Friday the 9th of December saw the presentation of medals to our minor footballers following their capture of the East Region 'A' Football Championship title. A great night was had by all who attended which allowed players, mentors, family and supporters to celebrate the great championship victory.

Cobh, who eventually defeated Glenville in the final, had to over come Killmurry, Youghal, Fr. O' Neills and Killeagh on their road to victory in this highly competitive championship. This Cobh team displayed great heart and determination to win the championship outright with some star performances from midfielder Shane Hallahan, resolute defenders, Jamie Moynihan and Tony O'Donovan, and clinical forwards Jack Ronan, Eoin Hastings and Cian Spriggs. Following this, captain Danny Keating lead his team into the county where they were narrowly beaten in the semi-final to eventual winners Kanturk.

The minor footballers also boasted an impressive league campaign which saw them top their group heading into the knock-out stages. However the league and championship double was not to be following a hard fought defeat to Blarney in the semi-finals.

Many of the successful football team were also part of the hurling panel which competed in minor 'A' league and championship. Although the hurling panel could not boast the success of the footballers, the team still competed at the later stages of both competitions which is a credit to the management and players. Cobh narrowly exited the championship at the hands of Cloyne and it took extra time for Newcestown to overcome this talented Cobh team in the semi-final of the league. Newcestown would eventually go on to complete a league and championship double.

The club would like to thank the players for the success and entertainment they have brought to us over the past year. A special thank you also goes to the coaching staff of John O'Keeffe, Declan O'Connell, Seamus Ryan, Brian Farrell and Brendan Meaney for their effort over the season. The above coaching staff have enjoyed great success with this group over the last three years which has seen them win four championships and two league titles under their tenure. They also managed to promote the Cobh team from the 'C' division to the 'A' division which is vital for the long term future of the club.

Again congratulations to the players on their recent victory and we look forward to their addition to the adult squads in the coming year.

Cian Spriggs receiving his medal from club chairman Sean O' Connor

2011 Cobh Credit Union Street Leagues

The annual street leagues came to an end on Sunday 13th Nov. The eight teams in the U12 grade played their finals on the Friday night in extremely testing weather conditions with Dylan Higgins leading his team to victory in the Michael Hayes Memorial Trophy final. On Sunday we had three finals for the U7s and three more for the U9s, with Adam Doran captaining his team to take the Padjo Daly U7 Cup and Ben Barrett leading his charges to collect the Berty Kelly U9 Cup. All players received a medal for their participation in the hurling leagues with the U7s and U9s being presented with their medals by Cork Gaa legend Jimmy Barry-Murphy on the Sunday. A big thank you to all the players and their families for their cooperation over the seven weeks and to the organisers for running the leagues and keeping so many of our towns’ boys and girls active on the hurling pitch so far into the year.

U13s win hurling league title

Having started their league journey on April 9th our U13 hurlers lined out twice in four days and secured the hurling league title on Sat 12th Nov. First up was a victory over Passage in the semi-final on Wednesday night and then a trip to Mayfield for the final on Saturday. The U13 A hurling league trophy was brought back to Cobh by our well drilled team after a spirited performance in which they led throughout but had to withstand fierce pressure from the home team towards the end. Well done to all the players, the mentors and the loyal band of followers which this team always attracts.

Cobh’s Rebel checks in with the next Generation

On Saturday 17th September Cobh’s most recent All-Ireland winner, Kieran Histon, visited the U6 and u7 teams during their training. Kieran played with the Cork U16 hurling team that captured the All-Ireland title three weeks ago, while also starring with the rebel footballers during the year. All involved with the Gaa in Cobh are proud of Kieran’s achievements and we hope he’ll continue to be a role model for the younger lads for many years to come.

The Cobh U7s who played Cloyne in a series of hurling games on Saturday 3rd of September.(Click on image for full size picture)

On Saturday August 27th, Pairc Uí Chonaill hosted a feast of underage hurling with U12 and U9 teams visiting to take part in our annual ‘Johnny Leahy’ hurling blitz. In the morning the U9s played under the Go-Games format with two home teams playing two teams from each of Na Piarsaigh, Bishopstown and Ballygarvan in a series of matches. In the afternoon the U12s took on Faith Harriers from Wexford and Ballinkillen from Carlow in the first intercounty version of the blitz. With grandson Liam Leahy looking after the team and great-grandsons Ciarán Leahy and Diarmaid Kearney on the pitch, there were plenty of family ties to ‘The Boss’ still on show for Cobh as faith kicked in to give Ciarán a last minute ’65 which he converted to return the cup to Cobh. Well done to all involved in the organisation of a great day of hurling in Cobh.

Cobh team who defeated Kilbrittain in Round 2 of East Region Minor Hurling Championship August 8th 1-14 to 1-13