Keeping The Maroon in Tune!

This week's camps are in Páirc Chiaráin Athlone (Hurling), Delvin (Hurling) and St. Loman's GAA Mullingar (Football), while next Monday sees Camps start in Castletown Geoghegan (Hurling) and Multyfarnham (football). Athlone Street Leagues As a step on from the coaching on the greens over the last few years there have been street leagues set up for the RAPID areas in Athlone. The initiative started with two coaching on the green sessions in each of the areas to establish teams. There were four areas taking part with one area having a junior section - the areas were Battery Heights, Willow Park, Brawney and Ashdale. The local GAA clubs provided the venues for these matches to take place, Athlone GAA and Garrycastle GAA. The young players from the local clubs refereed the games and coached the teams each week. There was a new addition to the coaching on the green this year in that the Willow Park area formed a team for the street leagues for the first time. Fifty three children participated in the leagues and the games ran for four weeks. August 4th was the last day of the games and Garrycastle GAA club was the venue with each child receiving a souvenir polo shirt as well as refreshments for participating .The most successful part of this initiative was that the clubs spotted and gained some new talent for their teams. Hopefully some more players that took part will come to the local clubs as the standard of skill displayed throughout the league was excellent. U10 Hurling Tournament Over the last month there has been a U-10 Hurling Tournament organised for clubs within the county. The third round of this Tournament was played last weekend and there have been some excellent games and some very talented and skilful players on display over the first thee rounds of the Tournament. The last two dates for these games are fixed for the 22nd August and the 5th September and the finals days will be held on the 19th of September. U14 Football Development Squads A Leinster U14 Football Blitz was held in Athlone GAA on Saturday last (8th) with participating counties from Sligo, Longford, Carlow and a South Westmeath selection. Each county played two games. South Westmeath were the overall winners of the blitz with two great wins over Carlow and Longford, in a keenly contested local derby Results: Iarmhí 2-6 Carlow 1-5; Iarmhí 3-9 Longford 1-7 The Iarmhí (South Westmeath) panel for the Leinster under-14 blitz in Athlone on Saturday last was as follows: Patrick Melinn (Athlone), Sean Bracken (Moate All Whites), Conor Marlowe (Maryland/Tang), Sean Doyle (Caulry), Bryan O'Donohoe (Maryland/Tang), Andrew McCormack (Rosemount), Aaron Watts (Athlone), Daniel Buckley (Moate All Whites, captain), Eoin Donohoe (Caulry), Gavin Delaney (Tubberclair), Philip Ganly (Maryland/Tang), Robert Hickey (Caulry), Stephen McVeigh (Tubberclair), John Corbally (Moate All Whites), Nigel Scally (Kilbeggan/St Joseph's), Harry Hughes (Caulry), Rory Delaney (Tubberclair), Dean Fitzgerald (Kilbeggan/St Joseph's), Conor Brady (Maryland/Tang), Neil Kelly (Rosemount), Padraig Fox (Rosemount), Padraig Fagan (Tubberclair), Niall Neary (Maryland/Tang, injured). Mentors: Dermot Fox (manager), Kieran Galvin and Gerry Watts (selectors). U-16 B All-Ireland Hurling This competition is being hosted by Westmeath again this year on Saturday August 29th. Thirteen teams are competing on the day and this year the overall winners will receive the Adrian Murray Cup, with the decision taken recently to honour Adrian who gave huge service to Club and County over the years. Games begin at 11am in each of the four venues with the competition reaching conclusion with the A final in Cusack Park at 6pm. Competing Teams/Groupings: Group 1: Kildare, Armagh, Kerry, An Ghaeltacht (Galway) - in St. Loman's GAA, Mullingar Group 2: Meath, Roscommon, Carlow - in Cullion. Group 3: Laois, Down, Mayo - in Robinstown, Mullingar (St. Oliver Plunkett's). Group 4: Wexford, Derry, Wicklow - in Kinnegad.