Charlotte James Connolly’s Are National Champions
In Boston, MA over the past week-end a little bit of Charlotte history was made with the first victory by Charlotte James Connolly’s Football Club in the National Junior B Gaelic Football Championship. In glorious weather conditions, at the outstanding facilities of the Boston GAA club in Quincy, MA, the Charlotte team pulled off a great victory over a strong San Diego team on a score-line of 1(goal) and 10 (points) to the oppositions 1 goal and 5 points – a hard fought but very well deserved 6 point victory for our local men.
The team which was captained by Kevin Devin – the well known proprietor of Connolly’s Pub (5th Street) – played some delightful football through out the weekend, beating hosts Boston as well as Detroit and culminating in last Sundays great win over San Diego. The key score of the game was a glorious second half goal scored by the outstanding Pauric McCloskey. The team, club members and supporters who traveled to the tournament celebrated the great victory and the winning of the tournament MVP award by its center-fielder, Mike Coakley long into the night in Boston last Sunday with one of the largest contingents to attend the games. A total of 54 members of the Charlotte club made the trip making them one of the largest single-club groups to attend the championships.
The Charlotte club was founded by a group of Irish born residents of Charlotte with the able assistance of a group of enthusiastic local sportsmen. In the championship squad there were a majority of non-Irish players which is testimony to the reach of this great and ancient sport. On last Sunday’s starting team (13 players), there were 5 American players and one from England, and each played a vital role in securing the cup for Charlotte.
The second thirteen, which competed in the Junior D section of the tournament was an even more international outfit, with the squad including a Russian, an Australian, an Englishman, an African American native of Hendersonville here in NC. The remainder of the squad was made up of local Charlottians supported by just 4 Irish born players. This team performed heroically to record the first ever championship victory at this level for the club. With Gearoid (Gary) O’Sullivan contributing 2 goals and 1 point of the teams total, Fredericksburg of Virginia were dispatched in round one. This brought them into direct contact with the eventual tournament runners-up, St. Louis, against whom they played a great game until finally succumbing to the more experienced Missouri outfit.
All in all it was a weekend of great success for Charlotte James Connolly’s and one that – in the words of club chairman and outstanding full-back, Barry Given – “will provide the platform for the growth of our club and the sport itself well into the future”.
Recently the club held its first open coaching session for kids at the Alexander Graham High Scholl and was thrilled to have over 50 children between the ages of 7 and 17 attend for some expert coaching by club players and officials. There will be many more such days in the coming months as the club aims to strengthen its position in the sporting landscape of Charlotte by ensuring that the youth players are given the chance to learn the basics of the great game of Gaelic Football.
Eamonn O’Sullivan
Discussion Area - Leave a Comment