U12 BLITZ - PECKHAM RYE - 4TH JULY 2009

'On this day' - American Colonies Declare Independent 4th July 1776

Peckham Rye is a treat at the best of times, and I will say worth the journey over from Morden, but on Saturday last it was a delight and a hive of activity with a mini festival in full flow when I arrived just after midday.

The day was glorious - the sun beamed down from on high and for Round Towers U12s it shone brightly on all of them as they put in a most entertaining and tremendous performance and WON THE BLITZ.!!!!!!!!!!!!! The boys and girls were just brilliant in the final. The winning panel consisted of both U12s and U10s which made it doubly enjoyable to see the two younger panels demonstrating how well they have learned the Gaelic skills and how competitive they are. Dave Clarke has to be very proud of his U10 panel. All that hard work has paid off and it was particularly good to see Dave being able to watch his son play for a change. As for Danny O'Donovan and his very able c0-conspirator, Sean McInness, who are in charge of the U12s, - well they are a credit to them.

I have been hearing since the season began from Danny and Sean that they were very happy with their panel of U12s and felt their boys and girls could give a good account of themselves on the pitch. The U12s narrowly lost out to Tir Chonaill Gaels the previous weekend with a last minute goal from the Gaels to secure a win. That was last week though; they enjoyed the sweet smell of victory this weekend. RT did not disappoint yesterday and that was for sure. It was marvellous to witness the beaming smiles on the lovely faces of all those U12 and U10s, the coaches, Danny O'Donovan, Dave Clarke and Sean McInness together with all the parents and followers who were there to support their heroes.

Four clubs participated in the Blitz. They were

Round Towers

Dulwich Harps

Thomas McCurtains

Tir Chonaill Gaels

The first game of the afternoon was between Dulwich Harps v Thomas McCurtains.

Dulwich started really well and I thought they would wipe McCurtains off the pitch. As is customary, Dulwich fielded a set of fine boys, who as always, showed great confident and determination to win. Dulwich were dominant in the first half and McCurtains in some respects looked a bit intimidated by their opponents who looked as though they would surely win the game. I personally felt that if McCurtains' boys could keep the ball down, bearing in mind the height within the Dulwich panel, they could change the game bearing in mind skill was apparent within their ranks; not that it was in any way lacking within Dulwich but McCurtains needed a rethink at the break. Low and behold, McCurtains came out in the second half a different team. They were unrecognisable from the first half - but very pleasant to witness; the ball did not go into the air from McC's boots; they retained possession and were rewarded for their efforts - the ball obliged by going into the back of the net and a revival was evident. McCurtains' boys kept their heads and scores piled on the board giving them a deserved victory at the final whistle

The final score was

Thomas McCurtains 2 goals 4 points
Dulwich Harps 2 goals 0 points

McCurtains eagerly awaited the result of the second game between

Our very own Round Towers and Tir Chonaill Gaels

This game did not produce many points and indeed no goals and in some respects was a bit uneventful. Just saying what I saw - however see below............ Neither team seemed to be able to get the ball where they wanted it but persevered to the end. RT were delighted to see 4 of their shots go nicely between the posts with only one positive result for Tir Chonaill Gaels. The final result went our way

Round Towers 4 points
Tir Chonaill Gaels 1 point


THE FINAL CLASH WAS BETWEEN OUR VERY OWN

Round Towers v Thomas McCurtains

This final game was a most entertaining and enjoyable view. I do believe that RT were so delighted to find themselves in the final that they were not going to give away the game lightly.

Both teams demonstrated that they had learned the necessary skills very well indeed and it was apparent that both panels really wanted to win. It made for a good spectacle. Our boys and girls were superior on the day and RT's determination to win resulted in a display of fantastic skills; awareness of where the ball was; where their opponents were; nearly always first to the ball; successful in converting their efforts to produce goals and points....... You name it, they had it. RT were great. Thomas McCurtains came alive towards the end and put two deserved goals in the back of our net. We had, however, already done the necessary hard work, which paid off as RT had the better score at the end of the game. Our boys and girls deserved to win. I was delighted that I ventured over to Peckham and was awarded with a treat of a game and RT winning the BLITZ. WELL DONE.

It's great to see the many parents who support the U10s and U12s. Special praise for Danny O'Donovan, Dave Clarke and Sean McInness. You guys have done a superb job and should be really proud of yourselves. All that hard work and time given up to RT definitely provided a good bonus yesterday.

On a slightly lighter note, it was fun to watch Dave who, this time, had checked the weather forecast and came prepared for the sun. Dave was sporting what could best be described as 'Paris cat walk dessert rat' head gear. I am of course referring to a previous Blitz up in Greenford when Dave forgot his hat and returned with a bit of sun stroke. Not this time though - have a look at the pics. Danny also paid heed to the forecast and came dressed for sun and, just in case weather conditions changed suddenly and a sand storm arrived he brought his 'dessert' goggles - those goggles look as though they could multi task!!!! This is a joke and should be taken in the manner in which it is intended. My pics will bear my comments out boys. Sean, as always, dressed in a most appropriate manner with the RT shirt on ..........

Finally, I would like to comment on one of our parent's good sportsmanship. I was positioned near a chap who cheered RT with great enthusiasm, but who also commented very favourably on our opponents' efforts and consistently said 'well done', 'bad luck number 10, 8, etc' when one of our opponents showed good play and skills or had a near miss. I was shouting like mad for the Towers but could not but notice what a good example this parent showed. It's great to have such a good attitude to our childrens' games and I guess we should all try to take a page out of his book and be a bit more like him. I refer to none other than Brian McNulty.

Mags Cremin made a great umpire - see photos and I also met Joe English who has been supporting the Gaelic ladies for many years now. He is organising a
FUNDRAISING JAMBOREE in support of Dulwich Harps under-age Girls' and London Ladies Team) which will be held at
ADDISCOMBE CATHOLIC SOCIAL CLUB Bingham Road Addiscombe CR0 7EN on Friday 17th July 2009 from 8 pm.

Entertainment with Fingar and Bernie. Contact Joe 020 8659 5625 for tickets.

Joe extracted £5 from me and Mags for tickets, but promised to give our Club and our blog a mention at the event.