Timmy Cronin Snr Mem. Cup 2017 Match Reports
Game #1: 9.20am – 10.30am: Raleigh GAA (5-15) V Winston-Salem Wolfhounds GAA (3-08)
The game started very well for both teams, both registering early points and it looked like we were in for a great battle. However, within minutes Raleigh’s #9 buried the ball in the back of the net and started a heavy onslaught that W-S struggle to come back from. Raleigh had two key players that would control the forward line and even though W-S were winning their fair share of ball in the middle of the field the passing lacked on the day. The score at Half time was Raleigh 2-11 V W-S 1-03. The second half seems a lot more matched as W-S started to come in to their own. The passing improved and we start to control the ball more in the middle of the park. Unfortunately we couldn’t completely stem the Raleigh tide and with Raleigh scoring 3-04 and W-S scoring 2-05 they better us on the scoreboard at full time.
Game #2: 10.50am – 12pm: Michael Collins GAA (3-07) V Charlotte GAA (11-16)
The second semi final-started off very strong on the Charlotte side and they never let up. Michael Collins created some great scoring chances and had a couple of key players who were responsible for shaking things up on the Charlotte back line but the Charlotte movement of the Gaelic football was dramatic as it was poetic and the Michael Collins could not complete. Charlotte’s player support system and near perfect passing made they a sure bet at the half that the mountain they had created for Michael Collins to climb in the second half was just too much. Charlotte came out of the gates at the begging of the second half like they finished the first, score after score put the final nails on the coffin with about 10 mins to play and the final score finished MC 3-07 v Charlotte 11-16
“Travel Team” game
The travel team idea was not an original idea by the Wolfhounds GAA club this year BUT it was the first time they implemented it. The purpose of the “Travel game” is to allow players not selected for the first 13 places to get more quality game. With the ever-expanding panel of the Wolfhounds (27 players on the day) and option like this is the only way to allow all players to get the appropriate game time under their belts. Both teams battled hard all over the field and the hot weather caused us to shorten the halves from 30 mins to 20 mins. This was welcome by both sides and particularly Raleigh as they had some players who had already played in the first game of the day, so bodies were tired.
Raleigh took over the job of scoring early on and Winston Salem could not provide many answers. The Wolfhounds struggled to get the ball in good scoring positions and the constant defending from Raleigh forced the Wolfhounds to take kicks under severe pressure. Then unfortunately for Winston Salem the ball started to hit the back of the net a few times when Raleigh cut through the Wolfhound defense. Final score* Raleigh 3-07 v W-S Wolfhounds 0-03
1.20pm – 2.30pm: Winston-Salem Wolfhounds GAA (7-08) v Michael Collins GAA (6-06)
There was great football played by both young teams. The game started out with an even pace but with Winston taking a slight lead early on. Michael Collins had quite a few shots on the Wolfhounds goal and had just a few more made it, this would have been a different game. In the mid-second half Michael Collins starting coming back with some good points and some great goals. In the end, a strong reply from the Wolfhounds Defense and the clock running down gave the Wolfhounds the win.
2.50pm – 4pm: Raleigh GAA (1-16) v Charlotte GAA (3-12)…OVERALL WINNER!!!!
Once again, the Championship came down to Raleigh vs. Charlotte. In the heat of the day with both teams, having played several times already the game was hot and fast! Both teams defending against the goal very well. As is typical the game became one of trading blows for points. There were a few heated moments but cool heads and sportsmanship prevailed on both sides. In the end, Charlotte was able to focus on getting a few key goals that put them over the top. Top-notch play from Raleigh made sure that Charlotte had to fight it out with all they had. In the end, Charlotte was able to hold Raleigh off and take the win.
THANK YOUS
We were excited to successfully complete another ‘Timmy Cronin Snr Mem. Cup’ tournament. Having learned from previous years we tried to improve on the quality of the tournament organization. A Huge THANK YOU needs to be extend to the following groups:
- Field Setup/Tear Down
- All game officials, including Linesmen/Lineswomen, umpires and Referees
- All visiting Teams (Raleigh, Charlotte and Michael Collins)
- Wake Forest – for providing a great facility to host our tournament
- Megan Brock – Photographer extraordinaire
- Trader Joe’s, Grins, & Salem Delights – for providing food and drinks that we could provide to all players and volunteers
- All our sponsors; Foothills Brewing, Finnigan’s Wake, Carlisle’s Pub, Tanglewood Pizza Company, The Quiet Pint, Body Complete – Therapeutic Massage, Homebrewer’s Clubhouse, The Porch & Omega Sports
Game Day Photos
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