Reports03

Centenary Cup Semi-Final (23/11/03) Waterville Versus Dingle

Waterville 0-11 Dingle 0-08
In Killorglin last Sunday Waterville qualified for another county final ,after beating Dingle on a score line of 0-11 to 0-8. This was a great display and keeps the football season going into the festive season. It was a very gutsy performance and Waterville definitely deserved their win. Going into this game spectators felt that morale was low after the defeat in the South Kerry Championship but the players showed us they were made of sterner stuff and served up a display of the highest calibre .The best way to raise morale is to get back to winning ways and Waterville did just that on Sunday. The game started lively and swung from end to end. Alan O Shea opened the scoring with a good point from play in the 3rd minute. Dingle replied with a point a minute later. In the 6th minute Dingle were awarded a penalty. Captain Fantastic and goalie, Bernard Murphy went full length to push the ball against the post, it dribbled across the goal and out for a 45. Dingle duly kicked the 45 over, the bar to lead two points to one. In the 8 minute Keith Moran replied with a good point from play after taking a pass from Mike Curran. We had to wait until the15th minute for the next score when David Daly kicked a point from play. Mick Curran kicked a point two minutes later to make it 0-4 to 0-2. Dingle replied with 2 points to make it a draw but again Keith Moran kicked over a point from a free to put Waterville ahead in the 23rd minute. Dingle drew level in the 26th minute to leave both teams on five points each at the break.

Waterville were very happy to be going in at half time with a draw. Could we hold out in the second half was everybody's question. Trainer Brian Moran told his team at half time that they were good enough to win this game. Within 30sec of the restart Dan Fitz had his name on the score sheet for Waterville's 6th point. By the 6th minute Keith Moran and Alan O' Shea had added two more from play. Then wing back Buddy O' Shea scored another point after some outstanding half back play by Gary Galvin, in particular. At this stage Waterville were without doubt the commanding force in the game with Galvin, Seamus O' Sullivan and Keith Moran playing football that made the loyal supporters watch with justifiable pride.
Keith converted a free and made it 0-10 0-5 in the 9th minute. Waterville were playing great stuff now and Dingle were rattled. They had their first score of the half in the 16th minute and by the twentieth added two more. The gap was down to just two points and the men from the west were playing better. They pressed hard but our backs were very determined and held them at bay. Then a long high ball into the square looked very dangerous but up soared Aoghan Courtney, plucked the ball from the clouds, swiveled on landing and soloed out of defence to rousing cheers from the Waterville supporters. This was a fetch we'll remember for many a day. Uncle Dominic had a big grin on his face and acknowledged that his nephew had done something special. This inspired the team again and Keith kicked a great point in the 27 minute and Waterville held out for a great victory.
This was a great win and it certainly lifted the spirits as we head into another final. It was a great team effort and every player and mentor can take a bow.
Captain Fantastic & Goalie Bernard Murphy never put a foot wrong. Eoin "Murt" had a busy hour on Jack Ferriter but he played with his typical terrier like spirit and came out on top. New full back, Seamus O' Shea had a very solid game and gave nothing away. Mike Shea was his usual dependable self and did little wrong. Buddy played his usual attacking role and scored again. Gary Galvin gave a man of the match display and mopped up everything. Aoghan Courtney had a very good game and we'll remember his magnificent catch for a long time.
Midfield partners Seamus O' Sullivan and Denis Dwyer won some great balls in the air and delivered a very good supply into the forwards. Mick Curran had a good game at wing forward. Niall Moran had a great first half and worked very hard all day. David Daly worked very hard on his wing and got stuck in when the going got tough. Dan Fitz adapted well to his new role and scored a sweet point. Keith Moran was outstanding and worked very hard all day, and finished with 5 points. Alan O Shea kicked two good points and his general play was very good. This was a good days work all round and we look forward to the final in two weeks time against Milltown/Castlemaine.
Team: B Murphy, E. Moriarty, S. O' Shea, M O' Shea, B. O' Shea, G. Galvin, A Courtney, S O' Sullivan, D Dwyer, M. Curran, N. Moran, D. Daly, D. Fitz, K. Moran, A. O' Shea
Scorers: K. Moran 0-5(3 frees), A. O Shea 0-2, M Curran 0-1, D fitz 0-1, D. Daly 0-1, Buddy O' Shea 0-1

South Kerry Senior Championship (16/11/03) Waterville Versus St. Michaels/Foilmore

Waterville 1-07       St. Michaels/Foilmore 0-12
On Sunday 16th Nov at Con Keating Park, Waterville's ambition to lift the Jack Murphy Trophy was shattered by a hungrier St. Michaels/Foilmore.
Conditions were good for the time of year, if a little greasy and within the first minute Waterville were off the mark with a quick point from play by wing back Buddy O' Shea. Three minutes later Waterville were awarded a free after a foul on Buddy and John D. O' Shea kicked his first and only score of the afternoon. St Michaels/Foilmore opened their account in the ninth minute with an outstanding sideline kick which floated over the bar. Waterville replied in the best possible fashion by gaining possession and Denis Dwyer found John D. O' Shea who in turn set up young Mike Curran who rattled the net. Waterville were in top flight now and everything was going their way. From the kick out St. Michaels got possession and in the 13th minute they scored their first and only point from play in the first half after a rebound off the upright. They followed with two points via frees which reduced the difference to the minimum. Waterville gained possession again from the kick out and in the 21st minute John B O' Shea took a pass from brother Alan and took his first score of the game. From the resultant kick out Waterville got the ball and the in-rushing Buddy O' Shea found himself with just the goalie to beat. He tried to place his shot to the right but saw it go outside the post and wide. This was a huge disappointment for Waterville and a shot in the arm for St. Michaels/Foilmore. Waterville were still playing well though. Keith Moran scored in the 22nd minute and Seamus O' Sullivan had one in the 23rd minute to give them a cushion of four points. St. Michaels converted another free with just two minutes left in the half but Keith Moran notched his second point of the day straight away. St Michaels/Foilmore were awarded frees in the second and third minutes of added time which they converted to leave the half time score   Waterville 1-06....St. Michaels/Foilmore 0-07. A feature of the first half was that six different Waterville players had scored and only one from a free.
The second half with St Michaels playing the more confident football and they seemed to win the ball with more ease. Waterville were inclined to hold the ball too long around the mid-field area and became dispossessed too often. This was quite a change from the first twenty minutes when the ball did the work and the forwards were getting their just rewards. Within ten minutes the teams were level and then John D O' Shea had to retire due to injury. This was a massive psychological blow and one from which they would not recover. St. Michaels/Foilmore took the lead in the 12th minute but fair play to Waterville they tried their utmost and the next score came with three minutes of play left. The margin was now two points and with a minute left John B O' Shea took a good opportunist point to reduce the deficit to one. However, just before the final whistle fortune favoured the men from Ballinskelligs and Foilmore when they secured victory with the final point of the game.
Waterville will be disappointed since they could have had the game in the bag at half time if they had taken their chances, but that's football. Good luck to St. Michaels/Foilmore. They played great football on the day and deserved their opportunity to play in the final. The game itself was played in a true sportsman-like fashion and was well refereed by Peter Lyons of Laune Rangers.
Scorers: Keith Moran 0-02, John D O' Shea 0-01(free), Seamus O' Sullivan 0-01, Mike Curran 1-00, John B O' Shea 0-02, Buddy O' Shea 0-01
Team: Bernard Murphy, Eoin Moriarty, G Galvin, M. Shea, Brendan O' Shea, Dan Fitz, Aoghán Courtney, Seamus O' Sullivan, Denis Dwyer, Alan O' Shea, Keith Moran, Mike Curran, John B O Shea, John D O Shea, David Daly.
Subs Used: Niall Moran, Seamus O' Shea, Paddy Curran, Haulie Courtney

South Kerry Senior Championship (01/11/03) Waterville Versus Skellig Rangers

Waterville 0-06 Skellig Rangers 0-03
The senior team accounted for a determined Skellig Rangers outfit on Saturday 1st Nov at Cahersiveen. This was an extremely testing encounter and called for a complete team effort and we were not disappointed. Conditions were atrocious and spectators had difficulty recognising the players in the final quarter due to rapidly fading light.
Waterville made the better use of their opportunities in the first half and led by four points to one at half time. Skellig Rangers piled on the pressure in the second half but some resolute defending saw off the challenge and victory was secured.
Skellig Rangers opened the scoring with a free after 5 minutes and three minutes later John D O' Shea levelled matters by converting a free for Waterville. Waterville were let off the hook at the 14th minute when a good Rangers effort came off the crossbar. Some tough, robust but fair football was played in the ever deteriorating conditions and in the 18th minute Keith Moran registered his first score of the day with a sweet point. Two minutes later young Mike Curran notched up his first and just before the half time whistle Keith Moran registered his second of the afternoon. Rangers had opportunities a plenty in the opening period but luckily for Waterville they had only one point to show for their efforts by interval. The half time score was Waterville 0-04....Skellig Rangers 0-01.
On the re-start Rangers had the elements to their backs and Waterville were going to have to up their game to hold on to their lead and advance to the next stage of the competition. It was the in form Keith Moran who lifted the side with his third point of the day after just 5 minutes. A minute later Rangers doubled their tall with a point from play. Rangers came close to scoring a goal about ten minutes into the half but luckily a Waterville defender got a leg to the ball and averted the danger. The Waterville midfield pairing of Denis Dwyer and Seamus O' Sullivan were in total control of midfield and with fifteen minutes left in the game Seamus kicked a wonderful point from the right side to extend the lead. Rangers got heir final point of the day two minutes later and for the remainder of the game Denis Dwyer in particular carried the ball, took some hard knocks and frustrated the efforts of the opposition to dispossess him. Indeed a major feature of this game was the display of Seamus O' Sullivan and Denis Dwyer at midfield all through the game who never shirked a challenge and were prepared to work tirelessly. We can also take heart from the display of Keith Moran who managed to score three excellent points from play, playing on one of the best backs in South Kerry, Stephen O' Sullivan. This was however, a team performance and full credit too to Skellig Rangers who contributed in no small way to an entertaining game in the circumstances.
Scorers: Keith Moran 0-03, John D O' Shea 0-01(free), Seamus O' Sullivan 0-01, Mike Curran 0-01.
Team: Bernard Murphy, Eoin Moriarty, G Galvin, M. Shea, Brendan O' Shea, Dan Fitz, Aoghán Courtney, Seamus O' Sullivan, Denis Dwyer, Alan O' Shea, Keith Moran, Mike Curran, John B O Shea, John D O Shea, David Daly.
Sub Used: Denis Carroll

Under 16 South Kerry Final (01/11/03)

Waterville 0-10 Renard 1-06
Waterville under 16s fought a difficult battle with old rivals Renard at Cahersiveen on Saturday to secure the trophy for the third year in a row. Conditions were far from ideal for good football but these young footballers from both teams served up an intriguing encounter to delight the faithful who battled the elements to come out and support their teams.
Waterville had by far the better of the first half and led by a margin of eight points at the interval. Renard failed to score up to this point. Paddy Curran opened the scoring after one minute with a point from a free. For the next ten minute Renard piled on the pressure and but for some excellent goal keeping by net minder Ciarán Dennehy and resolute defending by Alan O' Dwyer, Renard would have been in the driving set. It has to be said that Renard did waste some relatively simple scoring chances in this early period of the game. Three more frees from the boot of Paddy Curran put Waterville four points with Renard yet to register. With four minutes left in the first half the tenacious Fergal Cronin , who was outstanding all through the game slotted a beautiful kick between the posts. Paddy Curran added two more and Brendan Dennehy kicked the last point of the half in the third minute of added time. For all their efforts Renard didn't manage any score in the first half. (0-08 to 0-00).
In the second half Renard put on the pressure and after 5 minutes had two converted frees on the board. In the eight minute Brendan Dennehy got possession around the centre, was tackled, lost the ball but managed to get a boot to it and send it in the direction of Donncha Fenton who headed goalwards and picked off another crucial point. Renard got one back a minute later and in the 10th minute a long free was floated in towards the Waterville goal. The greasy ball was difficult to handle and ended up in the net. Renard were well and truly back in the game. The score now was, Waterville 0-09 ... Renard 1-03. All the pressure was on the Lakesiders and Renard had another point in the 13th minute to narrow the gap even further. Paddy Curran scored another point for Waterville with 10 minutes left but would it be enough? Renard had two quick points and the margin was down to the minimum. We still had five minutes left to play. Resolute defending and missed chances by the opposition saw Waterville through in the end and they held on and won by the narrowest of margins in the end. All players gave 100 per cent and it was a great team effort. However, it would be wrong not to acknowledge the point taking of Paddy Curran and the Man of the Match performance of Fergal Cronin who seemed to be all over the field.
This was great achievement for the club and full credit to the mentors who were led by Laurence Curran, assisted by Haulie O' Shea, John Super O' Sullivan and John O' Dwyer.
Scorers: Paddy Curran 0-07, Fergal Cronin 0-01, Donncha Fenton 0-01, Brendan Dennehy 0-01.
Team: Ciarán Dennehy, Cormac O' Sullivan, Alan O' Dwyer, Fionan MacAuliffe, Kevin Dwyer, Brendan Dennehy, Denis Donnelly, Donncha Fenton, Fergal Cronin, Paddy Curran, Daniel Dwyer.
Sub: Niall Dennehy

County League Div 2 Round 11 (25/10/03)

Waterville 0-12    Glenflesk 1-07
In a very cold Waterville sportfield on Saturday evening Waterville dug out a hard earned win over a dogged Glenflesk team, on a score line of 0-12 to 1-07.   Make no mistake about this game, it was a real ding dong battle with Waterville needing a draw and Glenflesk a win to maintain division 2 status next year.
The game started late and the last 10 minutes was played in failing light.
In the first half Waterville played into the lake goal and a fairly strong wind. Waterville attacked from the throw in and KeithMoran was unlucky not to get the opening score. Glenflesk had a point disallowed for a square ball in the 3rd minute. Then straight away JD O Shea opened the scoring with a point from play. This came after a great interception by Mike (long hair)O Shea. John D followed up in the 4th minute with another point from play after receiving a good pass from Denis Dwyer (0-2 to 0-0). There was no score for another ten minutes as play swept from end to end. Then Glenflesk got their opening score a, point from play. They followed up in the 20 minute to make it 0-2 to 0-2. In the 22nd minute Glenflesk took the lead with a point from a free but J D O' Shea replied with a point from a free to make it all square again. In the 24 minute John D kicked his fourth point point from play to make it 0-4 to 0-3 at half time.
Waterville were lucky to be leading as they seemed to go to sleep for long periods. The forwards were not playing as a unit and were holding up the ball when another player was in a better position. For the second half the forwards needed to work harder for each other. In the second half the wind was to Waterville's back and maybe this would help.
The second half started and J D O' Shea was unlucky not to score a goal straight from the throw in. The Glenflesk goalie made a good save but John D was following up and kicked a nice point. Glenflesk replied with a goal after a sweeping move up field. Now we were in a game, Glenflesk were fighting for division 2 status and would not give in easily. They then got an easy free to make it 1-4 to 0-.5. Glenflesk were playing well now and added another point to make it 1-5 to 0-5 with only 3 minutes of the second half gone. Waterville were in trouble now and they needed a score quickly. John D replied with a point from a free in the 4th minute and added another from play 3 minutes later. Waterville were back in the game now. John D tied up the scores with a point from a free in the 9th minute (1-5 to 0-8). Glenflesk went up a point again, but in the 20 minute D Dwyer kicked a great point from a distance in excess of 50 metres to make it level again. As the light faded fast, all the excitement was packed into the last 10 minutes as both teams tried valiantly for victory. In the 22minuteJohn D put us up a point with just 9 minutes to go .Could we hold on? Glenflesk replied with a point to level again. Tension was high now and every player was giving it everything. In the 24 minute John D kicked a good point from a free which must have been all of 60 metres from goal. John B O' Shea kicked a sweet point to put us 2 points up and only 3 minutes left. Light was very poor now, and it was hard to see. Glenflesk needed a goal and went in search of it, but fair play to the Waterville players. They defended magnificently and held out for a good win. Final score Waterville 0-12.... Glenflesk 1-7
This was not a vintage display ,but the result was right. Trainer Brian Moran was happy with the result but he knows that there is a lot of room for improvement. Waterville have a lot of football to play over the next few weeks so roll on the season.
Goalie Bernard Murphy made a welcome return to play after recent injury and played well in goal, bringing off one great save in the second half. The full back line of Mike Shea, Gary Galvin and Eoin( Murt ) Moriarty were outstanding as a unit and as individuals. Aoghan Courtney, Dan Fitz and Brendan O' Shea in the half back line were under a lot of pressure but they settled down and gave a good account of themselves. Seamus O' Sullivan had a magnificent game; catching ,kicking and generally helping out where ever the need was greatest. Denis Dwyer is still hampered by a niggling injury but still played well and kicked a great point from play. The forwards will have to work harder and move the ball faster. The half forward line of Alan O' Shea, Keith Moran and Denis Carroll played well but none of them scored. What can we say about that man John D O Shea. He scored 10 points.   J B O Shea, just back after injury kicked a good point and will be sharper next week. David Daly worked very hard and did a lot of work around the field. Mck Curran and Seamus O' Shea were introduced as subs and did very well while they were on.
Overall it was a good league campaign and we finished in about 5 place, which is not bad.
Team: B. Murphy, E Moriarty, G Galvin, M. Shea, Brendan O' Shea, D Fitz, A Courtney, S O' Sullivan, D Dwyer A O' Shea, K Moran, D Carroll, JB O Shea, John D O Shea D Daly.
Scorers: J D O Shea, 0-10, J B O Shea 0-01, D Dwyer 0-1

South Kerry Minor Championship, Semi-Final (18/10/03)

St. Michaels/Foilmore 2-15 Waterville 2-09. (After Extra Time)
A gallant Waterville minor team went under to a physically stronger Bally/Filemore team in a cracking semi final.
In the first half B/F played with a strong wind blowing down field from Cahirciveen town. B/F opened the scoring in the 3 minute with a point from play.
They followed up in the 3rd, 9th and 11th minute with 3 more points to make it 0-4 to 0-0. B/F were in control in most areas and Waterville looked in trouble. Then, in a rare attack Paddy Curran collected a ball near the side line and scored a good goal, shipping some strong challenges on the way. The wind was
strong at this stage and Waterville were finding the going tough. B/F finished the stronger and kicked a further three points to finish the half 0-7 to 1-0. Waterville were lucky not to be further behind as B/F had missed a few good scoring chances.
If Waterville were to succeed they needed a good start to the second half. B/F got a quick point to make it 0-8 to 1-0. A minute later PaddyCurran kicked a point from play to make it 0-8 to 1-1. The same player made it 0-8 to 1-2 in the 5 minute. Waterville were coming more into the game now and in the 6th minute Gerry Carroll burst through the centre and scored a good goal after a good passing movement. (0-.8 to 2-2) Could Waterville drive home their advantage now? Not so! B/F replied with 4 more points from play in the next six minutes. B/F appeared to be the stronger team now and looked like easy winners. Waterville however, replied with a Paddy Curran point from a free. (0-12 to 2-3) The game had now entered the final quarter. Had Waterville the will to win? P Curran made it 0-12 to 2-4 with a point from play. He converted another free to leave the score 0-12 to 2-5 with eight minutes left. The margin had been reduced to the minimum. Then in the 22nd minute Shane Coffey stormed goalwards and kicked a good point from play. The sides were level. Excitement and anticipation was at a high pitch throughout the park. Gerry Carroll got possession out on the right and used his strength and skill to get a terrific shot at goal from an acute angle. The ball struck the bottom of the upright with the goalie beaten and the danger had passed for Bally/Filemore. Play swung from end to end in the last few minutes but no score followed. A draw was probably a fair result and extra time followed.

Extra Time.
B/F got off to a great start with a goal after a Waterville back gave a wayward pass which was intercepted and ended up into the net. They followed up with a another point from a free but Gearoid O' Sullivan got a good point back for Waterville 1-13 to 2-7.
B/F opened the second half with a pointed free after just 30 seconds & Paddy Curran replied with a free to make it 1-14 to 2-8 . B/f kicked a point to make it 1-15 to 2-8. Time was running out for Waterville. Could they come back? Paddy Curran pointed another free (1-15 to 2-9) Waterville needed a goal but it was not to be as B/F broke down field and finished with a goal 2-15 to 2-9. Game over!!

This was a heart breaking defeat for Waterville who played with great heart and spirit, but on the day B/F probably deserved their win and now go on to meet Cahirciveen in the final.
Sport can be a cruel game and these young men will have to get up and get on with it. They have a lot of football to play yet. Ciarán Dennehy had a good game between the posts and could not be faulted for any of the goals. Fenton Daly and William Hunt had a busy day, but they put in a solid days work. David Dwyer, Shane Coffey and Kevin Dwyer worked very hard in the half back line and put in a great hours football. At midfield Gearoid O' Sullivan and Brendan Dennehy tried very hard but came up against a very strong B/F midfield.
Gerry Carroll played well in the forwards and Denis Donnelly accounted for himself well when moved to defensive duties. Mick Curran carried an injury into the game but still gave all he could . Paddy Curran and Fergal Croinin gave it their best shot but on the day lady luck seemed to desert them.
Team: Ciarán Dennehy, William Hunt, Fenton Daly, David Dwyer, Shane Coffey, Kevin Dwyer, Gearóid O' Sullivan, Denis Donnelly, Brendan Dennehy, Gerry Carroll, Fergal Cronin, Patrick Curran, Mike Curran,
Scorers: Paddy Curran (1-07), Gearóid O' Sullivan (0-01), Gerry Carroll (1-00), Shane Coffey (0-01)

South Kerry Minor Football Championship (11/10/03)

Waterville 0-18 .......      Renard 2-10
In a fantastic game of football played in Cahirsiveen on Saturday evening ,Waterville were very lucky to come out on top after extra time. This was a game played with true championship spirit and very well referred by Michael Curran of Dromid. Both teams deserve credit for a great game. On this occasion Waterville came out on top, but Renard lost nothing in defeat.
A strong wind blew down field and Waterville played with it in the first half. Renard were first to score with a free by Liam Sullivan in the 2nd minute. Play swept to the other end and Fergal Cronin was fouled and Pat Curran converted (0-1 to 0-1). Gerry Carroll followed up with two good points in the 5and 6 minute. Mick Curran kicked a good point from play in the 9th minute and he followed up two minutes later to make it 0-5 to 0-1. At this stage Waterville were cruising and looked the better team. In the 11 minute Pat Curran kicked a good point from play to make it 0-6 to 0-4. Waterville seemed to fall asleep for a while and Reenard came back into the game. They scored 3 good points between the 16th and 22nd minute. The score now was 0-6 to 0-4 with just 7 minutes left in the first half. Play swung from end to end and in the 29 minute Pat Curran kicked a point . Half time score 0-7 to 0-4.
The talk at half time was whether Waterville's lead was enough facing a strong wind .Waterville needed to get stuck in straight away and get a few scores. This they did as Pat Curran pointed a free and followed up with 2 more frees to make it 0-10 to 0-4. Mick Curran kicked a good point from play in the 14th minute to make it 0-11 to 0-4. With 15 minutes left Pat Curran pointed to make it 0-12 to 0-4. Were Waterville going to run out easy winners or were Renard going to fight back. The answer was a definite yes. Killian Young kicked a good point and Liam Sullivan followed up with a pointed free 0-12 to 0-6 now. Then in the 18 minute Renard got a goal 0-12 to 1-6 after a defensive error from a long range free. Waterville were rattled now. Could they respond? Renard kicked another good point (0-12 to 1-7). With ten minutes left and only 2 points between the teams, could Waterville hold on? Renard 's dander was up. Then in the 24 minute a long ball into the Waterville square seemed to be covered ,but a defender spilled the ball and it finished in the Waterville net (0-12 to 2-7). .From being 8 points down to 1 point up ,things looked good for Renard. Now Waterville's character was being tested. Pat Curran made it level in the 27th minute and brother Mike popped over what seemed the winner with seconds left in the clock!   In the third minute of added time Renard were awarded a free out on the left which was converted to leave the teams level at the end of normal time.
Final score ..... Waterville 0-14.....    Renard 2-08

Extra time:
Waterville opened brightly with a good Gerry Carroll point from play. Pat Curran followed up with a point from a free in the 4th minute. Renard replied with a point to make it 0-16 to 2-9. In the 9th minute Pat Curran made it 0-17 to 2-9 through another free.
In the 1 minute of the second half Renard replied with a point which proved to be their last score. In the 2nd minute Miick Curran kicked the last score of the game. Waterville 0-18.......Renard 2-10.
This was a great game of football. Both teams deserved credit for the way they played the game. Some team has to lose but the day belonged to Waterville.

Waterville were particularly well served by William Hunt, David Dwyer and Shane Coffey in defence. Gearóid O' Sullivan was a tower of strength at mid field while the exploits of Mike Curran, when moved to a more central role, proved to be the eventual winning of the game.

Team: Ciarán Dennehy, William Hunt, Fenton Daly, David Dwyer, Shane Coffey, Kevin Dwyer, Gearóid O' Sullivan, Denis Donnelly, Paudie Dennehy, Gerry Carroll, Fergal Cronin, Patrick Curran, Mike Curran,
Scorers: Pat Curran (0-10), Mick Curran (0-5), Gerry Carroll (0-3)

County League Div 2 Round 10 (27/09/03)

Waterville 4-13......Firies 1-04
Waterville seniors had a facile win over a poor Firies side at Farranfore on Saturday 27th of September. Keith Moran had the first real scoring opportunity four minutes into the game but saw his fisted effort hit the post and go wide. Denis Carroll opened the scoring with a point from play in the 8th minute after receiving a pass from midfielder Seamus O' Sullivan. Three minutes later John B O' Shea finished a good effort to the net when Denis Carroll found him with a pinpoint pass. Within a minute Alan O' Shea collected the kick out and immediately dispatched the ball to David Daly who neatly tucked the ball away for Waterville's second goal. Almost immediately, Michael O' Shea had to retire through injury and was replaced by Seamus O' Shea who slotted in well to the full back line. John B O' Shea was on hand again in the 17th minute to kick a point and this was followed up by a point from John D O' Shea. Three minutes later Waterville were awarded a 45 which John D converted with pinpoint accuracy. Alan O' Shea and Denis Carroll had a point apiece before Firies opened their account with two minutes left in the half and from the resultant kick out doubled their account. Then disaster struck for the Firies goalie when he fumbled a ball and passed it into the hands of John B O' Shea who rattled the net for his second goal of the evening. The half time score stood at ....Waterville 3-06....Firies 0-02.

Waterville were coasting at this stage and the only question that remained was the margin of victory. Firies started brighter in the second half and had a goal and a point within 7 minutes. However, the Waterville defence stood firm with Eoin Moriarty and Dan Fitz in particular sweeping up everything in sight.
Then John D slotted over one of his trademark frees and Alan O' Shea followed with a point from play. In the 13th minute, sub, Martin O' Shea send a long ball goalwards and another mistake by the goalie allowed sub Gerry Carroll to show he knows how to raise the green flag too. John D got a good pass from brother Martin a minute later and picked off another point. Firies responded with a point which was to prove to be their final score. Two minutes later Martin O' Shea decided he wanted one himself and with his left foot got his first point of the game. John D converted another free and Seamus O' Sullivan picked off another before Martin O' Shea wound up the scoring for Waterville with another well struck effort to send the ball over the bar.
The final score was ...Waterville 4-13...Firies1-04
Scorers: J B O'Shea 2-01, Alan O' Shea 0-02, John D 0-05, Gerry Carroll 1-00, Martin O' Shea 0-02, Denis Carroll 0-02, David Daly 1-00, Seamus O' Sullivan 0-01.
Team: Bernard Murphy, Mike O' Shea, Gary Galvin, Eoin Moriarty, Brendan O' Shea, Dan Fitzpatrick, Aoghán Courtney, Denis Dwyer, Seamus O' Sullivan, Denis Carroll, Keith Moran, Alan O' Shea, John B. O' Shea, John D. O' Shea, David Daly.
Sub used: Martin O' Shea, Seamus O' Shea, Gerry Carroll, Shane Coffey

Under 16 County Final Div 4 Waterville/Dromid V Firies (13/09/03)

Waterville/Dromid  1-19     Firies    0-05
Waterville/Dromid proved far too strong for a gallant Firies team in Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney, on Sat Sept 13th. Firies were unfortunate in that three of their better players were unable to play due to injury.
Waterville/Dromid opened the scoring with a quick point from Patrick Curran followed with another four minutes later after receiving a good pass from centre forward Aidan O' Sullivan. Paudie O' Sullivan opened his account in the 12th minute after a well placed pass from Donncha Fenton. A minute Firies opened their scoring with a point from a free. Patrick Curran, Aidan O' Sullivan and Fergal tagged on three points for Waterville/Dromid in the next five minutes and Denis Donnelly kicked a pin point long range free in the 20th minute to leave the score, Waterville/Dromid 0-07...Firies 0-01. Firies then kicked their first point from play with just three minutes left in the half.   In the remaining two minutes of the first half Alan Dwyer and Patrick Curran added two more points from play to increase the margin to eight points.
Waterville/Dromid looked the more composed team and if they could keep up the good football of the first half Firies would find it difficult to get back in the game.
Within just 20 seconds Denis had his second point of the game. Aidan O' Sullivan had two more and Fergal Cronin added another. The score after five minutes of the second half ....Waterville/Dromid 0-13....Firies 0-02.
The home team were performing excellently now and the likes of Fergal Cronin were enjoying the freedom of the open spaces of Fitzgerald Stadium. In the 11th minute Brendan Dennehy took a wonderful pass from Aidan O' Sullivan and clinically found the net. Within a minute Firies were attacking the Waterville/Dromid goal and but for the sharpness of full back Kevin O' Shea they would surely have raised the green flag. The ball was delivered upfield and midfielder Brendan Dennehy drove a pile driver which rebounded off the crossbar. Waterville/Dromid were coasting now and the only question that remained was what the winning margin would be. The were awarded a penalty after Fergal Cronin was pulled down and could afford the luxury of kicking it over the bar. Firies then registered their first point of the second half but immediately Waterville/Dromid Patrick Curran scored two more, one of which was a free. In the time remaining Firies had two more points and Waterville/Dromid scored three through Daniel Dwyer, Brendan Dennehy and Micheál O' Shea who thundered upfield to get his name on the score sheet.
This was a marvellous team display with all players playing well in their respective positions.
Team captain Ciarán Dennehy collected the trophy at the end of the game in front of a very happy Waterville/Dromid following.
Congratulations also to mentors, Laurence Curran, Haulie Dwyer, Neilie O' Shea and John "Super" O' Sullivan who prepared the team.
Team: Ciarán Dennehy(W), Daniel Curran(Dr), Kevin O' Shea(Dr), Cormac O' Sullivan(W), Kevin Dwyer(W), Micheál O'Shea(Dr)(0-01), Fionán MacAuliffe(W), Denis Donnelly(W)(0-02) . Brendan Dennehy(W)(1-01), Fergal Cronin(W)(0-02), Aidan O' Sullivan(Dr)(0-03), Donncha Fenton(W), Alan Dwyer(W)(0-01), Patrick Curran(W)(0-07) , Paudie O' Sullivan(Dr)(0-01)
Subs who played: Daniel Dwyer(W)(0-01), Patrick Sugrue(Dr) & Ger Grady (W)

Under 16 County Semi Final Div 4 Waterville/Dromid V Ballyduff (09/09/03)

Waterville/Dromid 4-12    Ballyduff 3-05
The under 16 parish team had a merited win over Ballyduff to reach the County League Div. 4 Final.
Some outstanding defensive play by goalie Ciarán Dennehy and full back Kevin O' Shea kept the home side in the game in the first half & we were flattered to be just one point in arrears at half time.
Conditions were greasy at Cromane for this fixture which had to be abandoned the previous week due to an injury to Alan Dwyer. Luckily it proved to be superficial and Alan is fit and well again.
Ballyduff opened the scoring after 2 minutes with a point from play & five minutes later Patrick Curran levelled matters with a point from a free. Two minutes later the same player had a great chance of a goal and from six metres opted for a point with a powerful shot. Play way going from end to end until Patrick Curran increased the lead by another point in the 17th minute. Ballyduff replied straight away with one of their own. Waterville/Dromid were then awarded a penalty when Aidan O' Sullivan was dragged to ground & Patrick Curran raised the first green flag of the evening. From this point on Ballyduff piled on the pressure and but for some terrific goalkeeping by Ciarán Dennehy who stopped what looked like two certain goals and outstanding full back play from Kevin O'Shea the margin in favour of Ballyduff would have been much greater. During this period however, Ballyduff did manage to score a fluke goal from a 45metre free and tag on two points. The half time score was Waterville/ Dromid 1-03......Ballyduff 1-04.
The second half started with Ballyduff increasing their tally by a point in the first minute but within two minutes Patrick Curran pointed a free and had his second goal of the game in the seventh minute to put Waterville/Dromid two points ahead. Midfielder Brendan Dennehy caught a ball around 45 metres from goal and launched a high kick which split the posts to the delight of the home spectators. In the following nine minutes Waterville/Dromid scored 1-06 without reply & had opened up a margin of twelve points. Then some confusion in defence allowed Ballyduff in for a goal and five minutes later had another in almost identical circumstances. This proved to be their last score but Alan Dwyer who came on as a substitute for Waterville /Dromid chalked up a goal and a point to bring his personal tally to 1-03.
The final score was Waterville/Dromid 4-12...... Ballyduff 3-05.
Team: Ciarán Dennehy, Daniel Curran, Kevin O' Shea, Cormac O' Sullivan, Kevin Dwyer, Micheál O'Shea, Fionán MacAuliffe, Denis Donnelly (1-00). Brendan Dennehy (0-02), Fergal Cronin, Aidan O' Sullivan, Donncha Fenton, Daniel Dwyer, Patrick Curran (2-07), Paudie O' Sullivan
Sub who played: Alan Dwyer (1-03)

Centenary Cup 07/09/03 Waterville V Ballymacelligott

Waterville 2-12      Ballymacelligott 0-8
Waterville seniors had a good victory over Ballymacelligott in damp conditions in the quarter final stages of the Centenary Cup. Allowing for the conditions the game proved to be most entertaining & Waterville deserved to proceed to the penultimate stage of the competition.
Waterville were 2 points up after 5 minutes with Denis Dwyer and Keith Moran the scorers.
Ballymacelligott took control for the next 10 minutes and scored 5 unanswered points. Nothing seemed to go right until the 15minute when J B O' Shea reduced the deficit with a well executed point a point. Shortly afterwards Keith Moran followed with a punched point to make it 0-4 to 0-5. 17 minutes into the first half Denis Dwyer kicked a long range point from a free to level the scores. With eight minutes left in the half Ballymac went ahead again but Seamus Sullivan kicked a good point to make it 0-6 to 0-6. In the last attack John D O' Shea had a well struck shot for goal saved but John B O' Shea was on hand and finished the ball to the net. This left Waterville leading at half time 1-6 to O-6
Ballymac started the second half with a quick point. Mick Curran got a point back for Waterville in the 7th minute. In the 10 minute David Daly scored a vital goal for Waterville to leave the scores 2-7 to 0-7.
Waterville raised their game now and were playing with confidence. Alan O' Shea kicked another point in the 13th minute & John D O' Shea pointed a free. Then Denis Dwyer kicked 3 magnificent points from play in the space of five minutes to make it 2-12 to 0-7. This proved to be the final score and Waterville ran out easy winners.
This was a decent team performance with Gary Galvin & Mike Shea prominent in defence. Denis Dwyer & Seamus O' Sullivan commanded midfield. Up front Keith Moran, Alan O' Shea & John B O' Shea were most effective.
Scores: Denis Dwyer 0-5, J B O' Shea 1-1, Keith Moran 0-2, Mick Curran 0-1, Alan O' Shea 0-1,   Seamus O' Sullivan 0-1, John D O' Shea 0-1, David Daly 1-0

County League Div 2 Round 9 17/08/03

Waterville 0-10     Legion 1-07
Waterville got off to a flying start in this back game of the County League when Denis Dwyer kicked over a classic point in the 3rd minute & John D O' Shea followed with another 2 minutes later. We anticipated a high scoring game with Waterville coming out on top but Legion opened their account in the 12th minute with a well- taken point. The home side had a great opportunity of a goal on 15 minutes but unfortunately the chance went a begging. In fact Legion went down the field and doubled their tally.
Misfortune struck in the 20th minute when in an effort to clear a goal bound ball, a home defender scored an own goal. This was against the run of play but they all count. Waterville didn't score again until the 25th minute when centre back Dan Fitz stormed forward & slotted a neat shot between the posts. This got the Waterville scoring machine in action again. John D had two quick points from play & Denis Dwyer had his second with two minutes left in the first half. Legion added to their tally by notching up another point just before the half time whistle. The half time score left Waterville 0-06 & Legion 1-03.
Substitute Martin O' Shea, got his name on the score sheet within two minutes of the restart but almost immediately Legion had drawn level again. The game then entered a period of Legion dominance & they edged in front with a point in the 10th minute. Waterville were playing poorly at this stage & before long were two points in arrears. Things could have been much worse but for the resolute defending of goalie Bernard Murphy & the full back line as a whole. We weathered the storm & began to get some ball to the forward line again which resulted in the awarding of two frees midway through the half. John D duly converted to draw level again. With just 5 minutes left in the game John D popped over another free to put the home side in front again. Legion piled on the pressure once more and were rewarded with an equalising point with two minutes left in the game. They also hit the upright & might have won the game but for some more tigerish defending by Waterville.
Waterville were well served by Seamus O' Sullivan (who had an excellent game at midfield), goalie Bernard Murphy, Alan O' Shea and Eoin Moriarty.
A draw was a fair result but our display was disappointing. More direct football might have been a better option & if our forwards had got earlier ball we may well have got a win.

Scorers: John D O' Shea0-06(3 frees), Denis Dwyer 0-02, Martin O' Shea 0-01, Dan Fitz 0-01
Team: Bernard Murphy, Mike O' Shea, Gary Galvin, Seamus O' Shea, Brendan O' Shea, Dan fitz, Eoin Moriarty, Denis Dwyer, Seamus O' Sullivan, Cormac O' Sullivan, Keith Moran, Alan O' Shea, John B. O' Shea, John D. O' Shea, David Daly.
Sub used Martin O' Shea for Seamus O' Shea

Div 2 County Junior Football League Semi-Final (South) 08/08/03

Waterville(B) 1-08 Sneem 3-13
The B team lost out to a strong Sneem B team on Friday 8th Aug. in the County Junior Football League, Div 2 semi final, played at Derrynane.
Sneem started the stronger and were four points up without reply until a Martin O' Shea free opened the scoring for Waterville. But then a mistake in defence saw Sneem through for a soft goal. Martin O' Shea then pointed a free again in the 13th minute but immediately Sneem got one of their own. The score now was Waterville 0-02, Sneem 1-05.
Pádraig Collins collected a good ball and had to use all his strength to shake off his marker before pointing an excellent score. Three minutes later Seamus O' Shea caught a good ball back in defence and released it quickly to cousin John B who rattled the roof of the net. The margin was reduced to just two points. Goalie Ciarán Dennehy pulled off a terrific save on twenty minutes but Sneem had another two points before half time and the old stalwarth Mike Keating (Capt) pointed a free for the lakesiders. Half time score Waterville 1-04,..Sneem 1-07.
Sneem had a quick point shortly after the restart and disaster struck in the 4th minute when a similar mistake to which was made in the first half occurred again and was punished by a goal for Sneem. Waterville conceded a free which was converted and in the 7th minute Sneem raised the green flag for the third time and tagged on two more points before Waterville registered their first score of the second half through a Martin O' Shea free who added another two minutes later. Denis Carroll got two more points for Waterville before the final whistle and Sneem had two as well.
Even though Sneem were physically stronger, simple defensive errors cost the team badly and a closer contest would certainly have ensued but for that.
Waterville Scorers: Martin O' Shea 0-04(all frees), Denis Carroll 0-02, John B O' Shea 1-00, Mike Keating 0-01, Pádraig Collins 0-01.

Centenary Cup Waterville Versus Spa 06/08/03

Waterville 1-11 Spa 1-09
On a beautiful summers evening, Waterville & Spa clashed in the 2nd round of the Centenary Cup at the lakeside pitch. It was a good competitative game played in a sporting manner & well refereed by Valentia man Micheál Lyne. The play swung from end to end throughout the game. In the final analysis Waterville were the better team & deserved their win.
Waterville opened the scoring in the first minute with a point from play by John D O' Shea, after receiving a good pass from Alan O' Shea. Spa replied with a good point of their own two minutes later. Denis Dwyer then kicked a glorious point in the fifth minute and Spa levelled matters again two minutes later. John D O' Shea kicked a free over the bar in the 10th minute after John B O' Shea was fouled but again Spa replied to level the scores again after 14 minutes. Keith Moran had an excellent point a minute later and Spa had a great chance to draw level two minutes later but sent a close in free wide. However, two minutes later they did draw level to leave the scores after 20 minutes Waterville 0-04.....Spa 0-04.
Waterville midfield enjoyed a period of dominance for the remaining ten minutes of the first half and notched three points from play per Keith Moran in the 20th min, Denis Dwyer two minutes later and again Keith Moran with a well judged left footed point shortly afterwards to leave the half time score, Waterville 0-07....Spa 0-04.

From the throw in Waterville were straight into attack and but for the woodwork Keith Moran would surely have raised the green flag. Waterville now began to get on top all over the field. John D O' Shea opened the scoring in the fifth minute with a point from play. Then in the 8th minute a long range effort from John D O' Shea slipped out of the goalies hand and into the net. From the kick out the ball went straight down the field and Spa retrieved a point. Waterville were now six points ahead. Two minutes later, wing back Michael Curran found himself in space and kicked another to extend the lead. Substitute Martin O' Shea followed up almost straight away with a sweetly struck left footed shot which just scraped inside the post. Keith Moran punched what proved to be Waterville's last point of the game in the 13th minute of the second half and at this stage Waterville were coasting.
Spa carried the game to Waterville and kicked 3 good points and with just five minutes left in the game they rattled the Waterville net. The home team was now under severe pressure and a minute later Spa kicked another point which proved to be the final score of the game and Waterville were relieved to hear the final whistle.
Overall, this was a good performance but they will have to sharpen up in their shooting and passing. The backs played well in the first half where Eoin Moriarty was particularly effective, along with Mike Shea, Michael Curran & Aoghan Courtney. Seamus O' Sullivan and Denis Dwyer had some good periods at mid field and up front Keith Moran, J B O' Shea & John D O' Shea played well.
Scorers: John D O' Shea 1-03, Keith Moran 0-04, Denis Dwyer 0-02, Michael Curran 0-01, Martin Shea 0-01.
Team: Bernard Murphy, Eoin Moriarty, Gary Galvin, Mike Shea, Aoghan Courtney, Dan Fitz, Mike Curran, Denis Dwyer, Seamus O' Sullivan, Gearóid O' Sullivan, Keith Moran, Alan O' Shea, J B O' Shea, John D O' Shea, David Daly
Subs Used: Seamus O' Shea for Aoghán Courtney & Martin O' Shea for David Daly

County League Div 2 Round 6 26/07/03

Waterville 2-10 Ballymacelligott 0-05
In an entertaining game played at Waterville on Saturday evening, Waterville emerged as victors on the above score line.
Waterville elected to play with the slight breeze, which was blowing from the lake goal in the first half. John D. O' Shea opened the scoring in the second minute with a point from play after receiving a good ball from Dan Fitz. Three minutes later Ballymac were back on level terms with a well-taken point of their own. Then in the eight minute Keith Moran was at the end of a sweet pass from Buddy O' Shea. In a flash Keith picked his spot and blasted the ball past the helpless Ballymac keeper. A minute later the same player had an excellent point from play. (score Waterville 1-02 , Ballymac 0-1)
Ballymac followed with a point from play and John D kicked over a free for Waterville. From the kick out the ball went down the field and the home side were rather fortunate when a good Ballymac shot came off the crossbar. Denis Dwyer had a Waterville point in the 17th minute and John D followed with two points from frees. Ballymac replied with a pointed free to leave the score after 23 minutes.....Waterville 1-06, Ballymac0-03. Keith Moran then notched up another point from play. Then in the remaining minute of the first half a long ball from a free by Seamus O' Sullivan was flicked on by John B O' Shea towards the Ballymac goal where the ever alert John D. pounced, got a touch on the ball and sent it to the back of the net. The half time score was ...Waterville 2-07, Ballymac 0-03. This was a good lead facing into the second half. Would it be enough as the wind was getting stronger?
Ballymac started the second half brightly and kicked two good points within 5 minutes. Waterville settled down again and worked the ball up field. Seamus O' Sullivan gave a good pass to Denis Dwyer who ran through the middle and was fouled. John D. did the usual from the resultant free and a minute later converted another free to leave the score....Waterville 2-09, Ballymac 0-05. Alan O' Shea had the final point of the game with a point from play in the 25th minute.
This was a good win for Waterville who have not had a game for a number of weeks. Gary Galvin, Mike Shea & Eoin Moriarty played well in the full back line. Seamus O' Sullivan and Denis Dwyer did well at midfield. John D O' Shea, John B O' Shea & Keith Moran were the pick of the forwards. Young Gearóid O' Sullivan made his first appearance for the senior team and made a very worthwhile contribution. Surely a Kerry minor next year?
Scorers: John D. O' Shea 1-06, Keith Moran 1-02, Denis Dwyer 0-01, Alan O' Shea 0-01.
Team: Bernard Murphy, Eoin Moriarty, Gary Galvin, Mike Shea, Brendan O' Shea, Dan Fitz, Aoghán Courtney, Denis Dwyer, Seamus O' Sullivan, Gearóid O Sullivan, Keith Moran, Alan O' Shea, David daly, John D, O' Shea, John B. O' Shea.
Subs used: Pádraig Collins, Fenton Daly, Seamus O'Shea, Cathal Curran & Gerry Carroll

Munster Final Kerry V Limerick 13/07/03

Kerry 1-11 Limerick 0-9
Kerry clinched the Munster Championship after a rather dull 1-11 to 0-09 win over a disappointing Limerick in Killarney.
Limerick started the match well and opened up a two point lead on Kerry. On ten minutes they got a penalty, however the poor effort was rather easily saved by Declan O’Keeffe. Limerick continued to have the upper hand even after the missed penalty but failed to turn this dominance into a commanding lead.
Kerry came more into the game in the later stages of the first half and Darragh O’Cinneide narrowly shot wide of the post when in on goal after being set up by Mike Frank Russell. Minutes later Kerry got an easy point to level the game after Russell had been needlessly fouled. O’Cinneide kicked over and soon put Kerry in front for the first time in the match.
Liam Hassett stretched the Kingdom’s lead before O’Cinneide received the ball from Eoin Brosnan to place the ball past the advancing O’Donnell. Liam Hassett then pointed for Kerry as Limerick seemed unable to respond.
The second half started quite slowly, with the first score not coming for almost ten minutes through Conor Mullane. It was Limerick's first point since the tenth minute of the first half. Dara O’Cinneide scored good point continuing his run of scoring, adding to it with a free and another point from play to have the score at 1-09 for Kerry 0-04 for Limerick.
Muiris Gavin pointed from a free for Limerick and this was followed by another penalty for Limerick when Declan O'Keefe fouled the advancing Limerick forward. However, Limerick missed their second penalty of the match and any chance of an upset seemed to have been dispelled . Kerry had visibly stepped off the gas at this stage and even though Limerick grabbed three points in the last five minutes the result was never in doubt. Kerry finished in style with a great point by Johnny Crowley. On a day without any outstanding performances, best for Kerry were Seamus Moynihan, Eoin Brosnan, Declan O'Sullivan and Darragh O'Cinneide. Kerry - D O'Keeffe; T O'Sullivan, S Moynihan, M McCarthy; T O'Se, E Fitzmaurice, M O'Se; S Scanlon, E Brosnan; L Hassett (0-2), D O'Cinneide (1-6, 5fs), S O'Sullivan; C Cooper (0-1), D O'Sullivan, MF Russell. Subs: A McGearailt (0-1) for Cooper, J Crowley (0-1) for Russell, P Galvin for S O'Sullivan.
Limerick - S O'Donnell; M O'Riordan, D Sheehy, T Stack; C Mullane (0-1), S Lucey (0-1), D Reidy; J Stokes (0-1), J Galvin; S Kelly (0-1), M Gavin, S Lavin, C Fitzgerald (0-3), J Murphy, M Reidy. Subs: J Quane for D Reidy, P Browne for Murphy, P Ahern for M Reidy.

County Championship South Kerry V John Mitchels 29/06/03

South Kerry 2-11 John Mitchels 1-09
This game was played in Mitchels home ground in Tralee in decent weather conditions. Within one minute of the throw in Declan O' Sullivan had a point for South Kerry but two minutes later Killian Burns was adjudged to have fouled and Mitchels were awarded a penalty. Goalkeeper Pat O' Sullivan saved and cleared the ball out field. In the 7th minute Mitchels had their first score which was a point from play by Shane McMahon. Shortly afterwards, Maurice Fitzgerald found himself bearing down on goal but his shot was blocked and went out for a 45 which he duly pointed. On the kick out Maurice collected a ball well out the field and delivered it in towards Declan O' Sullivan but the ball hopped awkwardly and went wide. Mitchels got a free when Killian Burns committed a foul and it was converted to level the scores at two points each.
Ronan O' Connor got possession in front of goal and was about to shoot when he was fouled and South Kerry were awarded a penalty. Maurice converted nicely and shortly afterwards the same player placed a sweet ball in front of John Sugrue who took his point well. Another movement , started by Kieran Granfield ended up with Sugrue. He made no mistake and the ball ended up in the back of the net. South Kerry were now 2-03 to 0-02 ahead. Declan O' Sullivan had another South Kerry point from play and were now totally on top. Mitchels had two points from frees before half time to leave the scores South Kerry 2-04 to Mitchels 0-05
The second half started with a long ball into J D O' Shea who set up Declan O' Sullivan for a good point. Midfield were beginning to lose out to their Mitchels counterparts and the defence were also getting jittery. Mitchels had pulled back two well taken points and were now very much in the game again. Stephen O' Sullivan then gained possession and made a solo run up field to set up Ray Keane who scored a point. Fourteen minutes into the half saw Colm O' Connor give away another penalty, which to most observers seemed harsh. The resultant spot kick was competently put away by Jason Fitzgerald. The gap was now down to two points. Maurice Fitzgerald again stretched the lead with a point from a free and Ronan O' Connor had another from play after a delivery from Denis Dwyer. O Brien for Mitchels and Declan O' Sullivan the exchanged points from frees to leave the scores South Kerry 2-09 & Mitchels 1-08. Mitchels had another point from a free and John D O' Shea and Man of The Match Declan O' Sullivan had points each for South Kerry.
Mitchels had more of the ball overall in this match but didn't have the scoring power and South Kerry can consider themselves very lucky in this respect. Our defence must be considered extremely suspect on this display and midfield played only in patches. It could be said of some forwards that they didn't participate in the game at all.
South Kerry Scorers: Declan O' Sullivan 0-5(one free), Maurice Fitzgerald 1-02(2Frees+Penalty), John Sugrue 1-01, John D O' Shea 0-01, Ray Keane 0-01, Ronan O' Connor 0-01.
Subs used: John Golden(St Marys) for John Sugrue(32mins), Ronan Hussey (Sneem) & Kieran Cronin (St Michaels/ Foilmore) for Denis Dwyer & Ray Keane.(59mins)
Team: Pat O' Sullivan(Valentia),Wayne O' Sullivan  (Sk. Rangers), Killian Burns (Sneem),Colm O' Connor(Dr Pearses), Kieran Granfield  (St Michaels/Foilmore), Stephen O' Sullivan (Sk Rangers),Brian Murphy (Valentia),
Denis Dwyer (Waterville) & John Sugrue (Renard),John Shanahan (Valentia) ,Declan O' Sullivan (Dr. Pearses), Ray Keane(St Marys), Maurice Fitzgerald (St. Marys), Ronan O' Connor(StMichaels/Foilmore), John D. O' Shea(Waterville)

Under 14 South Kerry Final Saturday 14/06/03

Waterville 2-05 Ballinskelligs 0-16
In a very entertaining South Kerry under 14 final played at Con Keating Park, Cahirsiveen, on Saturday evening last, Ballinskelligs defeated Waterville by a five point margin.
Our young players can be very proud of their efforts in this game. Every player gave of his/her best but on the night there can be no disputing that Ballinskelligs were the better balanced, all round team.
The game started in whirlwind fashion and Stephen Dwyer had a good chance of a goal but the opposing keeper made a good save. Bally kicked over a free in the 4th minute to open the scoring. Straight away Waterville worked the ball upfield & Donncha Fenton scored a well taken goal after making a great, high catch. Bally replied with two fast points to level the scores. In the 7th minute Alan Dwyer kicked a free to put Waterville a point ahead. Brother Stephen kicked another free 3 minutes later. Waterville were playing exceptionally well at this point. In the 12th minute a high ball was delivered from midfield towards the Bally goal. Donncha Fenton rose up again, got a fist to it and the green flag was hoisted again for Waterville. The score was now 2-02 to 0-04.
Two minutes later little Micheál Cronin latched on to a ball & sent it over the bar. With a little luck it might have gone under for another goal. Score now was 2-03 to 0-04. Bally pulled back a point in the 16th minute and had another in the last minute of the first half.
Waterville mentors must have been quite happy with the teams performance & with a slight wind advantage in the second half, things were looking promising.
Bally opened with a quick point in the first minute and had another five minutes later. Waterville replied with a pointed free in the 6th minute. Score 2-04 to 0-08. The stronger Bally boys were beginning to get on top now. Dean Murphy made a great save ten minutes into the second half when he stopped a rasper from Cian O' Connor. Bally notched up 8 more points to run out winners by 0-16 points to 2-05. Waterville tried hard & were unfortunate not to get a goal or two towards the end. On the night, Bally were a better balanced team. They were led by Cian O' Connor (son of Jack) & were deserving winners. Michael Curran (Dromid Pearses) refereed the game very fairly & did an excellent job.
Waterville Scorers: Donncha Fenton 2-00, Alan Dwyer 0-02, Stephen Dwyer 0-01, Micheál Cronin 0-01.
Team: Ger Grady, Dean Murphy, Seán Cathal O' Sullivan, Daniel Dwyer, Sinéad Curran, Alan Dwyer, Shane Curran, Micheál Cronin, Stephen Dwyer, Donncha Fenton, Barry Dwyer.
Subs: Niall Fitzgerald, Adrian Walsh, Odhran Clifford, Niall Dennehy, Brian Carroll, Seathra O' Connell, Greg Gibson

County League Div 2 Round 7 07/06/03 Annascaul V Waterville

Annascaul 2-11 Waterville 2-08
Waterville suffered defeat to Annascaul on Saturday evening, away to Annascaul. Waterville had to line out without the injured John D O' Shea.
Waterville had the aid of the breeze in the first half and opened brightly. Keith Moran opened the scoring with a point from a free and in the fifth minute Alan O' Shea kicked two good points in quick succession from play. However, Annascaul led at half time by a score of 1-04 to 0-03.
Shortly after the restart Waterville found themselves under severe pressure and were behind 2-06 to 0-04. Keith Moran then produced a well executed goal for Waterville and with ten minutes to go Buddy O' Shea netted to bring Waterville back into the game. The score now stood at 2-10 to 2-07 in favour of Annascaul. Annascaul persevered and notched up another point as did Waterville.
Waterville stand on 5 points in the league table at the moment and must register victories in at least two of the remaining four outings if they are to hold out any chance of surviving in division 2 of the County League. Best for Waterville on the day were denis Dwyer, Keith Moran, Alan O' Shea and J. B. O' Shea.
Scorers for Waterville: Keith Moran1-05, Buddy O' Shea 1-00, Alan O' Shea 0-02, Denis Dwyer 0-01
P.S. All Waterville GAA supporters wish local businessman and former club goalie, Paul Concannon a speedy recovery. We hope to see Paul back home shortly.

County Championship Losers Round South Kerry V Feale Rangers 01/06/03

South Kerry 0-11 Feale Rangers 0-09
South Kerry players got their second chance in the county championship on Sunday June 1st. in Fitzgerald Stadium, in perfect conditions for football . Much improvement was expected of the South Kerry side compared to their outing the previous Sunday against West Kerry. While there was indeed a positive result to the game there certainly is room for more improvement if we are to see a championship coming back to the south.
Maurice Fitzgerald opened the scoring with a free after just 90 seconds when a Feale Rangers player was adjudged to have over carried the ball. For the next ten minutes the South Kerry defence was under intense pressure but all Feale Rangers had for their efforts in this time was a single point in the 7th minute. Then the old reliable John D O' Shea received a ball out near the sideline on the right and duly converted to open his account. However, Feale Rangers had ideas of their own and after some wonderful combination football had a point in the 12th minute. John Shanahan took example from this and had one for himself in the 14th minute. Within 30 seconds John D found himself in possession 40 metres out near the left sideline this time. He rounded his man and slotted the ball with precision accuracy between the posts. Feale Rangers pulled one back immediately with a good score from play. In the 20th minute John D converted a free to leave the score.....South Kerry 0-05, Feale Rangers 0-03. Two minutes later Rangers had another well taken score but John Shanahan collected a pass from John D to register his second score of the game. Maurice Fitzgerald had two frees with a few minutes left in the first half, about 40 metres out, but unfortunately hadn't his shooting boots on. On 30 minutes John Shanahan converted a free from the left, 30 metres out, to conclude the first half.
Half time score South Kerry 0-07 Feale Rangers 0-04.
Feale Rangers might have had a goal within a minute of the restart but for a timely interception by Killian Burns in front of goal. By the 7th minute points by Declan O' Sullivan, John Shanahan and John D, all from play, opened a six point gap. We wondered if South Kerry were about to pull away and maybe win easily. Rangers scored a free in the 10th minute and had three more without reply in the following seven minutes. Paul Galvin, for Rangers was creating problems for the South Kerry defence and displayed remarkable speed. The gap was now down to just two points and when Eamonn Fitzmaurice split the posts with a free, in the final minute of normal time, from all of 55 metres South Kerry were only ahead by the narrowest of margins. A minute later the same player had an opportunity to level matters from near the same spot, but luckily for South Kerry his effort went wide. Two minutes into extra time, Colm O' Connor got his name on the scoreboard with an opportunist point after making a sally from the half back line.
Stephen O' Sullivan excelled at full back while John D O' Shea and John Shanahan were the best of the forwards.
Final score: South Kerry 0-11, Feale Rangers 0-09
Scorers for South Kerry: John D O' Shea 0-04(1 free), John Shanahan 0-04(1free), Maurice Fitzgerald 0-01free, Declan O' Sullivan 0-01, Colm O' Connor 0-01.
Team: Mark Drummond (Sneem), Wayne O' Sullivan (Skellig Rangers), Stephen O' Sullivan (Skellig Rangers), Kevin Martin (Skellig Rangers), Colm O' Connor (Dr Pearses), Killian Burns (Sneem), Brian Murphy (Valentia), Maurice Fitzgerald (St. Mary's), John Sugrue (Renard), John Shanahan(Valentia), Denis Dwyer (Waterville), Ray Keane (St. Mary's), Ronan Hussey (Sneem), Declan O' Sullivan (Dr Pearses), John D. O' Shea (Waterville).
Sub used: Kieran Granfield(St. Michaels/Filemore) for Kevin Martin(injured).
Subs:Pat O' Sullivan (Valentia), Steve O' Connor(Valentia), Kieran Granfield (St. Michael's/ Foilmore), Seamus O' Sullivan (Waterville), Keith Moran (Waterville), John Shanahan (Valentia), Seán O' Connor (ST. Michaels/ Foilmore), Ger O' Shea (St. Michael's/ Foilmore), Kieran Cronin (St. Michael's/ Foilmore), Fergal O' Connor (Dr Pearses), Gary Galvin (Waterville), Joe Corridan (Derrynane).

County Championship 1st Round South Kerry V West Kerry 25/05/03

South Kerry 1-08 West Kerry 1-09
South Kerry took on West Kerry in the first round of the County Championship at Con Keating Park on Sunday May 25th. Conditions were ideal for football with a slight wind blowing down the field. In the first half South Kerry played with the breeze but were a point behind within 40 seconds. Three minutes later West Kerry had another point when a ball came off the upright, was collected by a West Kerry player and was punched between the posts. In the 7th minute the evergreen Gene Farrell kicked a wonderful point for the westerners to give them a three point lead, with South Kerry yet to score. Eventually, Maurice Fitzgerald kicked a free from 45 metres to notch up South Kerry's first score but within two minutes Gene Farrell had another fine point from the left sideline and about 40 metres out. South Kerry were then awarded a free about 20 metres out on the right which Declan O' Sullivan pointed. South Kerry had numerous chances at this period but failed to capitalise and we had no further scores for a period of 10 minutes until Ronán Hussey found himself in space and blasted the ball to the net, past Diarmuid Murphy in the West Kerry goal. The first half ended with West Kerry being awarded a free in the 30th minute which was duly converted. The score at half time stood at...South Kerry 1-02     West Kerry 0-05
Within 16 seconds of the restart Declan O' Sullivan availed of a great opportunity and registered his second point of the game with a well directed left foot strike, after nimbly rounding his man. Before 4 minutes of the second half had elapsed John D O' Shea kicked two points and Ronán O' Connor had one. Indeed, John D's second point came from a mighty save by the West Kerry keeper when he parried a scorcher from the in-rushing Denis Dwyer. Had Denis been successful, a different result may well have materialised since South Kerry were now playing with great vigour. However, West had different ideas and their Declan O' Sullivan had the ball in the net in the 9th minute. South Kerry were now only a point ahead and Sean "Fox" Farrell, who had been introduced had the teams level in the 13th minute. West Kerry went a point ahead and our Declan O' Sullivan levelled matters again with a free in the 18th minute but West Kerry went straight down the field and pointed again and scored another one a minute later. The gap was now 2 points and time was running out. John Shanahan was introduced for South Kerry and a minute into extra time he found himself thirty five metres from goal. He released a rocket from his right boot which deflected off the crossbar to register what was to prove the last point and score of the game. Six inches lower and South Kerry would have raised the green flag and been the victors.
This game could have gone either way, but now South Kerry must try to avail of the back door route next Sunday, versus Feale Rangers, at Fitzgerald Stadium.
Scorers for South Kerry: Ronan Hussey 1-00, Declan O' Sullivan 0-03 (2 frees), John D O' Shea 0-02, Maurice Fitzgerald 0-01(1free), Ronan O' Connor 0-01, John Shanahan 0-01.
Team: Mark Drummond (Sneem), Brendan Teahan (Sneem), Stephen O' Sullivan (Skellig Rangers), Colm O' Connor (Dr Pearses), Stevie O' Connor (Valentia), Kevin Martin (Skellig Rangers),     Brian Murphy (Valentia), Maurice Fitzgerald (St. Mary's), John Sugrue (Renard), Ray Keane (St. Mary's), Denis Dwyer (Waterville), Ronan Hussey (Sneem), Ronán O' Connor (St. Michael's/Foilmore), Declan O' Sullivan (Dr Pearses), John D. O' Shea (Waterville)
Subs:Pat O' Sullivan (Valentia), Wayne O' Sullivan (Skellig Rangers), Kieran Granfield (St. Michael's/ Foilmore), Seamus O' Sullivan (Waterville), Keith Moran (Waterville), John Shanahan (Valentia), Seán O' Connor (ST. Michaels/ Foilmore), Ger O' Shea (St. Michael's/ Foilmore), Kieran Cronin (St. Michael's/ Foilmore), Fergal O' Connor (Dr Pearses), Gary Galvin (Waterville), Joe Corridan (Derrynane).

County Minor Final Div 2 Waterville/Dromid V Rathmore 18/05/03

Waterville/Dromid 2-08    Rathmore 1-07
On Sunday May 18th the parish combination of Waterville/Dromid took on Rathmore in the County League Div 2 Minor Final. The game was played in the J.P. O' Sullivan park, Killorglin before a sizeable crowd, the bulk of which came from the south. Conditions were reasonable if a little cool with a slight breeze blowing down the pitch. Waterville/Dromid played against the wind in the first half.
In the first minute Waterville/Dromid were awarded a free which team captain Kevin " Jackie" O' Sullivan slotted between the posts. In the 3rd minute Rathmore followed with a point of their own and a minute later had another point from play. There were no further scores for ten minutes and then the boys from Iveragh struck. Kevin O' Leary (Dr) caught a ball in the half back line and passed to Shane Coffey (W). He in turn found Mike Curran (W) who spotted Kevin "Jackie". After rounding his man Kevin buried the ball in the left corner of the Rathmore net with a rocket-like shot with his trusty left foot. The crowd went wild with excitement but only for moments because within the minute Rathmore stormed downfield and raised the green flag themselves. They followed this with a point from play 3 minutes later. The score now stood at.... Waterville/Dromid 1-01, Rathmore 1-03.
Patrick Curran (W) kicked a free in the 23rd minute and Mike Curran (W) fisted another 2 minutes later. Patrick Curran kicked the last point of the first half in the 30 minute.
Half time score   Waterville/Dromid 1-04   Rathmore 1-03
Rathmore started the second half with a vengeance and after 11 minutes had notched up a further 4 points without reply. Things were looking grim for Waterville/Dromid at this stage of the game. Then Denis Donnelly was introduced and this seemed to to instill a new sense of purpose to the Iveragh boys. In the 19th minute, after a good pass from Patrick Curran, Denis Donnelly, the super sub, had the ball in the Rathmore net. Our boys were back in the game and now firing in all cylinders. Patrick Curran kicked another free in the 21st minute and brother Mike had one of his own in the 27th minute after some great work by Kevin "Jackie" and added another 3 minutes later. John Curran (Dr) finished the scoring two minutes into extra time to leave the full time score   Waterville/Dromid 2-08 Rathmore 1-07.
Fenton Daly was rock solid at full back and others to shine in defence were Kevin O' Shea, Shane Coffey, and Kevin O' Leary. Kevin "Jackie" and Patrick Curran were a constant threat in attack but the introduction of Denis Donnelly was crucial.
Scorers: Kevin "Jackie" 1-01, Denis Donnelly 1-00, Patrick Curran 0-03, Mike Curran 0-03, John Curran 0-01.
Team: Ciarán Dennehy(w), William Hunt(W), Fenton Daly(w), Kevin O' Shea(Dr), David O' Dwyer(W), Shane Coffey(W), Kevin O' Leary(Dr), Gearóid O' Sullivan(W), Mike Curran(W), John Curran(Dr), Gerry Carroll(W), Kevin Dwyer(W), Fergal Cronin(W), Kevin "Jackie" O' Sullivan(W) Capt., Patrick Curran(W). Subs:Denis Donnelly(W), Eoghan O' Riordáin(Dr), Paudie Dennehy(W), Patrick Foley(W), Brendan Dennehy(W), Aidan "Shine" O' Sullivan(Dr), Paudie O' Sullivan(Dr), Micheál O' Shea(Dr).

County League Div 2 Round 6 11/05/03 Waterville V Listowel Emmets

Listowel Emmets 2-10 Waterville 0-07
Waterville entertained Listowel in Waterville on Sunday in the County League. A strong wind blew up field into the Beenbane goal and the home team elected to play with it in the first half. Play opened at a lively pace and Waterville were one point up after one minute thanks to John D O' Shea from a free. Listowel replied in the 6th minute with a point from play. Two minutes later John D kicked over another free. Waterville then waited for eight minutes for the next score. This was a good point from play from Alan O' Shea to make the score 0-03 to 0-01.
Listowel replied with with a good point of their own two minutes later but John D kicked what was the score of the game. He found himself almost at the left corner flag and as casually as you like, slotted the ball between the posts. In the 24th minute we were awarded a penalty and Denis O' Dwyer struck it well but the Listowel goalie made a good save. Listowel kicked another point and in the last minute of the first half disaster struck! Listowel were awarded a penalty which was duly converted. The half time score read Waterville 0-04, Listowel 1-03. This was a most unfortunate scoreline and could have been so different. We now had a mountain to climb, facing into a strong wind. Could we get anything out of the game?
Listowel started sharply and had a point in the 2nd minute. In the 10th minute John D again kicked a pointed free for Waterville. In the 13th minute Listowel struck for a well taken second goal and now Waterville were in serious trouble. They followed this with points in the 13th, 15th, 17th, 18th and 19th minutes. Keith Moran and Mike Curran had points for Waterville in the 20th and 24th minute but Listowel finished with another point almost on full time.
On the day Listowel were the better team. Waterville battled as best they could and had a few chances. However it was not to be their day. Newcomer, Shane Coffey played well at corner back and young Gerry Carroll did his best also.
Team: Bernard Murphy, Michael Curran, Dan Fitzpatrick, Shane Coffey, Buddy O' Shea, Gary Galvin, Aoghán Courtney, Denis Dwyer, Seamus O' Sullivan, Keith Moran, John B O' Shea, Alan O' Shea, Gerry Carroll, John D O' Shea, Niall Moran. Subs Used: Martin O' Shea & Padraig Collins for Alan O' Shea & John B O' Shea

County League Div 2 Round 5 03/05/03 Currow V Waterville

Waterville 1-07    Currow 0-05
At a very windy Knockgoshel on Saturday evening Waterville earned two very valuable points in the County League. Currow won the toss and elected to play with the strong wind. Currow started well and had a point in the 3rd minute. They continued to pile on the pressure on Waterville but found it impossible to score. They kicked their second point in the 11th minute to make it 0-2 to 0-00.
The Waterville defence were playing solidly as a unit and Currow were finding it increasingly difficult to pass them. In the 24th minute Buddy O' Shea made one of his cutting runs up the field and scored Waterville's only score in the first half. Currow finished the stronger and scored points in the 24th and 27th minutes. The score now stood at.... Waterville 0-01 Currow 0-04.
This was a reasonable position to be in going into the second half since the wind was now going to be at their backs. However, we hoped that our shooting boots hadn't been left at home since we had plenty of chances in the first half but had little to show for it.
Waterville started the second half with a John D O' Shea point from a free in the 3rd minute. Gary Galvin then broke up the field, from his centre back position, in the 6th minute and kicked over a wonderful score. Waterville were now looking good and with Seamus O' Sullivan and Denis Dwyer going well at midfield we sensed the game was within our grasp. Currow broke upfield in the 14th minute and kicked a well executed point (Waterville 0-03   Currow 0-05). Waterville needed a quick reply and sure enough it came. A minute later Seamus O' Sullivan caught a ball at midfield and kicked an inch-perfect pass to John D., who raced through the defence and picked his spot in the left corner (Waterville 1-03   Currow 0-05). Straight away the ball went downfield and but for an outstanding reflex save from goalkeeper Bernard Murphy Currow would surely have netted. Three minutes later Buddy found himself with space in front of him and duly made good use of it by kicking his 2nd point of the game. In the 20th minute John D. kicked a free over and this was followed by a Keith Moran punched point two minutes later. This left the score at full time, Waterville 1-07 Currow 0-05.
This was a solid display by Waterville and the backs were superb as a unit, with Gary Galvin, Buddy O' Shea and Mike Curran outstanding. Seamus O' Sullivan and Denis Dwyer had another excellent game at midfield. Up front John D. was his usual reliable self with John B O Shea and Alan O' Shea playing well too. Overall this could be described as a good team performance and we look forward to seeing more performances like it.
P.S. The backs kicked three points from play. The forwards scored one point from play.
Team: Bernard Murphy, Michael Curran, Dan Fitzpatrick, Mike Shea, Buddy O' Shea, Gary Galvin, Aoghán Courtney, Denis Dwyer, Seamus O' Sullivan, Keith Moran, Niall Moran, Alan O' Shea, John B O' Shea, John D O' Shea, Denis Carroll.   Sub Used: Gerry Carroll for Niall Moran

Centenary Game Round 2 26/04/03 Kenmare V Waterville

Waterville 0-18 Kenmare 2-10 (After Extra Time)
Waterville travelled to Kenmare on Saturday to play the locals in their first game of the Centenary Cup. Conditions were dry but a strong wind blew down the field from the town goal. Waterville played with the wind in the first half. Waterville mentors were worried about the well being of Denis Dwyer who had made the long journey to Donegal and back the previous day. "Fear not boys" seemed to be Denis' message as he started in whirlwind fashion and kicked three magnificent points from play in the first seven minutes. Waterville were completely dominating the game at this stage. John D O' Shea kicked a free in the tenth minute and in the twelfth minute added another from play. Five minutes later Aoghán Courtney kicked a point to leave the score 0-06 to 0-00. Almost immediately Keith Moran added another and John D followed up with two fine points from play in the 21st and 22nd minutes. John D kicked another point from a free and two more from play. Denis Carroll finished the half by securing another good point. The half time score was Waterville 0-13 Kenmare 0-00.
Would it be unlucky 13 for Waterville or could they hold out? The strong wind had a definite effect on the first half and we had to wait and see if it would have the same effect on the second half.
Kenmare started the second half as Waterville did in the first half and by the seventh minute they had pulled back 1-04. In the 11th minute, in a rare Waterville attack John D O' Shea kicked a point from a free.
At this point Waterville seemed to go to sleep. Kenmare kept picking off points and by the 27th minute they had drawn level ....Waterville 0-14 Kenmare 2-08. Advantage was definitely with Kenmare now. They kicked what seemed to be the winning point in the 29th minute and all seemed to be lost. Fair play to the Waterville players as they dug deep and worked the ball up field. They were awarded a free 45 metres out from goal. "Last kick" says the referee. "Cometh the hour, cometh the man". Up steps John D., facing the town goal and into a strong wind. Slowly he walks up and guides the ball between the posts! Score now 0-15 to 2-09....A draw .....game over....extra time to be played.
The big question in every Waterville supporter's mind was, could their team re-impose themselves in extra time. The Waterville mentors introduced Buddy O' Shea for Fenton Daly.
Waterville played with the wind in the first 10 minutes of extra time but it was Kenmare who got off to a good start by kicking over a 45. Alan O' Shea replied with a good point from play in the 4th minute and John D. followed with another one. The score remained 2 points to 1 in Waterville's favour up to half time. Waterville were again facing into the strong wind for the second period of extra time. Our boys played some excellent possession football in the second half and when again John D. kicked over a free in the 7 minute it left the score 0-03 to 0-01 in our favour. We had weathered the storm and even though tempers flared a little at this point we finished the stronger and so go on to the next round.
Final score Waterville 0-18 Kenmare 2-10.

County League Div 2 Round 4 19/04/03 Waterville V Dromid Pearses

In a very sporting game, Waterville collected two badly needed points in the county league by beating neighbours Dromid Pearses by 1-15 to 1-09.
Waterville won the toss and elected to play with the wind in the first half. Dromid drew first blood when Kerry star Declan O' Sullivan kicked over a free. The returned yank Denis Carroll opened Waterville's account with a point from play in the 7th minute. John D O' Shea followed with a free but Declan replied with a pointed free in the 10th minute. That man Carroll pointed in the 13th minute to leave the score 3 points to 2 points in Waterville's favour. John B O' Shea then made it 4 points to 2 . Then John D struck for a goal. Dromid replied with a point from Jamesie O' Sullivan. John D O' Shea kicked a good point in the 21st minute to make it 1-05 to 0-03 and followed up with a good free. Jamesie O' Sullivan kicked another good point in the 28th minute and just before half time John B O' Shea punched a point to leave the score at half time 1-07 to 0-04.
At half time the big talking point was, whether Waterville's lead big enough as they faced a strong wind in the second half.
Waterville started the second half brightly and Seamus O' Sullivan kicked an excellent point into the wind from the right hand side. Alan O' Shea followed up with another good point shortly afterwards. Dromid replied when Jamesie O' Sullivan kicked his third point from play to make it 1-09 to 0-05. Colm O' Connor added a point for Dromid. Many of the breaks around midfield were being collected by Dromid at this stage and when Dromid scored another point there was now just 5 points between the teams. Could Waterville weather the storm or would Dromid Pearses record their first win over Waterville? Waterville then upped their game. Denis Dwyer and Seamus O' Sullivan took over around the middle. Denis Dwyer began to drive through the middle and make a lot of room for the forwards. John D pointed a free and Keith Moran kicked two fine points to make it 1-12 to 0-09. Waterville were looking good now and John D kicked another point in the 28th minute. Then Mike O' Connor scored a goal for Dromid. But Waterville finished the stronger with points from Alan O' Shea and John D O' Shea to leave the final score 1-15 to 1-09.
This was a badly needed win for Waterville who have been going through a bad patch lately. The team played well as a unit. Gary Galvin had a busy hour on Declan o' Sullivan but came out with his head held high. Buddy O' Shea and Mike O' Shea were solid in the back line and Dan Fitz led by example at centre back. Michael Curran and Aoghan Courtney were solid in the flanks. Denis Dwyer had a great game and Seamus O' Sullivan wasn't far behind. Niall Moran worked hard at centre forward and Keith Moran and Alan O' Shea formed a hard working half forward line. Denis Carroll had a great game at corner forward and hopefully he won't rush back to the States. John D O' Shea was his usual self scoring 1-07. The man with number 15 on his back John B O' Shea possibly had his best game yet for Waterville. John has been troubled by serious injury for the last two years but he has trained very hard and hopefully now things are falling into place for him. He can look forward with confidence to the rest of the season.
Overall this was a good sporting game and credit to the referee and both teams for playing it in the right sporting fashion.

County League Div 2 Round 3 13/04/03 Gneeveguilla V Waterville

In a game played in a continuous downpour in Gneeveguilla, the home team defeated Waterville by a comfortable six point margin.
Waterville elected to play with the wind in the first half. Gerry Carroll opened the scoring after five minutes with a good point from play. Waterville were playing some good football in the opening fifteen minutes and two more points put then 0-03 to 0-00 ahead. Gneeveguilla then hit back for two good points. The Moran brothers, Keith and Niall kicked over two more to leave the score0-05 to 0-0-02. Disaster then struck for Waterville. Buddy O Shea, Haulie Courtney and Seamus O Shea had to retire injured. Gneeveguilla struck for a good goal to make the score0-05 to 1-02. Waterville finished the half with another point but Gneeveguilla got two more points. At half time the score stood at Waterville 0-06 Gneeveguilla 1-04.
The second half started with more bad luck for Waterville with John B. O Shea having to retire through injury. From then on Gneeveguilla dictated the second half with some good football and kicked points at will. Waterville's only reply was two pointed frees from Denis O Dwyer and John D O Shea. Keith Moran was unlucky when a rasping shot came back off the crossbar.
On the day Gneeveguilla were the better team and fully deserved their victory.
Best for Waterville were Gary Galvin in the backs. Denis Dwyer and Seamus O Sullivan worked hard at midfield and up front Keith Moran and John D O Shea tried hardest.
Final score Gneeveguilla 1-11 Waterville 0-08

County League Div 2 Round 2 30/03/03 Waterville V Milltown/Castlemaine

This game was played in Waterville in ideal weather conditions and a light cross wind blowing from the lake. Waterville decided to play with the breeze.
Milltown opened brightly and got the first score from a free in the second minute. Alan O' Shea replied swiftly in the 4th minute with a great point from play. Haulie Courtney made it 0-02 to 0-01 with a great long range point after a long passing movement. Then in the 11th minute Denis Dwyer kicked a good point from play to make it 0-03 to 0-01. Waterville played a lot of good football during this spell but failed to score again until John D O' Shea kicked over a free. Milltown replied with three pointed frees and John D finished the half by kicking a point from play. Half time score Waterville 0-05 Milltown 0-03.
Waterville needed a few more scores in the first half if they were going to pull anything out of this game. The wind was now getting stronger and Waterville were finding it hard to make progress.
Milltown began to take control around midfield and began to pick off points. By the 11th minute Milltown lead by 0-07 to 0-05. In the 13th minute John D pulled back a point for Waterville, making the score now 0-07 to 0-06. this proved to be Waterville's last score. Milltown pulled and ran out easy winners by 0-12 to 0-06. Waterville tried hard right up to the end but Milltown/Castlemaine were the better team on the day.
Best for Waterville were Bernard Murphy, Mike O Shea, Dan Fitzpatrick and Gary Galvin who worked hard in an overworked defence. Buddy O Shea played well at midfield but tired in the second half. Keith Moran, John D O Shea and Alan O Shea tried hard in the forward line.

County League Div 2 Round 1 16/03/03 Spa V Waterville

Waterville 1-09 Spa 0 - 12
In the first County League game of the year Waterville travelled to Spa and came away with a draw.
Waterville elected to play with the breeze & dominated the first half. They lead at half time by 1-09 to 0-01. J.D O Shea opened the scoring with a fine point in the 4th minute. Buddy O Shea scored a goal and then Seamus O Sullivan got a point from play. John D then scored 3 points from frees to put Waterville leading 1-05 to 0-00 after 20 minutes. Spa then replied with a pointed free but Waterville finished the half with points from Keith Moran and J.D. OShea leaving the score at half time Waterville 1-07 Spa 0-01.
At the start of the second half Spa kicked three wides. Then Alan O Shea kicked a point for Waterville. Spa then took control and scored at will kicking 7 points without reply. The score now stood at 1-08 to 0-08. Alan O Shea scored another point to put Waterville 4 points up. Spa replied with 3 quick points and levelled the game with time almost up.
In the end both teams will be happy enough with a draw. Overall this was a reasonable performance but hopefully we will improve.

South Kerry League 22/03/03 Bally/Filemore V Waterville

Bally/Filemore 5-11 Waterville 0-05
The score line tells the story. Bally/Filemore lead Waterville a merry dance in Ballinskelligs on Saturday evening. In the first three minutes Bally missed a penalty, but it mattered little. Ronan O Connor opened the scoring with a point in the fifth minute. In the sixth minute Kieran Ctronin soloed through the Waterville defence for a smashing goal. Ger O Shea made it two shortly afterwards. Niall Moran pulled a point back for Waterville. By the twenty sixth minute Bally/F added had added another three goals to put the game beyond Waterville's reach. Half time score Bally/F 5-06 Waterville 0-02.
The second half continued much the same way. Waterville upped their game a little and scored two early points but Bally/F picked off a couple of points at will and strolled away for a very impressive win.
This Bally/Filemore team is very young and eager and if they can keep up their form they'll be hard to beat. The home side have a lot of work to do. Only Seamus O Shea, Dan Fitz, Buddy O Shea, Alan O Shea and Eoin Moriarty did themselves justice on the day.