A draw in most sports can be a sign of a poor encounter, but this is not the case in Gaelic and last week 2 enthralling games involving club teams ended level and thrilled spectators.   First up were our U16 girls who travelled to Tourlestrane last Tuesday night more in hope than expectation as a number of starting players were unavailable.  Both sides served up a game which people will discuss for a long time, simply put momentum swung between us and Tourlestrane throughout the game and neither side was willing to consider defeat.   All girls played right up to the final whistle and can be applauded on their application.   The game ended 3-08 apiece and many more great performances can be anticipated from our U16’s as the season progresses.

The other draw came on a very cold Friday night in Kent Park when our senior men took on Tubbercurry.   Pretty quickly it could be seen that both sides were up for this early season league match and the cold wind that kept spectators hopping from toe to toe was soon forgotten as 2 very determined sides served a feast of football.   It was a very good game with plenty of scoring opportunities, and a real thriller right to the last minute with the match swinging both ways.   St Marys finally got in front and seemed to have the points in the bag until a slightly fortunate Tubbercurry goal levelled matters and neither side could push ahead for the win.  

Our senior ladies were not as fortunate and for the second week in a row were unlucky to be on the losing side of a competitive fixture.   This week our girls took on Eoghan Rua, and despite wind advantage in the first half turned to face the wind at a 6 points disadvantage.   In fairness, the team drove forward led by Sadbh Brennan and Amy Gerrity to put in a strong second half with very good scoring bringing them to 3 points in arrears.   A final chance was worked, but unfortunately the shot went over rather than under the bar.   The girls are out again this coming Sunday against St Nathys.   Good luck to the U14 girls team who play their first league match against Calry on Tuesday in Kent Park in what promises to be a fascinating contest.

In Bord na nÓg our Division 1 U12 boys continued their bright early season form with a comfortable win over St Molaise Gaels.  An excellent first quarter playing into a stiff win laid the foundations for this win. A top of the table clash with Shamrock Gaels is next up on Tuesday 25th.   The Division 3 u12 team comprising of our u11 panel also played St Molaise last Tuesday.  In a high quality game, St Molaise used the wind to build up big leads in Quarter 1 and 3.   Our lads did really well to cut the deficit but their best efforts just fell short of reeling in the visitors and we lost by 16 scores to 12.

The U14 boys had a comprehensive win against Ballymote/Bunninaden in Div 1 last Monday and are knitting into a very effective unit.   Cormac Niland dominated the midfield area while Fionn O Hehir controlled the defence.   Up front Daniel Kilcullen and Sean Gilvarry created plenty of the scoring chances which Conor White and Paul Moore were able to take advantage of and stretch the St Marys lead.   Our U16 boys were away to Calry last week. Unfortunately a poor start saw them conceding 4 points without reply to their hosts.   Marys gradually got their act together and went in down just the minimum on a score of 6 points to 5 with some good team football. However, we again started slowly in the second half, and conceded 2 goals which effectively ended the game as a contest.    There is a 3 week break to the next league game for these lads and a lot to do before then, starting with a challenge this Tuesday evening against Boyle in Scarden.

The Club’s congratulations on a job well done are sent to Bishop Kevin and all involved (including many St Marys club members), in last weekend’s televised Easter Ceremonies which were broadcast throughout Europe.   It was great to see Sligo achieving such a high profile.

St Mary’s expresses sympathies to the families and friends of Margaret Leonard and Sheila Smith who passed away in the last week and may they rest in peace.

These club notes and more detail on St Marys are available on our social media and the club website at www.stmarys.sligo.gaa.ie