As the nominations flow in for the 2012 Donegal Sports Star Awards a review of the month of October reveals a truly stunning list of successes achieved by individuals and teams from the county.
The man of the month was without doubt Finn Valley boxer Jason Quigley who won silver at the World Championships in Kazakhstan.
Another tremendous honour for Donegal was seeing two of Quigley’s fellow county men Michael Murphy and Seamus Coleman captaining their country for the first time in senior international competition.
The 38th Donegal Sports Star Awards function takes place at the end of January but before that there is a huge body of work to be done by the organizing committee with the nominations deadline of Friday, November 29th now looming. Chairperson Neil Martin has thanked Donegal County Council who have come on board again to sponsor the award.
The deadline for nominations for the 38th Donegal Sports Star Awards is Friday, November 29th. Nominations can be done online from the nominations page and emailed to info@donegalsportsstarawards.ie or by completing a simple nomination form, which can be downloaded and posted to Paul McDaid, Post Office, Ramelton.
Those not using on-line can simply post their nominations to Paul McDaid, Post Office, Ramelton. A brief summary only of achievements will suffice. Pictorial and DVD footage is also required. For further details visit www.donegalsportsstarawards.ie.
Jason Quigley must be a contender for this year’s awards!
The Hall of Fame winner has already been chosen by the committee therefore no nominations will be accepted in this category. The Donegal Sports Star Awards presentation function takes place on Friday, January 31st in the Mount Errigal Hotel.
In October Jason Quigley just lost out on gold in his final fight at the World Championships in Kazakhstan but in the space of just a week the 22-year-old had defeated Indian, Scottish, Hungarian and Russian opponents to become the first Irishman ever to take a silver medal in this competition and as a result he is now ranked number one in the world at Middleweight.
Another piece of history was created in Donegal sport in October when three players from the county Michael Murphy, Seamus Coleman and Kyle-Callan McFadden captained their country in international competition. 24-year-old Murphy captained Ireland for the first time and led his side to a 57-35 victory over Australia at Breffni Park with the Glenswilly man scoring seven points in the International Rules opener. And Murphy completed a memorable week by skippering Ireland to a second victory over the Aussies at Croke Park. Paddy McBrearty and Neil McGee were also members of the side who won by 116 to 37 – a huge 101-point aggregate win.
In between those two internationals and less than 24 hours after the first win over Australia Murphy produced a ‘Man of the Match’ performance scoring 1-5 as his Glenswilly side won the Donegal Senior Football Championship title for only the second time ever with a 3-19 to 2-6 win over Killybegs at McCumhaill Park. It completed the double for the Glen men in Donegal having also won the Division League title the previous weekend.
25-year-old Seamus Coleman led out the Republic of Ireland for the first time in Cologne in a World Cup qualifier against Germany that ended in a 3-0 defeat for the Killybegs man. Ramelton’s Kyle-Callan McFadden captained the Republic of Ireland U-19s in a 0-0 draw with Bosnia & Herzegovina in a final UEFA Championship qualifying game in Sweden.
There was a tremendous performance from the Finesse Gymnastics Display Team who won silver at the Festival of Gymnastics in London in only their second year to take part in the competition under the direction of team coach Meganne Herron and choreographer Linda Bennett.
Two of the athletic highlights came on the Bank Holiday weekend at the end of the month in the Airtricity Dublin Marathon where former Letterkenny AC member Maria McCambridge was the Ladies winner while Inishowen AC’s Pauric McKinney was first home to take the National Masters title in the same race.
Sam Magee’s national title
Raphoe’s Sam Magee kept the family name at the forefront in badminton with his new partner Jonathon Dolan winning the Irish Men’s Doubles title against a Slovenian pair in Baldoyle 21-12, 21-9. There was great news for Eoin Rooney a member of Nemo SC, Ballyshannon who qualified to represent Team Ulster at the Special Olympics Ireland finals in Limerick next June.
At the beginning of October Bridie Lynch one of Donegal’s most successful female athletes ever received the Irish Paralympic Order the highest honour that can be given to an athlete by Paralympics Ireland for outstanding service to the sport in Ireland.
Elsewhere in athletics at the beginning of the month Finn Valley’s Colin Watson and Helen Stockdale won their respectvie male and female categories at the opening Cross-Country competition of the new season staged in the Rosses.
In the middle of October Natasha Adams the Lifford AC member won the Donegal Athletic Board’s Master Cross Country Championship in Castlefin. It was a very good October for Adams and her club colleague Anne-Marie McGlynn who were selected to run for Ireland following fantastic runs in the Phoenix Park at the Gerry Farnan event where Ann Marie finished fourth in the seniors while Natasha won the Masters race.
The Lifford U-17 Girls team won gold at the Donegal Cross Country Championships in Castlefin; Tirconaill AC’s Daniel Gallagher won the U-17 Boys title and there was also success for Inishowen AC with team silvers in U-11 Girls, U-11 Boys and U-13 Girls
The Lifford Men’s team took silver at the Donegal Novice Championships in Annagry. Also in Annagry the Cranford U-10 and U-12 Boys teams won gold while Molly Trearty was first home in the U-12 Girls category. Ivan Toner and Teresa McGloin won their respective male and female categories to take the honours at the New Mills 10k in Letterkenny.
Boxing success for Auciute
It was also a good month for Jason Quigley’s Finn Valley Boxing Club as Austeja Auciute won her eighth Irish title defeating Kayleigh McCormack in the 64kgs Final at the National U-22 Championships. Letterkenny BC’s Brian Elliott won a bronze while Lee Harkin of the Illies Golden Gloves took gold for Ulster in the HSK Cup in Denmark.
Glengad southpaw Michael ‘Donegal Dynamite’ McLaughlin won his fourth straight professional fight 57-54 against Sergio Cabrera in Boston. Also on the same bill Buncrana boxer John Hutchinson continued his promising start to his professional career defeating American Robert Brando-Hunt 40-36.
A former Donegal Sports Star Award winner 19-year-old Letterkenny lad Conor McElwaine signed for the Belgian Terra Footwear Cycling team. Conor had been a member of the Errigal Cycling Club. Quigley’s Point Darts player Charlie Grant produced the performance of his career in dumping out former World champion Andy ‘the Viking’ Fordham at the World championship qualifiers in Hull.
In underage finals Naomh Conaill defeated St. Eunan’s in County U-16 Division 1. Naomh Muire won the Intermediate Championship title defeating St Naul’s at the O’Donnell Park while former St. Eunan’s player Eamonn Haran managed Sligo side Tourlestrane to the County Senior Championship title.
St. Naul’s took the Intermediate Football Championship title after a 1-12 to 0-7 win over Downings in a final replay. Termon turned on a magnificent second half display to almost shock hot favourties Donaghmoyne in the Ulster Ladies Senior Football Championship Final in Clones. The Burn Road side led the Monaghan team by two points in time added on but the reigning Ulster and All-Ireland champions came back to force a replay.
However, six days later in the replay Termon lost heavily 4-14 to 1-04 to the Monaghan champions. in Trillick. Also in Clones there was heartbreak for the Milford ladies side who lost by a point to Derry’s Watty Grahams in the Ulster Intermediate Football Final. Fanad Gaels clinched promotion to Division 2 by overcoming neighbours Downings in a play-off that took place in Milford.
Harley triumphs in France
In horseracing at the end of October Trentagh’s Martin Harley had a fantastic French Group 1 victory on Tac de Boistron for new trainer Marco Botti in the Longchamp Prix Royal-Oak.
In hockey three young Raphoe players Ben Wallace, Alexander Tinney and Luke Witherow helped Ulster win gold at the Sainsbury Schools Games in Sheffield.
Setanta’s Danny Cullen was a member of Irish squad that played a Senior Hurling/Shinty game against Scotland at Croke Park as a curtainraiser to the International Rules game between Ireland and Australia.
The Three Rivers Shotokan Karate Club had success in Dublin at the JKS Autumn Open Championships returning home with two silver and three bronze medals. There was further success for the club in Tallaght at the ONAKAI National Junior Jumite Championships. Ciaran Crawford won his first national title in the U-9 Boys section while Natasha Doherty also came home with a medal.
The Ulster Karate Federation claimed a fantastic 20 medals at the WUKF European Championships in Sheffield. The cross-border club took home three gold, three silver and 12 bronze.
The Inishowen Samurai Uladh Judo Club had huge success at the Irish Open Championships at the City West Hotel in Dublin.
There was golds’ for Inch’s Sarah Jane Porter in the U-12 under 32kg clash and for Carndonagh’s Oisin McLaughlin in the U-14 66kg+ class. Oisin’s father Tony made it a family double winning gold in the veteran’s category. Other Inishowen medal winners included Kathleen McNaught silver U-20 and bronze adult; Samantha Weir double silver at U-16 and U-20; Michael McKay won bronze at U-20 while Manus O’Donnell won silver in a veteran’s category.
Young Richard Kerr from Leitir in Kilmacrennan is making a name for himself in motorbike racing following in the footsteps of this father Ivan who starred in the sport of Moto Cross. He won the Ulster and Irish 125 Production at Kirkistown, Co. Down.
Richard rounded off the season with a second place finish in the 125 Newcomers/Moto 3 race at the Sunflower Trophy Races 600cc Class at the Bishop’s Court Circuit near Downpatrick in Co. Down.
McBride motorbike triumph
Convoy’s Aaron McBride won the Irish Supersport Motor Cycling Cup Championship at the Sunflower Trophy Races 600cc Class at the Bishop’s Court Circuit near Downpatrick in Co. Down.
In Motorsport co-driver Rory Kennedy sitting alongside Gary Jennings won the Irish Tarmac Championship after finishing second overall in the Cork 20 Rally. At the beginning of the month Damien Faulkner the Moville racing driver had two successive wins at the American Le Mans Series Oak Tree Grand Prix at the Virgina Raceway.
Declan Gallagher and his co-driver Ryan Moore won the two wheel Dunlop National Rally Championship in their Toyota Starlet in Bantry, West Cork.
At the start of October Peter Hutton resigned as Finn Harps manager after the win over First Division champions Athlone Town. Inishowen came from two goals down to win 4-2 against the Sligo/Leitrim League in their opening Oscar Traynor group game at Maginn Park. And there was also victory for the Donegal League who won away in Roscommon
Dale Gorman played in three UEFA U-19 Championship games for Northern Ireland against Belgium, France and Iceland. The former Letterkenny Rovers midfielder was named ‘Man of the Match’ after the 1-1 draw with France. Greencastle U-12s took the Plate title at the national finals in Dublin while Moville U-12s were runners-up to Glenree Utd who won the Shield section.
Buncrana man Jim McConnell was re-elected on the FAI Senior Council for a 16th successive year and will also continue as Chairperson of the Domestic Committee for an eighth consecutive term. Letterkenny man John Duffy was appointed as the ‘Referee’s Observer’ for the FAI Senior Cup Final between Sligo Rovers and Drogheda Utd.
Irish Junior Surfing Champion Iarom Madden from Bundoran won the men’s title at the British University Championships. He was representing University College London at the finals, which took place in Conwall.
For further details on the Donegal Sports Star Awards visit donegalsportsstarawards.ie or find us on Facebook at DonegalSports Starawards
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