Achill 2-8 : 2-4 Kilmeena
Kilmeena travelled to Davitt Park yesterday evening to face Achill in the the U13 Division 5 final on a beautiful sunny and breezy evening. A huge crowd turned out for this much-anticipated match.
Back row, left to right: Chris McGauley, Barry Murphy, Kevin Hastings, Dara McDonnell, Kyle Gavan, Tadhg Daly, Jamie Durkan, Robbie Murphy, Tom Cox, Jack Ivin, Alan Heanue, Luke O'Donnell, Paraic Walsh, Felix Zeray, Jason Lawless, Michael Gavin, Kevin Lawless
Front row, left to right: Donnachta McGauley, Noah Coughlan, Darragh Mulchrone, Finn Mulchrone, Cian Moran, Jason Feehan, Lorcan Holland, Lorcan Lane, Liam Quinn, Ryan Cannon, Charlie Geoghegan.
Both teams looked nervous in the opening couple of quarters and the score at half time was incredibly just two points each. Kilmeena would eventually rue their many spurned chances. In the third quarter, Achill came out all guns blazing and immediately scored two goals and a point. Kilmeena replied with a few points of their own but Achill further extended their lead and led by 10 points going into the final quarter. Achill immediately added a further point but then our boys seemed to suddenly realise the urgency of the situation and scored two goals and three points. A frantic finish ensued with Kilmeena missing further chances and when the final whistle was blown, just four points separated the teams.
Huge celebrations erupted among the Achill players and supporters while our boys were simply shattered. It was a cruel end to a fantastic Championship campaign but our lads showed incredible resolve to nearly snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. The coaches are incredibly proud of this much-improved team and believe they will all learn from this experience. As a famous old American sportswriter once said "I learned much more from defeat than I ever learned from winning.”
Comhghairdeachas mór le hAchaill on their fantastic win. After what was a tough season, we’re delighted they brought home some silverware. Thanks also for the generous hospitality laid on for players and parents in the clubhouse afterwards.
Finally, thanks once again to Ollie Mulchrone who took, edited and processed the photos you see here. We’re very lucky to have talented photographers like Ollie and Martin McIntyre to record these occasions for posterity.
You can see more of Ollie's photos here.