Messages

Yous got some nice coverage of the senior presentations  in the Irish News today. Well done. Happy Christmas to you all!

How many fecking Armagh threads to we need? 

Well done to Ballycran minors with their win over Cushendall in the ulster semi final. Terrible time off year to be playing important minor matches. Good luck in the final. God knows Down hurling needs a bit of success after an awful year.

I see over on the Antrim thread that Bredagh are joining the Antrim league next year. It probably makes more sense for them but a sad loss to the Down leagues. Darragh Cross dropped out last year now Bredagh & we only have a handful of clubs anyway. Who will be next. Down hurley really is in big trouble, and not just outside the Ards.

Ballycran supply 5 of the countys active hurley refs. Portaferry have 2. Its time the other clubs stood up and were counted.

In fact they r all pretty hateful!!!!! Most refs are egatisical bastards who have preconceved ideas about who should win. They r only in it for the money. No doubt about it. The refs Ive seen this yr r gettingh WORST.

Always the team from the next parish! I don't give a fcuk about the Brits or other sports. It's Ballygalget we hate!!

I don't know Johnnycool at all Bacon. As for Ballygcran being scared? Wise up. When was an Ards club ever scared of meeting a team for across the water?
I was just pointing out that the basic requirements for a championship final are a proper pitch and a nuetral ref. Both these are missing. But as I said in my original post, Ballycran will still win and win well.

The minor hurling final takes place on Sunday at Cherryvale. Ballycran v Down Academy. Now Ballycran will win this fairly handy I reckon. They're the best team in the county by a mile, won the minor league and this group of lads have won everything all the way through u12, u14, u16. The Academy team bullied Portaferry in the semi with a rough display of hard hurling. The ref (from the mainland) was very easy on them. No team from outside the Ards has ever won the minor championship and this Academy team won't be the first.

Now that said, a couple of things about the final.
1) Why is it being played on 3 December? The highlight of a minors career play in the wind and rain in December. A disgrace. There were only 4 teams in the A championship so why did it take so long to run it off?
2) Why in Cherryvale? There is no fence around the pitch and you can't charge in. I hope all goes well on Sunday but if anything happens involving spectators the County Board have only themselves to blame. What was wrong with Kilclief, Saul, Downpatrick or Ballykinlar?
3) Why give the game to a Bredagh ref when there are Bredagh players on the Academy team? Hardly neutral!! It's not fair on the ref either, no matter what happens he can't win. It should have been Mowglie or Deccy Magee Portaferry.
Rant over. Good luck to both teams.

You'd need to be in your 70s to be able to compare players over a 50 yr period. Even then, the game has changed and time plays tricks with your memory. My auld fella always rated Hugh Dorrian very highly. Hard as nails and skillful with it. He was playing for the county as a very young teenager and keep going into his 40s. Like others, I'm surprised Noddy Sands isn't included in the poll. Of the players I've seen I reckon McGrattan was the best. Unfortuantly his career was hampered by injury. Marty Mallon would be a close second IMO. With all the talent they've produced in Portaferry  (and transferred in  ) over the years its surprising they haven't won more.
Has anyone heard any word on Dule Braniff? I heard he was going in for exploritory surgery. I hope he get some good news. He's been desperatly unlucky with injury.

I think that's nonsense Imtommygun. Over doing the gym work hasn't caught up with Armagh, it's mother nature's aging process. Nothing else.

When's the AGM Rufus? You standing for committee again?

Has the old board completly disappeared? All my links to it are dead. What's happened? Has all the old steff been lost for ever? I have only read a small % of it  .

I'm new to this & hadn't seen that stuff before. Great altogether! There was even a mention in the Irish Times of Lecale's campaign for Valerie Mulcahy's goal. Finishing 3rd in goal of the season with a penalty was unbelievable. Whats the betting they change the system this year if they have a poll?
Some of the photographs of Antrim posted by Ballintoy are brilliant. It would nearly make me want to visit the place 

Are Clontrbret missing any after their games with Cargin?

Errigal are a good price.