There are no upcoming Fixtures...

9 August, 2014

Bray Emmets U-10; Fingallians Tournament, Saturday 9th AugustBray Emmets under 10 footballers produced a series of magnificent displays in the Fingallians Tournament, across their 5 matches against teams from Dublin, Meath, Down and Donegal. A comfortable win in their first group match was followed up by an incredible comeback in their second game, against St Sylvester's. Trailing 3-4 to 0-1 at half-time, the players fought back with a determined display in the second-half, spurred on by a rousing motivational talk from team manager Gary Prunty. The team were beaten by a very impressive Ratoath team in their final group game, but the earlier results had earned qualification for a semi-final meeting with their Swords hosts. Again, it was the concentrated effort of the players in the second half that led to a win here, booking a place in the final against An Riocht from County Down. The scores were tied at a point a piece at half time, before Bray took the lead with a goal, during a torrential downpour, early in the second half. A victory, and first trophy for this group of players, appeared to be on the cards until An Riocht equalised following confusion amongst both teams, who mistakenly thought that the referee had blown his whistle for a free kick. He waved for the players to 'play-on', when the An Riocht forward kicked the ball into the net. Another goal followed less than half a minute later. Bray came close to equalising a number of times before the end, but the goal that they required alluded them. Overall, this was a great day out for the players, coaches, and the strong team of supporting parents. Bray Emmets squad: James, Adam P, Adam D, Cillian, Jamie M, Finn, Cathal, Kyle, Cian, Alex, Jack.  ...

5 April, 2014

Setanta HC v Bray Emmets, Dublin League, 5th April Our under 10 hurling team kept up their excellent start to their Dublin League campaign with a fine performance against Setanta HC in Ballymun on Saturday morning. Family Confirmations and a rugby trip to Limerick had left the squad without many of their key players, but those left to see out this fixture did so with great skill and determination. Bray Emmets only conceded one goal due to terrific and tenacious defending by Oscar, Cal and Fiachra, supported by the solid goalkeeping of Dara, in the first half, and Nathan in the second. Nathan had already opened the scoring for Bray with a well struck shot in the first half. This was added to by a superb point from Adam Prunty, following a great solo run by Adam Dutton down the right wing midway through the opening period. The midfield was very well marshaled by Alex and Cathal, who got the ball through to forwards Jamie and Cillian at every opportunity, to keep intense pressure on the Setanta goal. Jamie added a second goal five minutes from the end to seal a well-deserved win for the Bray team. All 11 players can be immensely proud of their display on Saturday. The under 10s are improving with every game, a point which was also noted by the Setanta coaches who, at the end of the match, expressed their admiration for the way Bray had played throughout....

20 April, 2013

After hosting last weeks Go Games which saw more than 160 players come to Páirc Emmet Bhré, our Under-10‘s travelled to neighbours Eire Óg in Greystones. We fielded three teams with over thirty children talking part. In total, we participated in nine games, some of which were close and keenly contested. All players involved enjoyed a good night’s hurling with some great skill and talent from our up and coming stars!...

16 March, 2013

While most clubs in Dublin had to call off their matches last weekend, Bray were still able to host our games on Saturday, 9th March thanks to the fabulous facilities that we have at our disposal. We put out two teams of mixed abilities and all enjoyed a good morning of hurling. Team 1: The lads were all geared up for a tough match against the visitors St. Anne's and it turned out to be just that. For the first half we had a great pairing up front with Adam, James and Shane playing out of their skin knocking in several goals. While in midfield Oscar, Daniel and Joshua let very little pass them and battled really hard to keep St. Anne's in their own half. When the ball did manage to get as far back as our defence line, Quintin, Cian and Leon blocked the opposition out with great skill. While there was not much action in the first half for Conor, our goalkeeper, He dealt ably with whatever came his way. In the second half, St. Anne's came out strong, knocking over a few good points but the Bray lads dug deep and pulled off some great scores of their own, even gaining a couple of extra skill points that eventually left them ahead by one point in the end. One other person who had a great match was our junior referee Owen Duffy. Squad: Leon Scanlon, Oscar Duggan, Adam Prunty, James Byrne, Shane Baguley, Quintin Lawlor, Daniel Murphy, Conor Duff, Joshua Butler, Cian Walsh. Team 2: The second game at Páirc Emmet Bhré saw the Under-10 Hurlers Team 2 lose by the narrowest of margins to St. Anne's. The team started with great pace and had St Anne's reeling after the first half. Nathan in goals repelled all of their attacks and with his quick and accurate puck outs, set up a number of scores. He was aided in defence by Luan, Oscar Maloney and Finn who patrolled and controlled their players. The midfield of Gavin and Tim were also dominant and contributed by tackling, moving ball into the forwards and scoring. The forward trio of Evan, Oscar Harty and Jamie kept pressure on the St. Anne's defenders and contributed to the scoreboard. The team also adapted well to the constant subbing of players that was necessary as a result of the strong turnout of players with Simon and John joining in and adding their strength to the game when asked. The second half proved more difficult as the midfield of St. Anne's and their forwards began to get into the game with an excellent sideline cut being their standout score. The Bray hurlers fought back and after a couple of quick scores from Gavin and Luan drew level heading into the final minute. However, St. Anne's scored at the death and the game was lost. Squad: Nathan Prunty, Finn Treacy, Oscar Maloney, Luan Roddy, Tim Harrington, Gavin Rochford, John Butler, Evan Barry, Jamie Ryan, Oscar Harty, Simon Mahon ...

10 August, 2012

Over the last 4 weeks Bray Emmets were kindly invited to part-take in a round robin tournament by An Tochar at both Under 9 and Under 10 in which St Pats Wicklow Town and AGB also participated. Our first series of matches were played in wet conditons in Roundwood. The under 9s dominated their match from the start with excellent goal keeping from Nathan who went in goal after getting injured and strong defense from Leon, Matthew, Michael and Luan. Evan and Art played very well in midfield with John, Finn, Oscar and Gavin very dangerous up front. In the end Bray won by a few points but it was the performance and style of play that caught the eye. In the under 10 competition Bray were well beaten but played with great heart to the end. In the second round of the competition Bray hosted AGB, in the under 9 game Bray were very lucky to beat a very strong and committed AGB side, again Bray played an attractive attacking brand of football but the AGB defence was well marshalled and Bray were lucky to win by two points in the end. Knowing that they needed a win to remain in contention in the tournament Bray U10s started very well and dominated a young and inexperienced AGB team, success was built on a very strong mid-field of Peter, Mark and substitute Sam who provided quick ball into what can be only described as possibly the speediest Bray Emmets forward line this writer has seen in Enda, Charlie & Luke Dunne Luke Brandon and Aidan Kane with constant movement and changing positions that caused panic in the AGB defence. Any attacking threat was dealt with by Brays defense of Jack, Tadhg, Philip, Ben and Arran with Zack having a quiet night in goal. In the final set of matches it looked like the Under 9s would qualify for the final without needing to win their match against St Pats, however in what proved to be this group's best perfromance to date Bray played excellently to beat a well fancied St Pats side in an excellent game of football. The under 10s had to win their match by a margin of more that 5 points, this was an excellent game to watch as a spectator with both sides playing skillful and direct football. Again dominance in midfield from Sam and Cathal set the platform for quality ball going into the forward line of Enda,Aidan,Luke and Charlie who gave the St Pats defense a torrid time. It wasn't all one way traffic though with St Pats taking their chances much better and it was nip and tuck for much of the first half with Bray slightly ahead at half time despite playing with a fresh breeze. In the second half Bray's defence of Brian, Jack, Philip and Tadhg came to the fore with Zack having a stormer in goal. The second half was littered with some excellent scores from both teams who ran themselves to a standstill with both teams having periods of dominance, in the end it way Bray who won out by 7 points which resulted in both teams qualifying for the finals against Roundwood. The finals were set for Roundwood on Sunday evening. The Bray Emmets Under 9 football team who had beaten their opposition earlier in the competition won a tight low scoring match, 9 points to 8. . The match was characterised by some fromidable defending by both teams. A lots of hitswere given and taken and scoring chances were at a premium. In defence Oscar Maloney, Tim Harrington, Adam Prunty and Daniel Murphy consistantly got to the ball ahead of their opponents due to their game reading skills and when a gap appeared they supported each other to extinguishany threat. Their fielding skills were always in evidence and they at all time sought to work the ball out of defence. The four players proved incredibly frustrating to play against as they calmly nullifed An Tochar's attacks and to single one out above the other would do them all a dis-service as above all they played as a cohesive unit without whom the match would surely have been lost. In midfield Gavin Rochford, Jack Kearney and the pacy Evan Barry left nothing on the pitch. They continually provided both assistance to the backs and the forwards; linking play, making tackleswinning frees and scoring some vital points. Evan proved once again that he is the consumate team player, he continually ran out of defence with the ball and almost without exception played it intelligently to one of his teamates. Jack found himself trust into battle as a result of some latewithdrawls and similarly to Adam Prunty who was also a few years younger than his comrades did not look out of depth. He never let his opponent go harrying and hassling the more experienced player and also got himself into some great scoring positions. One point worth mentioning was thewinning point by Gavin who, after the ball had been worked out of defence by the team, shot from far out on the right hand touch line and bisected the posts with ease. This was in response to three points by An Tochar who had trailed by two points at the interval and who had fought back gamely. The forwards were superb in fielding, winning frees and taking scores when possible. Luan Roddy made some magnificant catches, winning frees, scoring and moving the ball on when he could. Nathan Prunty fought tigerishly for posession. He because of his tenacity was able to hold up theball until support arrived and also win frees and score which proved vital. He, like others took some hard knocks, but his bravery shone out and he was constantly threatening in attack. Sean O'Keeffe desire to win was always in evidence. He on numerous occasions went past players and with hisability to cut in off the side line quickly and subsequently find one of his players with a pass he created lot of scoring opportunities. Michael Healy and Finn Teacy played two roles each as they alternated between Goalkeeper and forward. Michael played in nets for the first half and Finn thesecond. Both made some wonderful saves and almost as importantly were willing to the take on the responsibility, for their team, that is associated with being a goalkeeper. They both looked to play the ball out intelligently and rarely resorted to just kickning the ball out. In attack Finn took somehard bangs but after some water rejoined battle to make a telling contribution. Michael, like most of his teammates has pace to burn. He also has a footballing brain and always kept his head up and made many accurate and clever passes. Finally, although he didn't play in the final, special mention must be made to Art Wittle who played in the other league matches. Art broke his wrist during the Football Cul Camp on Friday but still turned up to cheer on his team. He was made non-playingCaptain for the match and afterwards led his team up to receive their winning plaques.Team: Finn Teacy, Michael Healy, Daniel Murphy, Oscar Maloney, Adam Prunty, Jack Kearney,Gavin Rochford, Evan Barry, Luan Roddy, Sean O' Keefe and Nathan Prunty. Whilst the Under 9s were the bookies favourites to win their final the Under 10s faced a huge uphill battle against a team who beat them severely in the first match. By playing together regularly and the fact that the Cul Camps were played in Bray the week leading up to the match, it was hoped that bray would give a good account of themselves. Sometimes in a match a team plays to its maximium and everything goes right on the night. From the off Bray took a foothold in midfield with Cathal and Sam contolling matters ensuring the forward line of the Dunne twins, Enda and Aidan Kane got plenty of ball, with the win at their backs Bray did not make full use of their posession and eventually An Tochar started to get into the game with a few well taken scores. The back line of Philip, Brian, Tadhg and Jack began to get on top and with the introduction of Peter to mark An Tochar's danger man Bray finished the half stronger and were leading by 3 points. Playing into the wind in the second half it was expected that Bray would be under severe pressure to come out winners. In a half where Bray played some of their best football of the tournament Bray got completely on top with Peter scoring the point of the match out by the sideline on the wrong side for a right footd kicker. This score seemed to settle the team who went on to dominate the half allied by stout defending of Ben Gorman and the tireless running of Cathal, Brian and Jack to set up scores for the Dunne twins and Aidan Kane some of which would not feel out of place in Croke Park. Special mention must go to Kuke and Charlie Dunne and Aidan Kane all of which are relatively new to the team and have brought an extra dimension to the way the team now play.In the end Bray won well and no doubt there will be great tussles between the two teams into the future. On the night both teams were victorious but it would not have happened without the dedcation of the entire 2002/2003 group over the year training in all sorts of conditions in the summer and in comparative conditions in the Winter. We would like to thank all the supporters who turned up on the night and throughout the tournament who provided great support and enthusism for the teams. Finally we would like to thank An Tochar for providing the facilities for the tournament and the refreshments on the final night. We would like to thank Nick Nolan in particular who did all the hard work in arranging the tournament. ...

2 June, 2012

No rest for the wicked as they say, for the second long weekend in a row Bray Emmets played in the under 10 two team Dublin Hurling League. In very competitive and extrememly close matches against Round Towers, the team featuring the excellent skills of Tim Harrington allied with the staunch defending of Tadhg McCarthy and Aodain Daly and Donal Spain made it very difficult for theRound Towers forward line and midfield. The strong running of Art Whittle covering between the two 45 meter lines ensured there was no easy ball coming out of the Round Towers defence. Our forward line ofJamie Ryan, Matthew Collins and Finn Treacy played with great commitment against a huge Round Towers defence. Special mention must go to the three goal keepers used on the day, Finn Treacy, Tim Harrington when he was injured and Luan Roddy who was alsovery effective outfield. Another team from the 2002 squad put in a fine performance against a very well drilled and sporting Round Towers side on Saturday June 2nd in Corkagh Park. The Team of Gavin Rochford, Philip Jakob, Zack Collins, Rory Mulcahy, Sam Kearney, Jack Treacy, Brian Nesbitt, Luke Brandon and Aaron O Rourke, hurled well from the beginning.On a pitch where the long grass prevented ground hurling , they showed very good picking and striking skills, and competed very well for every ball. Some excellent point taking from Brian Nesbitt and a few goals from Jack, Luke and Sam, saw us well in contention at half time. In the second half some positional changes saw Aaron put in a commanding display in the backs ably supported by Philip and Rory , and Zack put in a fine performance at midfield. Gavin who switched places with Sam, scored a very good 65 in a difficult wind, and the scores continued from the forwards and midfielders who played well both individually and as a unit.The game was decided in the end by two fine scores from Round Towers. Both Bray teams played extremely well inhot conditions and on a poor pitch and the coaching team are very happy with their performances which have been improving in every matchand the progress they are making in training. We would like to thank all the parents and players who were able to make it on the day, particularly in finding the pitch after what could only be described as very questionable directions and our host Round Towers for very even and sporting games. ...

12 May, 2012

The Under 10s were kindly invited by our near neighbours Kilmacud Crokes to part-take in a blitz involving teams from the Dublin and Leinster area. As usual the blitz was very well run and everyone was well looked after by our hosts. The format of the blitz was 3 group games with the winners and runners up going into the Cup Quarter Finals. Our first match was against Na Fianna and the Bray lads were well up for the contest with excellent defending from Ethan, Philip and Zack complimenting the attacks from Brian down the wing. Our midfield played very well with Charlie and Mark getting good ball from Michael in goal setting up a number of attacks. The forward line of Luke Tim and Ben were instumental in providing good early ball to Gavin who caused all sorts of trouble for the Na Fianna defence scoring an excellent point that would have graced Croke Park. In the end Bray lost with a few questionable decisions not going our way in a very even and tight game. Our next match was against Kilmacud and this was a match which we totally dominated, with Aodaoin and Aaron getting stuck in breaking uppotential dangerous Kilmacud play. A feature of this match was the high level of accurate kick passing from the Bray team creating numerous opportunities for the forwards, the arrival of Sam also strengthened the squad and Bray ran out comfortabe winners. In our last group match, Bray had to win to have any chanceof qualifying for the Cup quarter finals.This was a nerve wracking game with very little between the teams through out the game. In a game where fortunes swung from side to side there was excellent defending from Ethan, Philip, Brian Aodain,Michael and Sam with excellent goalkeeping from Zack. Markand Charlie again played very well in mid field with Tom, Ben, Luke and Gavinhaving their moments upfront also ably assisted byAaron (thats a lot of As) Anyway!!!! the game was level as the hooter blew and up stood Mark to score an absolutely brillant score to win it. By finishing second in our group wehad to play Templeogue Synge Street in the quarter finals, we will not speak of the first half where nothing went right andonly for great defending from Ethan at the back we would have been out of sight. Stern words from a very hoarse coach seemed to fortify the team in the second half where Bray dominated but with our danger men well marked we could not make significant inroads into the Templeogue lead. While it was a disappointing end to the day it must be acknowledged thatwhenthe samegroup played last year we did not win any games so huge progress has been made in the last twelve months. We would like to thank the players parents for their support throughout the day and all the coaches who were involved. The players werea credit to their parents and the club on the day and finally we would like to thank Kilmacud again for inviting us and giving us a great day out. ...

13 April, 2012

All seasons in one day is how the song goes and it was the case during the first Wicklow Go Games on Friday night where Bray Emmets hosted teams from St Patricks, Eire Og and Rathnew. The first two series of games were played in bright and dry conditions where there was a very high quality of football played by all the teams. The Heavens opened in the last series of games with wind, rain and hailstones falling with everyone getting soaked but the teams played on regardless. In a night of huge commitment and skill it would be unfair to pick players that stood out, everyone played their part. Hosting Go Games takes a lot of teamwork and special praise must go to the "Young Whistlers" and all those who helped in organising and providing food and making teas and coffees which were appreciated by all the wet and cold supporters! A special thanks to all the players who took part and to Liam McGraynor for helping set up the pitches. The Bray Emmets Panel was: Enda, Philip, Sam , Alice , Hannah , Luan , Luke , Jack , Jamie , Riain , Tadhg , Zack , Cathal , Ethan , Gavin , Ciaran , Reece,Leon, Nathan, Cian , Simon , Daniel , Quintin, ...

19 November, 2011

The Under 10 Footballers played Clontarf CLG in the state-of-the-art Alfie Byrne facilities in Clontarf Saturday last. The three games were very tightly balanced. Bray won the first game, thanks to staunch defending from Conrad Ruddy. The second game went the other way, while game three was decided by a single score. Best for Bray were David Maloney and Conor Dowling. Táimid ag traenáil ar an Máirt agus arís ar an Satharn. Emmet Bhré - Under 10. Adam Temple, Conor Dowling, Conor Hardiman, Conrad Ruddy, David Maloney, David Nesbitt, Gavin Henderson, Jamie Baguley, Michael Timmons, Rian Knox, Rory Lambe, Seán McDonagh. ...

23 October, 2011

The Under 10 hurlers played down in CLG Naas last Sunday morning. A small but hardy group travelled to this hospitable, good-standard blitz. Naas are a club who have put a lot of work into their hurling and have a proud and successful tradition. Nevertheless, undaunted we settled smoothly into the first game. Rory Lambe (0-3) opened the Bray account, followed by well-taken goals from Rian Knox, Gavin Henderson and the hard-working Cian Lohan (2-0). Michael Timmons shored up the backline with great effect. Bray won the first encounter scoring (4-3). The second game, Naas were a different proposition. An excellent David Maloney goal followed by the clinical David Nesbitt, were the high points of the second fixture. However, despite the graft of midfielder Seán McDonagh, Naas were that shade more lively and convincing. Beimid ag traenáil arís ar an Satharn, ach cuirfidh Larry Timmons ríomhphost amach leis na sonraí. Emmet Bhré - Cian Lohan (2-0), David Maloney (1-0), David Nesbitt (1-0), Gavin Henderson (2-1), Michael Timmons, Rian Knox (2-0), Rory Lambe (0-3), Seán McDonagh. ...

14 October, 2011

The Under 10 hurlers played in a Kilmacud Crokes-run Hurling Blitz last week. This was a very valuable and uplifting exercise. Firstly, we played Vincents (Ath Cliath) with (2-1) coming from the stick of sharp-shooting full forward Gavin Henderson. Bray won on a (4-3) to (2-0) margin. Next up were O'Loughlin Gaels (Cill Chainnigh), a team Bray beat (2-1) to (2-0) with Rory Lambe (1-1) taking some of the important scores. Third team into Bray Emmets den were Kilmacud Crokes who suffered from the fire power of Rian Knox (1-0) and Seán McDonagh (1-0) to go down to Bray on a (2-2) to (1-1) scoreline. In the final, a flagging Bray side met a fluid, warlike James Stephens (Cill Chainnigh). While we endured the first half, we certainly acquitted ourselves better in the second, with David Maloney (0-1) taking the pick of the scores. Overall, stout defence from Michael Timmons and Sam Kearney, and mid-fielder Jamie Baguley in particular meant that Bray remained competitive to the last. Táimid ag traenáil arís Dé Máirt ag 7pm i bPáirc Emmet Bhré. Emmet Bhré - Under 10. Conor Hardiman, David Maloney (0-1), David Nesbitt, Gavin Henderson (3-1), Gavin Rochford (1-0), Jack Treacy, Jamie Baguley, Michael Timmons, Rian Knox (1-0), Rory Lambe (2-5), Sam Kearney, Seán McDonagh (1-0). ...

23 September, 2011

The Under 10 hurlers displayed their skills Friday night in a Bray Emmets-hosted Go-games blitz. We had very close encounters with Glenealy, Eire Óg and Cuala. Cathal Eddy and Jack Treacy were a powerhouse in midfield. Enda Douglas, Oisín Carney and David Nesbitt also contributed to the fray in very unselfish volumes. Bhí oíche thaitneamhach againn ar fad agus chuir sin deireadh le 'Go-games 2011'. Emmet Bhré - Under 10.Aaron Graham, Adam Temple, Brian Nesbitt, Conor Hardiman, Craig Pritchard, David Maloney, David Nesbitt, Michael Timmons, Oisín Carney, Rian Knox, Rory Lambe, Seán McDonagh, Stephen Reynolds, Zac Collins. Cathal Eddy, Enda Douglas, Jack Treacy, Luke Brandon, Peter Ahearne, Philip Jakob, Sam Kearney. ...

2 September, 2011

The Under 10 footballers played in Greystones Friday last. Ethan Dehantschutter gave a very strong performance while Aaron O'Rourke defended skillfully.In the second game, Donal Spain showed determination and Sebastian Colman supported team mates all evening. Bray Emmets were fortunate enough to be able to field two different teams.Jamie Baguley led the line for his side, and the adaptable Rian Knox filled different roles as required. Up front, Rory Lambe and Conor Dowling added tasty scores. Beimid ag imirt iomána Dé hAoine seo chugainn san Inbhear Mhór (Arklow Rocks). Emmet Bhré - Conor Dowling, Conor Hardiman, Craig Pritchard, David Maloney, David Nesbitt, Gavin Henderson, Jamie Baguley, Michael Timmons, Rian Knox, Rory Lambe, Seán McDonagh. Emmet Bhré : Aaron O'Rourke, Brian Nesbitt, Cathal Eddy, Donal Spain, Enda Douglas, Eoin Holmes, Ethan Dehantschutter, Jack Treacy, Philip Jakob, Sam Kearney, Sebastian Colman. ...

26 August, 2011

The Under 10 hurlers went to a Kilcoole blitz Friday last. We fielded 2 teams who first faced Barndarrig. Cathal Eddy stood out in midfield while Enda Douglas defended passionately. Up front, Seán McDonagh scored one of the points of the evening, from distance and under pressure. In the St Pats game, Bray were really tested by their free-flowing, hungry players. Jack Treacy set a high standard and David Nesbitt showed his ability to hurl. Kilcoole were our final opponents. Again both teams were competitive. From the earliest clash of the ash, young Jack Kearney and Rian Mac Maoláin put their stamp on the game. Bhí áthas ar chuile dhuine nár mhill an bháisteach an oíche bhreá sportiúil seo orainn. Emmet Bhré - Under 10. Aaron O'Rourke, Brian Nesbitt, Cathal Eddy, Conor Dowling, David Maloney, David Nesbitt, Enda Douglas, Jack Kearney, Jack Treacy, Michael Timmons, Peter Ahearne, Philip Jakob, Rian Knox, Rian Mac Maoláin, Rory Lambe, Sam Kearney, Seán McDonagh, Seán Wogan. ...

23 July, 2011

The Under 10 hurlers faced Castleknock in the semi-final of the superbly-run Roundtowers Summer Hurling Tournament. It was a difficult game against the group-toppers from West Dublin. David Maloney worked very hard in the half-back line, while consistent scores came from Gavin Henderson and Jamie Baguley in the forward division. Our special thanks go to the Under 9 trio of Jack Treacy, Sam Kearney and Philip Jakob for their commitment and graft all through the month of July. Brenda Maloney and Debbie McDonagh also provided much-appreciated goodies for both players and parents. Beimid ag traenáil arís ar an Máirt ag 7pm i bPáirc Emmet Bhré. Emmet Bhré - Under 10.Aaron Graham, Conor Hardiman (1-0), Darragh McCormack, David Maloney (0-1), Gavin Henderson (2-1), Jack Treacy, Jamie Baguley (1-1), Michael Timmons, Philip Jakob, Rian Knox, Rory Lambe (0-3), Sam Kearney, Seán McDonagh (1-0). ...

9 July, 2011

Emmet Bhré 2 - 1 Ballyboden St Endas1-10 Bray Emmet's Under 10 hurlers played their second match in the Roundtowers hurling tournament on Saturday morning against a very strong Ballyboden team. Despite a huge difference in size the Bray lads got to work and did not rest until the final whistle blew. Seán McDonagh quickly scored a goal from a free. Philip Jakob did not let the difference in size deter him and marked his man completely out of the match. Rian Knox played in goal, the only worry is that if any soccer scouts had seen him they will surely be trying to sign him up as he saved at least 4 certain goals. Jamie Baguley did not stop running the whole match and capped a selfless performance with a well taken goal. David Maloney maintained his normal excellent standards with another high octane match including a point from a free. Emmet Bhré - Under 10.Aaron Graham, Conor Hardiman, Darragh McCormack, David Maloney (0-1), Gavin Henderson, Jack Treacy, Jamie Baguley (1-0), Philip Jakob, Rian Knox, Sam Kearney, Seán McDonagh (1-0). ...

2 July, 2011

Emmet Bhré 2 - 6 St Mark's0 - 4 The Under 10 hurlers played St Mark's, Tallaght in a hurling tournament hosted Saturday morning by Roundtowers, Clondalkin.Our lads competed very well from the off, against the strong Tallaght unit. Jamie Baguley made some vital and top-class saves, while Gavin Henderson and Jack Treacy worked hard in midfield. Up front, Conor Hardiman and Rory Lambe got the vital touches allowing Bray to find the back of the net twice.Beimid ag imirt arís maidin Dé Sathairn i gCluain Dolcáin. Emmet Bhré - Under 10.Aaron Graham, Conor Hardiman (1-0), Darragh McCormack, David Maloney, Gavin Henderson, Jack Treacy, Jamie Baguley, Philip Jakob, Rory Lambe (1-6), Sam Kearney, Seán McDonagh. ...

10 June, 2011

The Under 10 Footballers played in a Go-games blitz Friday last, run by An Tóchar CLG, Roundwood. We played four games against Newtown, St Pats and 2 An Tochar teams. The Bray team played very well in the first 3 games but had a very tough encounter in the last game against An Tochar 2. An Tochar led at half time but following some positional changes the Bray team were much more effective in the second half. Strong performances from Davey Maloney, Sean McDonagh and Rory Lambe created enough chances for Bray to go on and win this tough encounter. An enjoyable evening was had by all and thanks to An Tochar for there usual hospitality.Beidh muid ag imirt iománaíochta Dé hAoine seo chugainn i gCill Chomhghaill (Kilcoole) ag 6.45pm. Emmet Bhré - Under 10. Aaron Graham, Conor Dowling, Conor Hardiman, Craig Pritchard, Darragh McCormack, David Maloney, David Nesbitt, Gavin Henderson, Joe Dillon, Michael Timmons, Rian Knox, Rory Lambe, Seán McDonagh, Zak Jenciragic. ...

20 May, 2011

Under 10 hurlers played in an Eire Óg hurling Go-games Friday last. The first game was against our Dalkey neighbours, Cuala. Rian Knox and Jamie Baguley gave a great display of skill. We faced Glenealy next, a game where David Nesbitt and Craig Pritchard hurled bravely and with effect. Eire Óg was the final encounter, a game featuring Joe Dillon and Michael Connolly to the forex. On Sunday, we travelled into Kilmacud Crokes to take part in an Invitational Football tournament. We had close games with Foxrock Geraldines and Cill Mochuda themselves. Our final was played against one of the Crokes teams. It was a splendid contest, really finely balanced. Bray showed great character and grit to win in the end with Conor Dowling receiving the coveted man-of-the-match award. Beidh muid ag imirt peile Dé hAoine seo chugainn i gCill Mocheanóg ag 6.45pm. Emmet Bhré - Under 10. Brian Nesbitt, Conor Dowling, Conor Hardiman, Craig Pritchard, Darragh McCormack, David Maloney, David Nesbitt, Gavin Henderson, Jamie Baguley, Joe Dillon, Michael Connolly, Michael Timmons, Oisín Drury, Rian Knox, Rory Lambe, Sam Kearney, Sarah Lambe, Seán McDonagh. ...

10 May, 2011

Under 10 Footballers played Foxrock Geraldines Tuesday last. The games were of a high standard, the Foxrock boys stretching and shading Bray more than they are used to. A very useful outing for all that took part. Conor Dowling and Rory Lambe were the Bray players that impressed most. On Friday night we played go-games in Newtown GAA. Against Arklow, Seán McDonagh found the back of the net on a number of occasions, while Zak Jenciragic and Conor Hardiman contributed strongly too. Newtown provided stiff opposition but Jamie Baguley, Darragh McCormack and Davy Maloney more than generously put their shoulder to the wheel. Beimid ag imirt iománaíochta Dé hAoine in Eire Óg sna Clocha Liatha ag 6.45pm. Emmet Bhré - Under 10. Conor Dowling, Conor Hardiman, Craig Pritchard, Cian Lohan, Darragh McCormack, David Maloney, David Nesbitt, Eoin Fitzsimons, Gavin Henderson, Jamie Baguley, Joe Dillon, Michael Connolly, Michael Timmons, Nick Hederman, Oisín Drury, Rory Lambe, Seán McDonagh, Zak Jenciragic. ...

6 May, 2011

The Under 10 hurlers went down to Glenealy Friday night for an enjoyable evening of games. Eire Óg provided the first opposition. Darragh McCormack and Michael Timmons were unpenetrable in defence Conor Dowling and Sean McDonagh orchestrate some fine attacks. Against Kilcoole, Joe Dillon excelled, clearing his lines on a frequent basis. Our last game saw us play hosts Glenealy. This was a keenly competed affair with David Nesbitt standing out for skill and game-reading. Beimid ag imirt arís i mBaile an Chinnéidigh Dé hAoine seo chugainn ag 6.45pm. Emmet Bhré - Under 10.Conor Dowling, Darragh McCormack, David Maloney, David Nesbitt, Joe Dillon, Michael Timmons, Rory Lambe, Seán McDonagh. ...

29 April, 2011

Under 10 boys played in the Laragh Football blitz Friday last. Bray gave a very good account of themselves, particularly the contributions of Conor Hardiman and Michael Timmons. One of the scores of the night came from the long-range midfield boot of Aaron Graham. Sunday saw us hurling in a Kilmacud Crokes-run Invitational event. We played a 15-a-side against a more proficient group of hurlers than us. Nevertheless, it was a very useful marker, we competed eagerly with David Maloney and Joe Phelan flying our flag highest. Following the morning game, a large group of us went in to see the Dublin/Kilkenny league final in Croke Park. An enjoyable hurling-day was had by all. Beimid ag imirt iománaíochta i nGleann Fhaidhle (Glenealy) ar an Aoine ag 6.45pm. Emmet Bhré - Under 10. Aaron Graham, Conor Hardiman, David Maloney, Gavin Henderson, Joe Dillon, Joe Phelan, Michael Timmons, Rian Knox, Rory Lambe, Sarah Lambe, Seán McDonagh, Zak Jenciragic. ...

15 April, 2011

The Under 10 hurlers played in a Kilcoole run blitz Friday evening. Weather conditions were idyllic and the quality of Hurling was crisp and direct. Bray played Eire Óg and Enniskerry and acquitted themselves admirably in all 3 games. Rory Lambe was ever-present in midfield, Gavin Henderson scored a number of cleanly-struck goals while Michael Connolly is recovering top-form with the passing of each game. Beidh an chéad chluiche eile againn ar an 29 Aibreán sa Láithreach (Laragh) ag 6.45pm. Emmet Bhré - Under 10. Brian Nesbitt, Conor Hardiman, Darragh McCormack, David Maloney, David Nesbitt, Gavin Henderson, Jamie Baguley, Michael Connolly, Nick Hederman, Rian Knox, Rory Lambe, Sam Kearney, Sarah Lambe ...

8 April, 2011

The Under 10 Footballers played Fergal Óg Tuesday and Wicklow Go-games Friday. The former, with neighbours Fergal Óg was held on a lovely evening and the spirit of the games was both convivial and sporting. A useful outing for all involved. Friday evening was a hive of activity down in Páirc Emmet Bhré. 4 visiting teams played 3 games each with Michael Timmons, Zak Jenciragic and Conor Dowling shining for Bray Emmets. A very special thank you to Brenda Maloney for organising all the refreshments and to Liam McGraynor for setting up the 4 pitches. Everyone's involvement and support is what makes the GAA such a family-based organisation and the fabric of that was on display Friday evening. We always welcome new players. Under 10 details can be viewed at ' www.brayemmets.com '. Beimid ag imirt iománaíochta Dé hAoine seo chugainn i gCill Chomhghaill ag 6.45pm. Emmet Bhré - Aaron Graham, Andrew O'Brien, Brian Nesbitt, Cian Lohan, Conor Dowling, Conor Hardiman, Craig Pritchard, Darragh McCormack, David Maloney, David Nesbitt, Gavin Henderson, Jamie Baguley, Michael Connolly, Michael Timmons, Nick Hederman, Oisín Drury, Rian Knox, Rory Lambe, Seán McDonagh, Zak Jenciragic. ...

12 March, 2011

The Under 10 hurlers played in the finals of the Tom Ryan Indoor tournament on Saturday last. This was an exciting climax to weeks of enjoyable intense hurling. We began the morning against Michael Dwyers - a very tall and powerful side. They defeated us heavily and it took time to pick the team back up. However, in the second match, we fought a very evenly contested game against Arklow Whites - the eventual winners. We had more shots on goal but couldn't rattle the back of their net unfortunately. Final score 2-0. Special thanks to Brenda Maloney for the very generous goodie bags and to Paul Baguley for being the team photograper. Táimid ag traenáil arís ar an Satharn i bPáirc Emmet Bhré ag 10am. A reminder that Club membership for 2011 is currently due. We always welcome new players and the team details are available on the club website www.brayemmets.com Emmet Bhré - Under 10. Aaron Graham, Brian Nesbitt, Conor Hardiman, Darragh McCormack, David Maloney, David Nesbitt, Jamie Baguley, Michael Timmons, Rory Lambe, Seán McDonagh. ...

6 March, 2011

The Under 10 hurlers were playing in the final round of the Tom Ryan Indoor tournament. The morning began against a sprightly Glenealy team. Both teams hurled with passion, but Bray benefitted from the fire-power of David Nesbitt (4-0) and the industry of Jamie Baguley (1-0). The second game saw us pitched against Arklow Whites, their A squad. Having lost to them last month Bray won this encounter 5-2. Opportunist strikes came from Conor Hardiman (2-0), Brian Nesbitt (1-0) and Rory Lambe (2-0). Dé Sathairn seo chugainn, beidh muid san Inbhear Mór arís don Chraobh. Emmet Bhré - Under 10. Brian Nesbitt (1-0), Conor Hardiman (2-0), Darragh McCormack, David Maloney, David Nesbitt (4-0), Jamie Baguley (1-0), Michael Timmons, Rory Lambe (6-0), Seán McDonagh. ...

15 February, 2011

The Under 10 hurlers played Roundtowers, Clondalkin last Tuesday. The game was played at a very keen skill level for such young hurlers. The sides were evenly matched and gave the healthy crowd value for money. On Saturday 19th, we played Round 4 of the Indoor Hurling competition in Arklow. We beat Glenealy and Kilcoole, and drew the Aughrim game (2-2). Best for Bray were Rory Lambe scoring on 5 occasions and the powerful David Maloney covering the yards. Táimid ag traenáil mar is gnáth ar an Satharn ag 10am i bPáirc Emmet Bhré. Emmet Bhré - Aaron Graham, Andrew O'Brien, Brian Nesbitt, Conor Dowling, Cian Lohan, Conor Hardiman (1-0), Darragh McCormack, David Maloney, David Nesbitt, Eoin Fitzsimons, Gavin Henderson, Jamie Baguley (1-0), Michael Timmons, Nick Hederman, Rian Knox, Rory Lambe (5-0), Seán McDonagh (1-0). ...

25 January, 2011

The Under 10 hurlers and Footballers had an active week playing neighbours Fergal Óg on Tuesday and then Naomh Olaf in Sandyford on Saturday. It was our first occasion to play Oliver O'Brien's Fergal Óg squad, although quite a few of the players knew each other for a variety of local reasons.The games were close and sportingly contested.Cian Lohan and Andrew O'Brien showing skill and ability.The Olafs boys on the other hand were equally competitive and forced Bray to dig deep. They had 2 or 3 very fine hurlers and gave us a lesson in first touch. The morning was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Beimid ag imirt iománaíochta, Babhta 3, san Inbhear Mór ar an Satharn seo romhainn i gcomórtas 'Tom Ryan'. Emmet Bhré-Aaron Graham, Andrew O'Brien, Cian Lohan, Ciarán McKay, Conor Dowling, Conor Hardiman, Craig Pritchard, Darragh McCormack, David Maloney, Eoin Fitzsimons, Gavin Henderson, Jamie Baguley, Joe Dillon, Michael Connolly, Michael Timmons, Nick Hederman, Oisín Drury, Rian Knox, Rory Lambe, Sarah Lambe, Seán McDonagh. ...

22 January, 2011

The Under 10 hurlers played in the second round of the 'Tom Ryan Indoor Hurling Tournament' Saturday last. The opening game saw Bray facing Aughrim. Having had our indoor hurls 'shortened' during the week by Dublin hurler and Hurley-maker, Peadar Carton, the seasiders were a far more potent force up front.Rian Knox stood out for his efforts. The second game against Michael Dwyers was the toughest. The tall, strong side were held, in no short measure, by the clinical defensive qualities of Darragh McCormack and Michael Timmons.The last game pitched us against host-club, St Patricks. Again, the Emmet Bhré machine guns were in fifth gear, Aaron Graham, Conor Hardiman and the industrious Brian Nesbitt playing a large part. Beimid ag imirt cluiche chairdiúil in aghaidh Naomh Olaf ar an Satharn beag seo. Emmet Bhré Under 10 : Aaron Graham (1-0), Brian Nesbitt, Conor Hardiman, Darragh McCormack, David Maloney (1-0), David Nesbitt (2-0), Jamie Baguley (3-0), Michael Timmons, Rian Knox (2-0), Rory Lambe (4-0), Seán McDonagh (4-0). ...

8 January, 2011

Under 10 hurlers played in the 'Tom Ryan Indoor Hurling Tournament' on Saturday last. We played 3 very fast moving games. The first, we lost to a very strong Kiltegan, 3 - 0. In the second game, we drew 2 - 2 with Kilcoole. Fine goals from Jamie Baguley and Rory Lambe. However, were it not for two superb saves by Goalkeeper, David Nesbitt, that game would have certainly slipped from our grasp. In the third and final game, we won 2 - 0 against Michael Dwyers, the scoring honours courtesy of two sweet Seán McDonagh strikes. Beimid ag imirt sa chomórtas sin arís i gceann coicíse agus ag traenáil arís mar is gnáth ar an Satharn ag 10am. Emmet Bhré - Under 10. Brian Nesbitt, Conor Hardiman, Darragh McCormack, David Maloney, David Nesbitt, Jamie Baguley, Michael Timmons, Rian Knox, Rory Lambe, Sarah Lambe, Seán McDonagh. ...

1 December, 2008

Green Team and Red teams versus Emmet's 24 Points - Kilmacud Crokes 32 points We gathered at Old Conna for our first football match in what seems like an age against our old foe's Kilmacud Crokes. Last time against them we lost, the time before that Bray won. So we were all geared up for a tough game and hopefully a win. Kilmacud started well in the middle and broke into our defence shooting just wide. It was an early indicator of how fast their forwards were in getting to the ball first. In the next play Jimmy's goal kick to Fintan, who started the attacked on to Ryan up the right whose shot was blocked wide. From the resulting 45, Fintan narrowly missed a point. Kilmacud's next attack was down the left putting pressure on Liam and Oisin, and a poor clearance gave Kilmacud their first score. Our next attack came through Fintan in the middle who won another 45, and when the ball broke out of their defence Owen was first to it, had the vision to look behind him and Phillip was there to put it over for a point. After Kilmacud's next attack, Jimmy cleared to Liam, who passed to Phillip, who found Ryan, who looked up and found Evan who made a lot of space for himself, and put the ball over for a great point and a super move. Bray were winning at this stage but had to fight hard for everything. Then the wind started playing a factor. Kilmacud started clearing high balls into their midfield and forwards, who were getting to everything first. Despite some great marking and play by Oisin, Liam, Mark and Stephen, Kilmacud were getting that extra yard up front and scored a succession of unanswered points and goals in a five minute spell, when Bray let their concentration go. And it was this five minute spell that cost us the game. Jimmy was kept very busy and did a great job in keeping the goal count down. Midfields and forwards continued to work hard with Conan fighting hard for some possession and creating some great scoring opportunities. Ryan was giving it his all, and won Bray a well deserved skill point from a great block. Half Time: Bray Emmet's 9 Points - Kilmacud Crokes 20 points The second half started with Bray playing with the hill and the wind. Oisin put in some great tackled but the Kilmacud forwards were all very fast and must have had glue on their gloves because they were catching everything, and despite our recent training our catching was not as good as it should be. Liam had a difficult game against their fastest and best catcher of a ball, and did great to limit his scoring to 3 or 4 points. Stephen continued to pile the pressure on in the back line, and raced out of defence many times with the ball in hand making great clearances to the midfield and forwards. Owens marker, though small seemed to be everywhere and first to everything. Phillip scored another point from the middle, along with great points from Evan, Ryan and Fintan, meant that Bray won the second half 15 points to 12 points, but it was not enough to win the match. Final score Kilmacud 32 - Bray 24. It was a very tough game against very hard competition, but despite a disappointing half time score Bray showed their fight and only went down by 8 points in the end. Man of the Match: Ryan Hannon. Team Managers: Neil & Pat Green Team: Jimmy Mason, Mark Kenny, Stephen Finn, Oisin Dougan, Liam Carolan, Fintan O'Shea, Phillip Redmond, Evan Sweeney, Owen Duffy, Conan O'Duill, Ryan Hannon. White Team-- Bray Emmet's 17 Points Kilmacud Crokes 19 points On a sunny, windy autumn morning in Old Conna Bray's under 10 white team played host to Kilmacud Crokes .The team was captained by Luke Steele this week and performed reasonably well up until the last 5 or 6 minutes, when due to some very sloppy play at the back we afforded Crokes to steal in and score an easy point from a free to clinch victory in what should have been a victory for Bray Emmets. The first half was evenly divided with both sides getting into the action fairly quickly and moved from goal to goal with some quick movement and some excellent scores. Crokes were first of the mark with a 2 good scores and 1 bonus point for block down, only to be hauled back by 2 scores from Ronan Browne (the writers man of the match) and Con Benville putting Emmets into the lead by two points going into second half. (Bray Emmet's 9 pts - Kilmacud Crokes 7 Pts) The second half started well with the Bray Midfield and full back line making some very strong tackles on the Crokes players, as they pushed forward to pull back the score. Emmets were reasonably comfortable at this stage in defence and midfield where Oscar DeBurca and Ronan Browne were linking well together and sending very good ball into the forward line of Aengus, Adam, Conn and Luke, but fine defence by the visitors denied Emmets the scores they deserved. Ronan scored again from a long kick at goal from out the field, after a fine break by Conn Benville and this was quickly followed up by another good point from Oscar DeBurca bringing the score now 15pts to 7pts for Emmets. Unfortunately this lead didn't last long as Crokes started to up the ante and were rewarded with 2 fine points in succession without any response from the Bray lads who seemed to have gone asleep at the back. Again Ronan who tackled and harried all around him was rewarded for a fine block as was Oscar leaving the scores Emmet's 17 pts to Crokes 13. Crokes entered the last 6 minutes trailing and were awarded 3 bonus points for very good block downs in mid-field and in front of their own goal. A long ball from Crokes caught the home team sleeping again and a free was given straight in front of the home teams goal, which was easily dispatched over the bar to put Crokes into a two-point lead. They held onto this lead as the final whistle blew much to the disappointment of the Bray Emmet team. Team Aaron Lyons, Caolan Brady, Ben Hoskin, Corner backs - Kevin Nolan, Kevin Spain,Ronan Browne, Oscar DeBurca, Luke Steele ( Capt), Con Bennville, Adam Barry, Aonghus Muldoon. ...

22 November, 2008

Last Saturday we headed out for our final match of the year. The opposition was St Peregrines from Blakestown that is just beyond the Blanchardstown Shopping Centre. A big turnout of 20 lads set out on the day. We had played them already this year in Old Conna and we managed to steal the game with a last minute free so no doubt payback would be on their mind. After a fifty minute car trip we started our warm up routine and chaos seemed to be the order of the day as 2 players managed to get injured so the mentors weren't looking forward to the match at this rate!! The main report comes from the green team. The pitch was very heavy and cut up after overnight rain and a previous match. Straight from the throw in Peregrines ripped into this match and quickly ran up a 10 point to nil lead during the ground hurling portion of the first half before our lads started to blow off the cobwebs. Anybody that attends any sporting events will often tell you there was a single moment that seemed to change the tone of the game. This moment came in our match at about the ¾ mark in the first half. Owen Duffy batted down a high ball to score a skill point and Conan O'Duill immediately followed this with another skill point. We were off the mark and the team seemed to explode. Stephen Finn marshalled our defence and blocked every Peregrine attack with Evan Sweeney sweeping out the breaking balls. Liam Carolan and Owen were now on fire in the middle of the field. Owen lifted a ball while surrounded by three Peregrines players and while two attempted to block him and another attempted to hook him he got his shot in from the centre of the field and split the posts - he also shattered his hurl. Biased as the writer may be this was a superb piece of skill that a senior player would be proud of. Our tails were up and now we were hurling but much to the relief of the Peregrines players the half time whistle was blown with the score reading 12-5 to our opponents. The half time score from the white pitch was 3-2 in favour of Bray and this was to have a major bearing on the final result but read on…T The Bray lads were first out for the second half and immediately upped the tempo even further. Peregrines battled ferociously for every ball and some more skill points were exchanged with Conan getting another for us. Fintan O'Shea in our goals was delivering massive puck outs right into the opposition half and eventually the concentrated pressure by Bray began to give results. Ryan Hannon and Ben Hoskin were terrorising the Peregrine wings and fed in some terrific ball into the centre and twice Mark Kenny was on hand to poach well-deserved scores. A couple of minutes to go … score 15-8 against us ….. Bray piling on the pressure …., Peregrines defending with all hands on deck …. parents from both teams getting fiercely excited on the line with shouts of encouragement. A puck out for Peregrines to their midfielder, he turned left, Owen blocked his way, he turned right he was blocked again, he turned left and was blocked again, holding on to long, free to Bray on the halfway line out at the sideline. Owen earned the free and he took it himself, straight over the bar (worth 3 at U10). Score was now 15-11 with about a minute left, my nerves won't take it, another Bray attack, Mark shoots and the Bray lads swamp the goalmouth, the goalie parries it away and it lands just too close to our lads as they run in and the shot is rushed and sent just wide. Time up and the ref blows the final whistle A superb display of hurling by both teams, not a single dirty stroke in the game but full blooded tackles and blocks from both teams. The Peregrines mentors were very sporting in victory and praised our lads immensely and awarded the man of the match to Owen Duffy and commended Fintan O'Shea for superb goalkeeping and puck out distribution. For me Stephen Finn was a giant in defence and he snuffed out virtually every Peregrines attack in the second half. The green team lost by four points but how were the white teaming doing for the aggregate score. We went over to their sideline to watch and the white team were laying siege to the Peregrines goalmouth. The score 7-3 to Bray, aggregate score 18-18. Was telepathy going on here, did our lads know we needed one more score. A shot from Ronan Browne the gaolie literally threw his body onto the ground to block the shot. There must have been 14 players in the goalmouth. Another shot from Bray, blocked again, the ball breaks to Conn Benville who lashed it to the back of the net for a score of 8-3. Aggregate score has us leading by one. They puck it out and the midfield sends it on down into their corner forward. Oisin Dougan pounces and hurleys clash, the ball breaks to Kevin Spaine who drives it back out to midfield and the ref blows the final whistle. The White team have carried the day. Richard was managing this team on the day and he said 7 players - Oisin Dougan, Ronan Browne, Luke Steele, Conn Benville, Kevin Nolan, Aaron Lyons & Caolan Brady shared the 8 scores with Adam Barry, Kevin Spaine and Jimmy Mason manning the goals and defence keeping Peregrines scoreless except for skill points. Man of the match on this pitch was awarded to Oisin Dougan. This game brought to an end a long season that started with three 40-50 point drubbings but ended with us holding our own against most opposition. This was gained by a lot of hard work by all the lads throughout the year and a very high attendance at training. Thanks to all the lads and we look forward to hurling in 2009. ...

1 November, 2008

16 Boys attended Saturday's league game against Good Council on a bright sunny autumn morning up in Old Connaught Ave. The panel consisted of: Ryan. Hannon, Aaron Lyons, Adam Barry, Aengus Muldoon, Conan O'Duill, Evan Sweeney, Fintan O'Shea, Jimmy Mason, Kevin Nolan, Kevin Spaine, Liam Carolan, Luke Steele, Mark Kenny, Owen Duffy, Philip Redmond and Ronan Browne. Good Council arrived with only 7 players and it was agreed after some discussion with the mentors of Good Council that Bray offered 4 players to make it 11 a side match - those who sportingly volunteered to play with Good Council were Ronan Browne, Aaron Lyons, Kevin Spain and Kevin Nolan. Adam Barry also played the second half with Good Council after playing with Bray Emmets in the first half. Once the game got under, there was very little between the two teams in the first few minutes with both teams giving it a lash, it was all ground hurling for the first10 minutes and both sides were connecting with great gusto with some hefty tackles coming in from both sides. The game was back and forth between Good Councils goal and midfield and it became clear after about 7 to 10 minutes that the Bray Emmett's midfield were taking control with Conan O'Duill, Liam Carolan , Philip Redmond and Owen Duffy challenging and winning more and more possession and were sending the ball both on the ground and in the air straight back towards Good Councils goal where forwards Jimmy Mason, Luke Steele and Aengus Muldoon were starting to cause more and more problems for the visitors. It was only a matter of time before Bray were to get their just reward after the Good Council keeper had again deflected another shot away from his goal, only as far as Owen Duffy who hit a raspier into the roof of the net. After that it was nearly all one-way traffic with further goals coming from Philip Redmond, (3.0) Conan O'Duill (1.1) Liam Carolan (3.0), Owen Duffy (2.2), Luke Steele (1.0) and Ryan Hannon (3.0). There was also solid defensive performances from Fintan O'Shea , Mark Kenny and Evan Sweeney who played their part in keeping the ball down in their opponents half with fine drives from the ground and the hand - a sign that the hard work that is going on in the background is finally paying off. There were a large number of mums and dads on the side line lending their support, while their little darlings did battle on the pitch. There was the usual good humoured banter on the line and this was not always directed at the players or the referee, who had a quiet but efficient game keeping things going with little or no interruptions or hold ups for injuries. (Thanks Harry). Barry Steele kindly volunteered this week to take some pictures of the game and thanks to him for that. To all the parents who came along to offer their support many thanks - keep it up. A good morning all round, trick is to keep it going. Players should work on the skills being shown at training and they will pay off during the matches. It is worth noting that the 5 young lads who volunteered to play for Good Council without any fuss and very sportingly joined forces with the opposition to even up the numbers, each of these young men did themselves justice and played their heart's out against what was on the day a better and more committed Bray Emmets team. But one young man who caught the writer's eye during the game was Kevin Nolan, whose never say die attitude deserves a quick mention. Kevin played his heart out at full back for Good Council, always hustling and bustling, making things as difficult as possible for his Bray Emmets club. He made several blocks and some very telling tackles when goals and points were a certainty. This was a commendable performance showing tremendous grit and courage - well-done Kevin - keep up the good work. The best performance for the Bray lads in terms of determination and effort was Aengus Muldoon. Aengus was very unfortunate not to get any score himself and was denied on several occasions by last gasp defending but he did make 3 scores for his team-mates This was a well-rounded performance from all the Bray players with a good team attitude coming to the fore. All these lads play as a team and unselfishly lay on scoring opportunities for each other. This is proven by the wide spread in scorers. The camaraderie on this team can by seen by anybody by the wide smiles and on field "high fives" when things work out. This team wins and loses with good grace. Keep up the efforts as we head towards the U11 ranks. Final Score Bray Emmett's 22 Points - Good Council 1. ...

1 November, 2008

On the weekend before the Bank Holiday we met at Old Conna on a cold, windy morning for an away match to Faugh's. We had plenty of wind and a little bit of rain, but great support all the same. Neil took the White team and lined them up as follows: Aaron Lyons in goals, after his man of the match performance last week. In the backs were Jimmy Mason, Adam Barry and Ryan Purdy. In the middle we had Ronan Browne and Oscar DeBurca, and up front we had Conan O'Duill and the battling Kevin Nolan and Kevin Spaine. We started off the first half with a slight wind behind us but found out very quickly we were up against some tough competition throughout all their positions. Within 4 minutes they got their first score. We fought back immediately with Oscar connecting up with the two Kevin's who were in great attacking form again, but unfortunately their defence cleared our first attack. Ronan and Jimmy combined well during Faugh's next attach, and succeeded in clearing the ball down the centre, but Faugh were able to shoot, but it went wide. Ryan and Oscar were doing a lot of great work in defence to keep Faughs from scoring. Our next attack came from another great puck-out from Aaron, all the way up to the forwards, but again Faugh's defence proved too strong, and got the ball to their forwards who managed to score again. Then for the second week in a row Ronan scored another skill point from a great block down in defence. Ryan continued his good work in defence and cleared a ball wide where Conan fought for and won the ball driving it up to Kevin S. who was helped out by Kevin N. but unfortunately they were closed down again. The right hand side was seeing a lot of action, and Adam was doing his best against all the attacks coming down that side. Aaron was doing well in goal, and Jimmy was fighting hard in front of him trying to protect our goal. After 10 min the game went to air hurling and Conan was leading the pack in pick-ups and striking in the air. Ronan continued his good work in defence with another tap down scored another skill point, his second of the game. With our defence seeing a lot of the ball, Jimmy and Ronan were seeing a lot of the ball, with Adam showing how to clear out wide to the wings. At the end of the 1sthalf there was a goal line scramble where the Bray backs were putting their bodies on the line, so much so that the goals managed to fall backwards. With that the half time whistle blew. We tried some positional changes in the second half, with Ronan moving up front, Conan into the middle and Oscar into the backs. Faugh's scored early, after our backs were slow to mark-up, I think all the first half pressure was beginning to show. We had a few chances at the start of the second half, with Aaron's long clearances setting up Ronan and Kevin S. but unfortunately both shooting wide with our first two chances. Faugh's next break again caught our defence stretched after chasing the game and they scored on that attack and on their next three, putting the game out of reach. Conan was dong great in mid field picking up and trying to strike the ball about 10 times. The team continued to show great spirit and fight, starting with Aaron on goals, Jimmy, Ryan and Adam in defence, Ronan and Conan picking up and clearing the ball in the middle with Oscar and the two Kevin's giving it everything up front. Well-done lads. Man of the match on this pitch was Conan. On the green pitch the game was hampered for both sides by the heavy pitch and ground clearances weren't travelling very far. The 1stand 3rdquarters are ground hurling and the conditions turned them into a frustrating time for both sets of players with little progress made by either team. The 2ndand 4thquarters were air-hurling and this was when most of the action took place. Faughs had the better of the opening half and took their few scoring opportunities whereas our opportunities dropped short or went agonizingly wide. Bray came out for the second half and immediately upped their performance and went chasing the match. Tackles were put in and opposition players closed down quickly and we started to take our scores and to close the gap. Bray also clocked up a huge 8 skill points (for bat downs) throughout this half. This pitch had the unusual configuration of one adult goalpost and one juvenile post. We had the benefit of shooting into the larger posts in the first half but we didn't take our scores. The final outcome in this match swung on 2 frees to each team in the second half. Faughs had two frees into the larger goals and scored both (6 points as over the bar is worth three points). Bray's frees were into the smaller goals and with a strong crosswind blowing off the motorway our first free drifted just right of the posts. To compensate we lined up our second slightly left but the ball flew true and drifted just wide of the left post - a possible six points missed. Final score was 24-15 to Faughs. If only the posts were reversed for those frees - c'est la vie !! No individual man of the match on this pitch as the whole team put in a phenomenal second half with every player either scoring from play or scoring a skill point. This team has made huge improvements since some of our early year heavy defeats and is now becoming very competitive with each match - well done lads for all your effort. The team this week was Mark Kenny, Ryan Hannon, Liam Carolan, Owen Duffy, Fintan O'Shea, Philip Redmond, Stephen Finn, Ben Hoskin and Oisin Dougan. ...

25 October, 2008

Bray played host to St Olafs and Ballinteer St Johns in a 3 way hurling blitz recently. Both these teams had beaten us earlier in the year with BSJ in particular giving us a severe beating so we were using these games as a benchmark of our improvements over the summer. The reports are from the green team. The first match against Olafs was an edgy affair as the Bray lads were determined not to be beaten on this occasion. Bray opened the scoring when Philip Redmond scored a nice 3pointer (over the bar worth 3, under the bar worth 1 in U10 Go games) from on the run. The match settled in to a midfield battle as the dominant defences quickly despatched any ball played into the forward positions back out again. Liam Carolan, Oisin Dougan and Mark Kenny were very strong for Bray in these positions. Olafs got a skill point for a bat down and added to this with a well-taken point from midfield. Going into the last few minutes Bray were pressing hard to try and at least draw and this persistence was awarded with a 65. Owen Duffy who had spent his summer holidays practising frees and sideline cuts stepped up and calmly dispatched the ball between the posts to give Bray a 6-4 lead. Olafs made a final push and were themselves awarded a 65 but their attempt just drifted to the right and was signalled wide to the relief of the Bray lads. A hard fought victory to the Bray lads. The second game was against BSJ and Bray put in another hard battling game against a very skilled opposition. This game was tit for tat all the way as BSJ scored a 3 pointer, which was cancelled out, by scores from Stephen Finn and skill points from Owen Duffy and Philip Redmond. BSJ got their own skill point and again Bray responded with an absolute bullet of a ground shot from Ronan Browne from about 20 yards out which nearly tore the net off the posts. Into the last couple of minutes the match was level when our lads let their concentration slip and the BSJ forwards twice broke inside our back line to poach scores. The final score was 6-4 against us but this was a massive improvement on our early season form against this opposition.Many thanks to Richard Hourihan and Harry Stephenson for refereeing on the day. ...

25 October, 2008

Our first match after the summer break was against St Brigids of Castleknock. Due to holiday absences in both teams we played a single 12-aside game instead of the normal 2 by 9 aside games. This was another good end-to-end match with both sides being equal until the last couple of minutes. Brigids opened the scoring with a 3 pointer and then each team scored skill points for bat downs with Owen Duffy getting Bray's score. Philip Redmond scored for Bray after his shot that was heading for the roof of the net was deflected over the bar off a defenders helmet. Unfortunately our team went asleep in the final couple of minutes for Brigids to score twice and win by a narrow margin. The Brigids team mentors were very complimentary of our team as 3 times during the game they praised our players (Liam Carolan, Owen Duffy and Philip Redmond) for making clean catches under pressure. This part of our game has improved since we started doing a number of wall ball sessions over the summer The U10 hurling panel is: Aaron Lyons, Adam Barry, Aonghus Muldoon, Ben Hoskin, Caolan Brady, Conan O'Duill, Conn Benville, Evan Sweeney, Fintan O'Shea, Jimmy Mason, Kevin Nolan, Kevin Spaine, Liam Carolan, Luke Steele, Mark Kenny, Oisin Dougan, Oscar DeBurca, Owen Duffy, Phillip Redmond, Ronan Browne, Ryan Hannon, Stephen Finn. ...

13 October, 2008

This week we have reports from a number of recent hurling matches. On Saturday last we travelled to Avondale for the last of this years U10 hurling blitzes. These have been very enjoyable and well organised throughout the year and you are usually guaranteed good matches against a variety of clubs. As a special treat Avondale organised a pipe band to lead all the teams in a parade around the pitches. Before the first match started the band played the national anthem and all the children joined in heartily The reports come from the green team and their opposition were ARP, Eire Og and Avondale. The rules in this blitz are ground hurling first half and air hurling in the second half. In the first game, with a heavy pitch underfoot the ground hurling was slow until the lads from both teams improvised and started to flick the ball into the air and strike it without taking it into the hand and Philip Redmond bagged himself a hat trick of goals with this method. Fintan O'Shea was unlucky not to convert a couple of chances when put into possession inside the opposition defence but he was denied by superb goalkeeping by ARP. In the second half the Bray lads were shooting for points whereas the opposition were working in for goal attempts and they got a couple when our midfield didn't track back to help out our beleaguered defence. Mark Kenny and Oisin Dougan were clearing large amounts of attacks with strong performances by both lads. This match ended in a draw with Philip taking the man of the match performance. After a stern taking to from the mentors about not tracking back the team took to the pitch for the second match against Eire Og. It was like a new team as we dominated this match in midfield. Ryan Hannon in goals boomed out his puckouts and Owen Duffy and Stephen Finn mopped up almost everything that came their way. Owen's first touch was particularly good in this match and he was striking off both his left and right side to feed the forward line, which earned him a man of the match performance. Our forward line of Ryan (having moved out in the second half) and Evan Sweeney were very impressive and free scoring in this match. In the final match of the day we lined out against Avondale and this was a very intense game of end-to-end action. The Bray lads took an early lead when Owen fired in from the centre of the field for Stephen to pounce and score the goalkeepers parried save. Liam Carolan was a rock in defence and was issuing captain like instructions to his fellow defenders to keep things tight. Oisin blasted a number of sideline cuts right into the heart of the opposition goalmouth to set up some goal opportunities. Stephen Finn has grinding out a huge amount of possession in midfield and twice was fouled. While Stephen received treatment from the magic bottle Owen scored both frees. However we were caught out in the last minute when Avondale scored a goal after a defensive mix up. They then won possession from the puck out to poach another goal to give them the narrowest of wins. Man of the match performance in this match went to Stephen Finn. To round off the day and to mark the final blitz of the year each player received a medal that was presented by Wicklow captain Jonathan O'Neill. ...

11 October, 2008

The teams met up at Old Conna at 9.45am on a sunny but windy morning. The pitches were up behind the Spawell and by the time we got there the wind seemed to pick up even more. The report is from the white team. Hugh and Neil looked after the white team on the top pitch and the match started at 10.40am. We started off well but spent the majority of the first few minutes under a lot of pressure from Judes who started very strong. Our backs and midfield stood up very well to the pressure with Ronan Browne, Kevin Nolan, Caolan Brady and Ben Hoskin putting in some great tackles and getting stuck in and Aaron Lyons had to make some great saves to keep a clean sheet. After 4 minutes Judes made another break, and despite Ben's best efforts, Judes scored a deserved goal. They then continued their pressure, with Aaron making a great clearance off the line. Two minutes later a high ball came into mid-field and Ronan earned a skill point by tapping it down, keeping the sore to 1 - 1. The pressure continued with the midfield of Kevin Spaine, Luke Steele and Caolan Brady all having to help out defending. Judes scored another skill point from a high ball into midfield making it 2 - 1. After two great clearances from Ben, and some great battling in the middle of the field from Kevin and Ronan, things started to even out a bit. Our forwards of Oscar DeBurca, Lochlann Dougan and Adam Barry started to see some action at last with more balls making it up to them. After ten minutes the game changed to air hurling, and Judes won a free where Ben made a great clearance, and Ronan followed up with a long clearance up to the forwards. With five minutes to go in the first half Fintan O'Shea and Mark Kenny came on for Adam and Luke who got a well-deserved rest. In the last few minutes of the first half Mark had a great shot, which went just wide, and Luke, Kevin S. and Caolan got stuck in, in midfield and things started to even up. The second half started with Oisin Dougan coming in to the midfield, and the pressure started again, with Ben doing some great defending and Aaron making some great saves. Kevin N. and Ronan continued to defend well, but the wind and the hill made for plenty of side lines. After ten minutes, Kevin N., cleared the ball out of defence up to Kevin S. in midfield who moved the ball up to the forwards where Adam and Lochlann narrowly missed scoring. Oisin continued to battle in midfield driving some great balls up to Oscar, Adam and Lochlann. Mid way through the half Ronan made a great clearance to Adam who was closed down before he had a chance to shoot. On eleven minutes Judes made another break down the right and scored making the score 3 - 1. After twelve minutes Phillip Redmond came on into the midfield, and from a sideline hit the ball to Oscar who created a great chance that just went wide. After another clearance from midfield by Phillip, Lochlann and Oscar both battled well to create another chance that was cleared by the Judes defence. On Jude's next attack, Kevin N. made another great goal-line clearance. The last chance fell Brays way with Kevin S. winning the ball in the middle and passing it on to Oscar who passed it on to Lochlann with Mark taking the final shot just wide. With that, the final whistle went and the score was 3 - 1 to Judes, but it was a great battling performance by Bray. Well-done lads. ...

9 August, 2008

The latest round off U10 Hurling blitzes was held on Saturday in Roundwood. Heavy overnight rain only stopped about an hour before the games were due to begin and black clouds were ominous everywhere. As a result only 6 diehard players turned up for the day, which meant opposition teams had to loan us players in each match to partially rectify the imbalance. Regardless, we decided to play and we drew the short straw in our first game and came up against a very good Glenealy team. Midway through the first half Owen Duffy took an accidental hard knock to the back of the leg and limped off for some treatment and then had to resume at full forward due to lack of mobility. For the second half, which is all in air hurling, he retired to the goalkeeping position and was peppered in quick succession for 2 quick goals by fast soloing Glenealy forwards. With ego hurting and temper rising he threw himself headlong at the next shot and parried down an almost certain goal and followed up by rising quickly from the ground to block down the follow up shot from the forward. This was followed by several more terrific saves and now with Evan Sweeney rising to the game out in the middle of the field and hassling the rampaging opposition into shooting wildly and forcing errors so that they remained scoreless from play for the remainder of the match. Glenealy scored from a couple of well taken frees to win out the match. For the second match we came up against Roundwood who loaned us 2 players. This match ebbed and flowed and Kevin Nolan seemed to pop up everywhere on the pitch to break up the opposition play. Stephen Finn also produced the score of the game with a nice point from on the run. Ryan Hannon manned the goals for most of this match and efficiently cleared up balls and distributed his puck outs very well. Mark Kenny was a constant treat in the forward line and had some very near misses. Our final match was against Kilcoole and at this stage our lads were struggling with the constant running to cover the pitch. We had two injuries in this game with Kevin getting an accidental bang on the elbow from a teammate and Mark hurting his foot but both hardy lads resumed quickly to give it everything. On the day the results didn't go our way but the six lads put in maximum effort and this was visible to all as they came off after the final match with sweat soaked hair, flushed faces and tired limbs. Many thanks also to all the parents that came along to support and cheer on the lads. The team on the day was Owen Duffy, Stephen Finn, Ryan Hannon, Mark Kenny, Kevin Nolan and Evan Sweeney. ...

14 June, 2008

This Saturday we had our first outing of the year in the Wicklow U10 hurling blitzes. As usual we split into 2 teams and Aoife returned from the girls team for the day to make it 8 players per team. The report this week is from the green team. Confidence is a bit fragile at the moment with this team as they have taken some big beatings in matches recently so there was mixed expectations as we lined out for the first match. Eire Og were our first opponents and unfortunately for them this turned out to be one of those matches when every thing we touched just seemed to go right. The Bray lads ripped into this game with some fabulous first touch hurling which kept the opposition on the back foot throughout the match. Philip and Owen mastered the midfield and feed a huge supply of ball into our forward line of Oisin and Mark. They pounced on everything and poached some marvellous scores. When the unfortunate defenders managed to parry out some shots Fintan was charging in to punish the breaking ball. When the opposition broke forward Conan and Liam were rock solid in defence. Ryan whose goalkeeping confidence is growing each week kept a clean sheet. Best score of the match was from Philip when he lifted a ball driven in low from the midfield to his hand and turned to blast over the crossbar from a tight angle. Our second opposition was against Kilcoole. This match was only about 2 minutes in when Mark, sensing a goal opportunity, went in to block down the 'keepers clearance but was accidentally caught full force across the forearm by the hurl. At first glance this looked like a very nasty injury, and Mark left the pitch after some first aid to play no further part on the day. This incident seemed to upset the Bray lads and unsettled their play as they seemed unsure of themselves in the tackle for the rest of the match. However, Stephen and Jimmy came on as subs and Jimmy steadied the ship in defence and cleared several vital balls. The Bray lads started to get back on top and the score of this game came when Ryan, playing in the forwards got the ball into his hand and cheekily hand passed backwards over his head for Stephen to hammer the loose ball to the back of the net. Bray won by the narrowest of margins. Our final match was against Roundwood. As we were down a player and they had extra lads they loaned us two players (who played very well) and a terrific hard fought end-to-end match ensued. A couple of early lapses in our defence gave the opposition an early lead but we eventually steadied with Ryan and Oisin getting on top in defence. Phillip's booming puck outs shifted the momentum back to Bray. Conan was ruling midfield and batting down lots of ball, twice Owen put in superb hooks to thwart the Roundwood midfield. Bray won a couple of sideline balls and Fintan drove these right into the goalmouth from which Liam poached 2 goals. The score of this match was to give Liam a hat trick. He picked up on a breaking ball from our midfield and scored while hitting the ball on the run from the right side of the pitch to level the match. This was a good day out for this team and will be a nice confidence boost to encourage them to keep up the effort at hurling. Meanwhile, reports from the Kenny household are that Mark, although sore and badly bruised is making a good recovery and is very keen to get back out on the pitch. All his team-mates wish him well and look forward to his return. ...

9 June, 2008

We played host to Kilmacud under warm blue skies on Saturday morning. As the visitors were short of players on the day we played one main match with a friendly on the second pitch. The friendly consisted of one Bray team and a 50:50 team of Kilmacud and Bray players. The main report comes from the latter game. The mixed team started off really well and scored some very nice early scores with the Bray contingent contibuting very well. The ability of this team to run through from midfield was the telling factor in the first half. The full Bray team kept within striking distance and Mark scored a lovely point from a sideline kick to keep confidence up. The second half saw the Bray lads emerge with new vigour and they attacked from the beginning. Some fine hand passing and movement from Oisin, Kevin and Oscar opened up the defence and Mark again finished off nicely. Our own Aaron, playing for the visitors scored a fine solo effort by taking on and beating two defenders. At the end it was honours shared with a victorious half to each team. Man of the match on this pitch this week went to Mark. With some fine pieces of skill on show and tremendous effort this was a fine free flowing match to watch and the many spectators thoroughly enjoyed it. The second pitch was where the "serious" action was taking place. Reports from Neil and Pat were that each and every one of the Bray lads put in a massive performance. Kilmacud who are never an easy team also played their part in this high scoring treat of football. The Bray lads lead at half time by a single point but they started to exert huge pressure in the second half. With very unselfish ball distribution and interplay and finished off by terrific score taking we managed to edge ahead. Final score on this pitch was a welcome win by 49-35. ...

24 May, 2008

Bray played Ballyboden's no 1 team last Saturday in a hastily rescheduled football game due to the cancellation of our matches against Lucan No 2 and No 1 respectively. Although Ballyboden would be one of the kings of juvenile Dublin football we had a very close game with them last year so we were not over-awed. Our main report is from the white pitch. This game started at a frantic pace and the Bray lads were competing well all over the pitch. We had a number of chances up front with Aonghus and Kevin N catching a lot of ball but the Ballyboden defence was quick to smother our shots on goal. Adam managed to beat the defence and scored a lovely point from the right side of the pitch. Ben and Mark put in huge efforts at midfield driving the ball forward and tracking back as the game ebbed and flowed. Kevin S, Conn and Luke held the back line and snubbed out many of the Ballyboden attacks. Aaron put in another great performance between the posts. During the second half the pace of the match started to take it's toll on the Bray lads and the opposition had a number of subs that they were able to rotate on and off. However we still persevered and Mark brought a great cheer from our supporters with a well taken long-range score. The man of the match award on this pitch this week was shared between Luke and Adam who both played magnificently. A brief report from the green pitch. Bray attacked this game right from the start and was leading at half time. The change about gave Ballyboden the benefit of a strong wind, which they used to their advantage as they gradually clawed back the deficit and moved into the lead. This was a very competitive game with well-taken scores from both sides. Aside from a little naivety on the Bray part when we turned into block downs from a well marshalled Ballyboden defence this game would have gone down to the wire. Overall, two credible performances from Bray against one of the elite sides of Dublin football. ...

17 May, 2008

U10 action this week came from a home hurling game against Ballinteer. We have played this team several times over the last couple of years and we were expecting a close tight game. Due to 1st communion commitments we were short a few players but we managed to field two teams. On the white pitch we had started well enough until three quick scores in succession hit us and this seemed to knock the wind out of our play. Owen and Ryan shared the goalkeeping duties in the first half and they were peppered with shots but they still managed to clear a lot of ball. The Ballinteer lads however were first rate and some of their scoring was breathtaking at times. With a spring in their step the opposition seemed to get to most balls first with our lads chasing and tackling as best they could. Liam, Stephen, Fintan and Philip kept going throughout. They managed to drive a ball into our forward line where Mark and Jimmy kept pressure on the visitors. There were a few nerve jangling goalmouth scrambles but unfortunately we got very little reward for our efforts.The match on the second pitch was of a similar back to the wall defensive game for the young Bray lads. Reports from this pitch credited Aaron with a man of the match performance in goals were he managed to keep the Ballinteer scoring down to a respectable level.Overall, despite a frustrating day the Bray lads showed some nice individual touches at times but a classy BSJ team overwhelmed us on the scoreboard. ...

14 April, 2008

Last Saturday week we had a fullpanel of 20 as we made the journey to windswept Ringsend to take on Clan Na Gael in football. However our hosts were very short with only 12 players and one pitch available. Rather than have lads standing around on the cold sidelines waiting to be swapped in and out of the game it was agreed that we would loan them 4 players. An all in rather unorthodox sixteen-aside game on a lengthened pitch was played. You would expect chaos to ensue, as go games are normally only 9-aside but the Bray lads seemed to thrive on the occasion. Clan Na Gael opened the scoring by taking advantage of some full back line confusion but that was all they got out of the first half except for a few skill points. Meanwhile our lads started to turn the screw and a toe poked scrambled goal settled out lads and we clocked up another goal, a point and some skill points to leave us with a 7-4 half-time lead. In the second half, with the wind to our backs, and our midfield and defence supplying generous amounts of ball into our forward lines we started to clock up the scores. Man of the match on the day was Stephen with 4 extremely well taken points from the half forward position. This Clan Na Gael team beat us by a single point last October but last Saturday they simply could not cope with the relentless tackling and pressure applied by everyone of the Bray lads. Final score was a victory for Bray 27-5. ...

12 April, 2008

The Saturday just gone was beautiful morning in Old Conna, and perfect for hurling unlike the afternoon hailstorms that the seniors had to play through. The U10s faced up to St Peregrines. With numbers down due to a bout of sickness we played one 8 aside and one 7 aside game. On the 8-aside pitch the visitors had one midfielder who stood several inches taller than our tallest man and from his demeanour he was obviously used to having the run of the pitch, but not so today While Stephen man marked him and out muscled him Owen and Fintan were in stealing the ball and driving it into our forward line. Kevin and Luke were pressuring their defence into all sorts of mistakes and our back line of Liam, Ryan and Mark were rock solid and letting nothing through. Tensions were high and some very hard tackles and blocks went in from both sides and there were several stoppages for accidental injuries. Bray exerted more pressure and Owen forced the concession of a 65, which he himself calmly popped over to leave the half-time score at 3-1 to Bray. The Bray lads sensed a rare hurling victory and went into the second half with all guns blazing and fully committed themselves to every tackle and block. Stephen sent over another score from on the run to leave the score at 6-1 so with the second match having finished 4-0 in favour of the visitors the combined score was 6-5 with only minutes left on the clock. Bray surged forward again and Stephen was roughly fouled by a neck high tackle. Normally at U10 the fouled person takes the free but Stephen was off getting fixed up so Owen took the resultant free from near the half way line and drove it straight over the bar and almost out onto the M11 for a lead of 9-5 on combined score. Anxious faces looked to Richard our referee as time ticked down. The final whistle was greeted by leaps of joy for a rare but very sweet win. With several chipped hurleys, bruised ankles and fingers as a testament to the competitiveness of the game this was a fantastic all round performance by everyone but man of the match goes to Kevin Spaine for an extremely determined performance on the day. ...

17 March, 2008

Westmanstown were the visitors to Old Conna on a wet windy morning last Saturday to play our U10 team. Westmanstown are a football only team and are a formidable side as they regularly clock up seventy points per game. However as it turned out the opposition did not overawe these young Bray lads. As the visitors were short players on the day we loaned them three players and played a 12-aside match. From the start the Bray lads got stuck into the opposition and exerted all the early pressure and we got some early scores on the board. Westmanstown were very economical with their rare forays into our half whereas the Bray lads were struggling with the greasy ball and shot several wides. Our goalkeeper Jimmy who just returned after a few weeks absence was tremendous in his distribution of the ball from kickouts which helped us keep constant pressure on the opposition defence. The half time score was 7-4 to the visitors. As required under Go Games we rotated several players at the break and this seemed to be our undoing. During the third quarter we scored another 4 points but again we struggled to hit the target with another few near misses. During the final quarter the Westmanstown midfield began to take over. Their two big men started to get the range and pick off the scores and our distribution out of defence started to splutter giving them some more opportunities. The final score ended 28-8 but with a half dozen over the bar scores (3 points each) squandered that we would normally get this should have been a much closer finish. In relative terms this was a strong performance from Bray as they managed to hold such quality opposition for three quarters of the match. An all round good performance with each and every player giving their all. ...

23 February, 2008

Last Saturday morning Bray travelled to Cuala for U10 football. It was another cool breezy morning for the supporters on the sidelines but the weather didn't prevent the Bray boys from putting in a very strong all round performance. With only sixteen players available we split into a nine player green team and seven Bray players, supplemented by two loaned Cuala players to make a white team. The white team match started as a tightly contested game with few opportunities for either team but Bray clocked up a few skill points for block downs and a fortunate free that dropped into the Cuala net. The second half exploded into life as Conan and Luke started to dominate the midfield and feed plenty of balls into the forward line of Kevin N and debutant Aonghus and gradually Bray started to grab a few scores. Cuala similarly tried to put the pressure on but the Bray back line of Kevin S, Adam and the towering presence of Ben restricted their scoring opportunities to a minimum. The white team considerably upped their performance on last week and came away with a nice 16-9 win on this pitch. Many thanks to our juvenile coach Richard for standing in and refereeing this match. The green pitch turned out to be the proverbial game of two halves with the wind being the deciding factor. A very open game with some very well taken scores from both sides left Bray with a narrow 21-19 half time lead. However it was Cuala with the benefit of the wind that upped the pressure in the second half. By reacting to the kick outs into the wind a lot better than our lads and picking off their scores Cuala eventually won out on this pitch by 45-26. With honours shared on the day with a win for each team, this Bray squad is showing definite signs of improvement. ...