IFC v Ballymore
Our latest sojourn in the Shay Murtagh Intermediate Football Championship came to a disappointing end last Sunday in Rochfortbridge when a 0-14 to 1-17 loss to Ballymore in our final group match relegated us back to the junior ranks after two years.
It was a bitter pill to swallow after we had been in contention for a quarter-final spot only five days earlier. But a highly controversial defeat in our refixture against Maryland consigned us to a relegation dogfight which we never looked like winning after Ballymore seized control midway through the second half.
Mother nature didn’t do us any favours either when we played against a strong wind in the first half, only for it to die completely after a heavy shower at half-time. But when the game was there to be won with 20 minutes to go, we just didn’t have it and that’s what will haunt us most over the winter months.
With a big Kilbeggan support present, Cillian Rochford gave us the perfect start with a super score inside the first minute. But it was the only time we led as Ballymore battled back to lead by 0-9 to 0-6 at the break.
Following an exchange of points on the resumption, two Padraig Carton points either side of a Nigel Scally free tied up the scoring at 0-10 apiece after 41 minutes. We looked the more likely winners at this stage, but a hungrier Ballymore side wrestled back control with five unanswered points in as many minutes before sealing the win and preserving their intermediate status with a palmed goal from Ivan Smyth in the 57th minute.
Now that the season has come to an end, we would like to take this opportunity to thank manager Nigel Adamson, his selectors Mark Sonner, Paul Maloney and Dave Finn, and all the players for their efforts this year. We will lick our wounds before regrouping in 2026.
Scorers – Nigel Scally (2x2pts, 2fs) 0-7, Conor Delaney, Padraig Carton and Cillian Rochford 0-2 each, James Finnegan 0-1.
Team – Conor Mullins; Colin Draper, James Fox, Mel Kiernan; Micheál Coffey, Shaun Pidgeon, Conor Carroll; Nigel Scally, Ray Kennedy; Cillian Rochford, Paul Fennell, Padraig Carton; James Finnegan, Conor Delaney, Darragh Coffey. Subs: Jacob Browne for Fennell (50 min), Danny Scully for Finnegan (54 min), Colm Heffernan for Delaney (58 min).
Ploughing fundraiser
Well done to all the volunteers who gave up their time to sell official programmes at the National Ploughing Championships in Screggan over the three days last week.
The fundraiser was a resounding success and is vital to supporting our day-to-day running costs.
Lotto
Last week’s lucky numbers were 2, 9, 17 and 20. There was no jackpot winner. The Match 3 winners were Dermot Smith, F Hennessy, Eoin Dixon, Heidi Pohl, Sinead Bracken and Noeline Coffey.
The jackpot has been capped at €15,000 until it is won again. Make sure to buy your tickets online or at Centra, Mace and Whelan’s. Thank you for your continued support.
Joe Ryan
Congratulations to our U10 boys’ team mentor Joe Ryan on coaching new Irish running sensation Cian McPhillips to an incredible fourth-place finish in the men’s 800m final at the World Athletics Championship in Tokyo last Saturday.
Hailing from a well-known athletics family in Ballinderry, Joe described Cian’s performances as the “stuff of dreams” as the 23-year-old Longford man announced himself on the world stage in spectacular fashion. In eighth and last position coming up to the bend in the final, Cian finished strongly, setting a new national record of 1:42.15 and missing out on a medal by just 0.8 of a second.
Kenya's Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi won gold in a championship record time of 1:41.86. Algeria's Djamel Sedjati took silver in 1:41.90 and Canada's Marco Arop was a couple of strides ahead of McPhillips to claim bronze in 1:41.95.
For McPhillips, it was all a far cry from his days of cross-country running and trying to break into the top 12 at the national championships. But benefiting from Joe’s expert coaching since his school days in Mullingar, he has become a world-class athlete who looks to be only getting started.
