Castlebar Mitchels U-14 hurlers participated in the national finals of Feile na nGael in Cork last weekend. The club was hosted by St. Vincents Hurling Club in Cork City. There was great excitement as the team set out on Thursday for what was to prove a very enjoyble weekend. They arrived tired but ready for action in Cork that evening.
St. Vincents were out to meet the party in large numbers and the task of feeding and providing accommodation was undertaken most efficiently. An "early night" and plans for the following day were organised.

A trip to Fota Wildlife Park on Friday morning set the scene for a busy day. This was a very educational event and will benefit the team members hugely in their studies next year. Castlebar were taking part in Division 2 of the competition which is of a very high standard - the first Mayo team to compete at this level. The first match was played against our hosts St. Vincents in the afternoon. They are one of the top clubs in Cork and applied early pressure on the Castlebar boys, but stern defending meant a low scoring first half with Mitchels well in the hunt at half time. In the second half a simliar pattern followed and Mitchels found scores hard to come by. The home side gradually opened a gap and won well in the end.

The highlight of the evening was the Parade of all the clubs through Cork City. This was brilliant spectacle, with over 4000 children from all corners of Ireland and beyond, marching. The locals again turned out in large numbers to greet the teams.

On Saturday morning Castlebar took on Killeagh/St Itas in their second game. A bright opening by Mitchels failed to put scores on the board and eventually the greater craft of the Cork side helped them to move ahead. However the Castlebar boys fought well and kept the pressure on. Again in the second period the local side proved a little stronger and eventually ran out winners. In the final match of the group stages Castlebar were up against Naas, who were also a force to be reckoned with. They had beaten Killeagh and lost narrowily to St. Vincents in their early games. They attacked from the beginning and soon opened up a good lead. Solid resistance from Castlebar made for an entertaining first half but Naas upped the pressure and won well in the end to leave them group winners.

An afternoon trip to Parks Amusement Archade followed by a trip to the beach in Youghal helped to ease tired limbs and raise spirits again. Then it was back to base at St. Vincents for another early night. On Sunday morning a coaching session was very kindly organised by the local coaches who gave a number of valuable tips to the visitors. Presentations were exchanged by the clubs to wind to a very successful weekend which will long remain in the minds of the participants.

The abiding memory of the weekend was the fantastic reception and hospitality provided by the St. Vincents Club. They were highly organised and generous with their time and efforts, and went out of their way to ensure that the Castlebar team and mentors were very well looked after. The standard of their playing facilities and clubhouse were extremely impressive and a credit to their hard work and dedication. Also a special word of thanks to the local parents who looked after the visiting team members so brilliantly -this really made the weekend a huge success. The camaderie in the club bar, for the mentors, was also of the highest order and passed many happy hours for the travelling party. It was with heavy hearts that the team left for home on Sunday, and are already looking forward to visit west by St. Vincents in the near future. Hopefully this years success in winning the Mayo Feile final will be repeated again soon and the club can look forward to further participation at National Level again.

Panel: John Cotter, Richard O'Dea, Liam Williams, Mike O'Donnell, James Lowe, Stephen Fitzgerald, Marty Gallagher, Philip Redmond, Niall Mc Carney, Nicholas Quinn, Vincent O'Brien, Fergal Durcan, Darren Mc Tigue, Alan Quinn, Luke Mc Grath, Michael Clune, Barry Lane, Padraig Condon, Killian Cox, Mark Durcan, Keith Fehilly, Alan Gavin, Darragh O'Malley, Tony Sweeney, Alan Walsh, Kieran Glendon, Colm Morris, Ethan Tuffy, Niall Walsh, Damian Mc Hale, David Gibbons.

Castlebar Mitchels Triumph in close encounter

Castlebar Mitchels under-14 hurlers registered a great win in the Mayo Feile competition finals on Saturday last in Ballyheane. They first met a determined Ballyhaunis team in the semi-final, and registered a good win but only after some stern resistance from the Ballyhaunis outfit.

Then it was Mitchels against the Toureen, the champions of the past four years, in the final. After a close fought and very exciting encounter the Castlebar boys finally emerged victorious by the minimum margin.

Semi-Final
Castlebar Mitchels 3-3
Ballyhaunis 0-0

Castlebar with the aid of a stiff breeze, got off to a good start with an early goal from full forward Luke Mc Grath. They extended this lead with a like score from Michael Clune after some good passages of play at midfield. Ballyhaunis made a number of determined efforts to close the gap, but the Castlebar defence, particularly the half back line of Stephen Fitzgerald, Nicholas Quinn & Marty Gallagher stood firm. Impressive wing forward Darren Mc Tigue then chipped in with two good points to leave Mitchels with an eight point lead at half time. The question posed- was this sufficient against the breeze in the second half?

Ballyhaunis started the second period in determined fashion with good work from Sean Roynayne, Paul Carney, Damien Keadin and Rory Collins but again could not get through the Castlebar defence. Mc Grath then delivered a body blow for Castlebar with his second goal and despite several close shaves the score remained static until Vincent O'Brien pointed a free to leave Mitchels winners by nine points, and through to play Toureen in the final.

Niall Mc Carney and Philip Redmond who dominated the midfield exchanges were instrumental in keeping the pressure on Ballyhaunis up until the final whistle.

Final
Castlebar Mitchels 1-1
Toureen 0-3 after extra time

Castlebar started against the breeze and after some impressive passages of play by both sides, managed to get an early lead with a Luke Mc Grath goal following a clever move between Fergal Durcan and Vincent O'Brien. This was a very valuable lead as Toureen exerted a lot of pressure for the remainder of the half. They slowly pulled back the lead with three points from Michael Morley, Ciaran Charlton and Niall Freeman and could have led at half time but for excellent defensive work by James Lowe, Liam Williams and Mike O'Donnell and reliable goalkeeper John Cotter.

An early rain shower in the second half and subsequent drop in the wind levels led to a dour struggle in the second half. A great battle ensued at midfield between Castlebars Niall Mc Carney and Toureen dangerman Michael Morley with both making significant contributions. Philip Redmond also turned in an impressive performance for Castlebar in this area. Both sides had opportunities to go ahead but solid defending from both sides and a few wasted efforts meant the sides failed to increase the score in the second period and scores were level at full time.

Two five minute periods of extra time followed, during which play switched from end to end but defences continued to come out on top. Eventually the deadlock was broken when Michael Clune converted a close in free for Mitchels, which proved to be the winning score and led to jubilation in their ranks as the final whistle blew. Credit must go to Toureen also for a marvellous contest and indeed for their performances as champions of this section for the past four years.

Castlebar heroes on the day were goalkeeper John Cotter, defenders Stephen Fitzgerald, James Lowe, Mike O'Donnell and Liam Williams, midfield pair Niall Mc Carney and Philip Redmond and in attack Darren Mc Tigue, Luke Mc Grath, Fergal Durcan, Vincent O'Brien and of course match winner Michael Clune.

Mitchels now go forward the Divison 2 National Feile finals, which will be held in Cork in June. This is a well earned win and due in no small way, to the great efforts being put in by coaches and players alike in the past couple of years. On this performance the Castlebar outfit should acquit themselves very well in the finals.

Castlebar Mitchels: John Cotter, James Lowe, Liam Williams, Mike O'Donnell, Nicholas Quinn, Stephen Fitzgerald, Marty Gallagher, Philip Redmond, Niall Mc Carney, Vincent O'Brien, Fergal Durcan, Darren Mc Tigue, Alan Quinn, Luke Mc Grath, Michael Clune.
Subs Used: -Killian Cox, Richard O'Dea.
Subs: Barry Lane, Darragh O'Malley Padraic Condon, Mark Durcan, Keith Fehilly, Alan Gavin, Colm Morris, Tony Sweeney, Alan Walsh, Niall Walsh

Section B