BY GER McCARTHY
BUNRATTY United proved worthy SuperValu West Cork Schoolboys and Schoolgirls League U13 Schoolboys League One title winners thanks to an unblemished record.
The Schull club outlasted Riverside Athletic, Skibbereen Celtic, Dunmanway Town and Clonakilty AFC to claim the U13 Schoolboys League One trophy.
Winning all of their league games, both home and away, United wrapped up a superb campaign by overcoming Riverside Athletic 5-2. Vova Deidei netted a hat-trick with Max O’Reilly added a brace on an afternoon Adam Whelton and James Goggin also impressed.
Max O’Reilly topped the league champions’ goalscoring charts, finding the net 12 times. Donagh Griffin and Vova Deidei combined for 15 goals in a season James Goggin and Marcus Moynihan also weighed in with some important strikes.
‘Credit must go to a very keen squad of players who were willing to travel to every game and gave their all out on the pitch,’ Bunratty United mentor Brendan Drinan said.
‘The players' parents have been very supportive of our efforts, washing jerseys and taxiing players all over West Cork whenever the need arose.
‘As team mentors, Colin Moynihan and I worked very well together with complementing skills for the betterment of the team.’
The victorious Bunratty United squad includes Adam Whelton (captain), Vova Deidei, James Goggin, Jack Drinan, Emily Drinan, Dylan McCarthy, Rory McCarthy, Leo McCarthy, Donagh Griffin, Marcus Moynihan, Corman O’Donoghue, Conor Keohane, Rory O’Driscoll, Callum Hegarty, TJ Barry, Max O’Reilly and Isabella Wood.
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Dunmanway Town Tornados qualified for the U12 Schoolboys Challenge Cup semi-finals following a narrow 1-0 victory away to Clonakilty AFC Reds in Ballyvackey. Ryan Crowley Healy netted the tie’s only goal to send the Tornados through.
Skibbereen Dynamos qualified for the last four of the same competition thanks to a 3-1 defeat of newly-crowned U12 League One Champions Bunratty United in Town Park, Schull. Ryan Jennings (2) and Sean Hurley scored for the Baltimore Road club.
Beara United qualified for the 2024 U12 Schoolgirls Shield final following a penalty shootout victory away to Bay Rovers. The Kealkill club were superb throughout as a cracking tie finished 2-2 after extra-time. Keelin Sullivan and Katie Downey netted for United in a game Libby Hicks and Katelyn Coppinger found the net for Bay. Beara held their nerve in the ensuing penalty shootout, winning 3-1 to qualify for the final. Sullane await the winners of Castlelack and Riverside Athletic on the other side of the draw.
Dunmanway Town will contest this season’s U14 Schoolboys Challenge Cup final thanks to a 3-1 semi-final win at home to Skibbereen. Max Bramoulle, Filip Kowalewski and Oisin McCarthy netted for the hosts.
Castlelack United and Togher Celtic produced an eight goal U14 Schoolboys Shield. It finished 4-4 after extra-time before United won 6-5 on penalties.
Liam Steele (2) and Rory O’Neill scored in Beara United’s 3-2 U16 Schoolboys Challenge Cup quarter-final win over Bunratty United. Alex Lawson and Aleksandrs Sahovs replied for the visitors. Tim Sweeney (2), Sean Hennigan and Brian Twomey netted in Kilmichael Rovers’s 4-0 defeat of Castlelack in the same competition.
