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WEEKLY
NEWS
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Weekly Kerry GAA Scene
by
Co. PRO Willie O'Connor
5th January 2006
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FIXTURES AND DATES FOR 2006... The publication of the fixtures and dates for the 2006 intercounty competitions in football and hurling has focussed the minds of team managers, players and supporters on Kerry's prospects for the New Year. Team preparations are under way for the early season competitions and we all hope that their efforts will be rewarded. Players make great sacrifices at this time of the year when much of the hard graft of stamina training and weights programmes are undertaken. Each player prepares for the championship games of the summer in the gym and in the training field in these cold and damp weeks ahead, far removed from the high profile and glamour of the big match days. The club competitions will start as usual close to St. Patrick's Day with the Credit Union County League and the Keane's Super Valu County Minor Leagues. Club players also put in a great deal of effort during the weeks leading up to the start of the playing season. They also make great sacrifices at this time of the year in the hope that 2006 will bring honours to their club. To say the least it is going to be a very difficult task to complete a regular schedule of games for the club players that does not penalise too much the clubs of the members of the various county panels in both football and hurling. It is also imperative that club activity must not come to a standstill during the prime playing months of the year. Players complain that they do not have sufficient games during this period. The progress of the Colleges teams will also have implications at minor level. Ardfert will have an early start to their season with their Junior All-Ireland Club Football Championship semi-final against Monaghan Harps scheduled for Sunday January 29th. For club officers,
players and supporters the following are the fixtures and dates of the
intercounty football and hurling competitions for 2006. In the Preliminary Round of the McGrath Cup, Kerry senior football team are drawn at home to the University of Limerick. The details of this fixture were not available at the time of writing. The winners are at home to Waterford in the quarterfinal on Sunday January 15th. Institute of Technology, Tralee are drawn away to Cork at Páirc Uí Rinn on Monday January 9th at 7.30 p.m. The winners will meet Tipperary or Cork Institute of Technology in the quarterfinal on Sunday January 15th. The semi-finals are on Sunday January 22nd and the final is on Sunday January 29th. Extra time will be played in all games in the competition.
The Kerry Senior Hurling team will play in the new Waterford Crystal Cup, a senior hurling competition in which the senior teams from third level colleges, who play in the Fitzgibbon Cup and five of the Munster counties will take part. All-Ireland and Munster Champions, Cork are not participating. It will be organised on a similar system to the McGrath Cup except there is also a Shield Competition for the teams that lose their first game, guaranteeing each participating team at least two games in the competition. Kerry have drawn Waterford Institute of Technology in the quarterfinal in Dungarvan on Sunday January 22nd. 2006 NATIONAL LEAGUE DATES Kerry's Division 1A Allianz National Football League campaign will begin with a home game against Mayo under floodlights in Tralee on Saturday February 4th. We have home games against Mayo, Fermanagh, Offaly and Dublin and we are away to Cork, Monaghan and Tyrone. On Saturday February 11th in Round 2 we have our second game under floodlights away to Cork at Pairc Uí Rinn. On Sunday March 5th in Round 3 we are at home to Fermanagh and on Sunday March 12th in Round 4 we are away to Monaghan. In Round 5 we are at home to Offaly under floodlights on Saturday March 18th at Tralee. Our Round 6 game is away to Tyrone on Sunday March 26th and in the last round we are at home to Dublin on Sunday April 9th. The semi-finals are on Sunday April 16th and the final is on Sunday April 23rd. In Division 2B of the Allianz National Hurling League, Kerry travel to Ruislip to play London in the first round on Sunday February 19th. In Round 2 we are at home to Mayo on Sunday February 26th. We travel to Westmeath in Round 3 on Saturday March 11th. We have a bye in Round 4 and our last round game in Round 5 is at home to Kildare on Sunday April 2nd. This year the league is not divided into two phases, instead there are quarterfinals against the four top teams from Division 2A. The quarterfinals are on Sunday April 9th, the semi-finals are on Sunday April 16th and the final is on Sunday April 30th. 2006 MUNSTER CHAMPIOSHIPS DATES In the Bank Of Ireland Munster Senior Football Championship Kerry will play Waterford in the quarterfinal on Sunday May 21st at Killarney. The winners will play Tipperary in the semi-final on Sunday June 11th and if Kerry are in it the venue is Killarney. The Munster Final is on Sunday July 9th. Kerry play Cork in the quarterfinal of the Cadbury Munster Under 21 Football Championship on Saturday March 11th at Tralee and the winners play Tipperary in the semi-final on Saturday March 25th. The Munster Under 21 Final is on April 12th. The dates and venues for the ESB Munster Minor Football and Hurling Championships will be arranged at a later date when the Colleges fixtures have been finalised. In football Kerry play Tipperary in the first round and in hurling Waterford are Kerry's opponents. In the Erin Munster Under 21 Hurling Championship Kerry play Clare at Ennis on June 7th and the winners play Tipperary in the semi-final. CHRISTY RING CUP The Kerry Senior Hurling team commence their Christy Ring Cup campaign with four games in the league section during June and July. The semi-finals are on July 22nd and the final will be played before the Guinness Senior Hurling Championship Semi-final at Croke Park on Sunday August 6th. OTHER 2006 DIARY DATES The All-Ireland Senior Football Final is being played a week earlier than normal this year on Sunday September 16th. This is because of the Ryder Cup taking place at The K Club is Kildare. The football quarterfinals are on Saturday August 5th and Saturday August 12th and the Semi-finals are on Sunday August 20th and 27th. The Munster Hurling Final is on Sunday June 25th, the All-Ireland Quarterfinals are on Saturday July 22nd and Sunday July 23rd. The All-Ireland Semi-finals are on Sunday August 6th and 13th and the All-Ireland Final is on Sunday September 3rd. COUNTY COMMITTEE MEETING The January meeting of the County Committee, at which the motions submitted to Convention relating to the County Committee will be discussed, is on Monday January 23rd at 8.00 p.m. at The Pavilion, Austin Stack Park, Tralee. AFFILITAIONS The closing date for club affiliations is Wednesday February 1st. GAA ANNUAL CONGRESS 2006 Killarney will once again host the 2006 Annual Congress on April 21st and 22nd. When Congress was last held in the town in 2004 it was acclaimed for its hospitality and efficiency and as in most walks of life when one does a good job there is always the reward of the compliment being returned. Congress will also mark the end of Sean Kelly's three year term as Uachtarán and where better to bring his presidency to an end than in his own home town. SUPPORTERS CLUB SOCIAL The Annual Social of the Kerry Supporters Club is on Saturday January 28th at Ballygarry House Hotel Tralee. Music is by Neily O'Connor. Tickets at €30 each are available from any member of the committee, Martin Leane at (068) 48116, John King at (066) 7124229, Kit Ryan at (066) 7124966 or Donie O'Leary at (064) 58099. At the social each of the Supporters Club Monthly Sports Award winners for 2005, Marie Daly, Colm Cooper, James Costello, Tomás Ó Sé, Marc Ó Sé and Diarmuid Murphy will be presented with their awards. The overall Sports Personality for the Year will be announced on the night. SCÓR NA nÓG The winners of the county Scór Na nÓg Finals will compete in the Munster Semi-finals in Cappamore, Co. Limerick on Sunday January 15th commencing at 2.30 p.m. They will be up against the winners from Limerick and Clare to qualify for the Munster Finals, which will be held on Sunday January 29th at The City Hall, Cork. Glenflesk will represent Kerry in three of the eight categories, namely, Figure Dancing, Solo Singing and Ballad Group, Causeway in Instrumental Music, Na Gaeil in the recitation, Gneeveguilla in the Question Time, Fossa in the Novelty Act and Kilcummin in Set Dancing. HANDBALL United States Junior Handball Championships-Phoenix Arizona The USHA Nationals
were held in Phoenix-Arizona over the Christmas period, and one of the
County's young handballers-Sharon Twomey from Ballymac covered herself
in glory at these Championships. The young Ballymac girl made her first
journey to the Sates, and she certainly proved to be a great ambassador
for her Club, County and Country at this International event. Sharon
capped off a great Christmas, as she was at the forefront of the Irish
Teams success in the USHA Nationals. As the Americans would say-she
slammed two Titles, the U15 Singles and U19 Doubles and she was runner-up
in the U17 Singles. She partnered Eimear Fallon [Kildare] in the U19
Doubles Final, as they overcame another Irish pairing Aisling Reilly
[Antrim]/Lisa Mc Aleer [Tyrone]. This was Sharon's first visit to the
USA, and she really put in some great performances. As in any sport
some players are born with a god given talent, and more players have
to work very hard to get to the top. Sharon is from the former school,
there are no boundaries to what she can achieve in this sport. It is
great honour for any Sports person to represent their Country in their
chosen sport-well done to Sharon on her maiden voyage, and hopefully
it will be the first of many journeys for her. Liscarroll Juvenile
40x20 Tournament Ballyroe Heights-Co
Juvenile 40x20 Championships Ballydesmond Handball
Club Tournament Munster Club U16
Handball Blitz County AGM/Registration
Forms World Handball
Championships Results USHA Junior Nationals-Phoenix
Arizona Fixtures Ballyroe Heights-Co
Championship Singles-Tralee Sat Jan 7 2006 U10-U13 @ 12noon.
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