Secretaries Report 2013

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Kilworth GAA Club

Date: Friday November 29th 2013

Venue: Clubroom

Rev Father, Club President, fellow members it is once again my privilege as runai of Cumann Cill Uird to present to you my report on the activities of the club, both on and off the field during the past year.

After the tremendous success of 2012 hopes were high for this year, but to match or better it, was going to be a tough ask. Never the less 2013 threw up some great moments, the success of our U21 footballers in winning the North Cork title, spirited displays and inspiring victories by our junior footballers and intermediate hurlers respectively over fancied Liscarroll and Ballyhea sides; the hosting of Cork V Limerick in a senior hurling challenge, our 5th annual golf classic, money raised in the car draw and our victory social to celebrate our 2012 success being just some of the highlights.

Firstly I will deal with playing activities, the season commenced with a Division 2 Football League game on February 9th and concluded on October 17th with the Division 1 Intermediate Hurling League Relegation play off.

INTERMEDIATE HURLING

2013 will be remembered as the year that we took part in the premier intermediate hurling championship for the first time in the clubs history. Our 2012 county winning management team of Declan Walsh, TJ Ryan, Aidan Kenny and Fred Sheedy remained at the helm with Niall McIntyre replacing Damien O’Donoghue as conditioning coach in the early part of the year. It has been a year of mixed fortunes for our intermediate hurlers, a few young players have been blooded, while others gained another year’s valuable experience, but overall the results have been disappointing and the challenge for everyone will be to improve on that in 2014.

The draw for the first round of the championship paired us with Watergrasshill. Played in Rathcormac on June 2nd a big crowd witnessed our debut in the premier intermediate championship but we were to serve up a very poor and lethargic display suffering a heavy 13 point defeat 3-18 to 0-14. We were very flat on the day, floundered through the first half, never got up to the pace of the game, didn’t seem up for it which was the most disappointing aspect and were well beaten in all sections of the field. The writing was on the wall well before half time as our players struggled to find their form, the break couldn’tcome fast enough and it gave a chance to regroup as we wondered could the lads shake off this cloud and explode into the game and mount a fight back in the second half. Alas, this never transpired the killer blow coming with the concession of a goal shortly after the restart when we badly needed it. This ended the contest well before the final whistle.

Hind sight is a great thing but looking back on it since the draw was made in December and Watergrasshill were our opponents the general vibe around the village was that we would account for them easily enough. All this talk must have sunk in as we weren’t mentally right on the day and Watergrasshill were the hungrier and more focused team. Preparations were less than ideal in the build up to the game and the general concencious in the aftermath was that our standards, attitude and application to training would have to improve before we faced Carrigaline in round 2.

This game took place 4 weeks later on June 30th at Watergrasshill in what was our second of three games against the Carrigdown side this year. We played them earlier in May in round 9 of the league, a game that ended in a draw 0-20 to 2-14.

This championship game resulted in a great comeback the lads winning with 2 points to spare on a final score of 1-22 to 2-17. Like the first round we made it hard for ourselves falling behind on the scoreboard early on, we were behind 1-3 to 0-3 after 10 minutes, were down 2-7 to 0-7 well into the half and trailed by 8 points 2-12 to 0-10 at half time.  Again we were slow enough to get into the game after half time but eventually fought our way into contention, and cut the deficit to 3 points 2-15 to 1-15 with 10 minutes remaining. We went on to out score Carrigaline 0-7 to 0-2 for the remainder of the game. This was a hard fought out win with some excellent scores in a brilliant fight back. The relief at the final whistle was huge, our first win at premier intermediate championship level, and the pressure off with our names in the round 4 draw with our status maintained for 2014. The players were immense in this game, and deserve huge credit, while they weren’t going well in the first half, the heads could have dropped but they stuck at it, dug in and ground out a superb and deserved victory in the second half. This game illustrated how even the premier intermediate championship is and there is very little between many of the sides in the grade. At one stage it looked a distinct possibility that we would be facing Cloyne in round 3 and a loss here and we were 60 minutes away from a relegation final, but as a result of a spirited and rousing comeback to pip Carrigaline at the post we were back on track with expectations raised for the championship going forward.

We awaited the 4th round draw with anticipation and we weren’t disappointed drawing divisional rivals Ballyhea in a mouth watering derby game. We entered the game as underdogs in many quarters but if there was a lack of hunger and desire in the first round it was the opposite for this game. Every player to a man ran themselves into the ground thus manifesting into a fantastic and memorable performance and a 0-16 to 0-11 victory. A scurrilous off the ball strike as the game was just about to commence across Joe Cahill that resulted in him leaving the field with a broken hand had a galvanizing affect on the team and it drove them onto to win it for Joe and also the team captain who was injured on the line. How the referee only produced a yellow card for the guilty party after our team medic and physio told him Joes hand was broken and after he consulted with his umpires who witnessed the incident is mind boggling. However any decision made by this particular official wouldn’t’t surprise me as we witnessed earlier in the year in a league game and in some of his decisions over the past few years in games we have been involved in. Ironically he left the game flow after this incident and it suited our lads on the day.

Kildorrery was the venue on bank holiday Sunday August 4th where a bumper crowd witnessed a tension filled game played at a great pace. While the fair on offer might not have enthralled the purists it was a hugely significant win for the club and once more great credit is due to the players. After being destroyed by Watergasshill in the first round, coming from behind late on to defeat Carrigaline in round two, this excellent performance ensured a quarter final tie with Inniscarra, and while the team and management may have been criticized earlier in the year in terms of preparation everything was spot on for this game.

Apart from the opening two minutes during which Ballyhea led 0-2 to 0-0, they never looked like winners once we drew level by the 8th minute. Both defences did well with scores scarce, particularly in the first half and the end of which we led marginally 0-6 to 0-5. It was apparent from the body language that the lads were well up for this game and weren’t going to let up and put in a great second half display. With our central line of defence commanding figures, Kilworth and Adrian Mannix in particular went on a scoring spree and by the end of the third quarter we had stretched our lead to double figures 0-12 to 0-6. Ballyhea never threatened our goal and the closing quarter was played out with our lads in total control.

So we had qualified for a quarter final appearance against Inniscarra who we played and defeated well in a challenge game in Kilworth back in June. This time round Pairc Ui Rinn was the setting on September 1st, where we were to come up short on a 0-20 to 0-16 final score. Inniscarra were good on the night probably their best performance of the year while we couldn’t reach the same level of intensity and performance achieved in our win over Ballyhea. We led 0-5 to 0-2 early on and 0-6 to 0-3 at the end of the first quarter with the wind at our backs. Gradually Inniscarra began to compete more, upped the pace and employed the sweeping role well against the swirling wind and the scores followed with their free taker on form which helping them to tie the game at 0-8 each by half time. We opened the second half scoring but it was the last time we led in the game. A few changes were made but Inniscarra now with the wind advantage seemed to have the legs on us and pulled 4 points clear, and looked set for victory. Our lads refused to make it easy and rallied scoring 4 points of our own to draw level 0-12 each by the three quarter mark. The effort to get back on parity seemed to drain us and we struggled to keep pace with the opposition from here on, they got the run on us in the last ten minutes and while our lads battled on and tried to the end Inniscarra forged ahead and we came up that bit short. The best goal chances on the night fell to Kilworth but they were kept out. Inniscarra were probably that bit stronger and more balanced than us on the night with a bit more strength in dept. It was a pity the cutting edge displayed against Ballyhea was missing, our disappointment was shrouded with frustration following a game where we just did not perform or we were not allowed to perform.

The defence of our Rochestown Park Division 1 Intermediate hurling league commenced on March 10 with a draw away to Ballyhea, 1-10 a piece. This was followed with wins over Cloyne, Meelin, Bandon a draw with Carrigaline and defeats to Tracton, Ballincollig, Blarney and Newcestown. With two games remaining we were in contention for a final spot for the second consecutive year if we won both. However, out of championship defeat away to Newcestown under lights in Bandon when we only had 15 players available on the night put paid to final ambitions. We conceded a walkover to Youghal in the last game as we had confirmed with the county board that we were safe from relegation or so we were led to believe. With Blarney relegated on 5 points and a second team to join them, both Carrigaline and Kilworth finishing joint second last on 8 points.  Our head to head game was a draw, therefore we were advised that scoring averages came into play and as we had a 27 point better scoring difference than Carrigaline our place was secure for 2014 with Carrigaline relegated. However, Carrigaline found a loo pole in general rule and because we conceded a walkover in our last game to our perceived advantage it forced the boards hand into making us play off to see who was relegated. In fact if we played Youghal in our last game and lost by no more than 26 points we would have remained in division 1 for 2014 and the play off would have been avoided.

There may have been a reluctance to play this game but in reality we had no choice and nothing to gain only hassle by not playing it, therefore we faced up to Carrigaline for the 3rd time this year. Played in poor conditions under lights at CIT on October 14th we had a fine 2-25 to 2-22 win after extra time. This was a great performance with the players giving it their all for the 80 minutes. The game looked like it was slipping away from us on a few occasions but the lads came back again and again. We only had 17 players on the night and they all contributed to this important win. Team spirit and desire made up for heavy and tired legs as we had being out of action for a few weeks with Carrigaline in championship right up to the week before the game. This win certainly lifted the spirits. There were encouraging displays from some of our younger players in fact we had 3 minors playing on the and this bodes well for the future and we can look forward to next year will certain optimism.

As defending champions and only in its second year it’s disappointing to report the Coughlan Cup wasn’t concluded this year. We were due to play Fermoy in the semi final and made ourselves available to play it on a few occasions but it didn’t go ahead as Fermoy wouldn’t play on these dates. Ballyhea await the winners in the final. As we play both Fermoy and Ballyhea in the league next year the competition may co inside with this, but no final decision has been made on it.

Indications are that going forward for 2014 and beyond there may be a one off game played yearly on a set date between Kilworth and Fermoy but this is only a suggestion and is yet to be confirmed.

The team did pick up some silverware during the summer when invited to play and defeating Glenroe in a tournament game as part of their festival.

In summing up 2013 for our premier intermediate hurlers we struggled to find our form in certain league and championship games and were unlucky as we never had a full compliment of players all year due to injury. We showed glimpses of form required to seriously challenge for honours but not at a level consistent enough to advance past the quarter finals and make the impact on the championship we had hoped for in 2013. They players could not be faulted for their efforts, there is very little between most if not all of the teams at this grade and there were breaks that went against us especially in the Inniscarra game. On a positive note and what the championship campaign has illustrated is that the lads are well capable of competing and challenging at this grade. We have a talented panel with a nice blend of youth and experience, hopefully there will be no retirements, and the appetite and willingness is there to operate at this high level for another year. Hopefully the pain of losing this year can be converted into the fuel that will fire us on to better things in 2014.

Between championship, league and challenge games the team played a total of 21 games during the year.

It is appropriate to pay tribute to three of the management team who have stepped aside, outgoing manager Declan Walsh, selector Fred Sheedy and coach TJ Ryan.  On behalf of the club and all our members I would like to express a sincere word of thanks to Declan Walsh who has stepped down after two years in charge and wish him the best in his future endeavors. Declan put in a massive commitment to the team something someone from the outside would not appreciate. He gave it his all and got his just reward being manager of our historic county winning team last year.  Fred has rendered outstanding service to the Kilworth club over several years and we thank him for his commitment and dedication over a number of successful era‘s for Kilworth hurling. I wish him well in his recovery from his recent illness and hope to see him out and about in the near future. Our thanks also to TJ Ryan who leaves us after 2 years as coach, he has brought the players and the club to new heights and contributed hugely to a most successful and memorable period in the clubs history. I would like to wish him the best of luck in his new role as joint Limerick Senior Hurling manager.

As the dust settled on the playing activity for the year it was decided in October to start planning for 2014. A sub committee comprising of chairman, vice chairman, secretary, treasurer, Alan Kenny and John Sheehan was appointed to source an intermediate hurling manager for 2014 and to refer back to club meeting for ratification.

Team selector for the past two years Aidan Kenny has been appointed team manger for 2014 and we wish him well in the year to come. Aidan is made of steely stuff, has a winning mentality and I am certain we will see a hardening of attitudes in 2014 to ensure our players will be stronger both physically and mentally to compete successfully and challenge for silverware in the coming season.

JUNIOR HURLING

Noel O’Brien continued as junior hurling bainistoir for 2013 and was joined by Fergus Flynn, Peter Mannix, John Hegarty and Alan Kenny on his management team.

In the Hibernian Hotel premier junior hurling championship we were unlucky to be draw against 3 of the strongest teams in the competition, Newtown, Buttevant and Churctown. While we lost all 3 we could very easily have won the 3 in tight games, Newtown and Churchtown went on to contest the final. As a result of the 3 defeats we faced a relegation final against Ballyhooly that we won comfortably. It’s important for the development of younger players that we remain at the top level of junior hurling in the division for 2014 and there is no reason why we can’t compete and challenge next year. While it is inevitable we will lose players to the intermediate team along the way, with the playing numbers we have, the mix of youth and experience and with a bit of luck we could be there or there about next year.

Back to the year in review, we faced a star studded Newtown side in the preliminary round of the championship played in Kildorrery on May 12th. We suffered a 5 point defeat 1-21 to 2-13 but this score line didn’t do our lads justice as they played very well in a very good and entertaining game that good have gone either way in the end. Newtown got the upper hand in the last few minutes of either half and this proved to be the difference. We were missing two key players on the night through sickness and injury while the experience and skill of the former senior Newtown and Cork stars was evident. Newtown had the greater ability to get scores when needed, while we missed some good goal chances in the first half, this told in the end as they kicked on for victory. This was a great, exciting game played at pace and it was commented by some spectators that it was played at a very high standard for second club teams and one of the best games at the grade for a few years.

However, moral victories count for little, there was a short turn around of 6 days to the first round proper game again played in Kildorrery on May 18th. This again was a close game that could have gone either way but Buttevant came out on top 0-16 to 1-10. We had our chances to win it with two good goal chances towards the end of the game but we only registered a point. We were in fact a point up with 3 minutes to go before a row erupted. This had an unsettling affect and once resolved Buttevant resuming the stronger scoring 4 points with out reply to win by 4 in the end.

While we didn’t play up to the standard and at the same level as we did against Newtown we were again up against a strong side with ambitions of winning the competition.

Another team with championship credentials Churchtown were the opposition in round 2 played in Castletown on June 22nd. Like the previous two rounds this was a game we could and probably should have won but Churchtown came out on top 0-12 to 0-10. We lost 2 key players to injury during the game put up an encouraging display but missed a number of scorable frees which proved costly and was a major factor in not progressing further in the championship. All the players gave it 100% and could not be faulted; however the loss ended our championship aspirations leading to relegation play off with Ballyhooly.

A long layoff ensued until this game took place on September 1st with Glanworth the venue. Here we had a comfortable win 2-16 to 1-8 as we dominating the last 20 minutes of the game. We trailed by 4 points at half time and were lucky only to be 4 down as Ballyhooly struck a lot of wides. They extended their lead to 6 points on the resumption before Kilworth stormed into the game with the wind at our backs and dictated the final third of the contest to emerge convincing winners. There were a lot of changes to this team from the one that played the preliminary game against Newtown three and a half months earlier mainly due to promotion to the first team but for other reasons also. This facilitated some of the younger players getting their chance and they playing really well on the night.

In the Cavanaghs Fermoy Division 2 hurling league we qualified for the semi final finishing in second place in the table with 12 points, following wins over Araglen, Fermoy, Castletownroche, draws against Newtown and Doneraile, we received walkovers from Mallow and Ballyclough while conceding one ourselves to Charleville. Doneraile who finished in 3rd place were our semi final opponents. Played on August 3rd and down 5 players due to the Intermediate championship game against Ballyhea the following day a very under strength side were defeated 2-13 to 0-6. This was a close game right up to the three quarter mark, when the sides were level 0-6 each. We had led 0-6 to 0-5. Doneraile pulled away in the end to win well. The lads are to be commended for their effort on the night they never gave up against a first team. This game left a sour taste as we went to great lengths to move the game but Doneraile and the Board would not accommodate us and move until after the Intermediate game the following day. The boards stance was once the original fixture was made Doneraile would have to agree to a change; however the County Board could change the Ballyhea game with no consultation with the clubs which is ironic.

Huge thanks to team management Noel O’Brien, Peter Mannix, Fergus Flynn, Alan Kenny and John Hegarty for all their efforts throughout the year.

JUNIOR FOOTBALL

Pat O’Brien took charge of our junior footballers for 2013 assisted by Ger McCarthy and John Sheehan. .In the first round of the Fermoy Credit Union North Cork Junior A Football championship we played Mallow in Ballyhooly on April 27th. With 5 players new to championship and 11 of the starting team under the age of 23 we played very well and were unlucky in the end to lose by 2 points 2-7 to 0-11. We conceded 2 early soft goals and missed a few goal chances ourselves that were crucial to the outcome of the game.

Near neighbours Fermoy were our opponents in round 2 for the second year in a row and the game was again played in Araglen on June 9th. Preparations for this tie were very less than ideal with a 5-14 to 0-5 loss to Grange in the league 4 nights earlier. However, with the opposition being who they were, motivation was not an issue, the lads stood up and were accounted for on the night with a fine and well deserved 2-9 to 0-9 win. A few experienced players were back for this game and played very well. We held the lead at half time, got two quick points after the restart and this was followed by a second goal and we didn’t look back from here. The team was fitter and more balanced from the first round defeat with 3 minors on the team who played very well.

This was a fine and significant win considering a few weeks earlier it was muted about pulling out of the competition altogether due to a lack of numbers and a lack of commitment. After the concession of a walkover to Clyda in the league and a bare 15 turning up for our last league game against Araglen before our championship, Pat O’Brien indicated he was stepping down as team manager. A players meeting was called for all adult players to discuss entering a team for the remainder of the championship and training/coaching in general for both codes. 30 plus players attended with 22/23 giving a commitment to play championship football if fit. Pat was happy enough with this and remained in place.

The Fermoy win set up a quarter final tie against Liscarroll. Played in Kildorrery on July 13th the lads recorded a great win by 2-9 to 1-8. After 10 minutes the score read 0-2 each. Liscarroll moved one clear before they converted a penalty to move 4 points clear by the 15th minute, we responded with two points and then were awarded a penalty of our own but we failed to convert with our effort going wide. Both sides exchange a point each before the break as we trained 1-4 to 0-5 at half time having missed a lot of scoring chances. Liscarroll made the better start to the second period with two early points. We responded with one before a well worked Kilworth goal tied up the game 1-6 a piece.  By the 55th minute the sides were level 1-8 before we moved ahead for the first time with a pointed free in the 57th minute. It led to an exciting finish as Liscarroll missed a chance to level the game, Kilworth broke from defence with a counter attach to bury a late goal resulting in a 4 point win. This was a very tough game with all the team and subs used on the night played well and battled to the end against fancied opponents. The work rate was great even though we could have kicked away the game with wayward shooting, but in the end it was a well deserved victory as we progressed to the last 4 of the competition.

It was back to Araglen on August 17th for a semi final joust with firm favourites Mitchelstown. While we were defeated 0-14 to 0-6 the final score was not a true reflection of the game and especially how close we came in the second half. While we managed to contain Mitchelstown to 0-9 in the first half we only converted 1 point ourselves. The lads put in a much better second half performance but missed some crucial scores and if we got them the outcome may have been different. We were unlucky not to get 2 or 3 goals in the second half and were also missing two key players due to injury and they would have made a difference if available.

However, preparation and training are paramount to success and this was lacking for various reasons. Thanks to team manager Pat O’Brien for his time and effort with the team this year. Thank also to Ger McCarthy and John Sheehan who came on board as Pat ploughed a lonely furrow earlier in the year struggling to find selectors. As with most years for those tasked with looking after this team it’s a frustrating job, with little time to prepare and uncertainty over what personnel will make themselves available to play and when. Pat is to be applauded for the enthusiasm and drive he brings to the table, there are probably many times he has felt like throwing in the towel but he sticks with it and always gives it his all.

As a result of winning the 2012 Cavanagh’s Fermoy Division 3 league we operated this year in Division 2. Following 8 games we finished bottom of the table with only 2 points, collecting these resulted following a walkover received from Kildorrery.  Struggling to field teams most days out with a over reliance on U21s and minors we suffered defeats to Fermoy, Liscarroll, Glanworth, Deel Rovers, Araglen and Grange, while we conceded a walkover to Clyda Rovers.

As a result a sub committee was set up to discuss and make recommendations as to where we go with football for 2014. This committee comprising of club chairman, vice chairman, treasurer, outgoing football manager Pat O’Brien, 2013 junior football captain Nathan Byrne and 2013 Intermediate hurling captain Brian Tobin. Vice chairman Liam Kenny reported to our club meeting on October 29th and their findings and recommendations were endorsed and accepted.

 As a foot note to this at the outset of 2013 we had considered not entering the league but a decision was made to go ahead and do so as we were in the process of selling tickets in the club draw for winning last years league and also in recognition of Cavanaghs great support of our club over the years.

 The main components of the report from the football sub committee and proposed trial for 2014 that was passed and ratified are as follows:

Ÿ  We will not enter the league for 2014.

Ÿ  Footballers will be accommodated in the club training schedule 1 time each 3 weeks to play a game or to have a proper training session at the expenses of a hurling session that week. This will run through the full year but priorities will try to be made to hurlers and footballers at their championship time.

Ÿ  Executive will appoint a person to work with management of all teams to facilitate a training and game schedule to meet these criteria and to ensure it is adhered to.

Ÿ  The football set up will try to strengthen the coaching of the team (outgoing manager Pat O’Brien was comfortable with this; hopefully this will be an internal appointment.

U21

At U21 level were graded A in hurling and B in football with two talented yet limited panels in terms of numbers.

U21 HURLING

There was a change in the U21 hurling management for 2013, with Kieran Walsh in charge assisted by John Hegarty and Brian Tobin. Alan Kenny and Will Twomey stepped in to help out for the Mallow game with Kieran and John both away. It’s so encouraging to see current players getting involved with other teams, they have the knowledge and know how to pass on, are highly respected by the younger players and are giving something back to their club and are to be warmly complimented for that. 

Again as with previous years the timing and scheduling of this championship sponsored by Barnes Jewellers, Fermoy is frustrating sandwiched between other competitions and games fixed at short notice when an opening appears for games.

As was the case last year we were drawn against Fermoy, this time in a preliminary round tie played in Glanworth on July 16th where we went under by 4 points 0-21 to 1-14. We started very well and put in a fine first half performance. We led 1-5 to 0-2 after 12 minutes, 1-7 to 0-5 after 20 minutes and held a 4 point lead 1-8 to 0-7 at the short whistle. Even though we were out hurled for most of the second half it was the 52nd minute before Fermoy took the lead 0-17 to 1-13. They were to extend this lead finishing the game strongly. We had a few half goal chances and if we took one of them the outcome may have been different on what was a disappointing result in a game that promised so much based on the performance in the early part of the contest.

There wasn’t much time to reflect on this defeat as we faced Mallow in the first round proper a week later played in Mallow on July 23rd.Preparations were limited also, as we had minor football championship a few days earlier on the 19th.  In a game we led for the most part Mallow came from behind to win by the bare minimum 0-21 to 1-17 in a controversial finish. A point behind we had a player in possession with a chance to work a score or at lease a scorable free, when the referee called a halt to proceedings when there appeared to be time left on the clock. However, he wasn’t going to change his decision and defeat was out lot once more. We led for most of the game but like the Fermoy contest we faded away towards the end of the hour.  We missed a few goal chances in the first half and should have had a greater cushion as we only went in 3 points up at the break 0-12 to 0-9. With 10 minutes to go and Mallow leading 0-19 to 0-17 we goaled to lead by a point. This should have been the catalyst to push on a secure the win but it was Mallow who responded to the goal getting 2 points in quick succession to pip us at the post. This was a sickening defeat considering Mallow went on to win the competition and ran Middleton close in the County Semi Final.

We had a long wait, 10 weeks in fact to our round 2 game against Newtown due to Corks All Ireland hurling involvement and subsequent replay with Jamie Coughlan participation. On a bad night for hurling in tricky conditions a far cry from the dry sod and summer weather we had for the previous two rounds we were totally outclassed in a game we never really got going in and suffered a heavy 2-20 to 1-9 defeat played under lights in Kildorrery on October 1st.  We played in patches with a satisfactory 10 minute spell in both halves but overall we were well beaten on the night in a very disappointing performance. It is hard to put a finger on how the performance level dropped so much, as the team prepared as best as they could and had good workouts against top opposition in challenge games against Bandon and Blackrock. However, the panel was tight and with a few players hardly seen at the pitch all year this is going to come against you when it comes to the crunch in the heat of battle.

I would like to thank team manager and his selectors for their time and effort in their first year involved. They were pro active organising good challenge games etc it’s a pity we didn’t go further.

This is a grade in my opinion we have under achieved at in the past few years given the talent at our disposal. However, on the positive side it has provided the stepping stone for our younger players to progress to the junior and intermediate team as the experience gained playing at the highest level of U21 hurling in the county against some of the best players at the grade is invaluable.

U21 FOOTBALL

Our U21 footballers our first team in championship action, turned out to be the real jewel in the crown this year as they brought home the only championship title to Kilworth in 2013. Pat O’Brien who had previous minor and U21 north Cork success with the club, took over at the helm and with Maurice McNamara, Justin Aherne and Paudie Lynch in toe the championship trail commenced on February 23rd with a very comfortable 3-16 to 0-6 win over Bally Rovers played in Castletownroche. Mill Rovers provided our Semi Final opponent on March 23rd. Castletownroche was again the venue for another very comfortable win by 4-12 to 0-6. We led 2-11 to 0-1 at half time after playing with a strong wind. All the team played well with 5 subs used on the day.

A week later on March 30th Castletownroche played host to the final against a fancied and confident Buttevant side. Following a great performance especially in the second half against a strong wind we had a point to spare winning 1-8 to 1-7. This was a great success for this bunch of lads and their management team. Buttevant did well in the opening 10 minutes and also in the last 10 minutes, but in between we dominated and build up a sizable lead. Buttevant had the opening two points of the game before we got up to the task with key players coming strong and we scored 5 points on the trot to lead 0-5 to 0-2 at half time preparing to face the wind. We did well again on the restart with another white flag before we moved 7 points clear in the 48th minute when an excellent 4 man movement was billowed to the net to leave it 1-6 to 0-2. Buttevant introduced a few subs and they improved scoring two points on the bounce. We replied with two fine points to regain the 7 point advantage. In the closing five minutes Buttevant were first denied a goal by the post, but scored a goal and three points to cut the lead to a point in injury time. They were unable to get on terms with Kilworth holding out by the narrowest of margins. This was superb performance especially the second half display scoring 1-3 to extend our half time lead and ensure an up hill battle for Buttevant to get back into it and in the end we held out for a deserved win 1-8 to 1-7. All the team and subs used played well on the day and great credit is due to them. After the game Martin O’Sullivan of O’Sullivan- Lewis sponsors presented the cup to winning captain Will Condon in the presence of board chairman John O’Donnell. Sean Keane was named man of the match.

Great credit is due to team manager/coach Pat O’Brien and his selectors Maurice McNamara, Justin Ahern and Paudie Lynch. They made all the correct decisions and switches on the day and their passion and drive was reflected in the player’s performance on the field.

The county trail saw us pitted against Kinsale and it provided one of the finest displays for a long time by a Kilworth football team. Played in Catherlag on June 15th every player put in a great effort we got some excellent scores and won 1-13 to 1-7. We opted to play with a strong wind in the opening half scoring 1-7, but it was the second half performance that was outstanding. We only conceded 1-2 against a very strong wind in that period with Kinsale only scored their goal in injury time at the end of the game. Kinsale were never left get into their stride our work rate was first class and we carried the ball keeping possession very well under pressure. There was a fine Kilworth support at the game on the night and they weren’t disappointed witnessing a heart warming display.

On July 3rd, we travelled to Buttevant on a beautiful sunny evening to face Robert Emmets in the County Semi Final. Hopes were high we could advance to the final following our displays over Buttevant and Kinsale. This was the proverbial game of two halves. We were excellent in the first half and led at the break 1-9 to 0-03 however; we could and should have been much further ahead on the scoreboard. After a tight opening few minutes we began to dominate and led 0-4 to 0-2 after the first quarter. We were very impressive at this stage putting together some fine moves and gradually building up our lead. We made what looked to be a significant breakthrough in the 20th minute when a high dropping ball was well directed across the square and into the corner of the net. We were now in full flow and further enhanced our position with further scores to lead by nine points as the half came to a conclusion. If it were not for a late goal line intervention from the Emmet’s full back our hand could have been even stronger for the second half. After the fine team display in the North Cork final, the county quarter final and the opening 30 minutes of this game it was hard to envisage our collapse in the second period against the wind, we were held scoreless and lost out by two points 1-11 to 1-09. Robert Emmet’s scored early on the resumption and there was a significant improvement in their performance, they got on top all over the field and we were on the back foot from the restart and just couldn’t get a score or two that would have been vital in breaking their stride and the rhythm of their comeback. The deficit was reduced to 4 points 1-9 to 0-8 with the game entering the final ten minutes. The crucial score a Robert Emmet’s goal came with 7 minutes to go, and within a minute they were on level terms. We tried hard to recover from this barrage of pressure and we did have our chances, but we found no joy against a steely defence. As the game entered the defining closing minutes our opponents took the lead for the first time, and added another to leave it 1-11 to 1-9 at the final whistle. It was a pity to lose in the manner we did considering the way we played against the wind in our previous two games, we were a more balanced side but the longer the second half progressed without getting a score it appeared to play on the players minds. However, they gave it their all, commitment could not be questioned we were just unlucky on the night against a big physical team with a number of good ball winners. It’s worth remembering this was an amalgamated team of Newmarket and Lismire and they totally outclassed us at minor last year.

Never the less it was team managements aim at the outset of their reign to win the North Cork title and this was achieved in a very impressive fashion. Pat and the lads can be very proud of their achievements with this team. Thanks and well done to all involved.

MINOR

A tremendous effort was put in with our minor teams this year with Noel Daly and his selectors in charge in both codes. We were graded A in both and while the feeling was we should be competitive in hurling we would be out of our depth in football. We appealed our football grading but to no avail. Again in 2013 the championship and league were very disjointed with codes and age groups over lapping. The norm was for minor championship on Monday nights and u16 on Thursday night which is less than ideal with a big overlap of players in both and it is hard for management teams to prepare. The old system when minor and under age activity was under the auspices of the Avondhu adult and juvenile boards was far better structured in my opinion. Minor and U14 were played at the same time with U12 and U16 played off together. Minor hurling championship was played straight after leaving cert exams with the football commencing when you were finished with hurling championship. This year we were knocked out of the hurling championship on August 20th and the football 4 days later on the 24th. While there was a Master Fixture plan set out at the beginning of the year it doesn’t take much to deviate from this for a number of reasons. Not only did minor championship and league over lap with other Coiste Na nOg grades but with U21 also. We had an example of a minor football championship game having to be played between 2 rounds of the U21 hurling championship and there was only a week between those 2 rounds. There is also the travel element to contend with an example being we were expected to travel to Newmarket for minor hurling and football league games this year on week nights. However, this is the way it has been for 3 year now; the format is here to stay so we have to get on with it.

MINOR HURLING

In the first round of the Cavangh’s of Charleville Minor A hurling championship we played Dromtariffe in Ballyhea on August 1st. Here we suffered a disappointing loss 3-19 to 4-10 in a game that also doubles up as a league game. We were down 2-6 to 0-0 early on and 3-10 to 1-3 at half time and never really got going in the half. The trend continued in the second period we got two late goals to put a respectable look on the scoreboard but in truth we were totally out classed on the night. While Dromtariffe were a fine side, given the fact we had a fine league win over Fermoy 5 days earlier the under par performance on the night was worrying  We were due to play Milstreet in round 2 on August 15th. Milstreet conceded a walkover on the day of the match which was less than ideal as we really needed a game to dust off after the first round defeat. As a result of this we progressed to a quarter final meeting with Ballyhea where league points were also on offer. Shanballymore was the venue on August 20th where a Ballyhea side with two excellent inside forwards defeated us 5-19 to 3-9. Again like the first game we had a very poor start and were 2-6 to 0-0 down inside 10 minutes and the heads began to drop. The lads tried hard until the end, switches were made, different things were tried but every time we looked like getting close Ballyhea scored again. We were 3-12 to 1-6 down at half time and this was too much of a gap to make up against a fine side. This defeated ended our championship for 2013. Up to this point the team had only played 5 games all year due to scheduling, walkovers etc. While preparation was constant and thorough all year in the pitch there is no substitute for match practice and this was absent which was very frustrating for team management.

In the minor hurling league following wins over St Kevins, Fermoy, a draw with Newmarket, a walkover from Milsteet and defeats to Dromtariffe and Ballyhea we accumulated 7 points enough to earn a semi final berth against Ballyhea who defeated us by 16 points earlier in the championship.

Played in Shanballymore on September 22nd this turned out to be a totally different game one we were in for the most of and were unlucky to lose out by 3 points, 3-19 to 3-16 in the end. We played well in the first half trailing by 4 points at the break. We were well in the game but conceded a soft goal mid way though the second half, the lads fought and fought but Ballyhea held out for the win.

MINOR FOOTBALL

In the opening round of the Central Stores, Kanturk, sponsored Minor A Football championship we played Fermoy in Mitchelsotwn on July 19th. A well prepared and focused team with a full hand to pick from put in a great hour to win by 2 points 1-12 to 0-13. We started well, got a good goal but still trailed by a point at half time. The lads played very well in the second half limited Fermoy to 3 points and ran out deserving winners, with the sight of the opposition jersey bringing our the best in our lads. League points were also won on this game.

Wolfe Tones were next up in a quarter final tie, played in Charleville on August 24th. At the outset we only had 16 players available on the night with 13 from the overall panel and 4 of the starting team unavailable for a variety of reasons. In a game that was there for the taking we were to suffer a cruel 1 point defeat, 2-9 to 1-11. It took us a while to settle into the game and were 1-6 to 0-4 down at half time. Our performance improved significantly in the second half and we got right into contention scoring 1-7 to our opponents 1-3 but just fell short by the bare minimum in the end.

After a fine win over Fermoy it was a pity we struggled for number in this game, as there was definitely to potential to progress and make an impact at the latter stages of the competition.

In the minor A football league we had 2 wins over Mitchelstown and Fermoy, drew with Kilshannig, received a walkover from Dromtariffe, were defeated by Pobal Ui Chaoimh, Buttevant, Charleville and conceded the points to Newmarket.

Our thanks to Noel Daly and his management team of James McCarthy, John McCarthy, Finbarr McCarthy, Brendan Wheeler and Conor Cooney for their dedicated service in 2013 which unfortunately did not yield the desired results for the Trojan effort they put in.

SUM UP PLAYING ACTIVITY

In all we played close on 70 games throughout the course of the year which is up on 2012.

In summing up playing activity sincere thank all our players for their fantastic and unyielding dedication and commitment to the club throughout the season. Our players are our greatest assets and we are grateful to them all for the sacrifices they make and the immense pleasure they give club supporters each year.

Every team needs leadership and guidance I would like to thank the very dedicated work of all team managers, coaches’ selectors, mentors, backroom teams, and team medics for their time, effort, dedication and huge commitment to our club in both hurling in football during the past year. Special thanks to Mike Walsh, Darren Kenny and Caroline Coughlan for their tireless work with for and with our teams during the past year.

I would like to thank you all for your co operation and courtesy in any dealings I had with you during the course of the year.

JUVENILE ACTIVITY

I would like to congratulate the Juvenile club on another busy and successful 2013 and complement officers, coaches and selectors for the great work and dedication with such a large number of players. Again this year, a phenomenal amount of work is being done at juvenile level and great credit is due to those who give so much time and energy to ensure a bright future for our club.

The first year of the amalgamation between Kilworth and Araglen as Kilara Og from U10 to U15 has been a success off the field, even if it was had a relatively unsuccessful year on it. Due to numbers Kilara Og teams for U13 to U15 were graded C for 2013. The Kilworth U16 teams were graded B. The intention of the amalgamation is to boost future numbers so that all Kilara Og teams, starting with next years U13s will be playing in a 15 a side grade.

To illustrate the problem Kilworth juvenile club has with player numbers, while there were 124 registered juvenile players, only 3 were U13 this year and only 5 U12.  The small numbers at U13 in particular forced the club to withdraw from U13 hurling competitions this year as they were effectively trying to compete with a team made up almost entirely of U12s and U11s. Bearing these numbers in mind the club have decided not to affiliate an U14 hurling team next year. Obviously the small numbers born in 2000 and 2001 will impact on U16 and minor teams in 3 or 4 years time.

A successful Kellogs Cul Camp, with almost 90 children involved, was held under the guidance of Tom Pierce in the first week of July.

This year the juvenile club played over 60 matches from U12 to U16, with a large number of blitzes for U8, U10 and U11 teams.

At U6 and U8 there were over 50 kids training twice a week in Kilworth. The numbers here were boosted by a recruitment drive through the school led by juvenile coaching officer Liam Kenny with the assistance of a number of intermediate players. Further coaching also took place in Scoil Mhairtin with Elton Pierce and this was a great success

The highlight of the year for the U8s was the half time game played during the Cork v Limerick senior hurling fundraiser in Kilworth.

At U10 a number of blitzes took place through the year the highlight being victory over Ballygiblin in the Eugene Condon tournament game played as part of the Kilworth festival.

At U12 level the team reached the league final in both hurling and football but were unfortunate to lose both games. The U12s, with the addition of 1 U13 played Glenville in the Corbett Court tournament as part of the Kilworth festival. Unfortunately, a very strong Glenville team prevailed on the day. Our U16 hurlers played a strong Cois Brid side in the Bill Magnier tournament as part of the festival but were beaten on the night. Thanks to Steve Casey for this Report.

The juvenile club have organised, overseen and funded a fence around the hurling wall which helps greatly with safety and allows the wall to be used when we host games at our venue. They are running a Christmas draw to offset some of the cost of this and I would ask you all too please support this draw.

This is just a summary of some of the clubs activities during the year, as always great work is being done for the young of our community and I wish you every success for the future. It is great to see some current and former adult players getting involved in coaching at juvenile level. Our Juvenile section must always be supported, empowered and encouraged at every opportunity as our future lies in their hands.

CONGRATULATIONS PLAYING ACTIVITY

I would like to thank the teachers of Scoil Naoimh Martin for encouraging and promoting our games amongst their pupils during the year and thank Fr Leahy and Eileen O’Keeffe for the use of the school grounds for parking on numerous occasions for matches held at our grounds.

I would like to congratulate the Handball club especially Michael Dunne and his coaching team for their continued great work and wish them well and success for 2014. The club is lucky to have a fine cohort of juvenile players, while adult activity has picked up in recent years which is testament to the ongoing great work. Congratulations to all those who won county, or provincial medals and to Brid Horgan on her All Ireland success during the year.

Congratulations to Kilworth Squash club and its officers following another active year. Congratulations to the Sports Complex Management Committee for continually maintaining and improving their fine facilities to accommodate Handball, Squash, Racquetball, fitness classes and tennis. I would like to thank Paddy Whelan, Peter Mannix and other on occasion who represented the club on the complex committee this year.

I would like to congratulate Adrian Mannix who represented the Cork senior hurlers earlier in the year and the Cork Intermediate hurlers during the Munster Championship, Kieran Lane won back to back Fitzgibbon Cup Medals with UCC and Nathan Byrne, Liam Whelan and Will Condon who were part of the UCC junior hurling team that won the All Ireland title earlier in the year.

Congratulations to Kieran Walsh, Adrian Mannix, Noel McNamara, Mark O’Connor, Austin O’Hara and Liam Whelan who represented the Avondhu senior hurling side and Elton Pierce who as part of the management team and all club players who represented the division at any level during the year. I would like to congratulate club players who represented St Colmans College, Colaiste an Chraoibhin, or any other second or third level school or college during the year. Congratulations to former club player Declan Tobin who won County and Leinster junior medals with Castleknock in Dublin, to add to the county and Munster medals he won with Kilworth.

FESTIVAL

Kilworth Festival in the second year of its revival held in August was another huge success and I want to congratulate the organising committee for an excellent weeks events. Our grounds hosted a number of very successful events including juvenile blitz‘s, underage tournament competitions and the mini Olympics. The pitch was a hive of activity on Saturday August 10th for the mini Olympics with over 100 kids taking part and adult club players acting as helpers and this was great to see.

COMMUNITY COUNCIL

I would like to congratulate Kilworth Community Council and Pat O’Connor on the publication of ‘50 Years and More’ the story and history of Kilworth Community Council since its formation in 1959. This is a fantastic account of the great work achieved by the many volunteers who worked diligently for the betterment of our community for over 50 years. It is a fitting tribute to them all, past and present and it will ensure their legacy will be remembered by generations to come through this written and photographic account of the organisations achievements.

Congratulations also to Community Council and especially the  Village Renewal Committee on an other excellent result in the tidy towns completion with the marks awarded on the up again this year.

COUNTY PHOTO

In order to preserve the enormity of our intermediate hurlers success last of 2012 an official photo was taken during the year. Thanks to Michael Walsh senior for facilitating this and to Mike Walsh for producing and framing copies of photo and thanks to Michelle O’Keeffe for the print work associated with it. A framed photo will be presented to the panel of players, management and back room teams and club officers who are in the photo. This is a fine memento of a historic and memorable period for the club.

CLUB GROUNDS / PITCHES

I must take this opportunity to thank Tom Howard for keeping our pitches in immaculate condition all year. We have one of the best facilities for our games in the region and the hard work by Tom can be seen by all.

One of the highlights of the year for us was hosting Cork V Limerick, and we had a pitch to be proud of that evening.

The floodlit training area got plenty of use this year especially in the early part of the season and in spring and the huge benefit of it was plain to be seen with our pitches spared until playing activity commenced. Urgent maintenance work in terms of sanding and seeding on the training area was completed, thanks to those who helped out especially John Mac for the use of this machinery. Thanks to all those who helped out with pitch and dressing room tidy ups during the year, thanks to those who helped with maintenance work be it big or small, such as cutting grass on the training area, spraying the pitches, fixing showers, fixing lights, plastering, painting etc.

TUS SCHEME

I must also mention at this point the work that has been undertaken by our TUS Scheme worker Tony O’Driscoll. He has carried out his tasks to a very high standard since he commenced in March and I thank him for his efforts under the guidance of Tom.

CORK V LIMERICK

After a number of attempts over the past few years we were finally lucky enough to land a senior hurling challenge game as a fund raiser involving Cork and Limerick. With contacts close to members of both management set ups both Counties agreed to play on Saturday May 4th.  A lot of organising went into this and while the crowd was disappointing, with intermediate football county championship games on that evening involving local teams and Cork were also playing the All Ireland U21 football final at the same time the event was a big success. While we didn’t raise as much as we would have hoped from the game it certainly raised the profile of the club and our facilities. It all went off fine; our facilities were in top class condition which was commented on by both management teams. Thanks to Tom Howard and Tony O’Driscoll for having the pitch and grounds in fine order, Arthur Coughlan for use of his field for parking, Sheila O’Brien and Sheila O’Mahony for the tea and sandwiches for the stewards and match officials, John Kenny for the excellent programme, Willie Walsh for acting as MC, Sandra Gubbins for singing the national anthem, Corbett Court for the meal for both teams and match officials, and our own loyal and efficient ticket sellers, parking stewards, scoreboard attendants, programme sellers and anyone else who helped on the night. Special thanks to Declan Walsh who coordinated the event liaising with both county boards and both teams management.

Cork won the game 5-14 to 2-17, and while both teams were under strength you would not imagine they would contest a Munster final with Cork going all the way to the All Ireland final and being less than a minute away from winning it in the drawn game.

MUNSTER & ALL IRELAND TICKETS

Munster and All Ireland hurling tickets were in big demand after a lapse of a few years and this was good to see. There was big Kilworth support for Cork on Munster final day in Limerick and at both All Ireland final days at Croke Park and while club demand exceeded supply in the build up to the All Irelands I think anyone who wanted to go to the games got tickets in the end.

OTHER CLUB GAMES

We had a busy June bank holiday holding two very attractive and well attended county championship games. On Saturday night, two teams we would go on to defeat in later rounds, Ballyhea and Carrigaline clashed in the opening round of the premier intermediate championship with Ballyhea emerging. On Sunday night Ballymartle clashed with Newtown and after a cracking contest Newtown triumphed in a high scoring game after extra time. Again thanks to all our helpers on both night, especially Tom and Tony for the pitch presentation and to John Kenny for another excellent programme.

We also held Araglen V Bride Rovers in the County junior B football championship on June 5th along with a number of North Cork fixtures during the year. We made our facilities available on request where possible for senior and premier intermediate hurling league games involving teams who would go on to play championship at our venue and also for local and inter county camogie and ladies football teams. As the year progressed and the nights drew in and also since time changed Araglen and Glanworth both used our second pitch for training and games to avail of the lights.

VICTORY SOCIAL

Our victory social the first in 6 years took place in the Vienna Wood Hotel on Saturday February 2nd.  Almost 170 people attended (166 paid), and a great night was had by all, with a lovely meal, great service and excellent entertainment on offer. Invited guests included Ciaran McGann, Irish and Cultural officer of the County Board, John O’Donnell, Chairman of the North Cork Board and Fr Leahy. Medals were presented to our successful Intermediate hurling and Division 3 football teams. My thanks to Declan Walsh for organising this event, liaising with the hotel and to PRO Michelle O’Keeffe for the excellent slide show of the county and league success that was very well received by all in attendance.

CLUB DEVELOPMENT DRAW

As a result of winning the 2012 Division 3 football league we gained entry to this years Cavanaghs Fermoy car draw. Early in the year Patsy O’Mahony and Liam Kenny took on the coordination of this valuable fund raiser. Thanks to all those who supported the draw, all those who sold tickets be it going to door to door or helped out over the weekend we had the car on display outside Centra and/or the Saturday we had it on display outside Super Value in Fermoy. Patsy, Liam, Alan Kenny, Brian Carey, Catherine Mannix and John O’Connor deserve special mention for their work and effort they put into this venture where we raised circa €18k. The initial Draw took place in Cavanaghs Fermoy on April 11th and the five club representatives drawn out to contest the grand finale were: Karina Cahill, Tom Dunne, Jim Noonan, Maureen Magnier and Geraldine Burke. While there was to be no repeat of winning both cars like in the 2011 draw a great night was had at the final draw held on Saturday April 20th where our 5 winners were drawn out for a cash prize of €250k.

I would like to thank Tom Cavanagh and staff of Cavanaghs including our own Brian Carey and Conor O’Keeffe, for their help and generosity with this draw. In the past years the 6 clubs involved made a combined total of close on €100k by selling tickets for the 2 cars and 28 cash prizes sponsored by Cavanaghs, in fact close to €400k has being raised over the past 3 years of the sponsorship deal.

ANNUAL GOLF CLASSIC

Our 5th annual Golf classic which was again kindly sponsored by Cavanagh’s of Fermoy was held at Fermoy Golf Club on May 10th. Again this year it proved to be an enjoyable and successful event with 48 teams travelled to Fermoy Golf Club on the day with numerous other businesses and club supporters sponsoring tee boxes and greens. We had some high profile names taking part with current Clare senior hurling manager Davie Fitzgerald getting events underway at 7.50am.

As has been the case since our first classic 5 years ago, the competition was once again divided into two sections. The first for players with GUI handicaps was won by regular partners John Kenny, Brian Gallagher and Marc Gallagher. This was a fitting victory for a trio who were playing together in this event for the fifth year running.

The non GUI competition was won by the O Connor’s, Mark from Kilworth and Ballyhooley’s Jerry and Pa. 

Whilst numerous people helped out in organising and running the event, it would be unfair of ne not to mention the following;

Fermoy Golf Club were once again impeccable hosts of the event and numerous players commented on the standard of the course on the day. A beautiful meal was prepared and greatly appreciated by the players having completed their rounds. The prize giving was this year held in The Butchers Bar and a big thank you must go to Donal & Linda Kenneally for allowing us to take over their establishment for the proceedings.

This event would not be possible without our sponsors (both businesses and individuals) and we would urge our members to support them wherever possible. A special word must go to Cavanagh’s of Fermoy who have been involved in this event continuously since it was first held back in 2009 and who have been wonderful supporters of Kilworth GAA Club for numerous years. Through their sponsorship of the Avondhu League Car Draw which we were involved in this year and this Golf Classic, Cavanagh’s have given our club the opportunity to raise over €26,000 this year alone. Thanks also to our own Brian Carey for all his help in this regard and also for presenting the prizes on Friday evening. O Sullivan’s Centra Kilworth once again provided refreshments to all players and we would like to thank Jason O Sullivan for same. They were greatly appreciated by one and all.

It must be acknowledged that an event of this size takes a great deal of pre planning and we are blessed in Kilworth to have the likes of John Hegarty, Alan Kenny, Denis Motherway and especially John Kenny involved. These men did Trojan work in the days and weeks before the event to ensure the classic ran as smoothly as possible.  Their efforts were certainly rewarded with a fine turn out both in relation to players and sponsors and the feedback from everyone was certainly positive. Thanks also to club members Mike Walsh, Tom Howard, John O Connor and especially Catherine Mannix for their help in selling raffle tickets during the day.

LOAN

The Golf Classic has been the main source of income to service our development loan with AIB. Following the success of our Golf classic and the league winners development draw, we were in a position to pay €15k of the loan in September and it is planned to pay an additional amount off it before the end of the calendar year. The aim is to have circa €10k remaining and we should be in a good position to clear it fully by next year with the 2014 golf classic proceeds going a long way towards this.

This is a great position to be in, while the term of the loan is until November 2019, the quarterly interest rates are high so the sooner we pay it off the better and we are well on the way to paying this off 5 years in advance of the loan term and there is great credit due to all involved in our fundraising ventures over the past few years. Full details of money raised in golf classic, loan repayment during the year and loan balance remaining please refer to the treasurer’s report.

WEEKLY CLUB LOTTO

Our weekly lotto, which is held every Monday night, continues to be a huge revenue source for the club and it is without doubt the club would not survive with out the funds made by this draw and our dedicated sellers. A small but hard working team, comprising of John Condon, John Twomey and Paddy Whelan, ensure the draw is run off smoothly every week.

Please support our lotto on a weekly or yearly basis; every €2 is very valuable to our club. Thank you to our sellers, especially John Condon and to our many supporters who make the lotto such a success for our club.

We had 2 winners since last years AGM on December 7th; Catherine Howard scoped the jackpot of €11,800 on February 4th, our first winner since August 2011. Alan Hegarty from Araglen was the lucky winner of € 4,300 on July 15th. The jackpot now stands at €3,850.

COUNTY CLUBS DRAW

The Cork GAA Clubs Draw continues to be an important means of raising funds for the club. We have 118 members in 2012/2013 and had 116 members for the first 3 draws of the 2013/2014 term which commenced last month with a double draw for September and October. This is a healthy number and in a time of recession it is great to see this draw being supported locally, my thanks to anyone who has joined the draw in the past and for the current year. For each €100 our 116 members have paid, 45% of it makes its way back to the club. As with the lotto it is unfortunate that a small number of people are responsible for most of the ticket sales. As mentioned the 2013/2014 draw has commenced with the September, October and November draws having come and gone. There is still time to enter the December draw for those interested.  I would like to thank our Draw Co-ordinator, Patsy O’Mahony for all his hard work and my thanks also to all our sellers who help to secure this important source of income for the club.

It is also important for clubs to have occasional winners to promote the draw and we have had some success in the last 12 months:

Ÿ  January 2013 - Tom and Catherine Hanrahan  - weekend break

Ÿ  September 2013 - Sheila Lewis won 3rd prize, a luxury weekend at the Cliff House Hotel, Ardmore

Ÿ  September 2013 - Pat Mansell 7th prize, an Apple iPad

MEMBERSHIP

We had 129 paid up members for the past year down on the previous number of years with 253 registered members including juveniles (124 registered juvenile players). Many thanks to those who collected membership earlier in the year especially Development Officer Brian Tobin and Alan Kenny who collected player membership.

PLAYERS INSURANCE SCHEME

My thanks to Mike Walsh who once again undertook the administration of our Players Insurance Scheme during the year and has done fantastic work on this. There is a huge amount of unseen time involved in pursuing the immense paper trail associated with each claim. All players please note that claimants can help to reduce the effort and delay in resolving claims by producing all relevant documentation promptly. This year saw a high value and volume of claims which Mike handled efficiently and he has always been available to help the players with any queries they may have. A difficult job, professionally done. Thanks Mike.

SPONSORS

Once again this year my most sincere thanks to everyone that gave sponsorship to the club during the year, especially our main sponsors, Mike Walsh Pharmacy, Jimmy’s Bar, The Village Inn, and Mitchelstown Dental Clinic who came on board this year. Without this generous support from our sponsors we as a club could not survive financially. I wish them every success in the future and I would urge all our members to support our sponsors whenever possible.

CLUB MEETINGS

We have held 48 club meetings since last years AGM on December 7th and I would like to thank all those who attended these meetings. New blood and new ideas are always welcome, so if you are interested in getting involved please come forward, you will be very welcome! I would like to thank the committee members for their help and co-operation during the year.

BOARD DELEGATES

My thanks to Fergus Flynn who was our regular delegate to the county board meetings this year on behalf of the club and to Liam Kenny who attended on occasions when Fergus was unable to.

I would like to thank John Twomey and Peter Mannix for attending the North Cork Board meetings during the year and to Steve Casey who attended the Rebel og North meetings where minor matters were dealt with. The role of board rep required considerable commitment, and as usual the lads did their best to ensure the interests of the club.

I would like to congratulate John Twomey on his election to the Management Committee and the CCC of the North Cork Board for 2013 and to Patsy O’Mahony on his continued role as Cisteoir of Rebel Og North

CULTURAL OFFICER

Thanks also to Paddy Whelan in his role as Irish and Cultural officer. Again this year there was a big push promoted this area of club activity by Croke Park and the County Board

For the first time in a number of years we entered a team in Scor Sinsear with Alan Kenny, Shane Tobin and Kieran Walsh representing the club in Question time. We finished tied second and lost out on a county semi final place by 1 point following a tie break round of questions.

REFEREE

Again in 2013 we had no club referee which is a cause for concern. Anyone out there interested in taking up the whistle please come forward and let us know. Communication has being received from the North Cork board that it will not be accepted for 2014 that we do not have a referee

WASHING JERSEYS

The workload of washing club jerseys was shared this year and I would like to thank Catherine Mannix, Karen O’Brien and Rita McNamara for this onerous yet very necessary task and Noel Daly for looking after the minor jerseys.

NEW JERSEYS

The club purchased a new set of red jerseys during the year. Their first outing was in our junior football championship win over Liscarroll. In recognition of their success in 2012 Club tops were purchased for the intermediate hurling panel and their management and backroom team.

REFRESHMENTS

Sincere thanks to the two Sheila’s O’Brien and O’Mahony and Catherine Mannix for the tea, sandwiches and cake on a number of occasions during the year. This was greatly appreciated especially by the players.

PRO / SOCIAL MEDIA

I want to sincerely thank our PRO Michelle O’Keeffe for her support and congratulate her for her excellent reporting of games and her club notes in the local press over the year.

The club Face Book page and Twitter account continue to be a big hit. I would like to thank all our contributors to these social Media outlets especially Michelle O’Keeffe, Will Twomey, Pat O’Brien and John Hegarty who are the main points of contact for updating and maintaining these valued means of communication.

Thanks to Michelle and Fergus Flynn who covered for me as secretary on occasions I couldn’t make meetings or games and to Vice Chairman Liam Kenny for stepping in when called on during the year. Liam is a very active vice-chairman and has been involved in a number of successful sub committees and initiatives during the year. Thanks to Brian Sheedy as registrar.

I would like to thank the local press especially the Avondhu for their coverage of our games and affording us space for our club notes on a weekly basis throughout the year.

I would like to thank the secretary and PRO of both the North Cork and County Boards and Mairead and Barbara in Pairc Ui Chaoimh for their help and co operation during the year.

Thanks to the spouses, partners and girlfriends who make the sacrifices and put up with the time commitment the lads give to the club, whether as players, managers, mentors or administrators.

SYMPATHY

I would like to extend my sincere sympathy to all relatives and friends of those who passed away during the year. Tonight I would like to remember the late Mick O’Brien, a great club supporter and sponsor who was called to this eternal reward last December. Ar dheis de go raimh a n-animate.

CONCLUSION

We are very fortunate to have good people who are prepared to give freely of their time and talents each year for the benefit of the club. Without our volunteers we would cease to function and we owe them all our greatest gratitude. There are many areas of activity in our club now that it takes a lot of hardworking people to keep it ticking over.  However, as alluded to in last years report few people are shipping a heavy load. Again this year a cohort of names were mentioned a number of times doing many tasks. If a few more came forward helping out in any way big or small this would be great.

Don’t always leave it to the same few. We face significant challenges in the years ahead in terms of fundraising for maintenance and ongoing development of our facilities, as well as ensuring the highest standards on the field of play, and we really need more active, committed volunteers who will be ready to make the effort required.

In conclusion let us hope that 2014 will be a more successful year on the playing field than the year under review. I am confident and optimistic that we as a club possess sufficient talent to progress and succeed and hopefully we will reap the rewards in 2014.

As in former years, I wish to express my appreciation of the support, co-operation help and assistance that I have received from my fellow officers at the top table over the past twelve months. Mossie’s role in the club goes well beyond that of custodian of the clubs finances and he goes well beyond the call of duty in the overall work he does for the club.

I would like to thank Peter as outgoing chairman who has indicated he is not seeking re election tonight for all his help and dedication to the club over the past 2 years and if he does in fact step aside tonight I wish him well in his future and I know he will continue to work within and for the progression and betterment of the club in some shape or form. Peters reign will be remembered as a successful and historic period for the club, winning the intermediate championship for the first time. Thanks Peter.

My thanks to my family especially Sandra and Mia for supporting me fulfill this role.

I would like to apologies to anyone or for any item I may have inadvertently omitted or for any mistakes in my report. In the past year demands at work have increased and I no longer have the time I would like to and once had to commit to the role. If there is anyone interested or willing to take on the position please come forward tonight and I will assist you in anyway I can to learn the ropes and bed into the officership. If not I wont let the club down and will continue for another year but my intention is to take a step back from it next year.

Best wishes and a speedy recovery to any club members who are ill or knocked out at present.

I would like to wish the club every success for 2014 and wish you and your families a very happy Christmas and all the best of health and good luck for the year ahead.

Go raibh mile maith agaibh go leir

Is mise le meas

Sean Toibin

Runai


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