Club news 30 January 2017

WEEKLY LOTTO: The winning numbers in tonight’s (30th) lotto draw were 16, 22, 27 and 30. There was no outright winner. The weekly cash prizes went to Daniel O’Connor and Cillian Blake.

HARD LUCK. Well done to the Wicklow schools who suffered a narrow defeat, 0-13 to 1-8, to St Peters, Wexford in the semi-final of the Leinster A Schools Football Championship. St Peters went on to defeat Moate in the final. ire g was represented on the team by Eoin McTeague.

Modern Gaelic football comes in for a huge amount of negative commentary, much of it based on prejudice and a shallow knowledge of the game. Unfortunately some of it comes from the hurling brethren. Some of the criticism has its origin in a nostalgia for the catch and kick form of yore the blackberry so mawkish now was finely flavoured then. The enjoyment to be got from this type of game derived from the uncertainty of outcome from contested, frequently occurring 50/50 balls. However it had its critics and these contended that it was inferior to soccer because it was not scientific. Since then many factors and influences have contributed to the development of the game we have to-day. One often hears it described disparagingly as field basketball. One wonders if this is the insult it is meant to be, for after all, basketball is a sport which is supported enthusiastically worldwide and in which iconic players earn unbelievable sums of money. One does not deny but that much could be done to tone down some of the undesirable practices which have crept into the sport. These have arisen because of an overemphasis on winning (winning ugly) and because of the strategies developed by teams below the top rank to close the gap between them and the more skill-endowed teams (an te nach bhfuil laidir ni folair do bheith glic the weak must compensate by guile). In any event the sport should be judged on its merits and not by comparison with others. Is rugby criticised for its strategy of kicking to touch?

These musings were prompted by two recent experiences: the reading of the report in the Bray People of Colaiste Eoins (Hacketstown) 7-9 to 4-14 victory over Heywood C.S. (Laois) and the watching of the 4th class indoor Gaelic blitz in Shoreline.

The games in the blitz were of 10 minutes duration and were structured to minimise interruptions in play and to promote the rapid dispatch of the ball by players. This led to each game being a riot of continuous blinding movement which incorporated, to a surprising level of competence, the many skills of the sport. A hugely enjoyable experience.

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