CLUB LOTTO
Club lotto: 6, 18, 19, 20. No jackpot winner. £50 winner Geraldine Fullen Longfield Lane
Last week: 1,3,5,9 £50 winner Tony O’Hagan Brackagh Road.
Next week £1850 jackpot. If there is no seller in your area contact Michael 07740411471
GOLF CLASSIC.
Congratulations to the Golf committee on a very successful event thoroughly enjoyed by all. Over 200 golfers took part on a blistering hot day. Full report to be published next week
IRISH COLLECTION
All those interested in attending the Gaeltacht please contact Veronica on 07799328966 or Pat on 07718257555.
VHI GAA Cul Camp
Cul Camp is programmed for 10th August. Contact the schools for an application form. First child £32. Second child, £27, third, £20.
ALL IRELAND FEILE.
The Club are running a sponsored clean of the club facilities on 13th June and we would ask everyone to give generously to all the youth players. The club will be hosting the Gloucestershire U14 boys and, along with Ardtrea, the Cavan U14 girls.
The Patrick Higgins Memorial Cup 12th June.
This annual event is looked forward to by clubs all over the county with the following teams taking part: Newbridge, Kilrea, Bellaghy, Greenlough, Ballinderry, Loup, Moneymore and Desertmartin. The tournament is 13 aside for Primary six and younger. All teams to be at Longfield at 10.30, with kickoff at 11.00.
FOOTBALL
U14 away to Ogramor 8th June at 7.30 / home to Bellaghy 2nds 15th June at 7.30
U16 away to St Patricks 10th June at 7.00
Minors are currently on exam break and look forward to Craigbane on 19th July in Championship football.
Seniors/ reserves away to Greenlough Saturday 6.00 and 7.30, subject to change.
MATCH REPORTS:
SENIORS; Sean Dolans 1,9 Desertmartin 4,6
Desertmartin headed over the pass for a game they were expected to win easily but nobody told Sean Dolans who put up a hectic defense on their home patch and were 1,4 to 1,2 at half time.
While the game started briskly, Desertmartin looked like they had left their scoring boots in the changing room hitting 5 wides in quick succession. They were lucky not to give away a goal on the 5th minute when Brian McElhennon blocked a point blank shot. Dolans opened the scores on the 11th minute with a 40 knocked over by their keeper before Eoin Hegarty hit a 30 yard point from the left wing. 1 minute later Paddy Kidd closed down a Dolans attack and won the free. Paddy McCann’s long pass found Ruairi wide on the right, and with a pin-point pass, he found Mickey McCann in front of goal and with the sweetest of touches he beat the keeper and slotted the ball home. The lead was to be short lived, when St Martins were caught in defense, too slow to clear the ball. An interception left Brian McElhennon with no chance and the scores were level 1,1 each. Dolans added 3 points to 1 from a free by Enda McGuckin to leave the half time score 1,4 to 1,2. Danny Murray had replaced the injured James Breen for his first competitive game since the opening game of the season.
The second half continued where the first left off with Dolans picking up a point in the first minute to be cancelled out by a long range Paul McGovern point. Dolans had the next 3 points to look comfortable at 1,8 to 1,3 and it could have been worse had Paddy McCann not deflected a goal-ward shot onto the post and out for a 40. Desertmartin refused to lie down and excellent off the ball running by the forwards and particularly Mickey McCann for the final 10 minutes tore the Dolans defense apart. On the 20th minute. Mickey tore into the square with goal on his mind. Under immense pressure, where lesser men would have lay down for a penalty, he released the ball to Ruairi who palmed the ball into the net. Enda McGuckin added a point before Eoin Hegarty leveled the score with a point of his own. On the 23rd minute, Mickey McCann split the defense with a perfect pass to Enda who rifled the ball home for St Martins third goal. Dolans tried to stem the tide with a point of their own but on the 29th minute Ruairi Murray tipped a long pass into Mickey McCann’s hands on the edge of the square and he duly hit the back of the net for the deserving final score of the game.
SENIORS; Faughanvale1,19 Desertmartin 0,8
Training the previous week had deprived Desertmartin of their talisman midfielder, Danny Murray, who ended up with a broken arm. Ruairi Murray was missing from the forward line but Aidy McGuigan was a more then able replacement but this was going to be one of those games where nothing seemed to roll for the men in yellow.
Faughanvale drew first blood with a point in the second minute. Brian McElhennon pulled off another top drawer save a minute later before Enda McGuckin opened the St Martins tally with a point. With Mickey McCann bearing down on goals he was brought down for a 13 yard free when a penalty looked the correct result. The free was hit wide before the ever youthful Jimmy McElhennon added a point for the one and only time that Desertmartin would have the lead. The Vale knocked over 6 points before a fine goal-ward shot by Cormac McGuckin drifted wide of the post with the keeper beaten. Paul McGovern added a point with Jimmy McElhennon adding 2 frees before Vale closed out the half with a point from a free to leave the first half 9 points to 5.
Faughanvale started the second half with 2 further points before Jimmy added 1 from a free. Vale slotted over another free before Jimmy hit his 5th point, one from play to leave the scores 12 points to 7. Faughanvale piled on the pressure resulting in a goal and 3 points before Desertmartin were to score again. On the 22nd minute Enda McGuckin was to score Desertmartin’s final point from play while Faughanvale closed out the game with 4 further points to leave the final score 1,19 to 8 points.
Had Desertmartin got the goals they deserved in the first half things, would have been different While this was not the perfect way to prepare for the Greenlough game, the sight of John Paul Higgins returning from injury should help lift the team.
RESERVES Faughanvale 3,15 Desertmartin 1,9
With the games being brought forward, Desertmartin found it difficult fielding a full team and ended up playing 13 aside with no subs. With a depleted squad, Desertmartin found it difficult to match the more physical Faughanvale team who closed out the first half 2,9 to 4 points. Desertmartin finished the second half strongly with the final score 3,15 to 1,9. Declan Murray scored a number of fine individual points, with Enda O’Hagan scoring St Martins only goal. Paul Ryan has the final point for Desertmartin. A couple of positive from the game were the strong running by Fergal Higgins and the sight of John Hughes in his favorite position of full forward. Great to also see Sean McBride in corner forward, a regular in the very successful minor squad. Man of the match to Cahair Madden.
Under 14 football
U14 squad took part in the 7-aside tournament in Owenbeg fielding two teams. Our A team were up against Foreglen in the first game and being unfamiliar with the 7-aside setup were narrowly defeated. Having learned their lesson, they went on to beat Ballinderry B and Swatragh B but Foreglen went forward to the quarterfinals.
The B team, being mainly made up of under 12s found the going difficult but finished strongly to beat Slaughtneil C.
The lads meet Ogramor on Tuesday at 7.30 with the championship on 22nd June against Bellaghy 2nds
U 16 football
U16s play St Patricks away from home on 10th June at 7.00
Field maintenance: Anyone interested in assisting with field maintenance please contact Michael on 07740411471 or Pat on 07718257555. With the Feile happening the first weekend in July all assistance will be required to prepare the grounds and facilities.
It would be greatly appreciated if reports could be forwarded for the U8/10, U16 and Minor boys and all Ladies football for inclusion in the notes. Forward to michaelhegarty@live.co.uk