Kerry GAA Online

HURLERS UNLUCKY AFTER GREAT DISPLAY

Kerry were narrowly beaten Westmeath in the first round of Series 2 in Division 2 of the Allianz National Hurling League at Kilmoyley on Sunday last. Despite the Kerry team giving their best display of the year and putting up a very big score Westmeath managed to scrape a victory after a most thrilling and cracking game of hurling. Kerry's display augurs well for their two remaining games in Series 2 and on this Sunday at 3.30 p.m. we are away to Offaly at Birr in Round 2. On Saturday April 23rd we are at home to Derry.

It was obvious on Sunday that the Kerry players and management are very conscious that the stakes are much higher at this stage of the League and they have responded accordingly with this much improved performance, a performance that indicates they intend to make a positive impact at this very critical stage of the playing season. It is games such as those we are now playing in Series 2 that will be of benefit to our players as we get closer to the championship games in The Christy Ring Cup later in the year.

The good start made last Sunday is half the battle and a pity about the result. One would expect to win after putting up such a performance and such a high score.

Inter-County Scene

MUNSTER MINOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

In the Munster Minor Football Championship, Kerry defeated Limerick comfortably at The Gaelic Grounds in the first round on Wednesday last. We have qualified to meet Clare in the semi-final on June 29th.

In the other first round games played Clare defeated Cork and Tipperary defeated Waterford. Clare and Tipperary have qualified along with Kerry for the semi-finals. Cork play Waterford in the first semi-final playoff and the winners will meet Limerick to decide last semi-final place.

Inter-County Scene

COUNTY LEAGUE

Round 4 of the Credit Union County Senior Football League will be played this weekend with most of the games on Saturday evening at 7.00 p.m. and on Sunday afternoon the games start at 2.30 p.m.

Austin Stacks and Dr. Crokes, the holders are on maximum points after the three rounds and are setting the pace once again in this year's league.

In Division 2 Dromid Pearses and Gneeveguilla share the top of the table and in Division 3 Ardfert and Kenmare have set the pace with full points from their three opening rounds. Renard have gone one point ahead of Tousist in Division 4 and in Division 5 Derrynane and Ballylongford have set the early pace and share the lead with maximum points from their three rounds.

Co. Leagues

RESULTS:

The home club is responsible for phoning the match result to the county PRO immediately after the game finishes. Results should be phoned to (066) 7124754 or faxed to (066) 7181040. Saturday's results should be phoned in Saturday night.

Short match reports can be faxed to the above fax number or e-mailed to prokygaa@gofree.indigo.ie at any time on Saturday night or on Sunday. They can also be phoned after 8 o'clock on Sunday night. These reports need only be sixty or seventy words long and should include the half-time score and the important scores and scorers of each half as well as any incident that was of significance in the game, such as a penalty or an important save by the goalkeeper. The full-time score, however, should be phoned immediately after the game in order to meet the deadlines for the national papers and radio.

It would be desirable to have more reports from divisions 3, 4 and 5 as well all the games played in divisions 1 and 2. . With a different group of home clubs involved for this round let's hope the return is at least equally as good as the two previous rounds.

AERTEL:

Page 573 Network Two is the Kerry fixtures and results page on Aertel. This has proven to be a very useful and popular service and with the help of the club PROs phoning in results promptly it provides the viewer with a very efficient results sequence. Overseas, the Aertel results can be accessed through a link downloaded from the Kerry GAA Website, http://kerry.gaa.ie

COUNTY MINOR LEAGUES

Round 3 of the Keane's Super Valu County Minor Football Leagues will be played on this Friday April 15th with games in all divisions commencing at 7.00 p.m.

Round 5 of the 13 a side Division 2 minor hurling league will be played on this Sunday with all games starting at 12 noon.

Results should be phoned in to the County PRO (066) 71 24754 or faxed to (066) 71 81040 immediately after the game finishes.

CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS

The first round games in the Castleisland Co-Op Mart County Intermediate, Junior and Novice Championships are on the weekend of April 24th with games on Saturday and on Sunday.

Finuge set the standard for the Junior Championship by advancing to winning the Munster and All-Ireland titles after their victory last year in the County Junior Football Championship. Now that they have progressed to playing in the Intermediate County Championship this year I'm sure they will make good use of the experience they have gained in their efforts to win that competition this year.

The new Provincial and All-Ireland Intermediate and Junior Club Championships have added an exciting new dimension for the Castleisland Co-Op Mart County Club Championship winners in these grades. The county champions in these competitions now have the opportunity to aim for Provincial and All-Ireland honours as well, a privilege that was previously reserved for the County Senior Club Champions.

We all know the impact that playing in the All-Ireland Senior Club Championship has on a club and local community and it is only a matter of time before the Intermediate and Junior All-Ireland Series attain the same level of interest as the Senior Club Championship.

Finuge's success in last month's All-Ireland Junior Club Final will definitely impact on the standard of the County Intermediate and Junior Club Championships from now on. The road to All-Ireland glory could start for some Kerry club on the weekend of April 24th.

Co. Championships

ANNUAL CONGRESS 2005

The Annual Congress will be held this weekend on Friday and Saturday at Croke Park. This year's Congress will elect Sean Kelly's successor as President Elect of the Association. There are two very able and experienced candidates in the race to take over the helm from Sean Kelly in 2006. They are the former Cork and Munster Council Chairman, Christy Cooney and the former Kilkenny and Leinster Council Chairman, Nicky Brennan.

There are a big number of motions down for debate and decision including 7 motions on Rule 42, motions on playing rules: - runner, cards, timekeeping, helmets, the use of a tee for the kick out off the ground, the pick up, a mark, and sin bin. On Administration there are motions on the GAC/GPC - appeals and arbitration, grading of players and clubs, playing the National League in autumn/spring, suspensions/game offences, tournaments and challenge games, the formation of the players during the playing of the National Anthem, the size of county panels - 24 or 30, Rule Book changes, the appointment of a safety officer, New York transfers, county of residence for hurlers - allow them to play for another county and still play with their home club, clarification of under age restrictions.

A very heavy workload awaits the delegates with so many motions being debated and their ramifications for the future of our Association and our games.

SCÓR SINSEAR ALL-IRELAND FINALS

Kilcummin and Spa will represent the county at the All-Ireland Finals of Scór Sinsear, which will be held at INEC Killarney on this Sunday April 17th commencing at 1.00 p.m. It is all ticket.

Kilcummin and Spa, won their Munster Scór Sinsear titles in Solo Singing, Ballad Group and Set Dancing at the Munster Finals. Spa are our representatives in both the Ballad Group and Set Dancing.

Solo Singing: Helen Kerins, Kilcummin, Ballad Group: Spa, Kieran Ryan, Eileen Griffin, Una O'Connor, Mairéad Mangan and Kate Curran, Set Dancing: Spa, Ciatríona Mangan, Máiréad Mangan, Patricia Moynihan, Caroline Murphy, Eoin Cronin, Denis Cronin, Sean Riney, Michael O'Rourke.

We wish them all the very best of luck on Sunday.

SCÓR NA bPÁISTÍ

Scór Na bPáistí is a competition solely for National Schools and the categories are the same as those in Scór Na nÓg; Figure Dancing, Solo Singing, Recitation, Ballad Group, Question Time, Novelty Act and Set Dancing.

The County Semi-finals will be on April 22nd, 23rd, and 24th and Finals will take place on Sunday May 8th at The Gleneagle Hotel, Killarney. Schools are being encouraged to get involved. District Scór Officers are available to give the schools any assistance they need with the competition and all indications are it will be bigger and better than last year, which was its inaugural year in Kerry.

SYMPATHY

We extend our deepest sympathy to Jimmy Foley, Chairman of Tralee District Board on the death of his wife, Eileen and to John O'Leary, PRO of the East Kerry Board on the death of his brother-in-law.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

HANDBALL

All Ireland Championships
Maria and Sharon Daly lost out to Fiona Healy and Anna Wrynn [Kildare] in the Senior Doubles Semi-Final last weekend. This was always going to be a tough encounter, and so it proved on the day. Sharon and Maria went down to the Kildare girls in two straight games, and so it is the end of the Ballymac sisters interest in the Doubles for this year.
In the Junior Singles Semi-Final Lisa Falvey [Ballymac] took on Emer Coyle [Roscommon] at Ballydesmond. The Ballymac girl came up that bit short on the day against the Roscommon girl. As Eileen Long said it is her first year in this grade, and these matches will stand to her in the future. Karen Lawlor and Ashley Prendeville had a comfortable win in the Ladies Minor Doubles,to book their places in the All Ireland Finals.
TG4 will be showing highlights of next weekends Senior action in Moycullenn, in the Mens and Ladies Senior Singles Finals. Maria Daly (Ballymac) takes on Sibéal McKenna (Antrim) in the Ladies Final, with highlights being shown on TG4's Ard San Aer at 8.00p.m. on Monday, 25th April.
Set to be a battle based on another fine line between the vigour of youth and that of experience.The Ladies Senior Singles Final between Kerry's Maria Daly, the reigning title-holder and Antrim's Sibéal McKenna, the 2002 All-Ireland winner. As it turns out, the Final in Moycullen is a repeat of the Women's Open Final at last year's FBD Irish Nationals. On that gloriously sunny day in Kingscourt, Co. Cavan, young Daly, from the Ballymacelligott Club, in her first year in the Women's Open grade, caused a memorable upset in handball by defeating the knowledgeable McKenna 21-0, 21-0.
Maria is hoping her days as a student of Chemistry at UCC will have already helped her gain a competitive edge over McKenna. The 19 year-old won the Irish Intervarsities event at Moycullen in February and like Tony Healy she's hoping her experience there will stand to her, "Moycullen is a great court to play in and I hope that I can stay focussed and not freeze when I get into the court. There's going to be a very tense atmosphere with the hundreds of spectators that will be there, but things have been going well this year and I'm hopeful they will continue in that way."
The All-Ireland programme at Moycullen begins at 4.30 p.m. on Saturday, 16th, April. First up is Boys Minor Singles followed by the Ladies Senior Singles Final and the Men's Senior Singles. Admission is by ticket only
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Juvenile 40x20 All Ireland Semi-Finals

Eight Kerry players took part in six All Ireland Juvenile Semi-Finals in Roscommon last weekend. Fiona Ni Chathain, Eilis Ni Luing, Ciara Ni She, Louise Ni Mhuircheartigh [Ghaeltacht], and Sharon Twomey [Ballymac] were successful in their outings, while Dara O Suilleabhain [Lispole] , Edel Murphy [Glenbeigh] and Brenda Carmody [Ballymac] failed in their bid to advance to the Finals.
Overall the weekends fixtures resulted in great success for the girls in the county, particularly for the Gaeltacht Club who had four players travelling. But the heroics of the group must certainly have been the performance of Eibhlís Ní Lúing and Ciara Ní Shé in U 15 doubles, facing a Roscommon pairing who had gotten the upper hand on two previous occasions last season.This time,however the Kerry girls outserved and outplayed their opponents around the alley and never let up with great doubles play, to emerge winners at 21-11,21-8.
Dara Ó Súilleabháin,Liospóil,gave warning of his progress in pushing his much vaunted Mayo opponent all the way in his match,going down 15-13,15-8,surely a prospect for the future,while Sharon Twomey,Ballymac,gave another exhibition of coolness under pressure to overcome Leona Doolin,Rscommon,21-14,21-20.
Well done to everyone who took part over the weekend, very few players in any sport can say that they took part in an All Ireland Semi-Final
The Juvenile Finals are on next weekend in Belfast, while their opponents
are not known the Kingdom Ladies should acquit themselves very well.

Ladies to the Fore in Finals
Good luck to all the Ladies from the County who are playing next weekend. Maria Daly-Senior Singles; Ashley Prendeville-Minor Singles; Fiona Ni Chathain-U17 Singles; Sharon Twomey-U16 Singles; Ciara Ni She agus Eilis Ni Luing-U15 Doubles; Louise Ni Mhuircheartaigh-U14 Singles; Aine Ni Chathasaigh-Cumann Na Mbunscoil U13 Singles. Good luck girls, fingers crossed by everyone in the County!

Results
All-Ireland 40 x 20 Juvenile Semi-Finals-Roscommon
Boys
U 14 Singles: Stephen Cooney dftd Dara Ó Súílleabháin 15-14, 15-7.
Girls
U 14 Singles: Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh dftd Maria Burke 15-3,15-5
U 15 Doubles: Ciara Ní Shé & Eibhlís Ní Luing dftd Linda Connolly & Laura Mannion 21-11,21-6.
U 16 Singles: Sharon Twomey dftd Leona Doolin 21-15,21-18.
U 16 Doubles: Marianna Rushe & Deirdre Donoghue dftd Brenda Carmody [Ballymac] & Edel Murphy [Glenbeigh] 21-13,21-4
U 17 Singles: Fiona Ní Chatháin WO

All-Ireland 40 x 20 Semi-Finals

At O'Loughlins Sunday 10 April.
Ladies Senior Doubles: Anna Wrynn & Fiona Healy (Kildare) dftd Maria Daly & Sharon Daly (Ballymac) 21-8, 21-10.

At Ballydesmond, Saturday 9 April.
Ladies Junior Singles: Emer Coyle [Roscommon] dftd Lisa Falvey [Ballymac] 21-14, 21-18

At Moycullen, Sunday 10 April.
Ladies Minor Doubles: Karen Lawlor [Tralee] & Ashley Prendiville [Ballymac] dftd Karen Finnegan, Nicola Lambe [Galway]

Fixtures

Moycullen, Saturday 16 April, 4.30 p.m.
Ladies Senior Singles: Maria Daly v Sibeal McKenna (Antrim)
Senior Singles: Tony Healy (Cork) v Paul Brady (Cavan)
Minor Singles: Robert McCarthy [Westmeath] VCathal Hannon [Clare]

At Nenagh, Sunday 17 April, 12 noon
Ladies Minor Singles: Ashley Prendiville V Leona Archibald [Westmeath]

April 16-17: All Ireland 40x20 Juvenile Finals-Kingscourt Co. Cavan.
April 17: Cumann Na Mbunscoil National Handball Day-
April 17: Cumann Na Mbunscoil National Handball Day-Buachailli { Jason Mc Kenna-Glenbeigh U13 Boys Singles}
April 29-May 2: FBD Nationals, Kingscourt
May 1st: FBD Nationals Handball Awards-Carrickmacross
May 7th: Girls U 16 40x20 Club Championship
May 14th: Girls U13/17 Team Of Ten 40x20 Interprovincial

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