 St Aidan's CBS, Whitehall, Dublin, Ireland |
| St Aidan's CBS, Whitehall, Dublin, Ireland |
Venue: Cusack Park, Mullingar
Date: Tuesday 23rd March, 2004
St. Aidan's vs. St. Mel's, Longford
The Leinster U16 A Championship Final took place in Cusack Park, Mullingar, on Tuesday last, March 23rd. St. Aidan's succumbed to a stronger St. Mel's team bringing to an end a marvellous unbeaten run of 12 matches.
Aidan's put in an immense amount of effort in preparation for the final. The lads attended 76 training sessions since September and were worthy participants in the final of this prestigious competition. With the wind against them in the first half, Aidan's never got into their stride and the team were 5 points in arrears at half time.
Thomas Brady, Paul MacReamoinn, David Ryan and Colin Moore were outstanding on the day but they just could not find the elusive crack in St. Mel's defence. Aidan's managed to contain the opposition in the second half, but despite heroic efforts, they could not reduce the 5 point deficit that separated the teams at the finish.
The team can look back with pride on a memorable campaign which included victory in the Dublin A Championship and the Runner's up position in Leinster. With nine of the team eligible next year, we are in a strong position to launch a fresh assault on next years U16 Championship. Thomas Brady and Joseph Boland have been selected for the Dublin Minor panel and we wish them every success in helping the Dubs win an All-Ireland Championship.
Most importantly, the team enjoyed the year and restored the school's reputation in the top Echelon of competition. The lads have worn the Red and White with pride and followed in the footsteps of our great heroes... Tommy Drum, Paul Clarke, Paddy Moran and Paddy Christie.
Congratulations to the mentors, Br. Tom Caulfield, Alan O'Neill and Ciaran Bizzell, to the team and the supporters. You were magnanimous in victory and dignified in defeat - well done.
FINAL SCORE: St. Mel's 2-10 St. Aidan's 2-5
Scorers for Aidan's: MacReamonn 1-0, Ryan 1-0, Boland 0-4, Reid, 0-1