St Lomans GAA Club Notes 18/07/2022:
Shay Murtagh Senior Championship:
St Lomans Mullingar 1-17 Caulry 1-06
Our Senior team began their defence of the Flanagan Cup on Sunday evening against Caulry in TEG Cusack Park. On a scorching hot evening, It was virtually attack against defence for the entirety of the first half with Caulry playing a blanket defence. It proved stubborn for much of the first half as the Blues had to work hard for the scores. There was no score for the first twelve minutes of the game, until the Saints got going and hot five points on the trot. John Heslin opening with a placed ball, followed by doubles from Peter Foy and Shane Dempsey. The Champions stretched the lead even further with Foy getting his third before Danny McCartan increased the lead to seven with a well taken point. Caulry got two late points in first half injury time through Paddy Sleator and Alan Malynn to leave the gap at five points as the half time whistle blew.
Emmet Nally got the first score of the second interval through Emmet Nally to reduce the deficit to four points. The Blues were sloppy early in the second period but managed to weather the storm, to go on another scoring run. Shane Dempsey started it off, followed by a stunning point from substitute Paul Whelehan. John Heslin who was unusually quiet by his lofty standards, caught fire in the last quarter, Heslin hit four points from play to put the Saints in complete control. Malynn and Sleator pointed for Caulry to chip away at the Lomans lead but this was cancelled out when John Heslin got the opening goal of the game, blasting home from close-range after a good team move. Substitute Senan Baker replied for Caulry, before the Saints hit another three unanswered points through Heslin, Dempsey and substitute Kevin Regan. Conor McCormack hit a late goal for Shane Curran’s side, pouncing on some slack defending. Sam McCartan had the final word, hitting his first of the game to leave the winning margin at eleven points.
It was not a game for the purists, especially in the first half. However, a win is a win and Lomans are off the mark, despite being sloppy in certain patches they were comfortably the better side. Credit to both sets of players for going to the end in the sweltering heat. In terms of individual performances Sean Kelly, Danny McCartan and Peter Foy all performed well. John Heslin was marshalled well By Caulry’s Eoin Fox for the most part, but Heslin was untouchable in the least quarter hitting 1-05 in the closing stages. Jason Daly stood up well between the sticks making a couple of excellent saves. Substitutes Paul Whelehan , Kevin Regan and Gerry Grehan did well, when called upon, Grehan cleared a ball of the line to stop a certain Caulry goal. Man of the match wasn’t a difficult decision as Kelvin Reilly was head and shoulders above the rest. Reilly became a sweeper with Caulry flooding players back and he cleaned up everything at the back. His distribution into the forwards was also superb. There’s no rest for Declan Kelly’s men as they face The Downs next Wednesday the 20th in TEG Cusack Park.
Team; Jason Daly, Sean Kelly, Darragh O’Keefe, David Whelan, Jack Geoghegan, Kelvin Reilly, Conor O’Donoghue, Ryan Jones, Sam McCartan (0.01), Tristan Graham, Ronan O’Toole, Danny McCartan (0.01), Peter Foy (0.03), John Heslin (1.06,0.01f), Shane Dempsey (0.03, 0.01 mark). Subs used; Gerry Grehan, Paul Whelehan (0.01), Kevin Regan (0.01), Eoghan Hogan, Chris Gilbert.
Clarkes Bar Junior Championship:
St Lomans Mullingar 2-10 Killucan 2-10
Our junior team began their championship campaign last Friday night, welcoming Killucan to Lakepoint Park. The two teams traded three points each in the early stages with a David Morgan Double following Darren Kavanagh’s opening score. The Hosts his three in a row through Gerry Grehan, Cian Daly and Kealan Sleator to get a bit of breathing space, before Brian Smyth had the final say of the half for the visitors, leaving two points between the sides at the interval.
The Blues began the second ahlf strongly through a fisted point from Cian Daly, followed by the first goal of the match through Nedas Bielicas who pounced on a loose ball and finished low into the net. Smyth responded for Killucan, but his effort was cancelled out by a point from substitute Conor Cochrane. When David Morgan netted mid-way through the second half, after great build up from Cochrane and Tadhg Kenny, the game looked all but over. The teams then exchanged a point each with Cochrane on target from a free.
However, Killucan rallied in the final quarter to hit 2-03 without reply and snatching the lead in the dying moments, after capitalizing some naivety from the Hosts. Killucan looked to have stolen the two points, but The Blues’ blushes were spared when Conor Cochrane’s stunning free leveled the scores with the last kick of the game, leaving both sides with a share of the spoils. Robbie Kenny’s men will be extremely disappointed as it was a game they should have won convincingly, having missed several goal chances in the second half especially, almost managing to lose this game was inexplicable as far as Lomans are concerned.
Performances from Tadhg Kenny, Nedas Bielicas and Gerry Grehan were positives as far as the Mullingar men are concerned. The Saints will also be thankful to substitute Conor Cochrane who made a real impact off the bench and in the end got the Hosts out of the jail. We face Athlone next on Monday the 18th of July in Pairc Ciaran at 7.30pm
Team; Rory Matthews, Evan Johnson, Daire Smyth, Kealan Sleator (0.01), Jack Tyrell, Gerry Grehan (0.01), Ciaran Smyth, Conor Regan, Eoghan O’Keefe, Eoghan Kenny, David Morgan (1.02, 0.01f), Nedas Bielicas (1.00), Tadhg Kenny, Darren Kavanagh (0.01), Cian Daly (0.02). Subs used; Conor Cochrane (0.03,0.02f), Ethan Browne, Mark O’Gara, Hugh Mulhern.
Fairgreen Ladies Senior Championship:
St Lomans Mullingar 0-05 Milltown 0-10
Our Senior Ladies welcomed County Champions Milltown to Lakepoint Park last Thursday night for the Championship Curtain raiser. The Visitors started the stronger kicking the first five points, four of them through Sarah Dillon in the first quarter. The Blues settled into the game afterwards and frustrated the visitors, growing into the game. The Hosts got on the scoreboard with two well executed placed balls from Paige Matthews, before Milltown replied to leave four in it at the break.
The Second Half began with another Dillon point stretching the lead to 5 before the Saints replied with two excellent points from Caoimhe Kilmurray leaving one score between the sides. Dillon replied with two sensational points for the visitors. Caoimhe Kilmurray kicked her third point to leave four between the teams. Milltown got the final point of the game to leave the score line at double scores.
The Blues competed well for the whole match and the game was firmly in the melting pot in the last quarter but unfortunately just couldn’t get the scores to back-up their hard work. Nevertheless, it was a spirited display from Ryan Jones’s team who were short several experienced players and were huge underdogs going into the fixture. Ultimately it was Sarah Dillon, the best player in Westmeath right now, who kicked Seven points on the night that proved the difference between the sides. On the night several players performed well, Muireann Scally was excellent at full-back. Shauna Traynor and Ellen Kilmurray performed very well in defence, winning several turnovers. Julie McLaughlin and Vicky Carr were superb as well, both covered a huge amount of ground on the night, working tirelessly.
Team; Saoirse Cunningham, Emma Keena, Muireann Scally, Sandra McGrath, Ellen Kilmurray, Keelie Mulderry, Lara McCartan, Vicky Carr, Annie Kilmurray, Paige Matthews (0.02f), Shauna Traynor, Rachel McKenna, Julie McLaughlin, Laura Newman, Caoimhe Kilmurray (0.03). Subs used; Fiona Keating, Meabh O’Hara, Brigh Robinson, Evie Daly.
Minor Ladies Championship Result:
Goldsmith Girls 3-05 St Lomans Mullingar 3-10
Well done to our Minor girls who had a great win in Maryland thanks to goals from Rachel McKenna Caoimhe Kilmurray and Meabh O’Hara
Adult Fixtures:
Monday 18th July:
Clarkes Bar Junior Championship:
St Lomans Mullingar vs Athlone at 7.30pm in Pairc Ciaran
Wednesday 20th July:
Shay Murtagh Senior Championship:
St Lomans Mullingar vs The Downs at 7:30pm in TEG Cusack Park
Thursday 21st July:
Fairgreen Ladies Senior Championship
St Lomans Mullingar vs Mullingar Shamrocks at 7pm in Springfield
Underage Fixtures:
Monday 18th July
U17 Boys Division 1 away vs Tubberclair @ 7pm
U17Boys Division 3 home vs Inny Shamrocks @ 7pm
Wednesday 20th July
U13 Division3 home vs Milltownpass @ 7pm
Friday 22nd July
U13 Division1 home vs Coralstown/ Kinnegad @ 6:45pm
U15 Division 1 away vs Garrycastle @ 7pm
U15 Division 3 away vs Lilliput Gaels @ 7pm
Sunday 24th July
U15 Division1 away vs Mullingar Shamrocks @ 11:30am
Club Lotto:
Draw Date: Thursday 14th July
This week’s jackpot: €10,000.00
Numbers drawn: 3, 11, 16, 24
No Jackpot Winner
Next Week’s Draw Date: Thursday 21st July
Remember it could be you
