U-16 League final v Bonniconlon match report
Davitts 8-22 Bonniconlon 0-4
Davitts faced a Bonniconlon side that had beaten them earlier on in the league section of the Div 6 County league, in the final played in Charlestown on Thursday evening, but a blistering start by Davitts laid the foundations for an emphatic win. It was one of those games where everything went right for the winners and Bonniconlon are a far better side than this scoreline suggests.
Davitts, with the assistance of the wind in the first half, and thanks to an almost total control of the midfield sector by Dylan Burke, team captain Noah O Brien, Dylan Gormally and Sean Clarke, four lads who absolutely lorded the aerial exchanges, led by 4-16 to 0-2 at the break. Tadgh Feerick (a super prospect) was a rock at centre back as Davitts refused to give an inch. It was a first half where nothing went right for the Bonniconlon lads but Davitts, in all fairness, played some sparkling football.
Aaron O Dea, a hugely talented player, was putting on a scoring masterclass, scoring 2-6 in that half, but getting so much help from a fluid forward division that were thriving from the near monopoly of possession coming from further out the field.
Bonniconlon played better in the second half but the damage was done. The biggest cheer of the night from the Davitts supporters was in response to a 52nd minute point from Mairtin Elizari, a most popular young Spanish player who has learned and embraced gaelic football in his very short spell at the club, and is going to be hugely missed when he returns to Spain. Mairtin, and his family, will always be welcomed in our club and we wish him well in the future.
In what was a brilliant week for our underage teams, great credit must be given to the management of the U-16’s. This team has improved so much under the coaching of Paul Carey, JP Kirrane and Pat Kearns and these lads deserve an awful lot of credit for the work they have put in.
On this display, you could not pick anyone out because it was as good a team display as you could imagine.
Davitts: Ronan Hett, Jason Boyle, Cillian Kearns, Sean Clarke (0-4), Tadhg Feerick, Odhran O Connaire, Dylan Burke (1-4), Noah O Brien (2-3), Malachy Devane, Dylan Gormally (0-1), Mairtin Elizari (0-1), Aaron O Dea (4-7), Aaron C B (1-1). Subs used: Luke Rattigan, Adam Rattigan. The injured panel members: Pierce Diskin, Eimhin Kenny.