Azalea Cup

On the 10th of December 2016, Atlanta, with a combination of lads and lady Camogs, headed down to Augusta for the 5^th installment of the Azalea Cup Hurling Invitational, organized by the Augusta Gaelic Sports Club. It was a lovely Saturday of 50F. Nothing like hurling in December.

Charleston combined with Greenville to form the South Carolina crew, while Augusta adopted a few players from the newly formed Athens club. South Carolina collected a win over Augusta in the first game. Then, it was Atlanta’s turn to take on South Carolina. It was a tough and fast-paced game. The Raleigh lads with their long strikes did some damage from a distance to Atlanta. However, our back line was solid. Peter held the goal, while Virginia and Dodd held a concrete back line. It was a solid contest of skill. Jolene held the half back line, while Keith and Sarah dominated midfield with their speed and skill. Johnny took on the Tommy long swing!  Great direction came from the wise Paul Bradley, from the line. The father and son team, “the Carneys,” stepped up to assist and hold positions on the field. What an excellent forceful duo they were. New arrival, Alex, a recent Georgia Tech recruit, gave it a holly at half forward with Karina. Lauren, and our newest cork lady – Melissa, took the full forward line and secured our goals with precision! Donghue, who was in the goals for South Carolina, took advantage of the long puck outs, but our midfielders battered them down. It was a close skillful game until the last minute ending, with a final score of 4-5 Atlanta to 5-6 South Carolina, who claimed the victory.

Without much downtime Atlanta quickly took the field again to face the home team, Augusta. Jim Whooley kindly stepped up to referee a bunch of mad hurlers, and kept us all from going home without too many cards! Atlanta collected scores quickly, as Sarah secured a quick goal and point within the first 3 minutes of play. Johnny transitioned into the full forward line and kept the score board ticking over nicely. He grabbed a nice goal from a distance, way back in his own back line. Melissa tapped in a few classy scores herself, showing the lads her junior Cork camogie skills. Keith kept a solid hand in midfield, while Dodd decided to check out midfield to see what it was all about. New positions and great adjustments made, all from the brains’ of the game, Peter and Paul. Carney Jr. secured his first score, and Christopher, said goodbye to yet another ash Hurley. Tommy, from South Carolina traded sides and took on goals for Atlanta. Jolene had great breaks, while Lauren hustled in the full forward line. Alex held strong after a vicious clatter to his shins. Virginia held solid like a concrete door and let no one in. Meanwhile, Karina collected a couple of whacked knuckles. The scores set up quickly in the first half and slowed a bit in the second half, as Augusta adapted their style of game. The final result was a 5-5 Atlanta win to 3-2 Augusta.

It was a fantastic day of Hurling. We sadly saw the Azalea cup head back to Charleston with the assistance of the Greenville lads. Who says hurling in December isn’t fun!?

Karina Clarke, RN, BSN