IT WAS a mixture of delight and disappointment for Dunedin Connollys recently as the Ladies won the All-Britain Intermediate Championship (above), while the Men’s All Britain run unfortunately ended at the semi-final stage.
Dunedin Connollys Ladies had reached the final against John Mitchels in Páirc na hÉireann, Solihull, after overcoming Tír Chonaill Gaels in what was a rematch of the 2023 All-Britain Final. That day, Gaels came out on top that day, beating Connollys 1-09 to 1-06 in tough conditions on a cold and wet weekend last November last year.
However, this year the girls were determined to write a different story and by half-time in the semi-final, Connollys had raced into a 2-05 to 1-03 lead thanks to goals from Kate Dennehy and Connie Hawkes and an impressive first-half performance from Rosanna Heeney.
Connollys continued to dominate possession in the second-half and would add another goal to their tally through Claragh Connor to give the Edinburgh side a little more breathing space and although Gaels strived to get back into the game and even scored another goal of their own, Dunedin ran out 3-08 to 2-04 to set up a final with John Mitchels at the same venue—Connollys third All-Britain Final in a row having lost the previous showdowns with Round Towers and Tír Chonaill Gaels in 2022 And 2023 respectively.
Determined to get the job done this time round, the Ladies started the final in a controlled fashion, pointing after just two minutes. However, this game was more of a slow burner. Further points were added by Connollys on the 11th, 12th and 14th minutes to give them a 0-04 to 0-00 lead. Mitchels got themselves back into the game shortly after, reducing the deficit to two points. However, the Edinburgh side restored their four-point lead by half-time, going in 0-07 to 0-03 ahead.
The second-half proved to be a tighter affair with points being exchanged between the sides until a goal from Mitchels levelled the scores at 0-08 to 1-05 on the 40 minute mark. That seemed to act as a catalyst though for Connollys to go up a gear and they duly did, adding another four points to the scoreboard, while their opponents could only manage a solitary score. It meant that Dunedin were crowned deserved All-Britain Intermediate Champions and will now be dreaming of All-Ireland glory, something that everyone at The Irish Voice hopes they achieve!
Connollys Men had made the semi-finals of the Men’s All-Britain Championship against Roger Casements in Manchester against after an impressive quarter-final victory over St Judes by a scoreline of 4-07 to 0-07.
The journey to Old Bedians was not a short one for either team, but Connolly’s got off to the better start and were 1-02 to 0-0 after 10 minutes. Connollys’ defence—led by captain John McDonnell—was solid throughout the game, and it took St Jude’s 18 minutes to register their first score albeit from a free-kick.
Connolly’s continued to add to the scoreline with a fortunate rebound from Liam Sammon’s freekick landing in Chris Donnelly’s hands, who pounced at the opportunity to secure Connolly’s second goal of the game. The half-time score read Connolly’s 2-06 to St Jude’s 0-02.
St Jude’s secured the first two points of the second-half and it looked like a resurgence may be on the cards. However, a great finish from Sean O’Dea Erasmus quelled any hope of a comeback. A fourth goal from Sammon in the 45th minute was a final blow for St Jude’s and the final whistle was blown soon after.
In the semi-final, played once again at the Old Bedians venue, Connollys again got off to a good start scoring two points within the first five minutes. However, they wouldn’t score again until the 26th minute and by that time, Casements had scored 1-09. Dunedin did register another point but so did the opposition, meaning the scoreboard at half-time read Roger Casements 1-10 to Dunedin Connollys 0-3.
The Edinburgh side, however, fought back valiantly in the second-half. After points were exchanged early on, Casements extended their lead by 12 points, 1-13 to 0-04, some 44 minutes in. Connollys brought themselves back into the contest with two goals of their own as well as a point to reduce the deficit to five points on the 51-minute mark. Sadly, that was as good as it got for Dunedin as Casements eventually ran out six-point winners 1-15 to 2-06.
While Connollys will be disappointed not to have advanced to the final, they have had a great season and done Scotland Men’s GAA proud.
PIC: CHRIS EGAN
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