U21s CHAMPIONSHIP HURLING
O'Loughlin Gaels 4-15 to 0-9 Emeralds
A wind assisted first half, a little luck and some solid defending put the St. Johns side in the driving seat at half time. Three points to the good at that stage, the lads powered ahead in the second half to make it a formidable win. Shane Parsons relocated to full forward and rewarded the move with two goals. Sean Bolger will be credited for the second goal after a speculative free found the net and Ben Leydon made his presence known late in the second half to find the winners fourth major score. It was a good outing for the victors with strong performances all over the field. A solid defence, a clever midfield and scores from five of the six starting forwards (plus two of the replacements) was a welcome sight for the decent O'Loughlins support that gathered at the Freshford venue. Lisdowney will be the opponents in the Final after overcoming St. Lachtains GAA and the lads will be looking forward to the challenge. Keep up the good work lads and well done.
CLUB LOTTO
There was no winner of last week’s Lotto. The numbers drawn were 2, 15, 20, 26 and the bonus number was: 5. Tickets can be bought from the usual selling agents or by asking at the clubhouse bar. Remember – if you’re not in; you can’t win the jackpot prize of €20,000.
CLUB AGM
O’Loughlin Gaels GAA will hold their AGM in the club house on Wednesday evening, December the 9th at 7.30pm sharp. All members are invited to attend and take part in discussing the club’s future and status.
O’LOUGHLINS TO CONTEST TWO FINALS
The St. Johns faithful will look forward to two teams competing for silverware over the next two weekends. The u21’s will look to a North u21A Hurling Championship Final when they take on Lisdowney. Lisdowney accounted for a strong Freshford side at the weekend and will rightly be confident facing the City men. O’Louglins on the other hand defeated Erins Own and Emeralds on their route to this game and will be happy that they have a fairly settled team to make a strong challenge.
The u16s find themselves in another Count Final capping a super year for this team. They take on Dicksboro in the Football decider in what will captivating derby. The lads have enjoyed wins over James Stephens and Thomastown and will relish the opportunity to claim another title at the expense of their city neighbours.
Best of luck to both teams and please get along to support your club.
ST. JOHNS PARK WEATHERS THE STORM
Over the last couple of weekends, like all pitches around the county, St. Johns park was hit with plenty of rainfall. Weather conditions may have been poor for hurling but the O’Loughlin Gaels venue stood up to the task and provided perfect playing conditions for some of our county fixtures. U21 fixtures, and last weekends Minor League final may have been hampered by the high winds and heavy rains but all players agreed that the playing conditions were perfect. Well done to the grounds team who put many man hours during the year to ensure that the best facilities are always available. The weather may be under the control of a higher dominion but when it comes to our pitches there’s no better than the Grounds Team at O’Loughlin Gaels GAA to provide the best!
O'LOUGHLIN GAELS GAA CHRISTMAS PARTY NIGHT SATURDAY THE 5th OF DECEMBER 8pm 'til LATE
All members and friends and neighbours are invited to the St. Johns Park venue for a night of celebration. This is a great opportunity for members, parents, mentors coaches and players to get together and enjoy a night together without the pressures of match performances weighing on our collective minds. All new friends are welcome to come along to enjoy and sample the O’Loughlin Gaels hospitality.
IT'S GOING TO BE A MIGHTY NIGHT
ALL WELCOME.... and it's FREE ADMISSION!!
PLAYERS ARE BULLING TO RAISE FUNDS
If broken fingers, bruised bodies and curtailed social lives wasn’t enough the senior players are committing even more time to the club. They’ve grouped together and over the next few weeks will drive their own initiative in an effort to raise funds for new Strength and Conditioning Equipment and Facilities for players at the club. They will take the opportunity to launch their new campaign n the club on Thursday evening, December the 10th at 8.30pm. With the help of their new friend ‘Lochlainn’, a mean looking bull, the players plan on raising the funds and generating a bit of craic! So make sure to be there and get behind the lads as it promises to be lots of fun.
FOUR ‘GAELS IN ALL-IRELAND
Best wishes to four of our best who look to help St. Kieran College in their quest for top honours in this year’s Junior Hurling colleges All-Ireland Final. Eoin Wall, Eoin O’Shea, Dacel Fwamba and Jamie Young all hurl with O’Loughlin Gaels Juvenile teams and form part of the St. Kieran’s panel to play Presentation College, Athenry next Saturday. Best of luck to the lads and all at St. Kieran’s College.
POKER NIGHT – JIM O’HARA MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT
This much anticipated Poker Tournament is back and the tables will be ready to host the biggest night of the year when the Jim O’Hara Memorial Tournament takes place in O’Loughlin Gaels on FRIDAY, DECEMBER THE 11th. Registration is from 8.10pm and entry is €50 – Chips 20K. There will be up to 50 players expected with a pro-rata prize fund. This will be big night for all those who currently attend the weekly Thursday night Poker Tournament in the same venue. It’s the longest running Texas Holdem Poker Weekly Tournament in Kilkenny excellently organised by the hard working Alan Dooley. All are welcome.
JUVENILE CHRISTMAS PARTY – SUNDAY DECEMBER 13TH
On December the 13th the Juvenile Christmas Party will be held at O’Loughlin Gaels and there will be a very special guest. Santa promised last year he’d be back after he enjoyed his visit to the St. Johns Parish club so much. He will call to the club that afternoon as he continues his tour on behalf of Temple Street Childrens’ Hospital. We look forward to his visit and welcome all out juvenile players and their St. Johns Parish friends.
ANNUAL PARISH SOCIAL
The Annual St. John’s Parish Social will take place on Sunday, January 31st in Langton House Hotel. Keep the date in your diary and further details will follow. Always a good night and an opportunity for friends and neighbours to get together.