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Weekly Notes - 3rd January 2007Bliain nua faoi mhaise daoibh go léir. A good start for the lucky subscribers who won prizes in the local element of the Club development Draw - Mo and Len O'Kelly and Paul Doyle who won holiday vouchers and Eoin O'Neill, Vincent Gammell, Kevin Grennan, Alan Cullen and Séamus Howley who each received a cheque for 200euro and several other winners of lesser prizes. Unfortunately the date for the main Car Draw has had to be postponed and we apologise for this. A letter of explanation is being sent to each subscriber.The St. Stephen's Day game - what can one say?! Usually enjoyable and competitive. The word from the huddled masses - the spectators - b'fhiú an tairbhe an trioblóid (they felt no need for hot whiskeys or hot punches so well did the entertainment inure them against the biting northerly wind). A draw. A parent of two of the players justified his 'dereliction of duty' absence on the basis of the predictability of the outcome; just how cynical can one get? Proceedings began acrimoniously with both sides objecting to the choice of referee - his decrepitude, his inability to keep up with the play and the signs of the onset of dodderiness. Then both sides questioned his objectivity. Each accused him of showing a bias in his refereeing in previous years. For his part the ref assured the teams that behind his white hair and beard lay a man sound of mind and limb who doesn’t age from year to year. And as to the bias, the ref pointed to the impossibility of showing favour to both sides simultaneously. The matter was resolved when he mimed the putting on of the blindfold of justice. A problem still remained. The throw-in was further delayed by a burst of feminism. Why was it that captaincies were invariably given to the men? The ladies eventually agreed to play but made it abundantly clear that they were doing so under protest. The ball was finally thrown in between the two captains Johnny Barry and Deccy Hogan - the latter resplendent in a wig which would not be out of place in the Four Courts. Johnny thereafter played a largely anonymous role in his unaccustomed position of corner back. A below- par performance from Deccy had him shunted back to the goals - a move which proved disastrous. His tendency to wander gifted Caoilfhionn Deeney with three gilt-edged opportunities which she did not spurn. With all the players fortified by their high calorie festive diet, it was not surprising that the game began at a blistering pace – a flurry of movement of ball and human made more confusing by the absence of consistency in team attire. However, there was no difficulty in picking out Willie O Hagan – formerly known as Decibels – attired as he was in seasonal red. Willie, based on an inflated self-assessment of his ability to sweep up at the back, has applied to have his sobriquet changed by deed poll to Hoover. An Aussie Rules ball was used for part of the game and players coped surprisingly well with its eccentric behaviour. The ovoid shape, however, caused a reversion to type in the play of Niall Hopkins who immediately began to take down players in a manner more reminiscent of another game - behaviour which earned him a yellow card and a severe rebuke from the ref. The high octane opening could not be sustained and the pace gradually slowed. By game’s end fatigue had overtaken all but younger players – Lorna Fusciardi, Aisling Leonard, Craig Smullen, Darren Hayden, Niamh and Stephen Kelly and Laurie Ahern. An enjoyable exercise which hopefully will remain a tradition within the club. Simultaneously the Goal Mile was underway on the other pitch - an event that was well supported and added to the 'buzz' on the day. |
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