Epochal victories for the Rories
December 31, 2010The club's under 16 starlets wrote themselves into the Rory O'Moore's annals over the course of the past year by scooping the Division Four title.
In careering their way to the winner's enclosure, the young maroon and white picked up the Rorys' first under 16 title in almost two decades.
In early July last, the town team did the business in exciting and impressive fashion at the expense of a gritty and ambitious Mountnugent side.
Played at Naomh Fionnan Park in Cornafean, Belturbet led from pillar to post and had the appendix of winner attached from early on.
That said, Belturbet were made to earn the spoils as their Meath-border opponents put in a tigerish last ten minutes in a bid to rescue the situation.
Belturbet hit the ground running with Conal McGinley easing his side into the driving seat; a position they were never to relinquish thereafter.
Belturbet remained on the frontfoot as the first half progressed and Cian Vaughan and Niall Lawlor each pointed to add to their side's momentum.
Mountnugent worked overtime to get up and running and a point on the counter attack after ten minutes served to break their duck.
Normal service was restored though when Sam Power bagged a brace of points in the 12th and 14th minutes as the game took on a clear pattern.
Mountnugent hit back with their second point of the game but then Niall Lawlor showed great awareness to put one nail in Mountnugent's coffin.
From a quick free, young Lawlor rifled the ball hard and firm to the Mountnugent net to give Belturbet a major lift with 10 minutes left in the first half.
It was then the turn of Belturbet team-captain Cian Vaughan to nick the limelight with a hat-trick of points as Mountnugent rocked against the ropes.
Like true champions, Belturbet kept up the pressure in the run-up to the interval with Adam Rehill and Josh Reilly each getting on the scoresheet.
Leading by 1-8 to 0-5 at half-time, Belturbet refused to let their hands be relieved off the tiller despite Mountnugent's earnest efforts.
Patrick Smith made it a seven point game soon after but Mountnugent re-shaped their team with a switch at midfield giving them a greater foothold.
Three unanswered points were notched by the chasing team as Belturbet were made to look to their laurels approaching the end of the third quarter.
Niall Lawlor added another point for the leaders but Mountnugent hit back with interest with two points as the tempo of the game increased noticeably.
Belturbet went back on the offensive but spurned three gilt edged goal chances to let Mountnugent off the hook.
With ten minutes left to play, Belturbet increased their lead to five points courtesy of a Cian Vaughan point when he converted a free.
A Mountnugent goal moments later upped the ante and, once again, Belturbet had cause to go back up through the gears to keep their rivals at bay.
Mountnugent missed out on bagging what looked a certain goal as the game approached injury-time with the tension almost tangible.
Belturbet held their nerve and finished with a flourish with Cian Vaughan firing over a gem from over 30 metres to seal a thrilling 1-13 to 1-10 victory.
The Rorys' title-winning U16s who lined out againt Mountnugent were as follows: Dessie Millar; Dean Maguire, Shane Fitzpatrick, Donal McDonald, Ronan Cahill, Michael McMahon, Cian Vaughan (0-7), Mark Lawlor, Stuart Dunne, Conall McGinley (0-1), Patrick Smith (0-1), Sam Power (0-2), Niall Lawlor (1-2). Sub used; Sean Og Lawlor.
Rorys run rampant in U13 decider
A blistering unanswered 3-3 tally midway through the second half helped steer Belturbet to a 6-15 to 3-11 win over Denn in the 2010 U13 Roinn D League final.
Belturbet led by just a single point at the interval and by just two points 12 minutes into the second half when they cut loose to irrevocably change the nature of the game.
Up 'till that decisive juncture in the match, the game was a very even, see-saw affair but once Belturbet stormed their way into a 5-13 to 2-8 lead there was only going to be one winner.
The sides were level on four occasions during a frenetic, swashbuckling first half during which time defences were primarily on top.
Denn led by 1-2 to 0-4 lead early on but in what turned out to be a topsy-turvy affair, such a lead proved to be very precarious.
Within two minutes Belturbet were back in the lead but then in the 21st minute Denn pointed to level matters (1-3 to 0-6) for the fourth time in the first half.
Just a short while later Sean Og Lawlor blasted the ball to the net to give the Rory O'Moores a 1-6 to 1-5 interval lead.
Belturbet again hit the sweet spot in the 33rd minute when Sean Og Lawlor goaled once more to put his side ahead by 2-6 to 1-5.
Denn refused to allow their opponents chisel their way into the comfort zone and a goal in the 36th minute cut Belturbet's lead to three points, 2-8 to 2-5.
After Denn pulled it back to two points, 2-8 to 2-10, Belturbet set sail for the winners' enclosure with a brillant 3-3 tally.
Sean Og Lawlor began the Belturbet onslaught on Denn's defence with a neat point but it was his goal in the 50th minute and those by Conor Tully (51st) and Stuart Dunne (52nd) which really propelled Belturbet into a massive 5-13 to 2-8 lead by the 53rd minute.
Denn goaled late on but it was a case of too little too late for the chasing team as Belturbet kept their feet to the pedal to ensure yet another piece of silverware was left winging its way to the home of the Rories.
Belturbet (U13 Roinn D League final v Denn);
Caolan Smith; Killian Teevan, Matthew Byrne; John Joe Collins, Shane Fitzpatrick, Daniel Shannon (0-1); Patrick Smith, Stuart Dunne (1-5); Ryan McGovern (0-2), Conor Tully (1-1), Brian Wallace (0-2), Sean Og Lawlor (4-4), Fionnan Reilly
Ladies make history
A power-packed third-quarter display supplemented by two late killer goals proved a powerful cocktail as Belturbet ladies secured an historic JFC title at Lavey last August.
In overcoming Ballymachugh by 2-12 to 0-7 in an exciting and free-flowing final, Belturbet's fairer sex secured the club's their first ever junior championship title.
En route to their well-merited win, the Rory O'Moores demonstrated a consistency of effort, a division of labour and a fluidity of movement that proved just too much for their opponents.
Playing into a burgeoning wind, the winners-elect did most of their best work in the first half as they sought to made in-roads on the scoreboard at the dressing-room end of the baize-like pitch.
It was in the opening moiety that the town team laid the foundations for their victory with a strong-running, hard-working and focussed performance.
The game went to the wire though as with just one minute left in normal time, Belturbet led by just 0-10 to 0-7.
Belturbet posted notice of their intention to continue moving on up the pecking order of ladies football in the county though by holding their nerve, digging deep and then finding the jugular courtesy of a brace of well-taken goals by super-sub Eadaoin Minagh.
Beltubet's more socialist approach at the business end was reflected in the fact that seven players all made the scoresheet.
It must be said that, overall, Belturbet was a team replete with players of more glittering accomplishment.
The onus was on Ballymachugh in the first half to make the best use of the wind at their backs but the portents of sticky times to come was evident as Belturbet shared six points with their opponents at the interval.
Propelled forward by the powerful ball-running ability of Simone Klusch, Maria McBarron, the team's midfield pairing and Amy Lawlor soon had Ballymachugh backpeddling furiously.
Six points without reply - including two from the explosive Mary Fitzpatrick - between the 33rd and 42nd minutes had Ballymachugh threading seriously deep water.
Belturbet still led by 0-10 to 0-5 on the three-quarter hour mark but, even at that juncture, it seemed Ballymachugh needed a goal to put the skids under their opponents.
In truth, that goal never looked like materialising as the likes of Melissa West and Laura Shannon put up the 'thou shalt not pass' signs.
Composed, confident and carrying the fight to their opponents at every opportunity, Belturbet went onto win pulling up, leaving their supporters to join in the raucous celebrations at the final whistle.
Belturbet's history-making ladies on finals day in Lavey was as follows:
Caron Fay; Laura Shannon, Aisling Fitzpatrick, Aoibhinn O'Callaghan; Simone Klusch, Maria McBarron, Melissa West; Laura Brown (0-1, free), Ciara McSherry; Amanda Magee (0-1), Leanne Fitzpatrick (0-1), Carmel McBarron; Amy Lawlor (0-3), Mary Fitzpatrick (0-3), Sinead Brady (0-3).
Subs; Marsha Murphy for A Magee; Eadaoin Minagh (2-0) for C McBarron. Tweet
