Winners of Hodson Bay tournament to face Manchester United Legends

An innovative fundraiser by Hodson Bay Celtic FC will reach an exciting conclusion this weekend when the winning team in a seven-a-side soccer tournament will take on a Manchester United Legends selection. A total of 20 teams originally entered the competition and the 'local final' will take place tomorrow (Thursday) evening, July 7, at Hodson Bay Celtic's new astro-turf facilities. Two teams from each of the five groups qualified to make up the quarter-finalists. The eight teams to make the quarter-finals were Higgins' Pub, Cam Legends, St Brigid's GAA (proving that they can play soccer as well as Gaelic football around Kiltoom!), Athlone Town, ADSL, St Peter's, The Snug Bar and Mullingar Garda. The four teams who reached the semi-finals were Cam Legends, St Peter's, Athlone Town and ADSL. At the time of going to press, the semi-finals had yet to be played. After the local final has been played on Thursday, the winners will then face the Manchester United Legends on Saturday, July 9, at Hodson Bay Celtic's facilities at 5pm. A match between the ADSL U-13 team (which recently won the Shield in the Kennedy Cup competition) and a Hodson Bay selection (U-14s) will act as the curtain-raiser at 3pm. The Manchester United Legends, who will play the winners of the Hodson Bay tournament, are as follows: Frank Stapleton (formerly the Republic of Ireland's record goalscorer and a double FA Cup winner with United); Lee Martin (scorer of the winning goal in the 1990 FA Cup final, the first major trophy United won under Alex Ferguson); David May (a Champions League medal winner in 1999), Keith Gillespie (a former Northern Ireland international, now playing with Longford Town), Clayton Blackmore (the former Welsh international renowned for his freetaking expertise); Arthur Albison (who won FA Cup medals with United in 1977, 1983 and 1985); and Fraser Digby (a goalkeeper who had two spells at United). The presentation to the winners of the 'local final' will be made on Thursday night, July 7 at Daly's Tavern in Kiltoom. Whilst the winners of the tournament will get their chance to pit their wits against the Man Utd Legends, a draw will take place (also in Daly's Tavern on Thursday) which will give three players (not part of the winning team) the chance to play with the Legends. The games in the competition are seven-a-side, but squads consist of ten players and three players will have the honour of teaming up with the Man United Legends for the final. A social event will take place in the Hodson Bay Hotel on Saturday, July 9, and the Manchester United legends will be present on the night. Music will be provided by Macey South and Top Brass (the event includes a buffet style meal and tickets are €30). During this social event, a draw will take place with a number of attractive prizes up for grabs (the first prize is a week's holiday for four people in a villa in the Algarve, Portugal). The tickets for this draw are €10 and are available from Hodson Bay Celtic committee members - people who purchase tickets for this draw can still win prizes even if they are not in attendance at the social event in the Hodson Bay Hotel. The proceeds of the fundraiser will go to Hodson Bay Celtic FC and to South Westmeath Hospice. "We're happy with how it's been going. It's our annual fundraiser, we try to do something different every year," said Shane Nolan, assistant secretary of Hodson Bay Celtic. "To get 20 teams to enter in this financial climate is excellent. We're delighted with the support we've received and with the sponsorship from local businesses." Tickets for the social event and the draw are available from Hodson Bay Celtic chairman Adrian Downes or other committee members (contact 087 2056962 for more information).