Castlebar Mitchels Hurling
Castlebar Mitchel Hurling and Camogie Notes 30 May 2004
By Noel Byrne
30, May 2004 - 21:26

Senior Hurling League

The seniors have their first outing this Wed evening when they take on Ballina in Josie Munnelly Pitch.  Last weeks game did not take place, as Belmullet could not field midweek.  Good luck lads and give it a lash.

International Hurling

Last Fri saw GMIT play Dundee in what could be described as the European Colleges Championship final.  A game, which may have started off as a type of exhibition, soon developed into a ding-dong affair with no quarter given or asked. In the end it was the Dundee lads who came out narrow winners

Under age

The under age teams continue to dominate the headlines with good wins for the U12s and u14s last week.  Morale is high now and many new faces are appearing on the scene.

Lotto

The lotto was not won last week and now stands at €7400.  The next draw will be held in Mick Byrnes on Fri next. See you there.

Great Win by Under-12 hurlers

Castlebar Mitchels entered 2 teams-Mitchels and Rockets in the Under-12 hurling blitz last weekend in Pearses Club in Roscommon. The competition was contested by teams from Galway, Mayo & Roscommon.

The Rockets team came up against strong opposition in the group stages with games against St. Dominick’s, Tooreen, Annaghdown and Ballyhaunis. They put in great performances against more experienced teams and were just piped in a couple of games which meant they did not qualify for the play off stages. Notable performances were given by Jamie Redmond, Helen O’Malley, Gerard Duffy, Niall Walsh & Cian Gavin,

The Mitchels team was the toast of the day, with a number of fantastic displays, ending with their winning their section outright. The were narrowly beaten in their first game against Four Roads following a slow start, but matched their opponents stroke for stroke as the game proceeded. They then had an impressive win over local Athleague side to qualify for the semi finals.

It was at this stage they really got into their stride with a very impressive win over a strong St. Dominick’s side, to proceed to the final. Here they came up against the traditional kingpins of Mayo -Tooreen. However the Castlebar boys took the game to their opponents from the very beginning and gradually opened up a lead. Gaining in confidence they gave a display of great determination and no little skill to run out impressive winners.

Overall it was a great team performance with particularly strong displays by Nicholas Quinn, Fergal Durcan, Alan Quinn, Rory Byrne, Rory Walsh and Mark Durcan. This was just reward for great commitment by this group of players, over the past couple of years. They can look forward with confidence to the championship later on in the year.