U16 Championship CLG Acla 3 - 12 Aghamore 3 - 09 Achill emerged victorious after an absolute thriller at Davitt Park yesterday evening. An Under 12 style goal put Achill into a 1-3 to 0-2 point lead as the game entered its tenth minute. Despite huge Aghamore pressure, Achill never relinquished the lead, despite it being trimmed back from a six to a two point margin as the second half entered the seventh minute of injury time. A Seán Lively point left a final margin of three between the teams, but not before a shamozzle in the Achill goalmouth made for some very nail biting viewing for the considerable crowd in attendance. This shamozzle was terminated by Achill No 4 Cian McCarthy exiting the goal area with the ball, in a run reminiscent of that of Keith Higgins at the end of the 2012 All Ireland semifinal against Dublin. It was a source of great relief to hear the final whistle sound as he emerged. A mammoth performance from both sides, and an excellent start to the championship for the Achill lads. U12's Summer League Islandeady 5 - 07 CLG Acla 5 - 08 Islandeady started the second quarter strongly also, scoring a goal and a point in the opening five minutes. A five minute Achill scoring spree saw Anthony Rice, Rory McCaul, Brandyn McNea and Ryan McGinty get their names on the scoresheet also. Two further points from Islandeady left the halftime score Islandeady 4 - 03 Achill 2 - 05. Still all to play for! The third quarter was a low scoring affair. With Achill beginning to get the measure of their opponents, eye catching defensive displays from Cian Kilbane, John O'Hara and Luca Callaghan ensured that the Islandeady return was only one point for the third period. Goals from Rian Cawley and Joe Cooney sent Achill in at the end of the third quarter one point to the good, setting up a final quarter which promised to be mouthwatering and nerve wracking in equal measures. The Islandeady goalkeeper must be commended for his excellent display in the third quarter. As both teams began to grow tired, his magnificent saves kept the home side right in contention as the action of the third quarter came to an end. Worthy of praise also was Isandeady's No. 14 Daniel, who was their go-to man all evening and never once faltered in all that was asked of him. A word to their man Conor also, who fisted the most exquisite goal midway through. Definitely two to be watched in the future. And so, the final quarter did not disappoint. It opened with a Rory McCaul point before Islandeady upped it a gear, taking the lead by a goal as the game entered its last eight minutes. Was this to be the outcome? Not according to the Achill script. Joe Cooney once more steadied proceedings with a point from a free. Pádraic Gallagher and Tadhg Colgan, who had now joined the fray, were keen to leave their mark on the game and this they did, with the former blasting the net three minutes from time to leave Achill in the ascendancy by the dreaded two point margin. Islandeady, as throughout the whole match, refused to go away, making for a nail biting last two minutes. Thankfully for Achill, the final Islandeady contribution sailed over, rather than under, to leave the final score Islandeady 5 -07 CLG Acla 5 -08. Makes for some exciting future encounters between these two sides. Best wishes to Islandeady's (with a small drop of Achill blood) Christian, who had to retire injured early on in the game. Achill welcome Kilmeena to Davitt Park next Monday night for the third of their summer league fixtures. Maith sibh uilig! CLG Acla: Paul Molloy, Gearóid Dever, Brandyn McNea, Luca Callaghan, Cian Kilbane, Seán Gallagher, John O'Hara, Rory McCaul, Joe Cooney, Cillian Doolan-Lynch, Rian Cawley, Anthony Rice, Ryan McGinty, Tadhg Colgan, Myles O'Keeffe, Matthew Moloney, Pádraic Gallagher.  |
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