The Annual Kilmeena GAA Under 10 Paddy Golden Memorial Blitz made a welcome return on Saturday 11th June after a gap of two years due to Covid restrictions.
The day started a little wet with a blustery wind but this certainly didn't dampen the enthusiasm of these future stars. 27 teams with almost 400 boys and girls took part.
Six teams participated in the boys A section with Balla and Kilmeena topping their respective groups in a fiercely competitive section. Each facing the runners up of their alternative groups.
The home team faced strong opposition from their neighbours Westport in a very close semi-final encounter, however the Kilmeena boys were unable to see off their opposition on this occasion losing on a tight score line of 1-02 to 0-03.
Westport marched on to face Balla in the A final cheered on by the huge visiting crowd. It was a tight encounter from start to finish with the prevailing wind playing a significant role in the two halves. At the final whistle the cheers from the Westport camp indicated to all spectators, whose name was to be etched onto the silverware. Westport 3-04 to Balla 1-03.
Eight teams contested for B section title in a large group with almost all west Mayo clubs represented. Ballintubber and Tourmakeady emerged from their respective groups to put themselves centre stage for the B final. Ballintubber continued their winning streak, proving too strong for the Tourmakeady side, outscoring them by 3-05 to 2-02.
Section C was made up of four teams which were run off in one group with Parke facing the host club in the final. It was a tight competitive game, where the Kilmeena lads showed true grit but were outscored narrowly by the boys in amber and black. Final score was Parke 5-02 to Kilmeena 3-0
The girls section proved every bit as entertaining as their male counterparts. This competition was divided into two sections. Four teams contested for the A title; with Burrishoole, Westport, Carnacon and Islandeady all scoring well in their opening games. On the day, Carnacon ladies showed more hunger, and blazed through to the final with only Burrishoole standing in their way of the top prize.
The final was a good competitive game of football, both teams giving it everything. The Burrishoole girls defended well but were unable to stem the scoring of the girls in green and red. Carancon emerged victorious on a score line of 6-02 to 1-02.
Five teams participated in the girls B section. There was a total of 10 games played in this round ensuring the girls had lots of opportunities to showcase their skills. Kilmeena, Burrishoole, Louisburgh, Westport and Balla clubs were all well represented. The games were competitive and proved very entertaining to the visiting crowd. However, it was Louisburgh and Westport B who marched forward from the group. The final proved to be an evenly matched affair with Westport B outscoring their neighbours by 3-02 to 1-02
Well done to all the boys and girls who participated in the blitz and congratulations to the winning teams. We would like to express our gratitude to the Golden family, Carrowholly, for their continued sponsorship of this event.
A huge community effort is put into making this blitz successful. It takes a massive effort to plan and run this event. So, to all the club volunteers; parking stewards, referees, umpires, pitch coordinators, first aiders, photographers, score takers, MC’s, shop assistants, kitchen helpers and those who brought food - míle buiochas daoibh go leir!