the boys for their excellent cooperative behaviour and dedication throughout the tournament.

Mr Morgan ( 6^th class teacher)

6. Tennis News 2006 2007

Tennis Team Move into 2^nd Round

[Apr 24^th ‘07] Today in St Annes we played against Thomastown in the first round of the Munster Primary Schools Tennis Competition. Each player had 2 games to play The results were 8-5, 8-0, 8-0, 8-1.

Team: E Mulligan, M O Brien, L Maguire, R McElhinney

Tennis Team Move on

[ May 10^th ‘07] Today in good conditions for tennis our School Team played Ballygunner in St Annes in the second round on the Munster Primary Schools Tennis Competition. Evan and I played two matches each. We lost our first game in a tie break 1–7 but we won our second game 8–5. Luke and Rory won both their games 8-4, 8-0. We now move on to play Christ Church in the next round.

Team: E Mulligan, M O Brien, L Maguire, R McElhinney

Report written by our Tennis correspondent Mark O Brien

Disappointment in St Annes

[May 24^th ‘07] Today in St Annes our school Tennis Team played in the semi final of the Munster Primary Schools Tennis Competition against Christ Church of Waterford. The weather was really nice for the game. Owen Falconer and I played first and unfortunately lost that and our second game 5 - 8. The score in the other two remaining games were 6 – 8 and 8 – 7{7-3 in the tie break} so Christ Church now move on as the final score was 3 – 1. We were disappointed but we will be back again next year to win the cup!

Report written by our Tennis Correspondent Mark O Brien