Atlanta Clan na nGael hosted the Peach Cup, our annual sevens tournament, on Saturday June 1, 2013 in Georgia Soccer Park. Teams travelled from Raleigh, Charlotte, St. Louis, Orlando, Greenville & Charleston to compete in competitions for men’s Gaelic Football and Hurling, Ladies Gaelic Football and Camogie.
Tournament Director, Ryan Crimmins, presided over an opening ceremony where Irish Consulate General Paul Gleeson welcomed all teams to Atlanta and both the American and Irish national anthems were sung by representatives from Irish Traditions Atlanta.
In addition to the tournament itself, Peach Cup represented a family day out for all club members and our guests from across the Southeast. Gaelic Football and hurling skills instruction was provided to an enthusiastic group of kids while both adults and children alike enjoyed the bouncy castle at the event. Thanks to Cultural Officer Adrian O’Sullivan who looked after events for our younger members throughout the day. Fish ‘n’ Chips were also on offer via the Mobile Marley van much to the delight of all in attendance missing a taste of home.
Atlanta’s squads across the four codes experienced mixed success however all teams will be aided enormously from playing competitive fixtures this early in the season. Special thanks to the North American County Board for providing referees to assist with the running of this year’s tournament. All teams benefited from the quality of refereeing which can be expected in the forthcoming National Championships to be held in Cleveland over Labor Day weekend. The post tournament party was also a great night out thanks to our friends in Ri Ra.
Camogie
In only its third season, the Atlanta camogie squad brought home the Peach Cup despite competition from a strong St. Louis club. Led by coach Kevin Quinn, this squad has grown from a couple of girls pucking around to the stage where they could field two equally competitive teams in Peach Cup. The commitment, dedication and perseverance of this group of women to learn this game from scratch is a testament to all that the GAA represents here in the Southeast. The experience gained from this tournament will greatly assist Atlanta’s inaugural entry into the National Championships later this year. Well done girls!
Results:
Atlanta Team 1 3-1 St. Louis 1-1
Atlanta Team 2 4-4 Southeast selection 0-0
St. Louis 3-3 Atlanta Team 2: 5-0
Atlanta Team 1 4-2 Southeast selection 0-0
Final: Atlanta Team 1 3-2 Atlanta Team 2 3-1 (after extra time)
Team 1: Amy Sparks, Kirsten Bendik, Kristen Cardell, Zoe Beato, Jolene Glenn, Sarah Spiller, Niamh O’Sullivan
Team 2: Cathi Dugger, Joy Quinn, Jordan Ciciliano, Jen Beato-Lynch, Ashley Harmon, Trisha Tanguay, Sinead O’Leary
Ladies Gaelic Football
After years of being the mainstay of the Atlanta club, coach Cathi Dugger is taking this team through a rebuilding phase. The stiff competition provided by senior club Charlotte provided a great learning experience for our team in this tournament.
Congrats to Charlotte winners of the 2013 Ladies Gaelic Football Peach Cup.
Atlanta 1-4 Charlotte Team 1 6-7
Atlanta 0-1 Charlotte Team 2 3-10
Atlanta squad:
Catharine Burke, Linda Abbarry, Megan Silver (Ace), Danielle Conley, Erin Prentice, Karina Clarke, Carrie Frick, Rebekka Judge, Becky Biggs, Stephanie Powell
Hurling
The standard of hurling in the Southeast continues to improve and this was evident throughout this tournament. After a comprehensive victory over a Raleigh/Charlotte selection, Atlanta faced Charleston in a rematch of the recent Holy City Cup tournament semi-final. Similar to the earlier game in May, this match was incredibly even until Charleston pulled ahead in the final minute. Coach Paul Bradley and the rest of the squad will learn from this experience for future tournaments.
Greenville went on to defeat Charleston in a thoroughly entertaining final. This provides further evidence of the parity that exists in hurling across the Southeast with different winners in each of the three tournaments held to date (Tartan Day South: Charleston, Holy City Cup: Charlotte). Congrats to the Greenville club on a great victory.
Atlanta 10-10 Raleigh/Charlotte 2-7
Atlanta 4-6 Charleston 3-10
Atlanta squad:
Rob Kiely, Paddy Lynch, Evan Lebois, Ryan Crimmins, Brian Boland, Johnny O’Sullivan, James Noonan, Andrew Kender, Kieran Cronin, Anthony Clinton, Ronan Cullinane, Darren Malloy, Paul Bradley
Gaelic Football
Coach Cormac McCormack entered two evenly assembled squads into this years Peach Cup to gain maximum playing time for all ahead of the National Championships. The strength of the Raleigh and Charlotte clubs is such that the standard of football at Peach Cup was great preparation for championship football.
Congrats to Charlotte winners of the 2013 Gaelic Football Peach Cup.
Atlanta Team 1 1-4 Raleigh 3-4
Atlanta Team 2 1-8 Charlotte Team 1 10-8
Atlanta Team 1 1-1 Charlotte Team 1 4-10
Atlanta Team 2 3-8 Charlotte Team 2 0-4
Team 1 (Blue):
Kieran Cronin, James Noonan, Alan Corr, Paul Bradley, Adrian O’Sullivan, Ruairi O’Sullivan, Mick Shannon, Brian Boland, Chris Cairney, Brian Rooney
Team 2 (Red):
Philip Groover, Chris Kendrick, Neil Jordan, Andrew Kender, Mortimer O’Sullivan, Joel De Rosa, Diarmuid McGuigan, Ian Witherspoon
For more photos from the day please click here.
Finally, special recognition goes to Tournament Director Ryan Crimmins who did a fantastic job organizing this year’s events immediately prior to moving overseas. The club would like to wish Ryan and his wife Melissa the best of luck with their new life in England.