HURLING: The Real Winner

So close, but so far...The hurlers of St. Aidan's will look back on 2005 with mixed emotions. The senior hurlers reached the Senior B Hurling Final only to be beaten by a sharper Celbridge outfit. The fact that St. Aidan's competed in the B Final after winning the C Final the previous year is a true testament to the caliber of hurlers in St. Aidan's CBS. The Junior Hurlers were narrowly defeated in the B semi-final, which augers well for the future of hurling in the school. A great deal ofthis success must be attributed to the time, energy and commitment of our own school caretaker/hurling coach, Sean Moore. Over the past 10 years, Sean has kept the game of hurling alive in the school. This year, Sean was joined by Mr. James Carmody and both gave huge time and commitment to the Hurlers.

SENIOR HURLING

Although 2005 didn't produce any silverware for the Senior and Junior Hurling Teams, the St. Aidan's hurlers were highly impressive in their respective campaigns. The senior team overcame several ferocious challenges on their path to the final.

Sean Ryan was awesome throughout the campaign, a leader both on and off the field. In times of difficulty, he carried the team like a true captain. In the quarterfinal against Coolmine Community College, Sean provided the inspirational play to fight back from a nine point deficit, contributing to an impressive 1-10.

The semi-final against St. Colmcille was arguably the game of the year. The level of hurling was at times outstanding. In a tight game where every man spared no quarter, Ciaran O'Connor came to the fore with two excellent goals and four priceless points to help ensure our passage to the final.

The ominous signs were present at an early stage of the Final. After 15 minutes of play, Salesians Celbridge was 5 points to I ahead. St. Aidan's hurlers like to give teams a chance, and then in the second half we reel them in. However, today it was different. The ball handling of the St. Aidan's backs wasn't up to its usual high standards and the attack struggled to win any real possession. The management sprung Luke Sweetman from the bench and he made an instant impact. He picked up a ball around centre field and brushed aside no less than five tackles before scoring a wonder goal for the "White 'n' Reds" however the gap was too wide and despite our best efforts, we just couldn't peg them back. Paul Ellis also came on to trouble the Celbridge defence, but alas to no avail.

While defeat is always bitter, the boys conducted themselves in an exemplary manner, both on the field and off. These hurlers are a credit to the code and are a credit to our school. The management is very proud of this St. Aidan's Team.

JUNIOR HURLING

The group stages of this competition indicated that the St. Aidan's Junior Hurling Team would be a serious contender in this year's B Championship. The lads absolutely blitzed their opponents sending themselves directly into the semi-final stages. Unfortunately, we came unstuck against an excellent hurling team from St. Colmcilles. Our charge was hampered by the absence of our scoring machine John Kelly. However, we did have chances! After the first period, St. Colmcilles had amassed a six-point lead. But, in true Aidan's fashion, the boys started chipping away at the lead and with eight minutes remaining, there was just the bare minimum between the teams. Despite the best endeavours of Conor O'Neil, Sean Conlon and Martin Quilty, we could not bridge the gap. The boys were very disappointed, as was the management. These boys will be back next year.

I feel a special mention for Martin Quilty. Andy Flaherty, Craig McCarthy, Farrell Augkney and Sean Conlon is appropriate. These boys were outstanding in both the junior and senior competitions. They answered above and beyond the call of duty and should be commended. From both the senior and junior hurling panels there are many strong contenders for the Hurler of the Year Award ... Long may it continue!

BASKETBALL

1st and 2nd years are participating in a basketball mini-league. Ms. Peoples, Ms. Thompson and Ms. Walsh are using these matches to find talented players for the 1st and 2nd year school teams. Best of luck to all.

WATER POLO

Well done to Eoin Bridgeman (T.Y.) and Sean Kenna (2nd year) after they were recently selected for the Leinster Water Polo Team. Well done fellas!

UP AND RUNNING

More All-Ireland glory for St. Aidan's

Our athletes were in great form for this years All-Ireland C.B.S. championships, bring home a total of 26 medals. Our under 13's laid down the marker with Bobby Dennan (2nd) and John Black (4th) bringing the team home to claim 2nd place. Kevin Reilly ran a very mature race to lift the under 14 title. Mark McDonald led our under I7's home in 4th pace, with the team securing 2nd place. However, our sweetest victory came from our under 15's team. Jordan Logue, Conor O'Neill and Thomas McCarrick led the team home to secure the All-Ireland title for St. Aidan's. This successful Day will hopefully be the start of another memorable year. Roll on '06!!

Brother Clarke comes home for Christmas

St. Aidan's athletes receive the Brother Clarke Memorial Shield, which is awarded to Ireland's number one cross-country team.

Interestingly, Brother Clarke established athletics in St. Aidan's.