JUST one week after winning the county hurling title, Newcestown’s minor footballers captured the Rebel Óg U18 Division 3 championship crown, beating Beál Athán Ghaorthaidh by 2-13 to 3-9. The double is complete.
The south west dual masters delivered again, this time with a gutsy group of youngsters.
It was the Gaeltacht side that raced into a 2-0 to 0-2 lead inside ten minutes, testing the Newcestown character. The West Cork club worked their way back into the match but a third Beál Athán goal on 27 minutes to make it 3-2 to 0-7 looked to be detrimental.
However, Sam Long scored a crucial goal for Newcestown right on half time to make it 3-3 to 1-7.
Newcestown’s second-half display won them the cup, outscoring their Muskerry opponents 1-6 to 0-6. They only took the lead for the first time with four minutes to go as Ryan O’Neill hit the net to make it 2-12 to 3-8.
Patrick Twomey got the insurance score to complete a magnificent double.
Goalscorers Long and O’Neill scored 1-5 and 1-1 respectively while Cork minor forward from this year Humphrey Canty finished with 0-4. Tadg O’Sullivan and Paul Kelly made up the scorers.
After also beating St Vincent’s 2-13 to 0-5 and Cill na Martra 0-11 to 0-5 earlier in the run, coach Pat Kenneally was delighted with their campaign.
‘It was a tight game (v Beál Athán Ghaorthaidh). Not our finest performance but a win is all that matters in a final. Add in the double and it’s great,’ Kenneally said.
‘The challenge is to keep both codes going even though we will be playing at a higher level next year. At the same time, it was fantastic for this group to win anything. This group of players never won a championship match at U12, U14, U16 or U17 until this year. Added to that, we have only two up to the age. For them to achieve this has been fantastic,’ he added.
Newcestown manager Michael Coomey deserves huge credit, a man who has trained the group of players even when things weren’t going great.
‘He was the only one to have been with this group through thick and thin, all through the barren years. Everybody is absolutely delighted for Michael in particular,’ Kenneally added.
‘We would have been very happy just to win a few championship matches to show a bit of progress. Once you start winning, it becomes a habit and we went unbeaten in the championship for the year which was an unbelievable turnaround for this group of players.’
As it was with the hurling, the majority of Town’s playing panel weren’t up to the maximum age. Kenneally gave particular recognition for their U16s.
‘It was with their influence and increased improvement. Without them, we would be nowhere. We had ten U16s on it so they were the backbone of it,’ he admitted.
‘The parents of this particular group wouldn’t have experienced anything like this so for them to be involved and the crowds that were at the matches showed exactly how this group were taken in by the community this year. We didn’t have the most successful year in the other grades so it makes it all the more special to be going strong in November.’
The strength of dual teams continues to run and the members want to continue that tradition.
‘We want to keep both games going and our priority is to improve the level of football. We wanted them to taste success but now we want them to push up the grades. The aim here is to prepare them for the adult game for those interested going ahead,’ Kenneally said.
The Newcestown U18 county-winning football panel includes Mark Kelleher, Donnacha O’Mahony, Ciarán Hurley, Patrick Twomey, Hugh Flanagan, Oisin Callan, Flor Kenneally, Paul Kelly, Tadg O’Sullivan, Humphrey Canty, Jack Coomey, Ryan O’Neill, Sam Long, Eoin Sexton, Olan Kelly, Joe Hayes, Jed Cannan, Sean Allen, James Lucey, Cian Barry, Jack Hayes and Dara O’Sullivan.
