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Men's 2nd XI Reports Season 2011/2012
Ladies' 1st XI Reports Season 2011/2012
Thursday 14th April 2011
Weston 2nd X1 2-1 Three Rock Rovers 3rd X1
Weston 2nd X1 got their promotional campaign back on track with a hard fought victory over Three Rock last Thursday evening (14th). This was a refix from the bad weather postponements before Christmas, and it was worth the wait as both teams played good free flowing hockey. The home side started well and were one up after five minutes. Daryl Carey caught the Rovers defence on the hop with a quick free outside the circle. He managed to dribble past three defenders before slotting the ball under the advancing keeper for a brilliant solo goal. He scored a similar goal the previous Saturday against champions Corinthians, and when he is in this form he’s virtually unstoppable. Rovers responded well and proceeded to dominate possession for the rest of the half. Weston keeper Declan Kelly was in inspired form and made some great saves to keep the score at 1-0. He was well supported by the hard working full backs, Simon Mernagh and Neill O’Donnell, who had to be on their toes to keep track of the excellent lines of running of the Rovers forwards. Five minutes before the break Weston managed to score a second goal, very much against the run of play. A lightning break involving Jonny Long and Carey found schoolboy Karl Goodwin inside the Rovers circle. As the keeper advanced, Goodwin brilliantly looped the ball over him and smashed it into an empty net for another excellent goal. 2-0 up at the break, player-coach Derek Tucker knew that Rovers would come out second half all guns blazing. And so it was, and they managed to finally secure a goal after a deflection inside the circle caught Kelly flat footed – game on! The remaining twenty minutes were quite tense as Weston looked to hang on to their slender lead while Rovers were desperate for an equaliser. Kelly was the hero as his man-of-the-match performance continued to frustrate the visitors. Just before the end, Jon Long picked up an injury which will probably see him out for the remainder of the season, but substitutes Mark Benzies and Eoin Ryan added fresh impetus and played their part in securing an excellent win. Next up its a trip to Newpark school to play Avoca in the penultimate league fixture on Saturday 16th April. There are no more training sessions Tuesday nights as the 2nd X1 have only one more league tie to fulfil – date yet to be announced.
Saturday 9th April 2011
Corinthians arrived in Griffeen Valley Park knowing that a win would secure the Division 5 title and they left as league champions after a hard fought victory over a gallant Weston 2nd X1. On a beautiful spring day, with temperatures hitting 20 degrees, it was always going to be survival of the fittest, and in that sense both teams benches would prove crucial. The visitors started the better and their passing and movement was causing the home defence lots of problems. Weston keeper Declan Kelly had to be sharp to fend off a couple of early Corinthians attacks. He could do nothing about the opening goal after Corinthian’s were awarded a penalty corner for a stick tackle in the circle by Neil O’Donnell. A well worked set piece was duly dispatched into the net for a 1-0 lead. Corinthians continued to dominate and looked good value for their lead coming up to half time. However, Weston substitute Daryl Carey had other ideas. Five minutes from the break he took a quick free just outside the visitors circle. He went around two defenders before dinking the ball under the advancing keeper for a brilliant solo effort. 1-1 at the interval, Corinthians made some changes for the second period and took control of the game. The Weston midfield of Jonny Long, Adam Hanna and Karl Goodwin were struggling to gain any useful possession and it was no surprise that Corinthians took the lead again from another penalty corner, awarded after a heavy tackle inside the 25 from Carey. Weston’s response was good and Long missed a sitter after he was left one-on-one with the keeper, who managed to save at point blank range. Weston subs Matthew Pluck and Derek Kirwan added fresh impetus, but it was Corinthians who scored the third goal after a goal mouth scramble inside the Weston circle. Again, the Weston response was good and a through ball from Goodwin found Long in the ‘D’ and he made up for his earlier miss with a well taken goal. Credit to both teams on an energy sapping day, the last 10 minutes was exciting fare as Weston went in search of an equaliser and Corinthians looked to hang on for the win that would clinch the league title. One last chance was offered up to the home side a they were awarded a penalty corner on the full time whistle, but a poor push out led to a feeble effort which was well saved by the keeper. A minute later the full time whistle went and Corinthians were officially crowned league champions. Weston still have a lot to play for with three more league fixtures outstanding, starting with Three Rock Rovers this Thursday night (14th) at 7.15 p.m. in Griffeen Valley Park. It looks like the 2nd X1 will be without the services of centre back Peter Kirwan for the rest of the season as he went off injured in the first half with a nasty ankle injury. We wish Peter the best of luck with his recovery as he has been an outstanding contributor to the 2nd X1 cause throughout the season.
Team: D. Kelly, S. Mernagh, P. Lawson, N. O’Donnell, K. Taylor, A. Hanna, P. Kirwan, J. Long, D. Tucker, K. Goodwin and E. Ryan. Subs: D. Carey for O’Donnell, D. Kirwan for P. Kirwan, M. Pluck for Tucker and M. Benzies for Taylor
Weston 2nd X1 2-3 Corinthians 3rd X1
Corinthians arrived in Griffeen Valley Park knowing that a win would secure the Division 5 title and they left as league champions after a hard fought victory over a gallant Weston 2nd X1. On a beautiful spring day, with temperatures hitting 20 degrees, it was always going to be survival of the fittest, and in that sense both teams benches would prove crucial. The visitors started the better and their passing and movement was causing the home defence lots of problems. Weston keeper Declan Kelly had to be sharp to fend off a couple of early Corinthians attacks. He could do nothing about the opening goal after Corinthian’s were awarded a penalty corner for a stick tackle in the circle by Neil O’Donnell. A well worked set piece was duly dispatched into the net for a 1-0 lead. Corinthians continued to dominate and looked good value for their lead coming up to half time. However, Weston substitute Daryl Carey had other ideas. Five minutes from the break he took a quick free just outside the visitors circle. He went around two defenders before dinking the ball under the advancing keeper for a brilliant solo effort. 1-1 at the interval, Corinthians made some changes for the second period and took control of the game. The Weston midfield of Jonny Long, Adam Hanna and Karl Goodwin were struggling to gain any useful possession and it was no surprise that Corinthians took the lead again from another penalty corner, awarded after a heavy tackle inside the 25 from Carey. Weston’s response was good and Long missed a sitter after he was left one-on-one with the keeper, who managed to save at point blank range. Weston subs Matthew Pluck and Derek Kirwan added fresh impetus, but it was Corinthians who scored the third goal after a goal mouth scramble inside the Weston circle. Again, the Weston response was good and a through ball from Goodwin found Long in the ‘D’ and he made up for his earlier miss with a well taken goal. Credit to both teams on an energy sapping day, the last 10 minutes was exciting fare as Weston went in search of an equaliser and Corinthians looked to hang on for the win that would clinch the league title. One last chance was offered up to the home side a they were awarded a penalty corner on the full time whistle, but a poor push out led to a feeble effort which was well saved by the keeper. A minute later the full time whistle went and Corinthians were officially crowned league champions. Weston still have a lot to play for with three more league fixtures outstanding, starting with Three Rock Rovers this Thursday night (14th) at 7.15 p.m. in Griffeen Valley Park. It looks like the 2nd X1 will be without the services of centre back Peter Kirwan for the rest of the season as he went off injured in the first half with a nasty ankle injury. We wish Peter the best of luck with his recovery as he has been an outstanding contributor to the 2nd X1 cause throughout the season.
Team: D. Kelly, S. Mernagh, P. Lawson, N. O’Donnell, K. Taylor, A. Hanna, P. Kirwan, J. Long, D. Tucker, K. Goodwin and E. Ryan. Subs: D. Carey for O’Donnell, D. Kirwan for P. Kirwan, M. Pluck for Tucker and M. Benzies for Taylor
Weston 2nd X1 3-0 Monkstown 4th X1
Weston men’s 2nd X1 laid down a marker before their Intermediate Cup semi final against the same opposition with an emphatic defeat of Monkstown 4ths last Saturday (5th). The home side only had a squad of 11 players as a result of injuries and unavailability of regulars. However, the 11 played well and player coach Derek Tucker was very pleased with the performance and the end result. Eoin Ryan opened the scoring after 10 minutes, snapping up a penalty corner rebound and the Weston defence of Peter Kirwan and Paul Lawson stood firm to maintain this lead until the break. In the second half Monkstown piled forward and put the home side under pressure in search of that equalising goal. Goalkeeper Declan Kelly made a couple of smart saves and he was well supported by Lawson and his defenders. The next goal was going to prove crucial, and luckily for Weston, they got it through Peter O’Kearney on the break. After soaking up so much pressure, Weston played a counter attacking game and O’Kearney found himself in the right position inside the circle with 15 minutes to go. This goal knocked the stuffing out of the visitors and the Weston midfield began to grow in confidence. Jonny Long, Mark Benzies and Stephen O’Shaughnessy always looked dangerous as they broke from midfield to support the forwards. The final goal was the best of the game as Benzies fed Tucker on the half way line. His early ball found O’Shughnessy in space just outside the circle and as the Monkstown defence backed off he advanced forward to drill a shot under the visiting keeper. At 3-0 down Monkstown were never going to come back and the home side had secured another 3 league points. This win takes the 2nd X1 up to the lofty heights of 2nd in the table, behind Corinthians. This Saturday, the 2nds travel to St Columba’s College to take on the league leaders in a top of the table clash. Centre back Peter Kirwan is unavailable, but Tucker will be hoping his squad has the quality to take on the league leaders and try to close the gap at the top of the table. As always, a reminder to all 2nd/3rd team players – training every Tuesday night from 7 p.m.
The weston ladies met at 3 o clock on sunday anticipating another win, how ever it soon became evident
Weston 2nds 4-3 Suttonians
Weston men’s 2nd X1 made hard work of this 4-3 home win against Suttonians last Saturday (22nd). Leading 4-1 with ten minutes remaining, a lack of concentration allowed the visitors back into the game, which made for a nervy last couple of minutes. Suttonians arrived at Griffeen Valley Park with seven players as their 1st X1 cup tie had gone into extra time over in Rathgar and this delayed the arrival of some of their players. Weston made full use of this numerical advantage as they raced into a 2-0 lead inside the opening ten minutes. Jon Long opened the scoring after a flowing move involving Stephen O’Shaughnessy and Karl Taylor. Eoin Ryan soon made it two a couple of minutes later as he dispatched a penalty stroke. There was no further scoring before the break and at this point all the Suttonians players had arrived and it was now 11 v 11. Player-coach Derek Tucker used his bench well and introduced some fresh legs for the second period. Peter O’Kearney, Simon Pearson and Daryl Carey were all given a run and it was this fresh impetus that ensured the home side remained on top. Adam Hanna and Long were winning the midfield battle and up front Taylor and O’Kearney were causing the Suttonians defence lots of problems. Suttonians began to push forward to try and rescue the game and this left them vulnerable to the counter attack. It was from one such break that Weston secured their third goal, a tap in for O’Kearney after some good approach work from Ryan. 3-0 up and cruising, Weston could be accused of being a bit casual as they allowed Suttonians in for a soft strike to make it 3-1. However, a good response led to Ryan getting a fourth goal straight from the tip off. The last ten minutes was played at swashbuckling pace as Suttonians threw everything at the Weston defence. They did manage to pull two goals back from penalty corners, but by that stage they should have been out of sight as Darren Sherlock missed two glorious chances to score at the back post. As it was, it was a nervy last couple of minutes for the home side. They did manage to hang on for the win which takes them into the top half of the table for the first time this season. Next weekend the 2nd X1 take a break from the league campaign as they travel to North Kildare for a 2nd round Intermediate Cup tie. All players are encouraged to attend training this Tuesday (25th) at 7 p.m.
Team: D. Kelly, S. Mernagh, P. Lawson, A. Hanna, M. Benzies, S. O’Shaughnessy, P. Kirwan, J. Long, K. Taylor, S. Dwyer and E. Ryan. Subs: S. Pearson for Benzies, D. Sherlock for O’Shaughnessy, P. O’Kearney for Ryan and D. Carey for Taylor
Weston Mens 2nds 1-0 North Kildare
Saturday 20th November 2010 (eight weeks ago) was the last time Weston men’s 2nd X1 played a competitive fixture, and so it was with some relief that the 2nds finally managed to get their league campaign up and running again with a home fixture against North Kildare last Saturday (15th). After eight weeks of inactivity there was bound to be some rustiness, and so it was, as they laboured somewhat in the opening half. They did create some good chances with the strong running of Jon Long and Stephen O’Shaughnessy in midfield. However, try as they might, a forward-line of Eoin Ryan and Karl Goodwin could not break down a resolute Kildare defence. Daryl Carey came on at half time and along with Adam Hanna in midfield the home side took control of the game. The visiting keeper was having an inspired game and on a couple of occasions he sprung from his line to deny Long and Carey with excellent saves. The constant pressure from Weston led to numerous short corners and from one of these corners Peter Kirwan went closest to breaking the deadlock, but his sweep shot bounced back off the post. The North Kildare defence continued to frustrate the home side and as the game wore on, it looked like they would hang on for a hard fought point. However, with less than a minute to go, one final attack from Weston led to a penalty corner, the final action of the game. It was now or never, and a well executed move saw a switch at the top of the circle to Goodwin who unleashed an unstoppable shot that thundered off the backboard. It was tough luck on Kildare, but I’m sure even they would agree, the home side were good value for the win, despite the lateness of the winning goal. It proved to be a good day for Goodwin as he also grabbed two goals for the 3rd X1 in their Junior cup win against St James’ Gate earlier in the day. Next up for the 2nds is a home fixture against old rivals Suttonians on Saturday 22nd January. All players are encouraged to turn up for training every Tuesday night from 7 p.m.
Team: D. Kelly, S. Mernagh, P. Lawson, A. Hanna, M. Benzies, S. O’Shaughnessy, P. Kirwan, J. Long, K. Goodwin, D. Tucker and E. Ryan. Subs: D. Carey for Ryan and P. O’Kearney for Goodwin
Team :Sinead Keating Linda Fitzgerald Shauna Dunne Eimear Lowry Hayes Susan Kavanagh Karen Akindolie Rachel Spilling Orla Lowry Hayes Susan Loftus Fiona Kelly Alex Byrne.
Weston 3rds travelled to Naas for their first league game since being promoted. Naas started on the attack as soon as the whistle was blown. It took Weston ladies a few minutes to settle. Once Weston were settled down most of the play was on westons hands. Weston had many chances to score with great attempts from Susan Kavanagh and Orla Lowry Hayes. With encouraging words from coach Jon long it was just a matter of time before a goal was scored. Unfortunately no goals were scored but a load of shorts were won by the Weston girls. A great team effort was put in by all the girls.
Coaxing Ian Clarke to don the pads for a full season could be a master-stroke as he produced
a string of fine saves for Weston for the second week running as the former Glenanne man
deputises for the honey-mooning Vinny Byrne. Nonetheless, Pembroke had the edge in quality
to win their first game of the season at Serpentine Avenue against Weston.
Gordon Elliott and Craig Wilson – his second in as many games – both netted with shots to
the top right of the goal inside the opening ten minutes but the Lucanites fought back, Simon
Pearson registering his first division strike when he calmly placed under the out-rushing Gowan
Jones from the top of the circle to bring it back to 2-1.
But Elliott restored the two-goal wedge before the break, thankful to the huge industry of Ronan
Flannery for its creation. He burst forward from the back and his shot looked en route to the goal
before the former Irish international helped it on its way. Elliott missed from the spot for a would-
be hat-trick in a game which saw a high volume of frees and struggled to develop any sort of
rhythm.
Courtesy of the Hook
a nil-all draw against a very strong Swords team last Saturday (2nd Oct). Recently promoted
from Division 5 (where they were unbeaten last season), Swords started the game well and put
the home team under some pressure in the first fifteen minutes. Goalkeeper Aimee Franklin
held her nerve, making some impressive saves early on. Weston eventually settled into the
game, gaining more possession and territory as the first half went on, with some great interplay
between Grainne Ni Lanagain, Catherine Barry and Sarah Mortell down the right side. Aoife
Murray had a great chance to put Weston a goal up in the closing minutes of the first half, but
narrowly missed outside the left post.
Both teams started the second half well and had several scoring chances from play and penalty
corners. As the minutes ticked by, Weston got a couple of breaking balls, well-utilised by Jenny
Hughes and Alison Cooke, with Mairead D’Arcy extremely unlucky not to convert these scoring
opportunities. Swords weren’t without their share of chances and spent most of the final five
minutes in Weston’s half, but the strong defensive team of Carol Harrison, Nikki Kelly and
newcomer Leanne Kelly kept the visitors off the scoreboard. All in all, a fair result and a positive
start to the season for both teams. Weston will be looking to build on this solid performance and
secure a win away to Railway next Saturday.
Weston: A.Franklin, C. Harrison (capt), N. Kelly, L. Kelly, A. Cooke, C. Barry, G Ni Lanagain, J.
Hughes, R. Murphy, S. Mortell, M, D’Arcy, A. Murray, N. McCarthy.
Weston got their league campaign up and running with a hard fought draw at home to Avoca on
Saturday (2nd Oct). On a perfect day for hockey, both teams served up an entertaining game,
Weston having the better of the first half, while Avoca came back strongly in the second period.
The home team got off to a good start with Eoin Ryan, Mark Benzies and Matthew Auret putting
pressure on the visitors defence. This pressure was rewarded with a couple of penalty corners,
and from one of these corners Weston took the lead. Ryan’s intitial shot was well saved by the
keeper, but Auret followed up to crash the ball home. Auret, from Zimbabwe, is a student in
The King’s Hospital (one of three students on the team) and he was delighted with a goal in his
first competitive appearance for the club. Paul Lawson was the other player making his debut
for the club and he was very impressive in a sweeper role. Despite continued pressure Weston
couldn’t build on this lead before the half time break.
Avoca, who were relegated down to this Division last season, came out with real purpose in
the second half. The home midfield of Jonny Long and Derek Tucker struggled to contain their
opposite numbers as Avoca began to carve out a number of chances. Simon Mernagh and
Neill O’Donnell were coping well with the pressure in defence but keeper Derek Kirwan was
finally beaten by a low drive 15 minutes from time. It was anyone’s game now and both teams
created a number of opportunities to win it, without securing that elusive second goal. Peter
Kearney, on as sub, has the best of these opportunities, but couldn’t beat the visiting keeper.
He was well supported by Ryan, who was a constant threat to the Avoca defence all afternoon.
His marauding runs and trickery on the ball deserved a goal, but he will have to wait till next
weekend to open his league account. The game finished 1-1, a fair result as neither team
deserved to lose. Next weekend Weston travel to neighbours North Kildare and coach Mark
Slaughter will be hoping his side can secure their first league win of the season.
Weston: D. Kirwan, S. Mernagh, P. Lawson, N. O’Donnell, D. Tucker, K. Goodwin, M. Benzies,
J. Long, S. Shaughnessy, M. Auret and E. Ryan. Subs: P. Ennis for O’Donnell and P. Kearney
for Auret.
From the first whistle, Botanic were on the attack; however a combined effort from the Weston
midfielders and defence prevented them from breaching the visitor’s “D”. Mid-way through the
first half Botanic broke through and found the back of Weston’s goal. This seemed to fire up the
Weston’s ladies and with ten minutes to half time Elaine Griffen released the ball to Frances
Carroll who was waiting in the “D” to take a shot. Botanic’s goalie got her foot to it and the ball
rebounded into the path of Neasa Henry who pushed the ball over the line to score Weston’s
first goal. Botanic fought back however the Weston midfields kept them at bay, partly due to
Mairead Ryan’s effort, bravely winning each tackle that came her way.
The second half showed Weston’s high level of fitness and they spent most of the rest of the
game in Botanic’s half. They were rewarded for this and earned a penalty corner. Nicola
Keogh received the ball on top of the “D” and effortlessly hit the ball by Botanic’s defence and
goalie. With 10 minutes to go Weston were 2-1 up. This however did not dishearten the Botanic
ladies as they fought hard and kept the ball in Weston’s 25. Weston’s captain, Maryanne Ryan
rallied her defence together to keep Botanic out of Weston’s “D”. Nonetheless on two occasions
Botanic broke into the “D” and had two powerful shots on goal. Goalie Aimee Franklin pulled
off two super saves to keep Weston in the lead. The Weston ladies kept their composure to the
final whistle and were thrilled to start the new season with a great win.
Match Reports
Men's 2nd XI Reports Season 2011/2012
Ladies' 1st XI Reports Season 2011/2012
Men's Leinster League Division 5
Saturday 16th April 2011
Avoca 2nd X1 1-0 Weston 2nd X1
Weston men’s 2nd X1 lost their penultimate game of the season, played at Newpark School last Saturday (16th). With the 1st X1 season completed, The Kings Hospital on Easter break and the team suffering from a couple of injuries, it was a much changed 2nd X1 that took to the field from the one that gained victory against Three Rock on Thursday night. In came Barry Gilmartin, Neil Brereton, Darren Sherlock, Pat Ennis, Peter O’ Kearney, Philip Corcoran and Derek Kirwan from the 3rds, and despite a great effort from these players, it was Avoca who came out with a narrow 1-0 win. Weston were under pressure from the start as their defence soaked up plenty of pressure, with Eoin Ryan playing in an unfamiliar right back role, performing particularly well. Up front Sherlock was living off scraps as the Weston midfield struggled to provide him with the necessary service to cause the home defence any problems. The visitors defended penalty corners expertly, which kept the game scoreless at the break. In the second period Weston enjoyed a bit more possession as their midfield of Daryl Carey, Karl Goodwin and Mark Benzies began to exert some influence. Despite this, the home side deservedly took the lead from another penalty corner ten minutes into the second half. A well worked moved led to Kirwan conceding at his near post. Weston’s response was good and O’ Kearney and Carey had a couple of half chances inside the circle. Indeed, Weston won a couple of penalty corners of their own, and despite the best efforts of substitute Philip Corcoran, they could not score that elusive equaliser. The best chance of the game fell to O’Kearney and his shot had so much venom that the keeper was winded as it bounced off his chest pad! A couple of minutes later, the final whistle went and Weston slumped to their second defeat in three games. The final Division 5 league fixture is down for Saturday 30th April, but player-coach Derek Tucker is hoping to bring that forward to the mid-week prior to Saturday – look to the website for further details (www.westonhockeyclub.com).
Saturday 16th April 2011
Avoca 2nd X1 1-0 Weston 2nd X1
Weston men’s 2nd X1 lost their penultimate game of the season, played at Newpark School last Saturday (16th). With the 1st X1 season completed, The Kings Hospital on Easter break and the team suffering from a couple of injuries, it was a much changed 2nd X1 that took to the field from the one that gained victory against Three Rock on Thursday night. In came Barry Gilmartin, Neil Brereton, Darren Sherlock, Pat Ennis, Peter O’ Kearney, Philip Corcoran and Derek Kirwan from the 3rds, and despite a great effort from these players, it was Avoca who came out with a narrow 1-0 win. Weston were under pressure from the start as their defence soaked up plenty of pressure, with Eoin Ryan playing in an unfamiliar right back role, performing particularly well. Up front Sherlock was living off scraps as the Weston midfield struggled to provide him with the necessary service to cause the home defence any problems. The visitors defended penalty corners expertly, which kept the game scoreless at the break. In the second period Weston enjoyed a bit more possession as their midfield of Daryl Carey, Karl Goodwin and Mark Benzies began to exert some influence. Despite this, the home side deservedly took the lead from another penalty corner ten minutes into the second half. A well worked moved led to Kirwan conceding at his near post. Weston’s response was good and O’ Kearney and Carey had a couple of half chances inside the circle. Indeed, Weston won a couple of penalty corners of their own, and despite the best efforts of substitute Philip Corcoran, they could not score that elusive equaliser. The best chance of the game fell to O’Kearney and his shot had so much venom that the keeper was winded as it bounced off his chest pad! A couple of minutes later, the final whistle went and Weston slumped to their second defeat in three games. The final Division 5 league fixture is down for Saturday 30th April, but player-coach Derek Tucker is hoping to bring that forward to the mid-week prior to Saturday – look to the website for further details (www.westonhockeyclub.com).
Team: D. Kirwan, B. Gilmartin, P. Ennis, K. Taylor, M. Benzies, D. Sherlock, N. Brereton, P. O’Kearney, D. Tucker, D. Carey and E. Ryan. Subs: P. Corcoran for BreretonMens Leinster League Division 5
Thursday 14th April 2011
Weston 2nd X1 2-1 Three Rock Rovers 3rd X1
Weston 2nd X1 got their promotional campaign back on track with a hard fought victory over Three Rock last Thursday evening (14th). This was a refix from the bad weather postponements before Christmas, and it was worth the wait as both teams played good free flowing hockey. The home side started well and were one up after five minutes. Daryl Carey caught the Rovers defence on the hop with a quick free outside the circle. He managed to dribble past three defenders before slotting the ball under the advancing keeper for a brilliant solo goal. He scored a similar goal the previous Saturday against champions Corinthians, and when he is in this form he’s virtually unstoppable. Rovers responded well and proceeded to dominate possession for the rest of the half. Weston keeper Declan Kelly was in inspired form and made some great saves to keep the score at 1-0. He was well supported by the hard working full backs, Simon Mernagh and Neill O’Donnell, who had to be on their toes to keep track of the excellent lines of running of the Rovers forwards. Five minutes before the break Weston managed to score a second goal, very much against the run of play. A lightning break involving Jonny Long and Carey found schoolboy Karl Goodwin inside the Rovers circle. As the keeper advanced, Goodwin brilliantly looped the ball over him and smashed it into an empty net for another excellent goal. 2-0 up at the break, player-coach Derek Tucker knew that Rovers would come out second half all guns blazing. And so it was, and they managed to finally secure a goal after a deflection inside the circle caught Kelly flat footed – game on! The remaining twenty minutes were quite tense as Weston looked to hang on to their slender lead while Rovers were desperate for an equaliser. Kelly was the hero as his man-of-the-match performance continued to frustrate the visitors. Just before the end, Jon Long picked up an injury which will probably see him out for the remainder of the season, but substitutes Mark Benzies and Eoin Ryan added fresh impetus and played their part in securing an excellent win. Next up its a trip to Newpark school to play Avoca in the penultimate league fixture on Saturday 16th April. There are no more training sessions Tuesday nights as the 2nd X1 have only one more league tie to fulfil – date yet to be announced.
Team: D. Kelly, S. Mernagh, D. Kirwan, N. O’Donnell, D. O’Shaughnessy, A. Hanna, M. Pluck, J. Long, D. Tucker, K. Goodwin and D. Carey. Subs M. Benzies for Long and E. Ryan for O’ShaughnessyMens Leinster League Division 5
Saturday 9th April 2011
Weston 2nd X1 2-3 Corinthians 3rd X1
Corinthians arrived in Griffeen Valley Park knowing that a win would secure the Division 5 title and they left as league champions after a hard fought victory over a gallant Weston 2nd X1. On a beautiful spring day, with temperatures hitting 20 degrees, it was always going to be survival of the fittest, and in that sense both teams benches would prove crucial. The visitors started the better and their passing and movement was causing the home defence lots of problems. Weston keeper Declan Kelly had to be sharp to fend off a couple of early Corinthians attacks. He could do nothing about the opening goal after Corinthian’s were awarded a penalty corner for a stick tackle in the circle by Neil O’Donnell. A well worked set piece was duly dispatched into the net for a 1-0 lead. Corinthians continued to dominate and looked good value for their lead coming up to half time. However, Weston substitute Daryl Carey had other ideas. Five minutes from the break he took a quick free just outside the visitors circle. He went around two defenders before dinking the ball under the advancing keeper for a brilliant solo effort. 1-1 at the interval, Corinthians made some changes for the second period and took control of the game. The Weston midfield of Jonny Long, Adam Hanna and Karl Goodwin were struggling to gain any useful possession and it was no surprise that Corinthians took the lead again from another penalty corner, awarded after a heavy tackle inside the 25 from Carey. Weston’s response was good and Long missed a sitter after he was left one-on-one with the keeper, who managed to save at point blank range. Weston subs Matthew Pluck and Derek Kirwan added fresh impetus, but it was Corinthians who scored the third goal after a goal mouth scramble inside the Weston circle. Again, the Weston response was good and a through ball from Goodwin found Long in the ‘D’ and he made up for his earlier miss with a well taken goal. Credit to both teams on an energy sapping day, the last 10 minutes was exciting fare as Weston went in search of an equaliser and Corinthians looked to hang on for the win that would clinch the league title. One last chance was offered up to the home side a they were awarded a penalty corner on the full time whistle, but a poor push out led to a feeble effort which was well saved by the keeper. A minute later the full time whistle went and Corinthians were officially crowned league champions. Weston still have a lot to play for with three more league fixtures outstanding, starting with Three Rock Rovers this Thursday night (14th) at 7.15 p.m. in Griffeen Valley Park. It looks like the 2nd X1 will be without the services of centre back Peter Kirwan for the rest of the season as he went off injured in the first half with a nasty ankle injury. We wish Peter the best of luck with his recovery as he has been an outstanding contributor to the 2nd X1 cause throughout the season.
Team: D. Kelly, S. Mernagh, P. Lawson, N. O’Donnell, K. Taylor, A. Hanna, P. Kirwan, J. Long, D. Tucker, K. Goodwin and E. Ryan. Subs: D. Carey for O’Donnell, D. Kirwan for P. Kirwan, M. Pluck for Tucker and M. Benzies for Taylor
Weston 2nd X1 2-3 Corinthians 3rd X1
Corinthians arrived in Griffeen Valley Park knowing that a win would secure the Division 5 title and they left as league champions after a hard fought victory over a gallant Weston 2nd X1. On a beautiful spring day, with temperatures hitting 20 degrees, it was always going to be survival of the fittest, and in that sense both teams benches would prove crucial. The visitors started the better and their passing and movement was causing the home defence lots of problems. Weston keeper Declan Kelly had to be sharp to fend off a couple of early Corinthians attacks. He could do nothing about the opening goal after Corinthian’s were awarded a penalty corner for a stick tackle in the circle by Neil O’Donnell. A well worked set piece was duly dispatched into the net for a 1-0 lead. Corinthians continued to dominate and looked good value for their lead coming up to half time. However, Weston substitute Daryl Carey had other ideas. Five minutes from the break he took a quick free just outside the visitors circle. He went around two defenders before dinking the ball under the advancing keeper for a brilliant solo effort. 1-1 at the interval, Corinthians made some changes for the second period and took control of the game. The Weston midfield of Jonny Long, Adam Hanna and Karl Goodwin were struggling to gain any useful possession and it was no surprise that Corinthians took the lead again from another penalty corner, awarded after a heavy tackle inside the 25 from Carey. Weston’s response was good and Long missed a sitter after he was left one-on-one with the keeper, who managed to save at point blank range. Weston subs Matthew Pluck and Derek Kirwan added fresh impetus, but it was Corinthians who scored the third goal after a goal mouth scramble inside the Weston circle. Again, the Weston response was good and a through ball from Goodwin found Long in the ‘D’ and he made up for his earlier miss with a well taken goal. Credit to both teams on an energy sapping day, the last 10 minutes was exciting fare as Weston went in search of an equaliser and Corinthians looked to hang on for the win that would clinch the league title. One last chance was offered up to the home side a they were awarded a penalty corner on the full time whistle, but a poor push out led to a feeble effort which was well saved by the keeper. A minute later the full time whistle went and Corinthians were officially crowned league champions. Weston still have a lot to play for with three more league fixtures outstanding, starting with Three Rock Rovers this Thursday night (14th) at 7.15 p.m. in Griffeen Valley Park. It looks like the 2nd X1 will be without the services of centre back Peter Kirwan for the rest of the season as he went off injured in the first half with a nasty ankle injury. We wish Peter the best of luck with his recovery as he has been an outstanding contributor to the 2nd X1 cause throughout the season.
Team: D. Kelly, S. Mernagh, P. Lawson, N. O’Donnell, K. Taylor, A. Hanna, P. Kirwan, J. Long, D. Tucker, K. Goodwin and E. Ryan. Subs: D. Carey for O’Donnell, D. Kirwan for P. Kirwan, M. Pluck for Tucker and M. Benzies for Taylor
Leinster League Division 5
Saturday 9th April 2011
Weston 2nd X1 2-3 Corinthians 3rd X1
Corinthians arrived in Griffeen Valley Park knowing that a win would secure the Division 5 title and they left as league champions after a hard fought victory over a gallant Weston 2nd X1. On a beautiful spring day, with temperatures hitting 20 degrees, it was always going to be survival of the fittest, and in that sense both teams benches would prove crucial. The visitors started the better and their passing and movement was causing the home defence lots of problems. Weston keeper Declan Kelly had to be sharp to fend off a couple of early Corinthians attacks. He could do nothing about the opening goal after Corinthian’s were awarded a penalty corner for a stick tackle in the circle by Neil O’Donnell. A well worked set piece was duly dispatched into the net for a 1-0 lead. Corinthians continued to dominate and looked good value for their lead coming up to half time. However, Weston substitute Daryl Carey had other ideas. Five minutes from the break he took a quick free just outside the visitors circle. He went around two defenders before dinking the ball under the advancing keeper for a brilliant solo effort. 1-1 at the interval, Corinthians made some changes for the second period and took control of the game. The Weston midfield of Jonny Long, Adam Hanna and Karl Goodwin were struggling to gain any useful possession and it was no surprise that Corinthians took the lead again from another penalty corner, awarded after a heavy tackle inside the 25 from Carey. Weston’s response was good and Long missed a sitter after he was left one-on-one with the keeper, who managed to save at point blank range. Weston subs Matthew Pluck and Derek Kirwan added fresh impetus, but it was Corinthians who scored the third goal after a goal mouth scramble inside the Weston circle. Again, the Weston response was good and a through ball from Goodwin found Long in the ‘D’ and he made up for his earlier miss with a well taken goal. Credit to both teams on an energy sapping day, the last 10 minutes was exciting fare as Weston went in search of an equaliser and Corinthians looked to hang on for the win that would clinch the league title. One last chance was offered up to the home side a they were awarded a penalty corner on the full time whistle, but a poor push out led to a feeble effort which was well saved by the keeper. A minute later the full time whistle went and Corinthians were officially crowned league champions. Weston still have a lot to play for with three more league fixtures outstanding, starting with Three Rock Rovers this Thursday night (14th) at 7.15 p.m. in Griffeen Valley Park. It looks like the 2nd X1 will be without the services of centre back Peter Kirwan for the rest of the season as he went off injured in the first half with a nasty ankle injury. We wish Peter the best of luck with his recovery as he has been an outstanding contributor to the 2nd X1 cause throughout the season.
Team: D. Kelly, S. Mernagh, P. Lawson, N. O’Donnell, K. Taylor, A. Hanna, P. Kirwan, J. Long, D. Tucker, K. Goodwin and E. Ryan. Subs: D. Carey for O’Donnell, D. Kirwan for P. Kirwan, M. Pluck for Tucker and M. Benzies for Taylor
Weston 2nd X1 2-3 Corinthians 3rd X1
Corinthians arrived in Griffeen Valley Park knowing that a win would secure the Division 5 title and they left as league champions after a hard fought victory over a gallant Weston 2nd X1. On a beautiful spring day, with temperatures hitting 20 degrees, it was always going to be survival of the fittest, and in that sense both teams benches would prove crucial. The visitors started the better and their passing and movement was causing the home defence lots of problems. Weston keeper Declan Kelly had to be sharp to fend off a couple of early Corinthians attacks. He could do nothing about the opening goal after Corinthian’s were awarded a penalty corner for a stick tackle in the circle by Neil O’Donnell. A well worked set piece was duly dispatched into the net for a 1-0 lead. Corinthians continued to dominate and looked good value for their lead coming up to half time. However, Weston substitute Daryl Carey had other ideas. Five minutes from the break he took a quick free just outside the visitors circle. He went around two defenders before dinking the ball under the advancing keeper for a brilliant solo effort. 1-1 at the interval, Corinthians made some changes for the second period and took control of the game. The Weston midfield of Jonny Long, Adam Hanna and Karl Goodwin were struggling to gain any useful possession and it was no surprise that Corinthians took the lead again from another penalty corner, awarded after a heavy tackle inside the 25 from Carey. Weston’s response was good and Long missed a sitter after he was left one-on-one with the keeper, who managed to save at point blank range. Weston subs Matthew Pluck and Derek Kirwan added fresh impetus, but it was Corinthians who scored the third goal after a goal mouth scramble inside the Weston circle. Again, the Weston response was good and a through ball from Goodwin found Long in the ‘D’ and he made up for his earlier miss with a well taken goal. Credit to both teams on an energy sapping day, the last 10 minutes was exciting fare as Weston went in search of an equaliser and Corinthians looked to hang on for the win that would clinch the league title. One last chance was offered up to the home side a they were awarded a penalty corner on the full time whistle, but a poor push out led to a feeble effort which was well saved by the keeper. A minute later the full time whistle went and Corinthians were officially crowned league champions. Weston still have a lot to play for with three more league fixtures outstanding, starting with Three Rock Rovers this Thursday night (14th) at 7.15 p.m. in Griffeen Valley Park. It looks like the 2nd X1 will be without the services of centre back Peter Kirwan for the rest of the season as he went off injured in the first half with a nasty ankle injury. We wish Peter the best of luck with his recovery as he has been an outstanding contributor to the 2nd X1 cause throughout the season.
Team: D. Kelly, S. Mernagh, P. Lawson, N. O’Donnell, K. Taylor, A. Hanna, P. Kirwan, J. Long, D. Tucker, K. Goodwin and E. Ryan. Subs: D. Carey for O’Donnell, D. Kirwan for P. Kirwan, M. Pluck for Tucker and M. Benzies for Taylor
Saturday 12th March 2011
Mens Leinster League Division 5
It was an early start for Weston men’s 2nd X1 as they took on league leaders Corinthians at 11.30 a.m. last Saturday morning (12th). Corinthians went into the top of the table clash eight points ahead so it was imperative that Weston did not lose the game and concede further ground. The early start deprived Weston of the services of the King’s Hospital players – Karl Goodwin, Simon Mernagh and player coach Derek Tucker. Corinthians started the game as if they meant business and were one-up inside the first five minutes. After that shaky start Weston finally started to string a couple of passes together as Dean Maguire and Jonny Long began to impose themselves on the game in midfield. Up front the running of Eoin Ryan and Declan O’Shaughnessy were causing the home defence lots of problems and they both had good chances to level the game before half time. In the second period Weston began to take control and pushed forward in search of that elusive equaliser. It was looking like a lost cause with five minutes of the game remaining, but one last chance was offered up by way of a penalty corner. A poor push out led to ‘plan B’ as the ball found its way to Ryan on top of the circle. His attempted drag flick didn’t quite go where intended but it fooled the keeper and nestled in the corner of the goal. It was no more than Weston deserved and as couple of minutes later the umpires blew for full time. With another game to come against the league leaders in Lucan, Weston can claw back the points deficit at the top of the table and gain automatic promotion from Division Five. Next up it’s a refix at home to Three Rock Rovers 3rds on Sunday 20th March at 2 p.m.
Corinthians 3rd X1 1-1 Weston 2nd X1
It was an early start for Weston men’s 2nd X1 as they took on league leaders Corinthians at 11.30 a.m. last Saturday morning (12th). Corinthians went into the top of the table clash eight points ahead so it was imperative that Weston did not lose the game and concede further ground. The early start deprived Weston of the services of the King’s Hospital players – Karl Goodwin, Simon Mernagh and player coach Derek Tucker. Corinthians started the game as if they meant business and were one-up inside the first five minutes. After that shaky start Weston finally started to string a couple of passes together as Dean Maguire and Jonny Long began to impose themselves on the game in midfield. Up front the running of Eoin Ryan and Declan O’Shaughnessy were causing the home defence lots of problems and they both had good chances to level the game before half time. In the second period Weston began to take control and pushed forward in search of that elusive equaliser. It was looking like a lost cause with five minutes of the game remaining, but one last chance was offered up by way of a penalty corner. A poor push out led to ‘plan B’ as the ball found its way to Ryan on top of the circle. His attempted drag flick didn’t quite go where intended but it fooled the keeper and nestled in the corner of the goal. It was no more than Weston deserved and as couple of minutes later the umpires blew for full time. With another game to come against the league leaders in Lucan, Weston can claw back the points deficit at the top of the table and gain automatic promotion from Division Five. Next up it’s a refix at home to Three Rock Rovers 3rds on Sunday 20th March at 2 p.m.
Team: D. Kelly, D. Kirwan, P. Lawson, P. Ennis, M. Benzies, S. O’Shaughnessy, D. Maguire, J. Long, D. O’Shaughnessy, N. O’Donnell and E. Ryan. Sub: P. O’KearneyMens Leinster League Division 5
Saturday 5th March 2011
Weston 2nd X1 3-0 Monkstown 4th X1
Weston men’s 2nd X1 laid down a marker before their Intermediate Cup semi final against the same opposition with an emphatic defeat of Monkstown 4ths last Saturday (5th). The home side only had a squad of 11 players as a result of injuries and unavailability of regulars. However, the 11 played well and player coach Derek Tucker was very pleased with the performance and the end result. Eoin Ryan opened the scoring after 10 minutes, snapping up a penalty corner rebound and the Weston defence of Peter Kirwan and Paul Lawson stood firm to maintain this lead until the break. In the second half Monkstown piled forward and put the home side under pressure in search of that equalising goal. Goalkeeper Declan Kelly made a couple of smart saves and he was well supported by Lawson and his defenders. The next goal was going to prove crucial, and luckily for Weston, they got it through Peter O’Kearney on the break. After soaking up so much pressure, Weston played a counter attacking game and O’Kearney found himself in the right position inside the circle with 15 minutes to go. This goal knocked the stuffing out of the visitors and the Weston midfield began to grow in confidence. Jonny Long, Mark Benzies and Stephen O’Shaughnessy always looked dangerous as they broke from midfield to support the forwards. The final goal was the best of the game as Benzies fed Tucker on the half way line. His early ball found O’Shughnessy in space just outside the circle and as the Monkstown defence backed off he advanced forward to drill a shot under the visiting keeper. At 3-0 down Monkstown were never going to come back and the home side had secured another 3 league points. This win takes the 2nd X1 up to the lofty heights of 2nd in the table, behind Corinthians. This Saturday, the 2nds travel to St Columba’s College to take on the league leaders in a top of the table clash. Centre back Peter Kirwan is unavailable, but Tucker will be hoping his squad has the quality to take on the league leaders and try to close the gap at the top of the table. As always, a reminder to all 2nd/3rd team players – training every Tuesday night from 7 p.m.
Team: D. Kelly, S. Mernagh, P. Lawson, P. Ennis, M. Benzies, S. O’Shaughnessy, P. Kirwan, J. Long, D. Tucker, P. O’Kearney and E. Ryan.
Saturday 26th February
Weston Ladies 2nds -v- Malahide Fingal 3-0
The Super Seconds set off for Malahide on a lovely sunny morning and very nearly made their first big mistake of the day - Elaine was not in the convoy that set off from Griffeen Valley Park. Luckily her absence was noticed before the last of the convoy left and Elaine arrived safe and sound with the rest of the team.
The warm up proved tough with the sun out in full force, (though Rusty managed to canter nicely along despite the heat ) and the girls found the pitch surface challenging to say the least. The first half saw the Weston ladies in control and attacking for most of the half but unfortunately failing to score. The girls came off the pitch at half time frustrated, knowing they should have been ahead at this stage. After a stern talking to from Coach Enda Tucker , the girls began the second half determined to win the three points. There was little pressure on the Weston defence and the backs had chances to join in some of the attacking play .
The break finally came midway through the second half as a result of a short corner which saw Elaine Griffin finally put the ball in the back of the Malahide net ( just as well we didn't leave her behind in Lucan!). The attack gained momentum from this lead and another short corner resulted in a well taken goal from Nicola Harris. But the drama was only just beginning - with just minutes to go , Weston won a short corner. As the usual short corner personnel were on the sideline at this stage, there was consternation as to who would take the shot - up stepped Mairead Ryan, and scored her FIRST EVER GOAL - all the Weston players cheered as Tucker's face fell, realising it was finally time to hand over that €25.00 ! The Super Seconds left Malahide with another 3 points retaining their position at the top of Division 8, with only 4 matches left.
Report by Annonymous.
PS: Tucker graciously handed over the €25 to Mairead .
PPS : Mairead foolishly gave it back "I wasn't in it for the money , I just wanted to score ....."
Mens Leinster League Division 5
Saturday 19th February 2011
St James Gate 3-0 Weston 2nd X1
Weston men’s 2nd X1 received a wakeup call, after a run of six league wins in a row, with this emphatic loss away to St James Gate last Saturday (19th). In truth the 2nd X1 got what they deserved after a very lacklustre performance in which none of the players could be happy with their efforts on the day. The match started well for the visitors who dominated possession, with Dean Maguire and Jonny Long controlling the midfield, and Weston’s passing game created a lot of good chances in the opening fifteen minutes. However, against the run of play, Gate scored the first goal, a sloppy rebound after Derek Kirwan made an initial save. This strike seemed to disrupt Weston as the passing became sloppy and St James Gate started to grow in confidence. They scored with their second effort on goal ten minutes from the break, a deflected shot that looped into the corner of the goal off Derek Tucker’s stick. 2-0 down at the break, the game was far from over, and with substitute Peter O’Kearney on for the second half, the next goal was going to prove crucial. As it happened, the home side got it – another comical effort that dribbled in at the far post as the Weston defence dithered. With nothing to lose, Weston went with three forwards up front for the remaining twenty minutes, but despite this, they could not find a way past a very committed St James Gate defence. Maguire and Karl Goodwin went close to scoring from penalty corners, but St James Gate, who are scrapping for their lives down at the bottom of the table, threw everything into their defensive effort. Coach Derek Tucker could blame some poor umpiring decisions for this defeat. However, that would just be a cop out, as his side deserved nothing from the game. Hopefully this is just a minor blip, as the 2nds have managed to climb to a very respectable 3rd position in the table. Next week they welcome Three Rock 3rds to Griffeen, desperate to erase the memory of a very bad day at the office. Extra training for all, Tuesdasy night from 7-8.30!
Team: D. Kirwan, D. Maguire, P. Lawson, N. O’Donnell, M. Benzies, M. Pluck, P. Kirwan, J. Long, D. Tucker, K. Goodwin and E. Ryan. Subs: P. O’Kearney for Goodwin
Saturday 12th February
Weston Ladies Seconds -v Bray 2-1
Weston seconds once again set off in convoy from Lucan, travelling M50 southbound to meet Bray 3rd for their third encounter this season. Weston ladies were eager to maintain their winning record over Bray this season, having beaten them in both league and cup games.
Weston started off well and dominated the opening twenty minutes. They were awarded several short corners but failed to take advantage of them. Following this, Bray won a short corner and scored a goal completely against the run of play. I am not sure whether it was the talk from coach Enda Tucker at half time or the fact that Weston Ladies really wanted to win this game, but they definitely stepped up the pace in the second half. Weston continued to press and push up the pitch, winning about five or six consecutive short corners from pure determination. Finally, they converted and won their first goal. Mairead Ryan pushed the ball to Barbara Ryan who took a shot from the top of the circle and was fully convinced the ball was in the back of the net, but it hit the post and the rebound fell straight into Elaine Griffin’s path who was perfectly positioned to slot the ball into the back of the net. Well done Elaine, we could breathe a huge sigh of relief.
Our Weston defence knew the pressure was on them as Bray went on the counter attack but the defence, lead by Anne Kelly, kept them at bay. Rusty did not manage to read her book as she marked their centre forward so well and cleared anything that came her way. Sinead Keating had her work cut out for her in goals when Bray got a succession of short corners and they didn’t convert thanks to great running out by Mairead followed by Maryanne Ryan who was hot on her heels clearing anything out of harm’s way. With Nikki feeding the balls up to Fiona and Svenja on the right and Maryanne feeding the balls up to Clare and Laura on the left, Weston managed once again to get into the Bray half. Nicola Harris worked so hard in the centre all afternoon and Weston was rewarded for this with their second goal of the match. Nicola pushed a ball to Barbara at the top of the D, got it back and hit a cracking ball to Neasa who skillfully pushed the ball into the back of the net. Well done to Neasa, four goals in four games!!!!
Bray didn’t give up. They wanted this game just as much as their opponents and with ten minutes on the clock the ball was up and down the pitch. The forwards got a lot of runs up front and Rachel, Neasa and Laura were kept busy in the last few minutes. However, time was up and Weston were on a high another great win for the Super Seconds!
P.S. Mairead Ryan managed to stay on her feet but Anne Kelly fell over!!!!!!!!!!!
P.P.S. Just a little note to those girls who might have got speeding tickets today don’t worry about it you got there on time - Thanks!! Written by Barbara Ryan (under the supervision of her children who saw what really happened).
Mens Leinster League Division 5
Saturday 12th February 2011
Weston 2nd X1 6-2 YMCA 3rd X1
Weston men’s 2nd X1 notched up their fourth league win on the trot with a comfortable 6-2 victory over YMCA last Saturday (12th). In truth the game was over after five minutes as the home side raced into a two goal lead. King’s Hospital student Karl Goodwin continued his good goal scoring form as he found himself in space in the first minute to rifle home a reverse and two minutes later he finished off a well worked penalty corner move with a crashing shot to the back-board. Its been a remarkable turnaround for the 2nd X1 as they lay second from bottom in Division 5 before the ‘big freeze’. Indeed, such was the pessimism in the squad that player-coach Derek Tucker feared that relegation was a serious possibility. Six weeks on and this latest victory puts the 2nd X1 in the lofty position of third in the table, behind runaway leaders Corinthians. The change in fortunes can be attributed to good numbers turning up for training on Tuesday nights and a run of solid performances which has restored confidence in the squad. There is a settled defence, marshalled by Peter Kirwan, with Declan Kelly keeping them out between the sticks. Paul Lawson has been a revelation as sweeper and Simon Mernagh and Neil O’Donnell complete the tight defensive unit. Saturday was all about the attacking players and Adam Hanna, Daryl Carey and Mark Benzies were the creative forces in midfield. There was only one more goal added before the break – a brilliant deflection from Simon Pearson after some good approach work by Dean Maguire. 3-0 up at half time, Tucker was able to give his bench a run as Daryl Carey and Karl Taylor added fresh second half impetus. Maguire was next on the score sheet, closely followed by Carey after another well executed penalty corner routine. Taylor, returning from injury, completed the home scoring as he tapped in at the far post to make it six. This was sweet revenge for Tucker, whose side were well beaten in the reversal played before Christmas. A lapse in concentration, coupled with further substitutions which disrupted the team’s rhythm, led to two late goals from the visitors, but by that stage Weston had done enough to secure all three points. There will be tougher days ahead, and next Saturday the 2nd X1 travel to St James Gate, where the home team will be anxious to avenge a 5-1 drubbing some weeks ago. As always, a reminder to all 2nd/3rd team players – training every Tuesday night from 7 p.m.
Team: D. Kelly, S. Mernagh, P. Lawson, A. Hanna, M. Benzies, S. O’Shaughnessy, P. Kirwan, J. Long, D. Tucker, K. Goodwin and E. Ryan. Subs: D. Maguire for Goodwin, S. Pearson for Ryan, D. Carey for Hanna and N. O’Donnell for Tucker
St James Gate 3-0 Weston 2nd X1
Weston men’s 2nd X1 received a wakeup call, after a run of six league wins in a row, with this emphatic loss away to St James Gate last Saturday (19th). In truth the 2nd X1 got what they deserved after a very lacklustre performance in which none of the players could be happy with their efforts on the day. The match started well for the visitors who dominated possession, with Dean Maguire and Jonny Long controlling the midfield, and Weston’s passing game created a lot of good chances in the opening fifteen minutes. However, against the run of play, Gate scored the first goal, a sloppy rebound after Derek Kirwan made an initial save. This strike seemed to disrupt Weston as the passing became sloppy and St James Gate started to grow in confidence. They scored with their second effort on goal ten minutes from the break, a deflected shot that looped into the corner of the goal off Derek Tucker’s stick. 2-0 down at the break, the game was far from over, and with substitute Peter O’Kearney on for the second half, the next goal was going to prove crucial. As it happened, the home side got it – another comical effort that dribbled in at the far post as the Weston defence dithered. With nothing to lose, Weston went with three forwards up front for the remaining twenty minutes, but despite this, they could not find a way past a very committed St James Gate defence. Maguire and Karl Goodwin went close to scoring from penalty corners, but St James Gate, who are scrapping for their lives down at the bottom of the table, threw everything into their defensive effort. Coach Derek Tucker could blame some poor umpiring decisions for this defeat. However, that would just be a cop out, as his side deserved nothing from the game. Hopefully this is just a minor blip, as the 2nds have managed to climb to a very respectable 3rd position in the table. Next week they welcome Three Rock 3rds to Griffeen, desperate to erase the memory of a very bad day at the office. Extra training for all, Tuesdasy night from 7-8.30!
Team: D. Kirwan, D. Maguire, P. Lawson, N. O’Donnell, M. Benzies, M. Pluck, P. Kirwan, J. Long, D. Tucker, K. Goodwin and E. Ryan. Subs: P. O’Kearney for Goodwin
Saturday 12th February 2011
Weston 2nd X1 6-2 YMCA 3rd X1
Weston men’s 2nd X1 notched up their fourth league win on the trot with a comfortable 6-2 victory over YMCA last Saturday (12th). In truth the game was over after five minutes as the home side raced into a two goal lead. King’s Hospital student Karl Goodwin continued his good goal scoring form as he found himself in space in the first minute to rifle home a reverse and two minutes later he finished off a well worked penalty corner move with a crashing shot to the back-board. Its been a remarkable turnaround for the 2nd X1 as they lay second from bottom in Division 5 before the ‘big freeze’. Indeed, such was the pessimism in the squad that player-coach Derek Tucker feared that relegation was a serious possibility. Six weeks on and this latest victory puts the 2nd X1 in the lofty position of third in the table, behind runaway leaders Corinthians. The change in fortunes can be attributed to good numbers turning up for training on Tuesday nights and a run of solid performances which has restored confidence in the squad. There is a settled defence, marshalled by Peter Kirwan, with Declan Kelly keeping them out between the sticks. Paul Lawson has been a revelation as sweeper and Simon Mernagh and Neil O’Donnell complete the tight defensive unit. Saturday was all about the attacking players and Adam Hanna, Daryl Carey and Mark Benzies were the creative forces in midfield. There was only one more goal added before the break – a brilliant deflection from Simon Pearson after some good approach work by Dean Maguire. 3-0 up at half time, Tucker was able to give his bench a run as Daryl Carey and Karl Taylor added fresh second half impetus. Maguire was next on the score sheet, closely followed by Carey after another well executed penalty corner routine. Taylor, returning from injury, completed the home scoring as he tapped in at the far post to make it six. This was sweet revenge for Tucker, whose side were well beaten in the reversal played before Christmas. A lapse in concentration, coupled with further substitutions which disrupted the team’s rhythm, led to two late goals from the visitors, but by that stage Weston had done enough to secure all three points. There will be tougher days ahead, and next Saturday the 2nd X1 travel to St James Gate, where the home team will be anxious to avenge a 5-1 drubbing some weeks ago. As always, a reminder to all 2nd/3rd team players – training every Tuesday night from 7 p.m.
Team: D. Kelly, S. Mernagh, P. Lawson, A. Hanna, M. Benzies, S. O’Shaughnessy, P. Kirwan, J. Long, D. Tucker, K. Goodwin and E. Ryan. Subs: D. Maguire for Goodwin, S. Pearson for Ryan, D. Carey for Hanna and N. O’Donnell for Tucker
Sunday 6th February
Ladies Seconds -v- Botanic 2-1.
The weston ladies met at 3 o clock on sunday anticipating another win, how ever it soon became evident
it wasnt only the weston side who had this intention ! The botanic ladies were determined to leave with those
three points! With Enda Tuckers favourite expression in mind( those 3 points are all i care about) the girls knew
it was time to step it up a gear.Weston (Neasa) scored the first goal of the game which was unfortuantly followed by another from the Botanic side as a result of a short corner !The slippery patch in which weston conceeded a goal was put down to the amount of worms on the pitch according to Mairead Ryan,who once again managed to remain standing for the entire game.Barbara Ryan secured the win for the girls from an excellent short corner.The Botanic girls fought hard for the
win but luckily Weston once again walked away in victory :)! Perhaps the few pints promised in Kennys encouraged the ladies?well for those who arent underage anyway haha.The defence had an excellent game and cleared every ball out of
Botanics vision! Well done girls on securing yet again another victory.
Carefully composed by Elaine Griffin whilst her fellow team mates celebrated their victory.
Saturday 5th February 2011
Ladies Seconds -v- Muckross - 2-0.
It was a wet day for the ladies in red as they stepped out on the pitch in the Teresian School hoping to keep their unbeaten record. It was a poor start for Weston and we realised early on that the Muckross girls wanted the three points just as much as Weston. Weston conceded a number of short corners but they were defended well with Anne Kelly and Eleanor Griffith on the posts and Aimee Franklin clearing all in her sight!Weston feet had grown overnight and Muckross frees were numerous but in centre midfield Nicola 'bigfoot' Harris along with Elaine 'long trousers' Griffin stopped any ball or break through the centre.A lovely ball from Fiona Ryan into Laura Sharkey in the 'D' who finished it in style (must have been her new shoes!!), left Weston with a 1 goal lead shortly before half time.Muckross were fast on the break and really gunning for it in the second half but Maryanne Ryan matched them well for speed on the left and put them under constant pressure, Claire Smith did the same on the right in her match debut this season following a knee injury in pre season, cutting off any Muckross option on the right. Nikki Kelly had a bad fall missing a tackle inside the Weston 25 but was on her feet again to receive the ball from Claire out of the Weston 'D' and passed a lovely ball up the line that was picked up by the Rachel Murphy and again had Weston on the attack. A shot on goal from Neasa Henry was stopped on the line by a Muckross foot, resulting in a penalty stroke for Weston which Neasa nicely placed in the left hand corner of the goal, leaving Weston with a 2 goal lead. Barbara Ryan had a chance in the Muckross 'D' but was unfortunate not to get a third goal for Weston.Muckross did not give up and kept attacking but Weston defended well with Aimee Franklin doing her usual acrobatics in order to save the ladies in red, the match ending Weston 2 Muckross 0.Mairead Ryan didn't fall over once!Another 3 points for the Super Seconds who continued their undefeated run! A real team effort from all involved!Team: Aimee Franklin, Anne Kelly, Mairead Ryan, Eleanor Griffith, Maryanne Ryan, Nikki Kelly, Nicola Harris, Elaine Griffin, Laura Sharkey (1), Neasa Henry (1), Barbara Ryan, Claire Smith, Rachel Murphy, Fiona Ryan.
.-- Saturday 29th January
Weston Ladies 2nds v UCD, 2-0.
Weston super 9 lined up on Satuday morning with their trusted and well used subs, to face a UCD side who definitely got a good nights sleep.
The frost did not appear, so the match was good to go. Great fun was had, just trying to get the nets up.
Weston started out well and the formation was looking good in the first 10 minutes. The mid field of Fiona Ryan, Nicola Harris, Elaine Griffen and Laura Sharkey pushed the play forward with Nesa Henry and Babara Ryan moving on to every loose ball. Neasa disappointingly missed a great chance on left post.
UCD did not give up but rallied again, using their full squad of 15 well. Weston Defense held up well to the waves of attack and great clears were made by Mairead Ryan and MaryAnn Ryan down the wings. Eimear Fitzgerald cleared anything coming through the centre with her normal relaxed style.
By half time, we were still scoreless but we knew we had more to give.
UCD came out strong again in the second half, yet we held them off through the defense calls from Aimee Franklyn and Anne Kelly. With Nelly back where she belongs as Centre mid, we pushed forward again. Laura Sharkey and Elaine Griffen did some great runs, creating opportunities for the 2 forwards. Finally, the work paid off. A free from just outside the 25yard line on the right side. Nicola Harris hit the ball straight through to right in front of the goals, to the stick of Barbara Ryan, who calmly put it in the net. Neasa Henry celebrated as if it was her own. Within 5 minutes, we were back with another free from the same spot, action replay but Neasa got on the end of it and celebrating again.
A hard fought match and great result for the Ladies who have 2 big matches this coming weekend.
Away to Muckross 14.00 Saturday
Home to Botanic 16.00 Sunday.
Keep it lit...
Team: Aimee Franklin, Anne Kelly, Eimear Fitzgerald, Mairead Ryan, MaryAnn Ryan, Fiona Ryan, Nicola Harris, Laura Sharkey, Elaine Griffen, Barbara Ryan, Neasa Henry
Subs Nikki Kelly aka Nelly, Karen Akindolie
(Some of these events are fictional and may not have happen, but were added for entertainment value)
Report by Nicola Harris
Saturday 22nd Jan 2011
Saturday 22nd Jan 2011
Saturday 22nd Jan 2011
Weston Ladies 4ths -v- Corithians 1-2 Division 13
Weston Ladies 4ths -v- Corithians 1-2 Division 13
A great turnout for the fourths on a frosty evening at St Columbus College.A big thanks to Claire Conneely for a doing a great job as umpire and to Emmett Hutchin for all his support and advice from the sideline.The team have definately picked up the pace from last week and were alot more hungry and determined this week.Corinthians started well with an early goal but this did not phase the fourths as they retaliated with an Orla Lowry Hayes cracker. Corinthians scored soon before the half time whistle from a short corner and a scuffle into the goal leaving the defence Sinead,Ellie,Emma,Assi and Alex disheartened. A controversial disallowed Weston goal left the forwards Sinead,Orla and Steph fuming and determined to find the back of the opposition goal but with many great efforts and super passes into the D did not succeed.....this time......With two injured ankles of Orlagh O'Brien and Emma Cunniffe we were lucky to have substitutes.Susan Kavanagh and Rachel Spillane were great fresh legs to keep Weston spirits up.Centre field Karen,Fiona and Linda played brillant passes to their teammates and were quick back to help the defence also.Overall a much improved game.keep up the good work girls,victory is near I feel.
Team Sinead Keating,Ellie Holland,Emma Cunniffe,Assi Kaikur,Alex Byrne,Linda Woods,Fiona Kelly,Karen Howard,Sinead O Toole,Orla Lowry Hayes,Syeph Quilligan,Orlagh O Brien,Susan Kavanagh,Rachel Spilane
Report Ellie Holland
Mens
Leinster League Division 5
Weston 2nds 4-3 SuttoniansLeinster League Division 5
Weston men’s 2nd X1 made hard work of this 4-3 home win against Suttonians last Saturday (22nd). Leading 4-1 with ten minutes remaining, a lack of concentration allowed the visitors back into the game, which made for a nervy last couple of minutes. Suttonians arrived at Griffeen Valley Park with seven players as their 1st X1 cup tie had gone into extra time over in Rathgar and this delayed the arrival of some of their players. Weston made full use of this numerical advantage as they raced into a 2-0 lead inside the opening ten minutes. Jon Long opened the scoring after a flowing move involving Stephen O’Shaughnessy and Karl Taylor. Eoin Ryan soon made it two a couple of minutes later as he dispatched a penalty stroke. There was no further scoring before the break and at this point all the Suttonians players had arrived and it was now 11 v 11. Player-coach Derek Tucker used his bench well and introduced some fresh legs for the second period. Peter O’Kearney, Simon Pearson and Daryl Carey were all given a run and it was this fresh impetus that ensured the home side remained on top. Adam Hanna and Long were winning the midfield battle and up front Taylor and O’Kearney were causing the Suttonians defence lots of problems. Suttonians began to push forward to try and rescue the game and this left them vulnerable to the counter attack. It was from one such break that Weston secured their third goal, a tap in for O’Kearney after some good approach work from Ryan. 3-0 up and cruising, Weston could be accused of being a bit casual as they allowed Suttonians in for a soft strike to make it 3-1. However, a good response led to Ryan getting a fourth goal straight from the tip off. The last ten minutes was played at swashbuckling pace as Suttonians threw everything at the Weston defence. They did manage to pull two goals back from penalty corners, but by that stage they should have been out of sight as Darren Sherlock missed two glorious chances to score at the back post. As it was, it was a nervy last couple of minutes for the home side. They did manage to hang on for the win which takes them into the top half of the table for the first time this season. Next weekend the 2nd X1 take a break from the league campaign as they travel to North Kildare for a 2nd round Intermediate Cup tie. All players are encouraged to attend training this Tuesday (25th) at 7 p.m.
Team: D. Kelly, S. Mernagh, P. Lawson, A. Hanna, M. Benzies, S. O’Shaughnessy, P. Kirwan, J. Long, K. Taylor, S. Dwyer and E. Ryan. Subs: S. Pearson for Benzies, D. Sherlock for O’Shaughnessy, P. O’Kearney for Ryan and D. Carey for Taylor
Ladies 4th -v -Skerries Division 13 Saturday 15th January . Result 1-5.
Team Ellie Holland, Aoife Ryan, Emma cunniffe, Karen akindolie, Karen Howard, Susan Kavanagh, Orlagh o Brien, Rachel Spillane, Linda Woods.
With a disappointing turnout of only 9 players to a strong Skerries side, Weston played very well considering and succeeded in scoring a goal but unfortunately conceding 5. All 9 gave it their all but batteries ran out towards the end and Skerries had plenty of fresh legs to keep the defence line busy.Susan Kavanagh and Orla O'Brien up front were fast on the breaking balls.Susan scored a well deserved smasher.Karen Akendolie and Linda Woods were busy in mid field,and played a super game.Emma Cunniffe,Aoife Ryan and Karen Howard were under pressure in defence but cleared alot of play at every oppurtunity.Ellie Holland in goal was getting plenty of play.Overall a great match but a disheartening turnout.
Ladies 4ths -v- Muckross Sunday 16th January . Result 0-4.
Team Sinead Keating,Linda Fitzgerald,Ellie Holland,Assi Kaikar,Emma Cunniffe,Karen Akendolie,Karen Howard,Linda Woods,Alex Byrne,Megan Costigan,Eimear Lowry-Hayes,Laura Pedley,Sinead O Toole
A great Turnout this day for a home match but unfortunately it was evident the Weston side just were not hungry enough for this game. It was obvious it was their first match after the long christmas-snow break.
Leinster League Division 5
Saturday 15th Jan 2011Weston Mens 2nds 1-0 North Kildare
Saturday 20th November 2010 (eight weeks ago) was the last time Weston men’s 2nd X1 played a competitive fixture, and so it was with some relief that the 2nds finally managed to get their league campaign up and running again with a home fixture against North Kildare last Saturday (15th). After eight weeks of inactivity there was bound to be some rustiness, and so it was, as they laboured somewhat in the opening half. They did create some good chances with the strong running of Jon Long and Stephen O’Shaughnessy in midfield. However, try as they might, a forward-line of Eoin Ryan and Karl Goodwin could not break down a resolute Kildare defence. Daryl Carey came on at half time and along with Adam Hanna in midfield the home side took control of the game. The visiting keeper was having an inspired game and on a couple of occasions he sprung from his line to deny Long and Carey with excellent saves. The constant pressure from Weston led to numerous short corners and from one of these corners Peter Kirwan went closest to breaking the deadlock, but his sweep shot bounced back off the post. The North Kildare defence continued to frustrate the home side and as the game wore on, it looked like they would hang on for a hard fought point. However, with less than a minute to go, one final attack from Weston led to a penalty corner, the final action of the game. It was now or never, and a well executed move saw a switch at the top of the circle to Goodwin who unleashed an unstoppable shot that thundered off the backboard. It was tough luck on Kildare, but I’m sure even they would agree, the home side were good value for the win, despite the lateness of the winning goal. It proved to be a good day for Goodwin as he also grabbed two goals for the 3rd X1 in their Junior cup win against St James’ Gate earlier in the day. Next up for the 2nds is a home fixture against old rivals Suttonians on Saturday 22nd January. All players are encouraged to turn up for training every Tuesday night from 7 p.m.
Team: D. Kelly, S. Mernagh, P. Lawson, A. Hanna, M. Benzies, S. O’Shaughnessy, P. Kirwan, J. Long, K. Goodwin, D. Tucker and E. Ryan. Subs: D. Carey for Ryan and P. O’Kearney for Goodwin
Saturday January 8th
Leinster Ladies’ Division 4: Glenanne 1 - 5 Weston
Weston ladies 1st team arrived to an icy and frosty pitch to play Glenanne last Saturday, 8th January.. The ice and frost could not stop Weston’s fighting spirit which was evident during an inspirational team talk from their coach Brian Scully. Weston carried this fighting spirit through their warm up and into the game using their well known team chant at the start of the match.
The first few minutes of the game saw Weston storming into the Glenanne circle but failed to secure a goal from this effort. Weston kept up their tackling, shadowing and accurate passes which resulted in a goal for Weston scored by Jenny Hughes ten minutes into the game. This goal gave Weston the confidence to score another goal and to go home with 3 points. Weston kept up their fight and Mairead D’Arcy soon scored a second goal for Weston. Weston were on their way to winning.
Although Weston were 2-0 up Glenanne were not going to allow the away side to walk all over them and soon made a few substitutions. The visitors were put under pressure on a few occasions as the Glenanne forwards managed to invade the Weston circle, but failed to secure a goal against the Weston goalie Aimee Franklin. This Glenanne invasion did not rattle the strong Weston defence and they coolly and calmly passed the ball around their backs and released the ball to their forwards where Catherine Barry received the ball and knocked it in to the back of the goal, this was an excellent result as the half time whistle blew.
The second half started with Weston once again storming towards Glennannes circle which resulted in a goal from Rachael Murphy. The score was now 4-0 and Glenanne were still not giving up the fight. Glenanne kept trying to infiltrate the Weston circle and eventually a Glenanne forward was rewarded for her efforts by scoring a goal against the Weston side. Little did Glenanne know this goal fuelled more fight in the Weston team as they ran circles round Glenanne and were first to every ball. Weston’s fitness was evident as the Glenanne side were out run at almost every ball towards the end of the second half and Mairead D’Arcy was not happy with a 4-1 win and smashed the ball in to the back of Glennanne’s net with six minutes to go. Weston kept up their running, tackling, shadowing and passing and as the full time whistle blew the Weston side were tired but happy all their efforts resulted in a 5 -1 win. More importantly the visitors went home with 3 points put Weston to the top of the Division 4 league table. An excellent win and a great start to 2011 for the Ladies 1sts!
Report by: Aoife Murray
Saturday 20th November 2010
Ladies 1sts V Avoca, Div 4 league Match, 0-2.
Weston faced Avoca for a late fixture at home last Saturday. They came onto the field in a content atmosphere as they were riding high at the top of the league tables. Though the Weston side were delighted with their position on the table they were aware that it was important to try and maintain it for as long as possible. The match started with a good offence as the Weston midfields carried the ball up the pitch. Weston was in the driving seat but this quickly slipped due to a few key mistakes, which led to Avoca scoring within the first 15 minutes of the match. Weston now on the backfoot knew that they had to pick up their game if they wanted a win. Unfortunately, their efforts were not strong enough to stop another Avoca ball hit the Weston backboard within the first half. Improvements were shown when Weston won 3 short corners in the first half, the last of which came on the whistle to end the first half which was unluckily not converted into a goal. Weston went into the second half 2 goals down but with the support of their coach and belief that they could win, they rallied and preformed to their own standard in the second half. The game quickly became a more comfortable affair for Weston as they played their own style of hockey, with slick passing across the pitch. Possession was kept in the Avoca 25 for most of the second half by the excellent efforts of whole team. A number of short corners and shots on goal were attempted by the many skilled players on the Weston side throughout the second half but to no avail. Weston pursued their opposition the whole way to the end of the match calling on their well kept fitness levels and the many excellent subs and Avoca came no where near the Weston goal during the whole second half. Unfortunately Weston was not to be as auspicious as previous matches to come back from the early Avoca Attack and finished the match with a loss. Weston looks forward to their next match against Diocesan to prove once again that they belong on the coveted top-spot on the league table. Report by: Aimee Franklin Forwards: Mairead Darcy, Sarah Mortell, Catherine Barry, Midfields: Jenny Hughes, Grainne Ni Laineagean, Fiona Kelly Defenders: Nikki Kelly, Alison Cooke, Carol Harrison, Leanne Kelly Substitutes: Rachel Murphy, Aoife Bonner, Rachel Tyner, Niamh Williams, Svenja Henning Goalie: Aimee Franklin
In a season of highs and lows to date, this was a definitive low, as the 2nd X1 slumped to their biggest defeat of the season. An unfamiliar side took the field at 12.30 last Saturday, the early start depriving Weston of the KH students and captain Derek Tucker. Regular goalkeeper Derek Kirwan played at centre back, while his brother Peter moved into centre midfield. It was imperative that Weston got off to a good start, but the home side scored with their first attack of the game and the early signs looked ominous. A disorganised Weston were completely out of sorts, despite the best efforts of Mark Benzies and Daryl Carey in midfield. Goalkeeper Declan Kelly had a torrid afternoon as his defence were run ragged and let in four more goals before the break. 5-0 down at half time, Weston could have thrown in the towel, but some encouraging words from Kirwan led to a much improved second half. Indeed, had it not been for some good defending by the home side, the visitors could have notched up a couple of goals, in a spirited second half display. Eoin Ryan was particularly unlucky to see his excellent effort disallowed by the umpire. This defeat leaves the 2nd X1 perilously close to the relegation zone and they will be looking to correct that with a victory away to Monkstown 4ths this Saturday (27th). A word of thanks to those 3rd X1 players, Darren Sherlock, Barry Gilmartin, Pat Ennis and Peter O’Kearney who stood in at late notice and gave it all for the 2nd X1 cause.
Team: D. Kelly, B. Gilmartin, P. Lawson, D. Carey, M. Benzies, D. Sherlock, P. Kirwan, P. O’Kearney, P. Ennis, D. Kirwan and E. Ryan. Subs: none available
Weston Mens 2nds 0-6 Three Rock 3rd X1
In a season of highs and lows to date, this was a definitive low, as the 2nd X1 slumped to their biggest defeat of the season. An unfamiliar side took the field at 12.30 last Saturday, the early start depriving Weston of the KH students and captain Derek Tucker. Regular goalkeeper Derek Kirwan played at centre back, while his brother Peter moved into centre midfield. It was imperative that Weston got off to a good start, but the home side scored with their first attack of the game and the early signs looked ominous. A disorganised Weston were completely out of sorts, despite the best efforts of Mark Benzies and Daryl Carey in midfield. Goalkeeper Declan Kelly had a torrid afternoon as his defence were run ragged and let in four more goals before the break. 5-0 down at half time, Weston could have thrown in the towel, but some encouraging words from Kirwan led to a much improved second half. Indeed, had it not been for some good defending by the home side, the visitors could have notched up a couple of goals, in a spirited second half display. Eoin Ryan was particularly unlucky to see his excellent effort disallowed by the umpire. This defeat leaves the 2nd X1 perilously close to the relegation zone and they will be looking to correct that with a victory away to Monkstown 4ths this Saturday (27th). A word of thanks to those 3rd X1 players, Darren Sherlock, Barry Gilmartin, Pat Ennis and Peter O’Kearney who stood in at late notice and gave it all for the 2nd X1 cause.
Team: D. Kelly, B. Gilmartin, P. Lawson, D. Carey, M. Benzies, D. Sherlock, P. Kirwan, P. O’Kearney, P. Ennis, D. Kirwan and E. Ryan. Subs: none available
Saturday 13th November
Ladies Firsts Div 4 .
Weston -v- Old Alex 0-1 .
Weston Ladies 1sts lined out against Old Alex for a lunchtime kick off on Saturday. It had been a few weeks since the Weston 1sts had played a division 4 match, having suffered disappointing defeats to division 3 side Bray and division 2 side Muckross the two previous weeks. It was time for Weston to show Old Alex exactly why they capable of matching the teams a division and indeed two divisions higher than them.
The first half saw both sides have chances on goal. Mairead D’arcy was a trojan in centre forward and seemed to play with one thing on her mind....getting the ball in the back of then net. She was unlucky not to score in the first half when she let fly on a ball from the right side of the D. It narrowly missed the left corner of the goal. Grainne Ni Laingin in centre mid actually played very well, distributing the ball beautifully around the pitch and closing down the opposition in the centre of the pitch. Old Alex also had some chances on goal and it was upto the Weston defense to clear the ball away from Aimee Franklin in goal. The 0-0 score-line at half time was a fair reflection of how the match was going.
Weston went into the second half, knowing that the match could go either way. A goal for either side wouldn’t have been surprising. Luckily for Weston it went the Lucan sides way. A shot by Mairead was met by Jenny Hughes who really has an eye for goal this season and the ball ended up in the back of the Old Alex goal. Weston were determined to keep the score-line in their favour so with everyone behind the ball they defended until the end. As the umpires gave the 2minutes to go signal Old Alex attacked. Weston gave away a free in their own half. The umpire looked at his watch. The game continued, Old Alex progressd toward the Weston goal. The umpire looked at his watch again. Weston defense concentrated hard, knowing there was not much time left, hoping that the umpire would blow the whistle. Time ran out for Old Alex and as the umpire blew the final whistle Weston were delighted to win the 3points.
With other games in division 4 going their way, Weston Ladies 1sts now sit proudly at the top of the league.
Ladies Seconds Div 8.
Weston -v- Malahide Fingal 0-1.
Ladies Seconds maintained their unbeaten record against Malahide Fingal on Saturday morning, winning 1-0. Despite the early start and injuries accruing to many Weston players, the team went out with enthusiasm and determination and overwhelmed the opposition. From the outset, Weston dominated the game, with their fast paced movement of the ball and strong defensive capabilities, and continued to do so for the duration. The game ended with an understated 1-0 result, which did not reflect the one-sided aspect of the game.
Fingal displayed little resistance to the advances of the Weston midfielders and their quick distribution of the ball around the centre of the pitch. Early in the first half, centre midfielder, Nicola Harris , approached Fingal’s “D” and crossed the ball square, through the Fingal defence, and found Elaine Griffin who skillfully pushed it into the back of the goal to the delight of her team mates. Throughout the game Weston forwards tactfully won numerous short corners in the D, with Anne Kelly and Nicola Harris unlucky not to score a goal each, having made strong strikes at goal but unfortunately missing the post by inches on each occasion. Weston also had an infinite number of goal scoring opportunities in Fingal’s D from set play, but were unlucky not to capitalise on these.
The Fingal ladies portrayed a unified approach to the game, with numerous players shouting encouragement to each other. However, they caused no great threat to Weston as they did not enter Weston’s D once throughout the game, giving our goalie all but nothing to do. Fingal entered Weston’s half on very few occasions thanks to the strong defensive skills of the Weston defenders. The centre back and sweeper, Maryanne Ryan and Anne Kelly, maintained a strong position and fought to keep the Fingal midfielders in their own half. Fingal’s defence found a gap through Weston’s press on two or three occasions by striking the ball the length of the pitch. These were the only instances in which Fingal progressed into Weston’s 25 area of the pitch.
Overall, Weston played a great game of hockey and were unlucky not to have finished the game having scored significantly more goals than the decider goal.
Forwards: Neasa Henry, Barbara Ryan, Elaine Griffin
Midfielders: Laura Sharkey, Nicola Kehoe, Mairead Ryan,
Defenders: Eleanor Griffith, Anne Kelly, Maryanne Ryan, Nikki Kelly
Substitutes: Emma Gunn, Sarah Mortell, Karen Akindolie, Fiona Ryan
Goalie: Sinead Keating
Mens Leinster League Division 5
Weston 2nds 5-1 St James’ Gate
What a difference a week makes. After last Saturday’s depressing loss to YMCA 3rds, Weston 2nd X1 bounced back with a comprehensive win at home to St James’ Gate. The league table doesn’t lie, and with Weston lying 2nd from bottom in the relegation zone going into this game, it was imperative that they got three points to move up the table. Unlike last week, the preparation for this game was good, with a decent training session under their belt on Tuesday night and a couple of substitutions to call on. It will be the manner of victory which will please player coach Derek Tucker the most, the passing and movement was excellent and the younger players on the team (schoolboys Eoin Ryan and Karl Goodwin) scored two of the best goals of the season to date. Although this victory does not immediately fix the deficiencies in the 2nd X1, it will be a timely boost after three straight losses in the last ten days. Weston were in complete control from the first whistle, as they welcomed back old boys Paul Kennedy and Brian Percy to Griffeen. Tucker in particular was desperate to get one over on Kennedy as he managed to orchestrate a winning double against his old side last season. There was no fear of that happening this time around as Peter Kirwan secured the first goal from a short corner rebound after ten minutes. This was closely followed by a second strike from man-of-the match Stephen O’Shaughnessy to leave the home side 2-0 at the break. Things got even better in the second period as substitutes Adam Hanna and Daryl Carey added fresh impetus. The tie was effectively over after 5 minutes when Karl Goodwin got on the end of a sweeping move involving five or six players, resulting in the ball crashing into the Gate net. 3-0 up, the home side started to relax and play some of their best hockey of the season. Paul Lawson and Kirwan were in complete control in defence, leaving keeper Declan Kelly with virtually nothing to do. When Kelly was called into action he saved bravely at the feet of an onrushing forward. Hanna managed to score Weston’s fourth, and although the visitors did manage to register a score with five minutes to go, it was appropriate Weston scored the last and best goal of the game. A brilliant ball out of defence by Goodwin (now playing left back) was picked up by O’Shaughnessy who immediately found Benzies in acres of space outside the Gate circle. His crash ball into the circle was deflected into the net by Ryan for the goal of the season. Next up its Three Rock Rovers 3rds away next Saturday 20th November, and all players are encouraged to attend training this Tuesday night from 7-8.30 p.m.
Team: D. Kelly, K. Collopy, P. Lawson, N. O’Donnell, M. Benzies, S. O’Shaughnessy, P. Kirwan, J. Long, K. Goodwin, D. Tucker and E. Ryan. Subs: A. Hanna for Collopy and D. Carey for Tucker
Saturday November 6th
Weston Ladies 1sts -v- Muckross - Irish Cup. 0-2 .
This year, the first round of the Irish Cup brought Division 2 side Muckross out to face Weston Ladies 1sts in Lucan. The last few years saw Weston crash out of the Irish Cup in the first round. For yet another year in this prestigious cup, Weston were to be the underdogs, playing a team 2divisions higher than them. However, from the minute they stepped out onto the pitch for the warm-up they did not feel like the underdogs. A positive, determined attitude filtered through every one of the 15woman squad that was brought out on Saturday. This could be the upset of the tournament for Muckross. This could be the game that saw the ‘underdogs’ knock the Donneybrook side out in the first round. With attitudes like that, it promised to be an exciting game.
As the match tipped off, it was clear to Weston that it was going to be a faster paced game to their usual Division 4 matches. Wet weather conditions meant that the ball flew rapidly across the pitch. As spectators gathered to cheer on the home side, they were forced into silence as Muckross made a break down the right side of the pitch. Before anyone knew what was happening the ball was fired into the back of the Weston goal. Celebrations among Muckross players. Silence among the supporters. Protests among the Weston girls that the ball was hit outside the circle. Luckily for Weston, the umpire ruled the goal disallowed. Weston breathed a sigh of relief and would count themselves lucky that the scoreline stood at 0-0. After a slow 15mins, it was evident that Weston had to increase their work-rate and improve organisation all across the pitch. And so, after a slow start, they got back to playing great hockey and showed Muckross that the rest of the game was not going to be dictated by them.
From Aimee Franklin in goal, right up to centre-forward Mairead D’arcy work-rate for the remaining 55minutes was phenomenal. Defenders Leanne Kelly, Carol Harrison and Nikki Kelly did a great job at keeping the attackers at bay. The Muckross front line were quick and made excellent runs that the Weston defenders were not used to seeing in Division 4, and at a quicker pace. However, all three Weston defenders marked their players tight. The two full backs, Leanne and Nikki, ensured that their players remained as non-threatening as possible, forcing them down the line and away from attacking the goal directly. When the ball did slip through the tight defense, goal-keeper Aimee Franklin was there to ensure that the ball was staying out of her goal. One particular save saw Franklin and the Muckross right-wing go for a 50/50 ball. They were the only 2players in the circle. As the Weston defenders chased back, Aimee darted from her goal. The Muckross player darted toward Aimee. Aimee kept her eye on the ball, the Muckross right-wing lay on the ground, the ball cleared, Aimee retreated to her goal , her job done.
As sweeper, Alison Cooke ensured that the ball was played through the centre of the pitch by Muckross as little as possible. With her signature low stick tackling she not only helped out the defense but was also a valuable asset to the midfielders. The high tempo of the game meant that the midfielders had to do a lot of running. And no better players to do so than right mid Fiona Ryan, left mid Jenny Hughes and centre mid Grainne Ni Laingin. Fiona ran up and down the right side of the pitch all afternoon. She made some spectacular tackles that ensured that the Muckross left mid was not getting any further up the pitch. Fiona and Leanne, in right back, worked extremely well together. When Leanne made threatening breaks up toward the Muckross goal, Fiona was always there to hold the right-back position. Fiona was always behind her if she was attacking, and in front of her, creating space and moving into a great position to receive the ball if she was defending. That is what you call team-work.
The speed of Jenny Hughes at left mid and Sarah Mortell at right wing were a match for any of the Muckross players. The first half of the game saw Muckross attack the Weston defense a lot. This meant it was necessary for Jenny to come back and defend at every opportunity. And that she did. Her jab tackling out on the left line slowed down the attack on the right side of the pitch fantastically. Not only did she restrict the oppositions game she also made some great passes down the left wing to Rachel Murphy.
Muckross attacked through-out the first half Weston’s defense and midfield concentrated hard. However, no-one could have expected the confusion to have followed between the defense and the umpire. Amidst this confusion, Muckross managed to take the lead. It was now 1-0 to muckross, nearly half time and a low blow for Weston to take since they were doing so well at keeping the ball away from the goal. Other sides would have let their heads drop. Other sides would have resigned themselves to think that that was it, there was no coming back. But not the Weston Ladies 1sts.
They came out the other side of half time ready to fight for an equaliser. Much of the play in the 1st half of the match was in Weston’s own half with the forwards not seeing much of the ball. The 2nd half was a different story. Catherine Barry had adventures down the right and left wing and caused trouble for the Muckross defense. She made long winding runs down both sides of the pitch, approaching the defense and ending with the ball on her stick inside the circle. Unfortunately Catherine was not rewarded with a goal for all her hard work. Centre-forward Mairead D’arcy was also determined to see more of the ball in the 2nd half. If the ball was not going to come to her, she went and got it. She fought hard for every ball and played some great hockey with Grainne in the middle of the pitch.
Kings Hospital girl Svenya made her debut for Weston Ladies 1sts with a solid performance in right mid. Our other Kings Hospital girls Niamh and Rachel did equally as good a job when they came on. Niamh was steady and calm in defense, while Rachel made an impact when she came on as centre-forward.
A number of short corners were won by Weston in the 2nd half but unfortunately these were not converted into goals. With 10minutes to go and Weston still searching for that equaliser, Muckross managed to get another goal. At 2-0 many of the supporters left the ground, believing that Weston had done all they could. But the 11 Lucan girls on the pitch kept fighting, defending and even with tired legs tried to progress the ball up the pitch. Unfortunately, time ran out for Weston and as the final whistle blew the game finished 2-0. Weston had done all they could against a very good Division 2 side. They left nothing on the pitch. They can now look forward to concentrating on the league and putting on such a display of great hockey for the rest of their league fixtures.
Report by Nikki Kelly.
Leinster Ladies Division 13 & 14 Cup Round 1: Hermes 3 – 2 Weston
A weekend of hurricane warnings did not stop Weston Ladies Fourths team making a mighty effort against a strong Hermes side, Unfortunately it was not the result the Weston girls wanted but coach Jon Long’s great training and tactics came into play.
Firstly a big thanks to Mairead Ryan for acting as super coach while Jon was playing his own match - she gave us plenty of support and advise from the sideline (no buns though!!) Also thanks to Maryanne Ryan for doing the hard job as umpire and to the thirds for staying on and supporting us.
From the whistle Hermes had the defence line Ellie, Eimear, Susan and Emma busy and kept on their toes. Goalie Sinead Keating played a super game and wore out the goalie gear with all the great saves.
Weston midfielders Orla, Alex and Karen H played a stormer with good "strongside" passes to the forwards resulting in an Orla Lowry Hayes goal early in the game. The Hermes girls were not impressed with this and retaliated quickly scoring a goal from a short corner. Another Hermes goal came soon before half time with a Hermes forward breaking through the defence line and finding the back of the Weston net leaving it 2-1 to the away team at half time.
We all thought hurricane Hermes was paying a visit during the break as it got very dark and dull, heavy rain fall made the pitch waterlogged but we martyred on and slid our way through!!! Short passes were key and both teams put up a great battle. Hermes conceded a number of short corners-some controversial and alas found the back of the Weston net making it 3-1.The return of coach Jon Long was evident as Weston picked up the pace, put training into practice, conceded a short corner and Orla Lowry Hayes, as always on top form and found the back of the Hermes net.
So Hermes progress to Round 2, but a great game overall, well done to everyone. Keep up the good play :)
Team: Sinead Keating, Ellie Biggs, Susan Loftus, Eimear lowry Hayes,Emma Caniffe, Alex Byrne, Orla Lowry Hayes,Karen Howard, Steph, Susan Kavanagh, Aileen Trundell.
Subs Karen Akindolie for Susan Kavanagh, Aoife Ryan for Emma Caniffe
Mens - Leinster League Division 5
YMCA 3rds 4-0 Weston 2nds
Weston 2nd X1 slumped to their third defeat in the space of seven days as they were outclassed by YMCA at Claremont road last Saturday (6th). Sometimes, you have to put your hand up and say you were beaten by the better team, and even our 1st X1 would have had problems against this particular side. On another day YM could have scored ten, such was their dominance in the second half. Matters were not helped by the late arrival of five of the Weston team members, which meant that preparation for the match was disrupted. Within fifteen minutes of the start, we were 2-0 down as the eager home side tore into a disorganised Weston X1. Indeed, had it not been for some timely interventions by Paul Lawson and some excellent goalkeeping by Derek Kirwan, the home side would have been out of sight by half time. I could argue that the turning point of the game occurred when YM were leading 1-0. A great piece of interplay between Simon Pearson and Daryl Carey found Pearson one-on-one with the keeper. His initial shot was blocked on the line, but as the ball subsequently rolled into the goal, the umpire had already blown for a short corner, denying Weston a legitimate goal. Nothing came from the penalty corner and YM swept up the other end with their next attack and made it 2-0. As I said, I could have claimed that was the turning point, but that would have been doing an disservice to a YM team who really turned it on in the second half, scoring two more goals in the process. Jonny Long, Adam Hanna and Carey tried to stem the tide in midfield while up front; Karl Goodwin and Eoin Ryan were living off scraps. Too many of the Weston players looked disinterested and this has been endemic of the performances in the last week, resulting in 3 defeats, 10 goals conceded and only 2 scored. For a team harbouring ambitions of promotion to Division 4 and providing back up for a Division 1 outfit, it’s not good enough. Even at this early stage of the season, the 2nd X1 are hovering around the relegation zone. This is the virtually the same side that dismantled Naas only five months ago in one of their final fixtures of last season. Naas were later promoted to Division 4, while Weston just missed out by a couple of points. Next week the seconds welcome St James Gate to Griffeen Valley Park and will be desperate to get things back on track with a win. For the rest of the season to remain competitive, it’s imperative that they do so.
Team: D. Kirwan, M. Pluck, P. Lawson, S. Mernagh, D. Carey, A. Hanna, P. Kirwan, J. Long, K. Goodwin, S. Pearson and E. Ryan. Subs: D. Tucker for Ryan
Monday November 1st
Weston Ladies 4th -v- Corinthians 1-1
After a few weeks of cancelled matches, Weston 4ths were eager to get stuck into a game! It was an Monday evening game and some of the 2nds team stayed behind after their training to give some support. We also had a couple of subs to spare and the coach, Jon, made sure everyone got a chance on the pitch.
It was a fairly even game in the 1st half with end to end play. With some great play from Weston we were 1 up at half time.
With half time team talk to continue passing and moving and putting on pressure, Weston continued with confidence. However, Corinthians scored from play but both the goalie and sweeper were sure the shot was taken from outside the circle. The goal was allowed but however hard Weston continued to play and keep the ball out of their half, a goal couldn't be scored!
Sunday October 31st 2010
Division 3/4 Leinster Ladies Cup Weston 1sts -v- Bray 2nds 1-2.
It was an early start for the Weston Ladies Firsts on Halloween morning as they made their way out to Bray for the first round of division 3/4 cup. This was their 2nd match in as many days but Weston arrived out in Bray, determined to prove that it was not going to be an easy morning for their opposition.
From the starting whistle it was clear that the Lucan Ladies were not going to let Bray dictate the game. There was some beautiful passing in the middle of the field between centre-mid Grainne Ni Laingin and centre-forward Mairead D’arcy. Grainne seemed to be everywhere on the pitch, whether it was supporting Mairead at the top of the circle or back in defense looking to help progress the ball up the pitch. She created trouble for Bray all over the pitch. When she was on the ball her team-mates were never far away, whether it was sweeper Alison Cooke looking for a pass back to distribute the ball to the far side of the pitch or right and left mids, Fiona Ryan and Jenny Hughes looking to distribute the ball out to the wings. Fiona and Jenny were industrious in mid-field and showed that their ability to defend behind the ball was equally as good as their progression of the ball up the pitch. They fed some great balls to right-wing Catherine Barry and left-wing Aoife Murray. Catherine attacked the circle with great confidence and ability and caused a lot of trouble for the Bray defense. She never gave up on a ball and made sure she was a defenders nightmare for the entire morning. When Sarah Mortell came in as right-wing Bray’s defense were equally as troubled. Not only did Sarah make beating Bray’s full back look easy but her speed around the top of the circle would worry any top defensive unit. Aoife Murray was equally as threatening on the left-wing. On more than one occasion she found herself in the oppositions circle. Left-sided player Rachel Murphy also shone on the day. Her ability to pick up the ball in midfield and burst towards the goal with is exciting to watch and terrifying for the opposition. Herself and Jenny supported each other beautifully on the left-side.
As the first half continued, Weston continued to put pressure on Bray’s goal. Aoife Murray on the left wing fed some great balls to centre-forward Mairead D’arcy. Bray’s centre-back and sweeper were obviously good players but this did not matter to Mairead. She never let them play their own hockey, not giving them and inch and closing them down, putting them under pressure at every opportunity. Her runs in and around the circle threatened every time. When she was moved from centre-forward to centre-mid she continued her hard work, fighting for, and winning every ball.
Weston went into half time at 0-0, knowing that a goal would come if they kept up the good work. But equally realising if concentration lapsed or work rate decreased, Bray could slip through. When the ball did come through, the Weston defense of Carol Harrison, Alison Cooke, Leanne Kelly and Nikki Kelly were first to clear every ball. Sweeper Alsion Cooke never gave up on a ball and time after time came out of every tackle with the ball on the end of her stick. In centre-back captain Carol kept the ball away from Bray’s centre forward. She easily distributed the ball toward left and right backs and up into midfield. Although the outfield Weston players did their best to keep the ball out of their own circle they did have to rely on goalkeeper Aimee Franklin to pull off a number of good saves to keep the scoreline at 0-0. It did not stay 0-0 or long. As the forwards attacked the circle it was clear that Catherine Barry had her eye on goal and sure enough she was there to hit the ball past the Bray goalkeeper to make it 1-0 to Weston. Now it was a matter of holding onto the lead…and if possible increasing the lead. Leanne Kelly surely had this on her mind when she was moved into right-mid. She worked the ball up the right side of the pitch and had shots on goal that were just unlucky not to be converted into goals. Newcomer Niamh slotted perfectly into right back and kept up the high standard that Leanne had set in the position. She didn’t let Bray’s left-wing get a sniff of the ball. She was first to every ball and even burst up the pitch with the ball, frightening Bray’s midfield. Rachel , another newcomer for Weston, was brought on up front for Weston. Fresh from scoring 2goals on her debut for Weston 1sts the day before she was always going to be a threat for Bray. Unfortunately goals were not destined for Rachel this time but she did win valuable short corners and put Bray’s defense under pressure.
Work rate from the Weston girls was second to none. At 68minutes Weston were winning 1-0. The girls weren’t getting overly confident but anyone would have put money on Weston to win and it would have been a fair reflection on how the game had gone so far. For 68minutes Weston were the better team. In the last two minutes of time Bray managed to score 2goals.
Saturday 30th October 2010
Leinster Ladies Division 4: Weston vs. Malahide Fingal 4 -2.
Weston Ladies 1sts were hoping to build on their win over Trinity last week as they lined out against the newly amalgamated Malahide Fingal (MH) club in Griffeen Valley Park.
Weston were lucky to secure ex-Fingal player Leanne Kelly this season and were hoping not to let her down! The home team knew Malahide Fingal would come out fighting and they did not disappoint. Weston found it difficult to find their feet in the initial 20 minutes, with the centre midfield for Malahide Fingal controlling the game leading to a few anxious moments for the Weston defence. However Leanne, Carol Harrison and Nikki Kelly were solid and managed to clear the ball successfully.
As Weston settled into the game they increased the tempo and had some lovely passing movements between defence and midfield. Leanne Kelly worked the ball beautifully up the touch line from her new role in right back. As the game progressed Weston imposed themselves on the game and Mairead D’Arcy was unlucky not to convert a few terrific chances. Coming up to half time Weston won several short corners and eventually broke the deadlock; Jenny Hughes chasing the ball along the end line to cross it skilfully into the goal (with a little help from Malahide Fingal’s defender!).
Weston made some changes at half time, with Niamh Williams coming into right back and new club member Rachel Tyner making her first appearance in a Weston jersey. These changes allowed Weston to continue to pressure the Malahide Fingal defence. A lovely cross from Sarah Mortell set Rachel Tyner up to score a 2nd goal. This was shortly followed by a run of short corners, where Catherine Barry clinically finished on the back post to score Weston’s 3rd goal.
Unfortunately it wasn’t to go all Weston’s way. Malahide Fingal came back into the game, scoring from a short corner with 20 minutes to go. The visitors followed this up with a 2nd goal moments later from an uncharacteristic defence error by Weston.
But, Weston fought to the end and used their extensive pre-season fitness training to their advantage. With minutes to play Catherine Barry broke from midfield beating the Malahide Fingal defence leading to a one on one with the goalie. Rachel Tyner showed excellent composure as she supported Catherine and was on hand to finish her first game with a two goal tally.
It finished 4-2 to Weston, securing another vital 3 points. Next up in the league is Old Alex 3rds on 13th November in Griffeen Valley Park.
- Report by Alison Cooke
Leinster Ladies Division 8: Weston 2nds 1 – 1 Bray 3rds
It was an early start for the Weston Ladies with a 9.30am match start! The home team dominated the play from early on despite Bray’s style of play completely contradicting Weston’s, making it difficult for Weston to play their short passes. Weston played well, with some lovely passing throughout the game; however they failed to convert any of their opportunities to scores. Weston won a number of short corners in both halves but even though Anne Kelly’s shots from the top of the D were on target, the Bray goalkeeper prevented Weston from taking the lead. A lucky break through mid field from Bray saw them go ahead shortly before half time, their goal going against the run of play.
In the second half Weston came back out all guns blazing with Nicola Kehoe moving in centre forward and Eleanor Griffith coming out of defence as a second centre mid. Weston were unlucky when Eleanor Griffith suffered an injury and was unable to continue - however they did not allow this to hamper their attempts to equalise and after some lovely passing Weston finally got a well deserved equaliser scored by Elaine Griffin, who had a great game. The last 15 minutes of the match were the best for Weston however a second goal remained elusive. The game finished 1 - 1 and although they were disappointed to drop 2 points, the Weston Ladies 2nds remain unbeaten so far this season. We wish Eleanor a speedy recovery!
Leinster Men’s League Division 5: Weston 2nd X1 1-3 Pembroke 4ths
Weston 2nds slumped to their first defeat of the season at home to Pembroke 4ths last Saturday (30th). In truth, they can have no arguments, as Pembroke used their bench well in the second half, while Weston only had the bare eleven after some cry-offs earlier in the day. The game started brightly with chances coming quickly at both ends. It was Pembroke who were first to strike after the home defence failed to clear a ball following a penalty corner. Despite the best efforts of Karl Goodwin and Eoin Ryan up front, this is the way it stayed until half time. A sterling half time talk from Jon Long seemed to do the trick and within minutes Weston were level courtesy of a penalty corner strike from Goodwin. At this stage the game could have gone either way, but it was the fresh legs that the visitors were able to call on which eventually swung the tie in Pembroke’s favour. They managed to secure a second goal with fifteen minutes to go, closely followed by a third as the home side visibly tired. The turning point came at 2-1 when a Weston corner found the back of the net. However the umpire correctly disallowed it as it was the first strike on goal and was above the backboard. Weston heads dropped and Pembroke went on to secure a comfortable win. The 2nd X1 will have the perfect opportunity to bounce back when they travel to Sutton Park School to take on old rivals Suttonians this coming Tuesday night (2nd November) in a Division Five refix. Another tough assignment beckons on Saturday (6th) as they travel to Claremont road to take on YM 4ths.
Team: D. Kelly, M. Pluck, P. Lawson, N. O’Donnell, D. Carey, N. Hipwell, P. Kirwin, J. Long, K. Goodwin, M. Benzies and E. Ryan. Subs: V. Byrne for Hipwell
- Report by Derek Tucker
Saturday 16th October
Weston Ladies 1sts vs Trinity 1-0
Weston were away to Trinity for an early start on Saturday morning. Last season’s meetings of the two sides saw Trinity come out with 3points from both games. Weston were determined not to let them take another 3. With Weston having drawn their last 2games it was vital that 3points were brought back to Lucan.
Weston got stuck in from the start with a lot of action happening in front of the Trinity goal. Centre-forward Mairead D’arcy frightened the Trinity defense with some great shots on goal, forcing the Trinity goalkeeper to be very busy and pull off some great saves. Fiona Ryan did great work up the right hand side of the pitch and fed right-wing Sarah Mortell some great passes. Week after week Sarah threatens the oppositions left side and last Saturday was no different. Her speed and stick work up the right wing of the pitch caused the Trinity defense some major problems.
Westons defense of Leanne Kelly, Carol Harrison , Alison Cooke and Nikki Kelly tried to keep possession of the ball by passing around their half of the pitch and right back Leanne Kelly hit some great balls up the right hand line. Leanne and centre-mid Grainne Ni Lannagain also did some great work together to progress the ball up toward the Trinity goal. Although Weston looked the better side, Trinity were a fast team and did have some opportunities to score as they broke from their defense. Weston defenders Alison Cooke and Carol were always on hand however to clear the ball from in front of goal.
The 2nd half saw the ball being played a lot more over the left hand side of the Weston team. Left-mid and left-wing combination of Jenny Hughes and Aoife Murray progressed the ball beautifully up the pitch towards the goal. In doing so, Weston won a number of short corners, most of which were positively utilised. One in particular saw Jenny Hughes strike the post, another saw Alison Cooke strike the back of the net but was unfortunately disallowed. As yet another short corner was won all eyes focused on Weston’s ‘short corner girls’. A strike saved by the goalie and a scramble from the Trinity defence to clear the ball ignited Weston’s Grainne Ni Lannagain’s attacking nature as she caught sight of the ball, burst forward and hit it into the back of the net. The first goal of many for Grainne this season. It was now a matter of holding onto the lead for Weston’s first XI.
Rachel Murphy did very well in stopping the Trinity students from attacking Weston’s left hand side, while Catherine Barry did equally as good a job on the right hand side. With 10minutes to go, Weston captain Carol Harrison had to succumb to an injury that she picked up the week before. It was up to MaryAnne Ryan to step into centre back. MaryAnne was calm on every ball and made some vital tackles in the closing few minutes of the game as Trinity fought back to get an equaliser. Weston held onto the 1-0 lead and goal-keeper Aimee Franklin ensured a clean sheet was held. Weston left the Santry grounds happy to have secured 3points.
Ladies 2nds -v UCD 4-0
Weston ladies second team continued their impressive winning streak in style with a four goal tally against UCD today. Weston started slowly, allowing the opposition to play their game and taking a while to settle on the ball. However, after the first fifteen minutes the ladies began to assert themselves on the game with forwards Barbara Ryan, Neasa Henry, Elaine Griffin and Francis Carroll putting pressure on the UCD defence. Their work paid off with the first goal coming from a well-constructed short corner. A shot was taken from the top of the circle and was deflected into the goal beautifully by Neasa Henry, who had positioned herself perfectly at the goal mouth. With the first goal under their belt, Weston ladies gained confidence and soon dominated the field in every area. The ladies continued to press forward and were rewarded for their valiant efforts with a second goal from Nicola Harris. Mid-fielder Mairead Ryan swept the ball past the UCD defenders, however, her shot was saved by the UCD goal-keeper who kicked the ball straight into Nicola Harris. Harris replied on the rebound with a skilful lob over the goal-keeper’s stick, giving Weston a very comfortable two-goal lead going into half-time.
The home team began the second half with obvious intent, however, they failed to penetrate Weston’s defence (Anne Kelly, Stephanie Maher, Eimear Fitzgerald,Eleanor Griffith and Maryanne Ryan) at any time during the match. Weston continued their attacking play and were once again rewarded with a goal from a well-rehearsed short corner. Barbara Ryan slap-hit the ball towards the corner post and a subtle touch from Francis Carroll redirected the ball into the goal mouth. Approximately five minutes later, the ladies sealed a four nil victory with a goal from Barbara Ryan. Fiona Ryan’s trademark run up the right-hand side resulted in super ball across the pitch reaching B. Ryan who did not disappoint and pushed the ball into the back of the net. To their credit, UCD kept their heads up and fought bravely to the end of the match. During the last ten minutes of the game, UCD attempted once again to break down the Weston defence, however, Weston’s fitness proved crucial in keeping the opposition at bay and staving off any threat that they posed.
With three wins in a row, this is a superb start to the season for the team. Under their coaches, Enda Tucker and Neil O’ Donnell, the ladies have gone from strength to strength and are playing with the confidence of a team on an upward trend. Well done ladies!
Weston Ladies 3rds -v- Railway Union 2 -2
Weston ladies 3rds travelled to Railway Union determined to come home with a win. From the whistle Weston ladies started off to a great game. There was some fantastic plays down the right side with some great runs by Rachel Spillian and Katie Twomey. In the first half of the game most of the ball posession was in weston hands. There was a good few shots taken on goal but Railways back line was very experienced and make it difficult for weston forwards Orlagh O'Brien and Susan Kavanagh. At half time it was nil all. After a good half time team talk with coach Jon Long, th e girls came back into game eager to score a goal. A few minutes into the second half Railway Union scored the first goal of the game, soon after this a short was won by Weston. From this short a goal was scored, a super hit by Susan Kavanagh to Karen Akindolie which resulted to a goal. Weston ladies wanted to get another goal and put a lot of pressure on Railways defence. With great encouragement from Jon, it was a just a matter of time before another goal was scored. A great run from Oralagh O'Brien from the halfway line up the right side of the pitch and a perfect pass to Katie in the D resulted in a goal for Weston. Westons defence fought hard to keep Railway out of the D.Shauna Dunne was out on their toes for both of the shorts that Railway won. In the final two mintues of the game Railway got their second goal which brought the game to two all. Weston ladies had a great game, and a fantastic effort put in by all the girls.
9th October 2010
Weston 2 - Clontarf 0.
Weston 2nd's determined to continue their good record, meet Clontarf at home on Saturday morning. Sarah Carroll was welcomed back into the squad as goalkeeper for the season.
Clontarf started on the attack, until Weston settled into the match. The first goal came off the back of a short corner rebound. Frances Carroll, on right post, passed back to Nicola Harris on the penalty spot, who swept it by the goalie.
Weston defence kept Clontarf at bay and gave Sarah very little to do in goals. Eimear Fitzgerald pushed all the play back up the pitch, in her role as centre back.
Weston got stronger as the game progressed, with more chances on goal in the second half.
A great free was taken by Anne Kelly in defence, through Mairead Ryan in midfield , to Frances Carroll on the right wing, with a shot on goal. Nicola Harris picked up the rebound at the top of the d, and Weston were 2 goals up.
Eleanor Griffith played great, bringing the play up the right wing, for the forwards to run on to, much to the dismay of the Clontarf midfield.
A good performance by the whole squad and a great start to the season.
Next week we welcome back our newly wedded Captain, Emma Gunne/Kirwan with an away match to UCD.
Report by Nicola Harris.
Leinster Ladies’ Division 4: Railway Union 1 - 1 Weston
Weston Ladies 1sts travelled to Railway Union this weekend (Sat October 9th) where they hoped to take their game to the next level and come away with a win. Due to unavailability and a serious injury of few key players it was with pleasure Laura Sharkey was welcomed back to the squad this weekend.
On a beautiful autumn day in Dublin, within minutes of tip back Mairead D’Arcy received a blow to her ankle, but in true D’Arcy style she managed to play on. Weston conceded two short corners in the 1st five minutes of play although successfully defending comfortably they sustained another injury in the process resulting in Carol Harrison (Capt) having to leave the pitch.
With only a starting squad of thirteen Weston were soon down to twelve players from a very early stage. Weston’s coach Brian Scully swiftly rearranged the defence with Alison Cooke taking up Centre back role, Grainne Ni Lanaghan moving to sweeper and Mairead D’Arcy into centre mid-field. Railway took the lead half way into the first half from swift passing and a good shot on goal.
But Weston stepped up the tempo and equalised before half time from a short corner. Jenny Hughes pushed out to Mairead D’Arcy who struck the ball sweetly hitting the opposition’s corner back boards with accuracy. The second half continued at a fierce pace with both teams playing an excellent standard of hockey displaying fast moving passing and tight defensive play, making it an exciting game to play and to spectate. New comer to the squad Sarah Mortell gaining in confidence with each game is proving to be very useful showing she has great pace and ability to beat the opposition. Leanne Kelly a new comer the Club had a solid game at Right back linking well with Catherine Barry right midfield while Nikki Kelly settled into her new role as Left back with ease setting up Jenny Hughes and Laura for their left field attacks. Coach Brian Scully said this was the best performance to date this season. A 1-1 draw was a good result and platform for the ladies to build on for their match next Sat October 16th away to Trinity.
Weston: A.Franklin, C. Harrison (capt), N. Kelly, L. Kelly, A. Cooke, C. Barry, G Ni Lanagain, J. Hughes, R. Murphy, S. Mortell, M, D’Arcy, L. Sharkey, N. McCarthy.
- Report by Carol Harrison
Ladies 3rds Division 11 Weston 0 - Naas 0.
Team :Sinead Keating Linda Fitzgerald Shauna Dunne Eimear Lowry Hayes Susan Kavanagh Karen Akindolie Rachel Spilling Orla Lowry Hayes Susan Loftus Fiona Kelly Alex Byrne.
Weston 3rds travelled to Naas for their first league game since being promoted. Naas started on the attack as soon as the whistle was blown. It took Weston ladies a few minutes to settle. Once Weston were settled down most of the play was on westons hands. Weston had many chances to score with great attempts from Susan Kavanagh and Orla Lowry Hayes. With encouraging words from coach Jon long it was just a matter of time before a goal was scored. Unfortunately no goals were scored but a load of shorts were won by the Weston girls. A great team effort was put in by all the girls.
Leinster League Division 5
Weston Mens 2nd X1 1-0 North Kildare
Weston secured their first league win of the season with an excellent 1-0 win away to North Kildare last Saturday (9th). In an ill-tempered affair, which at times threatened to boil over, Weston had one player sent off and will be delighted to have come away from Kilcock with all three points. The early start of 11 am meant that the 2nd X1 were short of their King’s Hospital contingent, but it was one of the replacements, Simon Pearson, who was the match winner. The first half was very much stop-start as neither side created too many chances and failed to get any rhythm going. Eoin Ryan and Adam Hanna did their best with limited supply up front, but goals were few and far between and it was 0-0 at the break. The second period wasn’t much better and frustrated players on both sides became embroiled in niggly incidents around the park. It was one of these incidents which led to the sending off of Neil O’Donnell five minutes into the second half. Weston managed to hold on with ten men as their overworked midfield of Jonny Long, Daryl Carey and Stephen O’Shaughnessy held firm against the North Kildare onslaught. Derek Kirwan performed well in goals, keeping a clean sheet and this allowed Weston to claim all three points as they secured that all important goal with five minutes remaining. In keeping with the rest of the game, the goal came in controversial circumstances. A drag flick from a Weston penalty corner was saved by the keeper as the ball bounced off his arm. Expecting the whistle to blow for another corner, the North Kildare defence stopped for one crucial moment. That whistle never came and Simon Pearson followed up and tapped home the rebound. It was a great piece of opportunism from Pearson and a perfectly legitimate goal. Weston will be hoping to follow on from that win when they travel to Sutton Park School to take on Suttonians next Saturday 16th October.
Weston: D. Kirwan, M. Pluck, P. Lawson, N. O’Donnell, D. Carey, P. Ennis, K. Collopy, J. Long, A. Hanna, S. Pearson and E. Ryan. Subs: S. O’Shaughnessy for O’Donnell and B. Gilmartin for Ennis.
- Report by Derek Tucker
2nd October 2010
Men’s Leinster League Division 1: Pembroke 3 (Gordon Elliott 2, Craig Wilson) Weston 1 (Simon Pearson)
Coaxing Ian Clarke to don the pads for a full season could be a master-stroke as he produced
a string of fine saves for Weston for the second week running as the former Glenanne man
deputises for the honey-mooning Vinny Byrne. Nonetheless, Pembroke had the edge in quality
to win their first game of the season at Serpentine Avenue against Weston.
Gordon Elliott and Craig Wilson – his second in as many games – both netted with shots to
the top right of the goal inside the opening ten minutes but the Lucanites fought back, Simon
Pearson registering his first division strike when he calmly placed under the out-rushing Gowan
Jones from the top of the circle to bring it back to 2-1.
But Elliott restored the two-goal wedge before the break, thankful to the huge industry of Ronan
Flannery for its creation. He burst forward from the back and his shot looked en route to the goal
before the former Irish international helped it on its way. Elliott missed from the spot for a would-
be hat-trick in a game which saw a high volume of frees and struggled to develop any sort of
rhythm.
Courtesy of the Hook
Leinster Ladies League Division 4: Weston 0 - 0 Swords
Under the guidance of coach Brian Scully again this season, Weston Ladies’ 1st XI held out fora nil-all draw against a very strong Swords team last Saturday (2nd Oct). Recently promoted
from Division 5 (where they were unbeaten last season), Swords started the game well and put
the home team under some pressure in the first fifteen minutes. Goalkeeper Aimee Franklin
held her nerve, making some impressive saves early on. Weston eventually settled into the
game, gaining more possession and territory as the first half went on, with some great interplay
between Grainne Ni Lanagain, Catherine Barry and Sarah Mortell down the right side. Aoife
Murray had a great chance to put Weston a goal up in the closing minutes of the first half, but
narrowly missed outside the left post.
Both teams started the second half well and had several scoring chances from play and penalty
corners. As the minutes ticked by, Weston got a couple of breaking balls, well-utilised by Jenny
Hughes and Alison Cooke, with Mairead D’Arcy extremely unlucky not to convert these scoring
opportunities. Swords weren’t without their share of chances and spent most of the final five
minutes in Weston’s half, but the strong defensive team of Carol Harrison, Nikki Kelly and
newcomer Leanne Kelly kept the visitors off the scoreboard. All in all, a fair result and a positive
start to the season for both teams. Weston will be looking to build on this solid performance and
secure a win away to Railway next Saturday.
Weston: A.Franklin, C. Harrison (capt), N. Kelly, L. Kelly, A. Cooke, C. Barry, G Ni Lanagain, J.
Hughes, R. Murphy, S. Mortell, M, D’Arcy, A. Murray, N. McCarthy.
- Report by Claire Conneely
Leinster Men’s League Division 5 Weston 2nd X1 1-1 Avoca 2nd X1
Weston got their league campaign up and running with a hard fought draw at home to Avoca on
Saturday (2nd Oct). On a perfect day for hockey, both teams served up an entertaining game,
Weston having the better of the first half, while Avoca came back strongly in the second period.
The home team got off to a good start with Eoin Ryan, Mark Benzies and Matthew Auret putting
pressure on the visitors defence. This pressure was rewarded with a couple of penalty corners,
and from one of these corners Weston took the lead. Ryan’s intitial shot was well saved by the
keeper, but Auret followed up to crash the ball home. Auret, from Zimbabwe, is a student in
The King’s Hospital (one of three students on the team) and he was delighted with a goal in his
first competitive appearance for the club. Paul Lawson was the other player making his debut
for the club and he was very impressive in a sweeper role. Despite continued pressure Weston
couldn’t build on this lead before the half time break.
Avoca, who were relegated down to this Division last season, came out with real purpose in
the second half. The home midfield of Jonny Long and Derek Tucker struggled to contain their
opposite numbers as Avoca began to carve out a number of chances. Simon Mernagh and
Neill O’Donnell were coping well with the pressure in defence but keeper Derek Kirwan was
finally beaten by a low drive 15 minutes from time. It was anyone’s game now and both teams
created a number of opportunities to win it, without securing that elusive second goal. Peter
Kearney, on as sub, has the best of these opportunities, but couldn’t beat the visiting keeper.
He was well supported by Ryan, who was a constant threat to the Avoca defence all afternoon.
His marauding runs and trickery on the ball deserved a goal, but he will have to wait till next
weekend to open his league account. The game finished 1-1, a fair result as neither team
deserved to lose. Next weekend Weston travel to neighbours North Kildare and coach Mark
Slaughter will be hoping his side can secure their first league win of the season.
Weston: D. Kirwan, S. Mernagh, P. Lawson, N. O’Donnell, D. Tucker, K. Goodwin, M. Benzies,
J. Long, S. Shaughnessy, M. Auret and E. Ryan. Subs: P. Ennis for O’Donnell and P. Kearney
for Auret.
- Report by Derek Tucker
Ladies Leinster League Division 8: Botanic 1 – 2 Weston
From the first whistle, Botanic were on the attack; however a combined effort from the Weston
midfielders and defence prevented them from breaching the visitor’s “D”. Mid-way through the
first half Botanic broke through and found the back of Weston’s goal. This seemed to fire up the
Weston’s ladies and with ten minutes to half time Elaine Griffen released the ball to Frances
Carroll who was waiting in the “D” to take a shot. Botanic’s goalie got her foot to it and the ball
rebounded into the path of Neasa Henry who pushed the ball over the line to score Weston’s
first goal. Botanic fought back however the Weston midfields kept them at bay, partly due to
Mairead Ryan’s effort, bravely winning each tackle that came her way.
The second half showed Weston’s high level of fitness and they spent most of the rest of the
game in Botanic’s half. They were rewarded for this and earned a penalty corner. Nicola
Keogh received the ball on top of the “D” and effortlessly hit the ball by Botanic’s defence and
goalie. With 10 minutes to go Weston were 2-1 up. This however did not dishearten the Botanic
ladies as they fought hard and kept the ball in Weston’s 25. Weston’s captain, Maryanne Ryan
rallied her defence together to keep Botanic out of Weston’s “D”. Nonetheless on two occasions
Botanic broke into the “D” and had two powerful shots on goal. Goalie Aimee Franklin pulled
off two super saves to keep Weston in the lead. The Weston ladies kept their composure to the
final whistle and were thrilled to start the new season with a great win.
