Round 4 of the annual Allianz Cumann na mBunscol 5-a-side Girls’ Indoor Gaelic Football for primary schools was held today in the Station Centre, Omagh. The competition got underway with five local schools competing for the honour of winning this particular heat:
- Knocknagor PS, Trillick
- Roscavey PS, Beragh
- St Oliver Plunkett PS, Beragh
- St Patrick’s PS, Gortin
- Tummery PS, Dromore
All the schools had arrived to do battle and there could be only one winner. An extremely high level of skill and sporting behaviour was exhibited from all involved.
The five schools competed for a coveted place in the Tyrone County Final and the format of the day’s play was a Round-Robin series of matches. The first game set the tone for the rest of the day’s play, with St Oliver Plunkett PS powering their way over a gallant Knocknagor PS. The second game in Round 1 saw Gortin lay down a marker as they overcame the challenge of Roscavey PS.
Round 2 saw wins for Roscavey and Beragh over Knocknagor and Tummery respectively.
Round 3 brought as fantastic game between Tummery and Roscavey. With both keepers in inspired form, goals were definitely at a premium. In a game as tight as this, a single goal was the winner and that went the way of Roacavey PS. The other Round 3 game saw Gortin get the better of a brave Knocknagor challenge.
Round 4 opened with possibly the game of the day, which was contested between Gortin and Tummery. In another end-to-end game, both teams had match winning opportunities, but in most cases, the respective keepers ensured their teams remained in the game with a string of fantastic saves. In the end, a 3-3 draw was a fair result. The second Round 4 game was the Beragh Parish derby between Roscavey and St Oliver Plunkett PS. In a strongly contested game throughout, the St Oliver’s girls emerged victorious.
The final round of games saw a keenly contested game between Tummery and Knocknagor, with Tummery just getting the better of their neighbours this time.
The other Round 5 game between St Patrick’s Gortin and St Oliver Plunkett Beragh, effectively proved to be the ‘Final,’ with both schools having had the most wins at that stage. In a very competitive game, it was always going to come down to small margins, and in the end, the Beragh girls’ ability to take more of their chances which proved vital and saw them win on a 2-1 scoreline.
We congratulate St Oliver Plunkett PS well as they go forward to the County Final to be held in Cookstown in early March.
Our thanks to our referee Brian McGinn for his expert officiating and explaining of the rules to the girls throughout.
