04 August 2005 Wicklow Ladies County Championship Finals Share this Article 0 0 0 Shares! 0 Shares! WICKLOW LADIES JUNIOR COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL 2005. CLARA -V- DONARD THE GLEN The stage is set on Sunday next in the county grounds in Aughrim for the the Junior and Senior Wicklow ladies football championship finals, in what will be an exciting encounter for both sets of teams and their fans who it is hoped will turn out in big numbers to cheer on the Junior and Senior girls who will be competing for their respective trophies. .The first game up for decision will be the Junior final between the experienced Clara and relative newcomers Donard the Glen, referee John Doran will throw the ball in for this clash at 4.30. This is the fourth year in a row that Clara have reached the finals of the Junior championship, in last years final they were denied the chance to lift the Kathleen O’ Neill trophy when they were narrowly beaten by the Arklow Geraldines Balleymoney ladies. Clara’s captain Neasa Olohan believes “that this will be our year to collect the title,our trainer John Gahan and the girls have put in very special effort on the training pitch this season and hopefully we will reap the rewards on Sunday”, Neasa was disappointed when they lost out to the Arklow side in last years final, She added that “we have picked ourselves up, and dusted ourselves down since then and are ready for a competitive encounter on Sunday next”, Neasa went on to say that “we will not be under estimating our opponents Donard , as they have already knock out title contenders Eire Og and Kilcoole in the run in to this years championship final, so we will be one hundred and ten percent focused on this very important game for our club”. “Unlike Donard, Clara have had a relatively easy path to this years final, a convincing win over Kilbride and a bye in the semi-final has resulted in a lack of competitive games for our side” stated Clara’s manager John Gahan, he went on to say that “it’s the vast experience that we have gained in four championship finals that may just be the difference between the sides at 5.45 on the big day”. Mean while over in the west Wicklow village of Donard/Glen, the build up to the Donard Ladies first ever appearance in a championship final is well and truly under way, sewing machines can be heard late in to the night stitching up flags and banners in preparation for the big day in Aughrim. However down on the training field the athmosphere is a little more serious, the Donard Ladies junior football team who are only two years in existence have reached their first final, their inspirational captain Rosin Toomey commented that,” there is no doubt that our team will be going in to this game as underdogs, but we have shown in our two previous championship games against top class opposition that we have the determination to succeed, and there is a battling spirit bred in to this young Donard team that is second to none”, Rosin added that the “Donard men have a great tradition of success in championship football and I would hope that we can continue that tradition on Sunday next and bring the title back to the village for the first time”.one thing that we can be sure of is, that the ladies from Donard the Glen will probably be the best supported side in Aughrim on the day. The winners of this match will go forward to play offaly’s junior champions in the first round of the leinster club championship on Sunday the 14th next. WICKLOW LADIES SENIOR COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL 2005. BLESSINGTON -V- ARKLOW GERALDINES BALLYMONEY While the Junior Championship final is reaching its conclusion, waiting in the wings will be the ladies from Arklow Geraldines Ballymoney and Blessington who will go head to head in the senior championship final, the ball will be thrown in by referee Eddie Craul at 6.15pm. For Blessington , the path to their sixth senior championship final is a well trodden one, the girls from the west have competed in the previous five finals in a row, winning the senior title in 2001 and 2002, and are hopeful of adding the 2005 title to that list, Blessington’s mentors John O’Malley and Louise Allen are quietly confident that this could be their year, “we have introduced a number of young players in to the side this season, so the squad is a nice mix of youth and experience, and it is the more experienced players that we hope will lead from the front on the day, our opponents in the final have been the dark horses in this championship, and have improved since we beat them in the league earlier this season, and they can not be dismissed too easily” stated O’Malley. Blessington who are the current league leaders have put in an enormous effort this year to win the championship title for the third time, Blessington’s Captain Jessica Carroll, who won the National football league with Wicklow earlier this year is no stranger to pressure games, she believes that “if we keep our shape and concentration for the full duration of the game, we will not be too far off the mark”, she added “ Arklow have had good results in the run in to the final, and while our younger team members are excited about taking part in their first final, the more mature players in the squad are keeping their powder dry for what should be a competitive game on the day, and one that we are all looking forward to”. Arklow Geraldines Ballymoney ladies set out three objectives at their AGM at the start of the season, First to take it easy and enjoy their first season at senior level, second to finish mid-table in the league, and third to get to the semi-finals of the”B” championship for 2005. Every thing was going according to plan until Arklow narrowly beat Carnew in their first round match of the senior championship in Pearse park, and have progressed to the final to face hot favourites Blessington. Arklow Gers manager Pat Canavan, who has been with the club from the very beginning, is pleased with the way that the girls have adapted to life in the senior division, he recently commented that ” We are enjoying our football this season and it is probably one of the factors that has helped us to reach the finals of the senior championship at our first attempt”, he added that “the girls have become more of a unit this year and this is reflected in the way we have approached the championship this season, we have taken one game at a time and now we face the ultimate challenge, to lift the Jacob cup would be a dream come through for all those involved with the team”. Arklow Gers/Balleymoney Captain and goal keeper Tina Byrne is looking forward to the final, commenting that ” there is no doubt that we are going in to this game as under-dogs, we will have to step our performance up an extra gear, and the girls will have to put in a big effort, if we are to cause another upset this year”, Byrne added that “we are expecting a very competitive game I believe that all the pressure will be on Blessington to bring home the title, and if it does not happen for us this year we will have gained from the experience, and we will build on it for next year”.The winners of this encounter will go forward to play either Ballygarrett or Kilaneran in the first round of the intermediate leinster club championship on Sunday forthnight at a venue in Wexford. The Wicklow Ladies Football county board would like to wish the four teams the best of luck in the finals. Michael Forde, PRO Wicklow Ladies Football. 10 Lamberton heights Arklow,Co. Wicklow.e-mail wicklowladiesfootball@eircom.net 087-6422658 (M) Share this Article 0 0