Éire Óg Greystones
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Weekly Notes - 28th November 2007

AGM

This week sees a very important (so important that committee member Ray Barry and a pretentious scribe whose birthdays fall on that date have put their celebrations on hold) event in the club's year, the AGM to-morrow Thursday 29 th at 8.00pm in the clubhouse. Tá fáilte is fiche romhat ann; your constructive input would be more than welcome. If you come you may peruse cisteoir Maria O'Neill's multipage report – the days are long gone when half a page could encompass the club's financial transactions – and in wonder gaze as to how one small club could handle such finance (apologies to Oliver Goldsmith). You may also study her brother Eoin's draft 5-year club development plan. You are invited to comment on this report. We congratulate Eoin on having recently been awarded his PhD in town planning (his expertise has been of great value to the club). Incidentally Eoin is the second member of Éire Óg to have earned the accolade of PhD while playing for the Intermediate team

Christmas Draw

The treasurer's report will give you some inkling of our hairy financial situation and will convey to you importance to the club's financial health of a successful Christmas Draw. Tickets are now available and the draw takes place on December 19th

Hurlers

The under-17 hurlers journeyed into the heartland of Wexford hurling to take on one of the better of its underage clubs, Castletown, in the Gorey and district league. That the long journey had taken its toll on their preparedness for the fray soon became manifest. Their reaction times were far from those required for the world's fastest field game. Opportunities that should have presented with a golden hue were to them but counterfeit coin. Slow off the mark, second to every ball, the omens were of a Castletown scoring deluge for all of the first half. Thankfully the downpour never transpired and Éire Óg's situation at half-time (1-07 to 0-00) was far from hopeless. The effect of the break on our lads' play was salutary. Their fighting spirit was rekindled and they began to compete with a renewed vigour. Where in the first period there were half-hit clearances from the backs, balls were now being struck with resolution. A measure of our team's improved performance is to be found in the fact than in the second period they registered 1-03 (A goal from a penalty and a point from very long range from Scott Smullen, and a point each from Marty Byrne and Stephen O'Neill) while keeping their opponents to 0-03. Jack Tanner, Michael Walsh, John Douglas and Daniel O'Connor were particularly prominent in a back division which really stepped up to the mark in the second-half, and Owen Byrne caught the eye in the forwards. Hughie O'Neill, deputising in goals for his brother Dan who injured himself off his bike – we wish him a speedy return to action – did very little wrong.

Presentation

On Friday night the clubhouse was filled with happy chatter and joyful exuberance. Our underage section was celebrating the achievements of its players and acknowledging the work of its mentors. There was not a huge amount of silverware on view and those who see cause for rejoicing only in victories might have wondered what all the fuss was about. But such a narrow attitude is anathema to the true spirit of sport and if it prevailed, season's end would be a mournful time for most clubs. Fortunately clubs can find cause for celebration in many other circumstances: In that team which saw fewer victories than defeats and yet persevered with enthusiasm to its final game, in the exceptional talent or commitment of individual players, in the transformation over the season of a rag-tag collection of individuals into a smoothly functioning team etc. On the night presentations were made to players and club-persons of the year from under-10 upwards - Under-10 games are run under GO GAME rules which place the emphasis on encouraging participation rather than individual accomplishment – hurling and football, to Féile-winning under-14's to the under-16 2006 B County Hurling Champions (the final post-dated last year's presentations), and 2007 ladies Minor County Champions. The captain of the under-14 Féile team, Gary Elliot, to the surprise and appreciation of the committee presented the club with his jersey framed and signed by all members of the Féile panel. Gabhaimid buíochas to dual county star Leighton Glynn, president Patsy Vickers and our own county players Stephen 'Chester' Kelly (hurling) and Billy Norman (county football goalie) for performing presentation duties.