Extra-Curricular Sports Review
Basketball
The Cadette and Senior competitions got off to a start in September 2019. They had some great performances from all through the season. They reached the Regional playoffs where they were unfortunately knocked out. The Senior team played their last game in the senior cup on the 18th October, it was the last game for our outgoing 6th years Miriam Dalton, Barakat Adesina, Nina Etseyatse and Ciana Bryne Deanes. They will be missed.
The 1st and 2nd year campaigns began in the new year. Both teams had great success and had reached the regional semi-finals which they were due to play on the 12th March but which were cancelled. The schools basketball has expressed a wish to play these games again at a later date so heres hoping that happens.
A Big thank you to Ms. Halpin, Ms. Canning, Mr. Clancy and Ms. Whelan for all their help and support to the Basketball teams this year.
Blan
Badminton
It has been another hugely successful year for Badminton in St. Mary’s. 11 teams were entered in various age groups with four teams in particular excelling in their groups. We have seen great participation from all age groups and the sport continues to be very popular in the school.
U19
Three teams were entered at this age group and it was great to see so many of the senior students participate in Badminton this year. The U19C team showed great enthusiasm in the games they played and never gave up against strong opponents.
The U19B team showed great team spirit throughout the league games and were determined to achieve. Unfortunately, only one team advanced from their group and the Our Lady’s Terenure side proved too strong in the end.
Many congratulations to the U19A team who won the U19 Division 1 Leinster Title. This team showed great support for one another and are an extremely talented, skilful group of players. The girls were due to represent St. Mary’s and Leinster in the All Ireland Finals but unfortunately this was cancelled due to COVID-19 Pandemic. For two stars of the game (Megan and Kerry), this was due to be their 5th School All-Ireland Final in a row. Well done to Erin Malone and Eimear Freeley on winning their first Dublin and Leinster Badminton Titles with the school. Best of luck to 6th years Orla Flynn and Megan McLoughlin in the future.
U16
This was a very exciting year for the u16 teams. 5 teams were entered in various divisions, with 2 teams showing great capability and determination.
The U16D and U16E team competed very well in their division with many players showing great improvements as the year went on. Many of these players were newcomers to the sport and showed great determination to compete so well against such strong players.
The U16C team put in a lot of effort this year and played very well in a very strong division. This group of players showed great ability and strength to keep working hard in all of their games.
In the same division, the U16B team put in great performances through the year. They were undefeated in the Dublin League, beating Gormanston College in the Dublin, Division 2 Final. The girls played well throughout all six games showing great heart and they never gave up. In the end, the singles games proved to be the difference between the two teams as the girls fought hard to make every point count. Amy Lewis 28-30, Eve McGettrick 21-30, Lucy Johnston 30-18 and Sarah Byrne 30-15.
The team had a great start to the Leinster Finals, beating Killina of Offaly comfortably. The girls went on to play Kilkenny College in their final group game. Amy and Lucy did very well to win their singles matches. Eve and Sarah played very well but were up against strong opposition on the day. Amy and Eve gave their all in their doubles game winning 30-23. Unfortunately, Sarah and Lucy lost their doubles by 15 aces. It came down to points in the end with Kilkenny College winning by 9 points. Well done to all the girls on a great year of Badminton.
The U16A team proved their skill and ability in both the Dublin and Leinster Leagues. This team comprises of 4 extremely capable player who never give up and show great support to one another. The girls made it to the Dublin Final topping their group comfortably. It looked as though they were unstoppable. In the final in Whitehall Road, they played extremely well in singles matches however, there was nothing between the teams. Neasa Flynn 20-30, Yen Lin Yip 25-30, Emma Williams 30-25 and Grace Moloney 30-11. The doubles matches proved how important a strong team is with Neasa and Yen Lin getting 25 points against the number one player in Ireland (Sophia Noble) and her partner. Emma and Grace did brilliantly, only allowing the Terenure players to score 11 points. The girls gave it their all and never gave up. Both teams won 3 matches each with St. Mary’s crowned champions in the end winning by 158 points to 137.
Onto the Leinster Finals, the girls again, came up against two very capable teams. Firstly, they beat St Brigid's, Kilkenny by 6 games to 0. The girls went on to play Our Lady's Terenure again in the Final. Out of 6 intense matches, they won 3 out of 4 singles matches and both doubles games. This time there was no nervous counting of points as the girls proved stronger than ever on the day. The girls were due to represent St. Mary’s and Leinster in the All-Ireland Finals on 25th March but unfortunately this was cancelled due to COVID-19 Pandemic. This is an extremely talented St Mary’s side (one of the strongest yet) and we can expect big things from them in the future.
U14
So many willing and able 1st years started Badminton this year and therefore, a third training slot was organised for them. The number of young, capable players at this age group is a delight to behold. The future is in safe hands.
Well done to Siofra Flynn, Orlaith Evans, Ruby Kennedy and Anna Zuka who beat Holyfaith Clontarf in the U14A Dublin Schools Final. The girls fought hard and showed great spirit beating Holyfaith by 7 aces in the end. They went on to represent Dublin in the Leinster Final on March 10th and defeated Holyfaith Clontarf yet again in the Final. The girls were due to represent St. Mary’s and Leinster in the All-Ireland Finals on 25th March but unfortunately this was cancelled due to COVID-19 Pandemic.
Outside of the school setting, some players have excelled on a provincial and international level. Orla and Neasa Flynn are definitely two stars to watch out for in the coming years. They were crowned U19 Girls Doubles champions at the U19 Nationals in Lisburn. Orla also contested the Girls Singles and Mixed Doubles Finals winning silver in both. Kerry Fallon and Megan McLoughlin also contested the Girls Doubles Semi-Final making it strong representation from St Mary’s players in finals at the U19 National Championships.
Siofra Flynn and Orlaith Evans represented Leinster in major tournaments this year. They were part of the team who won the U13 Celtic Challenge 2020 in Lisburn. Siofra is certainly one to watch for the future, winning the National U15 Badminton title earlier in the year. She was also selected to the Irish U15 Badminton team who were to compete in the Quadrangular event which was to be held in Scotland on 24th - 26th April featuring teams from Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales.
All the above have been wonderful ambassadors for Badminton in Kildare and Leinster and deserve huge praise and congratulations for their triumphs and hard work this year.
A huge thank you to Ms. Hughes and Ms. Quinn for all their hard work with the Badminton Teams.
Blan
Camogie
Junior Camogie
The Junior Camogie team showed great promise at the start of the year with some very capable, young players making their mark. Playing in Division 1 is no easy fete but many players showed great potential for the future.
Losing to very strong, much older Castleknock College and Loreto Beaufort sides, the team qualified for the Shield semi-final. This was a great achievement for such a young St Mary’s team.
They played Loreto Balbriggan in the Semi-Final. The girls had a great start to the game with Katie Whelan getting a goal and a point early on and Hannah Murphy pulling off some very important saves. The Balbriggan players proved to be tough opposition by fighting hard and were leading by a point at half time. St Mary’s regrouped in the second half and took control in the last fifteen minutes with great performances by Allie McGrath, Julie Kennedy and Sophie Hazzard. This lifted the girls spirits with the help of the backs who played extremely well throughout the game with Megan Riordan and Eva Lynch showing great leadership and a never say die attitude.
Into the Shield Final, the girls showed much skill and spirit. Unfortunately, they came up against a very powerful Castleknock Community School. All players fought hard until the final whistle but the Castleknock side proved too strong in the end. Great performances on the day by Allie McGrath, Katja Weinforth and Eva Lynch.
Junior players to watch out for in the future; Allie McGrath, Katja Weinforth, Eva Lynch, Eimear Tuohy, Megan Riordan, Sophie Hazzard and particularly Ciara Ryan. A young star who scored two excellent goals on her debut for St Mary’s.
Blan
Senior Camogie
The Senior camogie squad once again had an excellent year on the pitch and had it not been for a bit of bad luck in the final would have ended the year as Dublin A Champions, but it just wasn't meant to be. Having won their group and defeating Colaiste Iosogain in the semi final the seniors progressed to meet Dominican College in the final. After a tough battle against a team which has been our nemesis in recent years the St Marys team were beaten by two points after battling right to the end. To be told by several parents of the opposition that we had been the best team on the day was of little consolation but an indication of one that got away and a huge thank you to our sixth year players, Roisin Roche, Tara Bedford, Ellen O'Boyle, Hannah Goodfellow, Aoife Stynes and Anna Kennedy who have represented the school superbly since first year in the sport. All the very best in the future girls, both on and of the pitch.
A huge thank you to coaches Ms Hughes, Ms Murphy, Mr McGeever and Mr. Maguire for all their hard work with the running of camogie in the school this year
Blan
Gaelic Football
St Mary’s College entered Junior and U-14 Gaelic football teams this year. Our Junior team had great victories over Holy Family Newbridge and Ardscoil na Tríonóide Athy in the group phase of their competition. The team faced Maynooth Post Primary School in the next round and unfortunately St Mary’s narrowly lost out by 2 points in a high quality and exciting game. Our Under 14’s began training after the Christmas break and had trained very hard in preparation for their games against Naas C.C, Piper’s Hill and Ratoath College. Games were due to begin in March however due to school closures in March, the girls were unable to play any of their fixtures. Throughout the year, the girls have displayed huge enthusiasm in training all year and are a pleasure to coach. We are also very proud of our students who are representing Kildare at under 14, under 16, minor and Senior levels this year. Two of our students Laoise Lenihan and Hazel McLoughlin represented the school excellently on the Leinster team that won the Shield competition in the interprovincial Post Primary School’s competition earlier this year. Despite the football season being curtailed this year, we are very hopeful that 2020-2021 will be a successful year for the girls of St Mary’s College. Many thanks to 4th Year student Anna Dunlea and our teachers who have coached the girls this year:
A huge thank you to Mr Hourihan, Mr Brennan and Ms Murphy for all their work with the school Gaelic Football teams.
Blan
Hockey
The school hockey teams are growing from strength to strength in the school both in numbers and on field success. The hard work being put in by both coaches and players is evident in the fantastic skill and ability shown by the girls on the hockey pitch. The Senior A team this year had a very successful league campaign where they qualified from their group and managed to make it all the way to the Leinster Semi-Finals. The Junior hockey team also qualified for Leinster knock out stages this year showing the strength of hockey in all age categories in the school The 1st year teams this year showed that that the future of Hockey in the school is indeed very bright with their fantastic displays in the Leinster League this year.
A huge thank you to Ms. Howard, Mr. Brogan and Ms. Garry for all their work with the school Hockey teams this year
Blan
Soccer
The school soccer teams continue to perform in the upper levels of Leinster soccer year on year with all teams playing in Division 1 of the Leinster League again this year. The 1st year team first competed in the Leinster Futsal competition and managed to get all the way to the final without even conceding a goal. The girls battled hard in the final but they could not score and were very unfortunate to lose out 1-0. However this was a great chance for the girls to get to know each other and develop their skills for full 11 aside games.
A big thank you to Mr. Langton and TY Students Anna Dunlea, Lucy Plummer, Kayleigh Doheny and Katelyn Alison Curtis for coaching the girls.
The 1st Year team played in Division 1 of the Leinster League and were drawn in a very strong group with Leinster and All-Ireland champions represented. The girls did fantastic to qualify for the knock-out stages and were in the Leinster Q-final before school closures in March. The same can be said for the u-15 soccer team who also qualified for the Leinster Q-finals with some fantastic performances on the pitch. The experience of Alannah Prizeman, Sarah and Leah McGovern has been priceless in seeing the team progress to the Q-Finals. However the competition also halted in March due to Covid-19.
The U-17 have had a fantastic year, firstly reaching the Leinster A Semi-Final and were unlucky to lose out 2-0 to the eventual All-Ireland Winners. In the league the girls won 7 from 7 in their region winning the East Leinster title scoring 46 goals on the way. The team then progressed through knock-outs to the Leinster Semi-Final before Covid-19 stopped them in their tracks. A big congratulations to U-17 player Orlagh Fitzpatrick on representing the Irish U-17 team this year.
The Seniors again had a similar season, qualifying for the Leinster Div 2 Q-Final before competition was halted in March. A big thank you to 6th years Sarah Buggy, Mallaidh Gormley, Alea Finlay, Nina Etseyatse, Lia Reilly and Sofia Di Stefano for their representation of the school soccer teams in their time in St. Marys.
A big thank you to Mr. Langton, Mr. O’Malley and the soccer prefects for all their hard work with the school soccer teams.
Blan
Volleyball
Throughout the course of year, the volleyball squads of St Mary’s have worked incredibly hard in training and have done so well in the various competitions throughout the year. Our Senior A’s were narrowly beaten in the All Ireland semi-final this year while our Cadette A’s reached the All Ireland final but sadly lost out to Holy Family Newbridge. Our Cadette B’s played their first games of championship volleyball this year and played incredibly well. Our Senior Cup and Junior Cup championships were unfortunately postponed due to the pandemic. The Senior squad finished at the All Ireland semi-final stage. Congratulations to the students who were selected for the U19 National Team to compete in Luxemburg in the European Championships, namely, Kerrie Fallon, Ellen Creighton, Fiona Jacob, Aisling Hughes and Grace Moloney. A particular well done to Grace who was also selected for the Senior National Panel. Overall, Ms, Moloney and Mr. Creaton believe volleyball is continuing to grow in the school and becoming ever more popular. Hopefully this will continue in the years ahead.
A big thank you to Ms. Moloney, Mr. Creaton and the Volleyball prefects for all their help with the school Volleyball Teams