The championship ties for all age groups has taken centre stage over the past few weeks. In the junior championship Naomh Treasa of Dungannon travelled to Greencastle to play Father Shields in the semi-final. Father Shields were last year’s finalists and they put up a spirited performance against a strong Naomh Treasa side. This will be a repeat of the 2011 final as Éire Óg progressed in their side of the draw. It should be a very competitive game and Éire Óg will be buoyed by their success last year and their subsequent performance in the Ulster tie that followed. The final will be in the Garvaghey complex at 6:00pm on Sunday 11th August. It is anticipated that there will be a large crowd in attendance.
The under 16 championship preliminary round was a very exciting tie between Éire Óg who travelled to Eglish. The game was very tight for the first twenty minutes with neither team able to take total command. Eglish found their feet toward the end of the first half and scored a couple of spectacular goals but Éire Óg also took one of their own. The half time score board read 3-4 to 1-3 in favour of the home team. The second half was as close as the first but it was Eglish who were the more potent in front of goals and the game ended with them progressing to the semi-final with a score-line of 7-8 to 3-4. They will play away to Father Shields on August 16th and Dungannon will travel to Edendork in the other match.
In the under 14 championship Dungannon will host Derrylaughan as the Féile cup winners take on the shield winners. Derrylaughan beat Éire Óg in June in the Prelim round. The two semi-finalists met earlier in the year in the league and the competitive nature of this year’s championship should see some high skill level from this strong age group. Eglish will welcome Moortown in the other semi. The final is scheduled for Saturday 24th August.
The county under 14 squad have had a couple of weeks training so far this year. This age group has huge numbers throughout the county and the team this year will be as strong as last years. The training is on Saturday mornings at 11:00am in Edendork and the team are gearing towards the Ulster championship at the end of August. There will be the small matter of the Ulster Blitz to play on Saturday 10th August at the Owenbeg complex in Derry. Tyrone will enter two teams and they will be seeded in section C against Armagh and Cavan and Section D against Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal. Tyrone were the section C winners last year and the team is much the same as last year’s side with only a few omissions.
Derrytreasc held the final Go Games Blitz of the year. The u10, u8, and u6 age categories from all clubs in the county were represented. The weather was glorious and all the children enjoyed a well run event. A big thanks to Derrytreasc for their hospitality and the pitch which was exceptionally well presented.
A final congratulations to the Tyrone footballers on their All Ireland quarter final success against Monaghan in Croke Park on Saturday. They battled to the end for a deserved win.
