Ceann Creige are excited for the season ahead

A RESTRUCTURING of games has meant that Ceann Creige’s camógs and hurlers have had limited competitive matches to date.

While this is generally the norm for the hurlers, given that their season tends to start later to allow players to compete and play with the Lancashire divisional side, it is new for the Senior Camogie team.

The aim of the restructure was to try and provide better game time over a shorter period, with a reduction in financial cost for the clubs involved. It is promising to see that Britain GAA and Britain Camogie are open to exploring new ideas and options to promote the game, but this restructure may not have had the desired outcome for the Ceann Creige teams.

Ceann Creige’s Camogie team (above) just fell short in the Senior League semi-final, losing out to a strong Tara side from London in Manchester. The hurlers, however, are still awaiting ratification of their fixtures. The season ahead for both teams will be a tough one but one the club is excited to get going, especially with so many new members continuing to join across all sectors.

Despite the lack of competitive game time for Ceann Creige’s senior players, they have not gone without playing. Late last month, the club hosted ‘Feile Ceann Creige,’ a hurling and camogie tournament for the second year in a row. Ceann Creige welcomed clubs from all over Ireland and the UK, with esteemed guests Jennifer Treacy, chairperson of Scotland GAA, and Brian Molloy, Chairperson of the Camogie Association, also in attendance for the day.

The games took place throughout the day as the sun shone ensuring that everyone was involved and enjoyed them immensely. With music, food, drinks and entertainment, the day really had it all. Once the winners were decided, the fun continued in Malones Glasgow for the teams, making it a weekend to remember—or not—for everyone.

“Our thanks to all the volunteers, vendors and guests for making the day a great success,” Sarah O’Sullivan, Ceann Creige PRO, said. “The day epitomised what the GAA community is all about, bringing people together no matter their background, experience or ability to play the games we love.

“With many of the visiting teams vowing to come back next year, it is shaping up to be a wonderful, annual event for all those involved in the club.”

Training for both the hurlers and camogs will continue into the summer, taking place Wednesday nights from 7-8pm. Please contact the club on any social media platform for more information.

However, it’s not just the adult teams who continue to grow in numbers, as Ceann Creige’s youth teams attract many new members. They too have been training away and have been having great enjoyment at their trainings including a fun, social session that saw parents and coaches join in with the players for some games. They also welcomed Uddingston Shinty Club for a combined game during a recent training session, further strengthening the ties between the two clubs and games.

Even more recently, the youth team were lucky recipients of a very generous donation from Thrive Scotland, who kindly donated new kit bags to the team. As the team looks to the year ahead, there will be no excuses for forgetting the helmets and hurleys now they all have such lovely new kit bags!

The club is also delighted to announce that it will again be running its annual Ceann Creige summer camp from August 3-7. Anyone wishing to register their child is invited to do so at one of the trainings or by contacting the club on social media.

For up-to-date information on games, events and socials during the summer for all the club teams, please follow the club on its social media @ceanncreige.

“We wish everyone doing their exams the best of the luck and we hope all our players, members and supporters have a fun and safe summer,” Sarah said.