Flying the flag in the North of Britain competitions

SCOTLAND’s representatives in both the Men’s and Ladies’ North of Britain competitions have been flying the flag with pride recently and look poised to reach the latter stages.

In the revamped Senior Men’s North of Britain League, it’s Dunedin Connollys who sit in top spot, on points difference over fellow Scottish club Glasgow Gaels.

As The Irish Voice went to press, both teams had secured victories on the road, with Connollys defeating John Mitchels of Liverpool 3-16 to 0-19 and Gaels (above) overcoming St Brendan’s of Manchester by a scoreline of 2-12 to 1-09.

Prior to these games, the only other match played by the Scottish sides had been against one another and it was a familiar outcome. It was the first staging of the competition since Gaels’ triumph in 2019, and the clash of the Scottish heavyweights lived up to the billing.

On a blustery afternoon in Edinburgh it was Connollys who settled quickest with Liam Sammon opening the scoring before Chris Donnelly took charge from placed balls, keeping the scoreboard moving with an assured display. At the interval, Dunedin held a 0-9 to 0-4 advantage.

The Gaels—aided by the wind after the restart—roared back into contention with fine scores from Alan White, Jack O’Connor and Eddie Boyd. With time fast running out, Connollys looked to have edged it when a late two pointer gave them a 1-14 to 1-12 lead.

But the Gaels responded in dramatic fashion, striking a two-pointer of their own to level matters at 1-14 apiece—the result both sides ultimately had to settle for.

It was a fitting advertisement for the North of Britain League, which promises more drama in the weeks ahead. The remaining fixtures see Gaels hosting John Mitchels at Clydebank and Connollys taking on St Brendan’s in Edinburgh.

In the Ladies’ North of Britain Intermediate Championship, meanwhile, both Dunedin Connollys and Glasgow Gaels have secured their semi-final places, albeit in somewhat unorthodox fashion.

Connollys top the group with four wins out of four, but only one of these wins was secured on the pitch—a tight 3-08 to 2-06 win over John Mitchels on the road. They will play the fourth placed team in the semi-finals as a result of sitting in first place in the table, but the lack of games played might be a cause for concern.

Gaels have also booked their semi-final slot having secured an impressive win over Oisíns in Manchester by a scoreline of 4-10 to 1-03, receiving a walkover and having to concede a match too. This will see them taking on John Mitchels in the semi-finals. What is interesting about this match-up is that they will meet in the last round of fixtures so they will have the chance to get the measure of each other.

The Glasgow side’s win over Oisíns took place in the blazing August heat and with only one sub available, it was a real test of grit, but the Gaels stood tall.

From the off, Gaels pressed hard on the Oisíns’ kickouts and dominated possession with 16 attacks. The girls hit the net twice and tagged on five classy points. They were unlucky not to raise a few more green flags only for some superb saves from the Oisíns keeper.

At the back, noticeably strong communication from Jenn Treacy and Cliodhna Quinn kept things watertight, holding Oisíns to just a single score. Closing out the half, a touch of soccer-style flair from Sophie Gibney set up Nicole Nugent to palm the ball into the net—straight out of the playbook discussed on the bus down no doubt!

In the second-half, Gaels came out firing after the break, stepping it up another gear despite the heat. A player-of-the-match performance from Rachel Butler proved vital in shutting down the Oisíns attack, while brilliant link play drove Gaels forward time and again.

With 21 second-half attacks, the scores kept coming. After providing two assists, Orlaith McArdle coolly slotted home her own well-deserved goal to seal the win.

It was a superb shift from the Glasgow side, who had a number of girls making the step from Junior and they held their own in tough conditions.