The California Collegiate GAA opened its season on Sunday with a the traditional informal sevens tournament at Stanford. Cal and Stanford were both well able to field teams, and they were joined by the local San Francisco club Naomh Padraig and some members of the local Silicon Valley St Joseph's club.

Five games were played throughout the day in glorious conditions on the pristine surface of one of the intra-mural fields. Cal played against Stanford three times, and two games consisted of Naomh Padraig being taken on by the college all-stars, augmented by a few St Joseph's players.

Stanford had the upper hand in the collegiate games but Cal made steady progress as the day wore on, improving their results as the rookies gradually got the hang of the game. In the club-versus-college games, the combined efforts of Cal and Stanford were enough to present a respectable challenge to Naomh Padraig.

"Mixing college and club players in the same game is a great way to raise the standard," said Eamonn Gormley, CCGAA Chairman. "There is a risk that games can be one-sided, but it does no harm to expose at least the more seasoned collegiate players to hurling at a higher level. They can see at first hand what they can aspire to and it gives them an idea of how much work they will need to put in if they are to be a credible force at national level."

There were no cups or medals for the games, the purpose of this event has always been to give newcomers a bit of playing experience.

Two more tournaments are scheduled for fall, with the collegiate championship beginning in spring.

Results:

Game 1 - Stanford 3-9 (18) Cal 0-3 (3)
Game 2 - Naomh Padraig 2-12 (18) Colleges 3-8 (17)
Game 3 - Stanford 3-8 (17) Cal 2-4 (10)
Game 4 - Naomh Padraig 6-11 (29) Colleges 3-10 (19)
Game 5 - Stanford 5-7 (22) Cal 3-6 (15)

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