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Sun 2/10/11 - ROSTREVOR LADIES EXIT ULSTER CHAMPIONSHIP

ROSTREVOR LADIES 2-03 - 1-07 GOWNA LADIES
By Kieran McNally

 

Rostrevor slipped narrowly out of the Ulster Ladies Intermediate Championship at the hands of Cavan champions at a wet Pettit Park on Sunday. Despite the conditions, the proximity of the sides in the closing stages made for an entertaining affair with the Reds just falling short after a spirited fightback in the second period. The Down champions gave as good as the got for long periods but in the end, it was a more composed Gowna side that booked their place in the Ulster Semi-Final.

Pearson gave the Cavan side the lead in the 8th minute as a profligate Rostrevor dominated the early exchanges, in terms of possession, without much reward. The next score took its time in arriving as both sides struggled to master the conditions at times. There were a number of half-chances for the Cavan champions, however, as Halton hit the upright for Gowna with Katie Farrell denying the same player a goal moments later; tipping wide for a 45'. Unfortunately for the Reds, they were unable to create opportunities against a dogged defence and Gowna extended their lead with a Houldworth point on 24 minutes. With Rostrevor labouring, Gowna landed a real body blow on 24 minutes; Connolly firing her shot brilliantly past Katie Farrell to the top corner. The Reds received a timely and deserved lifeline, given their possession, two minutes later when they were awarded a penalty for a foot-block in the area. Brenda Russell stepped up to slot low to the corner and give the Rostrevor girls a lift. Gowna, however, were to finish the first half better and had a three point lead entering the interval after Halton angled over a free in the final minute.

HALF TIME - ROSTREVOR 1-00 - 1-03 GOWNA

After a first half in which Rostrevor had battled bravely without finding too much joy, there was still a belief that they could indeed turn this around but it was Gowna who started the second half more positively with two unanswered points by the 37th minute; both coming from Connolly's right boot. The Reds were becoming more tenacious in the middle sector though and were soon firing on all cylinders as the Cavan champions tried to defend their lead and they slammed in a second goal in the 41st minute. Kerianne Magee rounding the keeper to finish after some good work from her sister Colleen. Suddenly Rostrevor were right back in this. The introduction of Sara Clerkin in the second period provided Rostrevor with a real burst of pace up front and the urgency shown by the small winger helped the Reds level with 12 minutes remaining; Colleen Magee and Brenda Russell firing over good points for the hosts. Rostrevor would never lead, however, as the girls from Cavan kept their nerve in advanced positions to qualify for the Ulster Semi-Final. Fitzpatrick's point restored the Gowna lead with Halton adding to her tally to place them into a late two-point advantage. Brenda Russell's late free was only a consolation and the Down intermediate champions were out by the narrowest of margins, despite a gallant display.

ROSTREVOR TEAM; Katie Farrell, Teresa Parr, Stephanie McConville, Gemma Magee, Ciara Taylor, Corina Gannon, Siofra Mooney, Claire Daly, Siobhan Magee, Grainne Clarke, Colleen Magee (0-1), Annamarie Magee, Kerianne Magee (1-0), Brenda Russell (1-2 1f). Subs used; Sara Clerkin and Tracey Rice.

Sat 27/8/11 - Under 12 Girls Tournament - Bosco

Saturday 27th August was not only a special occasion for Rostrevor Senior Ladies, but was also a successful day for the U12 Girls.
This was the team’s last event of the season;  a season which has seen them play 7 games and win 7 games proving the talent and skill is in abundance within this young and aspiring team.

The team made the trip to St John’s Bosco along with their committed supporters and were ready and raring to go especially as it was their last game.  The girls were placed in a tough section against the formidable Shane O Neills, St. John’s Bosco 1 and Bryansford, with Annaclone, Bosco 2 and Burren in the other section.   As usual the girls put up a gritty performance playing as a team and working hard to defend and score.   After 3 games the girls were respectively knocked out of the Shield but went straight into the Plate Final against Bryansford.

The girls began to pick up their form lead by Captain Seana Mulholland and with the return of Emma Magee into the back line,  Bryansford struggled to get past mid field where Maureen Mc Mahon was strong in her tackling.

The management and supporters were glad to hear the final whistle as the girls won by 2 points and picked up their first piece of silverware of the year.

This was a magical end to a wonderful season, which sees ladies football within the club growing in strength.

Thank you to their parents for the continued support and commitment throughout the season and to the girls themselves for being a joy to manage and coach! See you next year!!

Sat 27/8/11 - Ladies Championship Win

Congratulations to the Rostrevor Ladies who beat Ballymartin in the 2011 Down Seniors Ladies Intermediate Final on Saturday in Saval to becomethe first team in the Club to win Championship honours in 2011! The girls put in a great team performance to keep their rivals at bay. A big Rostrevor support watched the Reds lift the Cup at the final whistle. Well done Girls from everyone in the Club.

(Above: Rostrevor 'keeper Katie Farrell pulls off a great penalty save)

First goal for the reds.

The girls celebrate the win

Claire Daly (captain) with the winners trophy and the player of the match award

Sat 13/8/11 - Under 12 Girls 7-07, Tullylish 2-04

It has been a long time since the young girls have ventured out onto the field to have a competitive match, so they would have been forgiven if their skills were a bit rusty. However this was not so on Saturday when they hosted Tullylish. From the first whistle the girls showed the determination and level of skill they have developed over the months (and with special guests like Marty Clarke at Cul Camp) proving inspiration for them, losing wasn't an option. The back of the net was found by the spectacular Laura Farrell 5 times. Her full foward performance was backed up by the even more impressive Sasha Boyle who tallied up 2-3 on the day. Eileen Rice demonstrated a star players performance on the half back line providing quality ball to her forwards with Blaithin Mc Mahon scoring 3 super points. As this young team come to the end of their first (and impressive) season it just highlights the importance of developing talent at a young age, because if this is how they perform at 10 years of age, I'm excited to see what the future holds!

Mon 27/6/11 - Under 12 Girls 3-05, Newry Bosco 3-04

If it was excitement, talent and determination you were looking for, Pettit Park was the spot for it on Monday night. The girls had their 6th game of the season and having never been beaten or even come close to it they got the shock of their life when Bosco turned up.
For the first time this season the girls were under threat and had to dig deep for every ball and every score. With both teams level at half time, the girls and management began to panic and realised they had serious competition on their hands.
However losing wasn't written in the script nor was it an option for these determined young girls. In the second half the girls began to play with desire and hunger to win with Niamh Whyte, yet again, an inspiration to the team in nets. Seana Mulholland started to show her class with 2 finely taken points. Cristin Brown, Catriona Mulholland, Rebecca Mc Cartan, Eileen Rice and Sian Tinnelly worked endlessly to stop the talented forwards from Bosco running through to nets. The Mc Mahon sisters were a pain in Bosco's side as they displayed their grit and fight for the ball with Blaithin finding the net and Maureen scoring a super point. There was some excellent fielding from Sasha Boyle and Laura Farrell who plucked balls from the sky and each scored much needed goals. Yet again Caoimhe Mc Kiverigan displayed her talent, soloing balls up the field for her team mates. Aisling Cooper made herself known in the second half providing extra support for her full forwards and a headache for Bosco.
Everyone involved and attending the match were glad to hear the final whistle blow as they all breathed a sigh of relief. What this game displayed was the resilience and determination this young team has developed. Girls this was a team performance to be proud of, well done!!!!

Tue 21/6/11 - Under 12 Girls 5-03 - Annaclone 0-03

The girls made the trip to Annaclone on a wet and miserable Tuesday evening to start the second round of fixtures. The weather, however, didn't affect the girls play as they settled quickly and got to grips with the slippy ball and surface. 
Once again the backline were tremendous with Orla Hughes being the star player breaking every ball that dropped into the Annaclone forward line. She was always supported by the energetic Eileen Rice who made excellent runs up the field to support her players.
Rostrevor's targets everytime were Blaithin Mc Mahon and Laura Farrell who's catching was superb on such a bad night. Both girls kept finding the net. Laura tallied up an impressive 3-1 whilst Blaithin scored a super 2-1. Seana Mullholland was the third scorer who took a point the senior ladies would struggle to.
Once again an excellent team performance which demonstrated support play, skill and determination from number 1 right through to 15. Well done girls, you are doing Rostrevor football proud, keep it up!

U12 Girls V Ballymartin

When Ballymartin arrived to Rostrevor for the girls' 4th game of the season there were a few gasps and worried looking faces in the Rostrevor camp.  The girls from Ballymartin were a team with some girls looking like they should be playing Senior football, never mind U12. However this was not going to stop the terriers Rostrevor have.

After the initial shock, Rostrevor were on a roll with Maureen Mc Mahon opening the scoring, with a finely taken goal. The girls began to realise that height means nothing in the game of football. Once again that hunger for the ball meant The Mc Mahon’s were hard to stop, with Blaithin firing in another impressive 4 goals.

The ball failed to make it past the Rostrevor back line in the first half, as once again Cristin Brown was on fine form blocking balls kicked by girls twice her height and size, and with Emma Magee and Orla Hughes there for support Ballymartin had no chance.

Caoimhe Mc Kiverigan made herself known with a finely taken point after a wonderful solo run from the backline, and with this only being her second game to date she is one to watch out for.

Ballymartin must have regrouped at half time as they came out with a bang and scored 4 points unanswered but unfortunately it was little too late.

The Reds went on to score an impressive 11 goals and 3 points, with Laura Farrell and Sasha Boyle proving they know where the net is with 2 superb goals each.

This team grow in strength week by week and are becoming a very exciting prospect for Ladies football in the future. Keep it up girls!

 

Sat 28/5/11 - Under 12 Girls v Tullylish

Girls make it 3 in a row

The U12 girls made the trip to a blustery Tullylish on Saturday morning to encounter their toughest test to date.  It took a long time for the girls to settle as Tullylish dominated the first 10mins testing the girls to the full, but with the energetic Emma Magee on the back line nothing was going past.  It took nearly 13 mins for Rostrevor to score which came from their reliable Seana Mullholland and once the girls had a point on the board they began to settle.  Numerous changes were made throughout the game giving all 16 girls (the largest number to date) a run out and taste of football.  Losing or giving up is not an option with these girls as they fought for every ball, with Eileen Rice proving this as she continously tackled and fought for possession.  Cristin Brown had her best game to date proving too much for the Tullylish forward line as she was always available for her team mates making vital blocks when needed.  The one thing these girls can do, is score a goal (the senior ladies wouldnn't have a look in!) with the blistering Blaithin Mc Mahon being the biggest problem for Tullylish finding the back of the net 6 times. The girls notched up another impressive score of 8-3.  It's refreshing to see the enthusiasm and sportsmanship the girls have developed, here's to continued success but more importantly continued enjoyment and football!

Sun 22/5/11 - Under 12 Girls v Bosco

It was another weekend and coming off the back of success from the previous week the U12 girls were thirsty for more.  This was evident when they arrived in St. John's Bosco early Sunday morning. The conditions were perfect and the girls were ready for action, settling straight away into the game.  It didn't take long for the talented Laura Farrell to open the scoring with a superbly taken point.  Bosco failed to answer points from Captain Seana Mullholland, the battler Blaithin Mc Mahon and unstoppable Sasha Boyle who tallied up a spectacular 5 goals.  The reds took advantage of the wind and with Laura Farrell on target 3 more times in the back of the net, Bosco were struggling.  They had no answer to the formidable back line with girls like Emma Magee and Orla Hughes willing to throw any body part on the ball to ensure a block and stop Bosco from scoring.  The football played by the girls at times was wonderful with off the shoulder support and constant tackling from Eileen Rice, Erin Russell and Cristin Brown denying Bosco a score well into the second half.  The wind played a factor in the second half for Bosco as they finally got on the score board with a few wonderfully taken points and goals.  The score could have been higher if it hadn't been for the fabulous Niamh Whyte who blocked 3 more attempts, proving she is a force to be reckoned with.  With constant work and support from Aishling Cooper and Rebecca Mc Cartan throughout Rostrevor kept going, and with Maureen Mc Mahon working like an energiser bunny the girls managed to tally up an impressive 10 goals and 6 points.  Yet again another display of exciting football, well done girls!

Sun 15/5/11 - Under 12 Girls v Annaclone

It was a monumental occasion on Saturday 14th May for ladies gaelic football, as the first U12 girls game took place in Pettit Park.  The team were up against a very strong Annaclone team and having never played together as a team or infront of spectators the girls were extremely nervous.  However these nerves were not evident during the game as Rostrevor took early control and scores from the talented Blaithin Mc Mahon and Seana Mullholland.  With Emma Magee, Orla Hughes, Cristin Brown and Erin Russell proving they were a back line even the senior ladies would be proud of, Annaclone failed to score in the first half.  Maureen Mc Mahon's fight and desire for the ball was evident throughout as she continuously broke down the ball and brought it up into the forward line where speedy Sasha Boyle was ready and waiting.  Alongside Sasha were Cathy Clerkin who was hard to handle for the backs as was Eileen Rice and Aishling Cooper who fought endlessly to maintain possession.  The introduction of Laura Farrell in the second half was another headache for Annaclone demonstrating great skill and fight for the ball.  A special mention must be made about Niamh Whyte who was outstanding in nets blocking and saving balls Katie Farrell may struggle to.....her excellent performance meant Annaclone only managed 1 point.  If these girls are the future for Ladies football in Rostrevor, the future looks bright!

Ladies - 3 games in

As the Senior Ladies entered back into the competitive Intermediate League, the long awaited match between old rivals Kilcoo failed to match up to expectations.  Kilcoo made their presence felt almost immediately on home territory with Cara Laverty proving her county status, with point after point being unanswered by Rostrevor.  Needless to say the score of 4-18 to 0-4 is more suited to cricket and one the Ladies won’t want a repeat of.

Hunger for their first 2 points of the league was evident during their second round match at home against L’Island.  With the County girls, Colleen, Kerrianne Magee and Katie Farrell back in action, this allowed for the introduction of the formidable Brenda Russell back into the full forward line, Russell’s presence and experience proved too much for the backs as she tallied up an impressive 1-6 on her debut for the team after nearly 2years on the injury bench.  Other impressive scores came from the two footed Carolanne Farrell, Tracey Rice and unstoppable Colleen Magee.  The girls seemed to be back on form, enjoying their football and proving the first round was merely a slip up, finishing 2-16 to 0-1 winners.

Their 3^rd round game was however not going to be as enjoyable as the previous, as the girls travelled to new territory; Mayobridge.  Not only did the girls have to perform against the team, they had to deal with other elements including the blistering sun and huge size of the new pitch.  Nevertheless, the Ladies started off well but should have made a bigger impression, after being 6 points up at half time.  However the Bridge team rallied together and managed to, (much to the despair of Rostrevor,) pull back the deficit and be leading by a point quickly into the 2^nd half.  Being the resilient team Rostrevor are renowned for, the ladies dug deep and with the introduction of fresh legs from Aideen Collins and Eimear Mc Geogh the girls began to pull it back.  At times the football from both sides was frantic showing the importance of a win for both teams, but with goals from Tracey Rice, Sara Clerkin and Eimear Mc Geogh, the ladies secured another well earned 2 points on the table, finishing up 4-10 to 3-8.