Waterford Under 16's Claim All-Ireland Glory

Waterford U16s power to All-Ireland win

The Waterford U16B annexed the All-Ireland last Sunday in Leixlip with a barn-storming second half display against Derry. Tied at high-time, after playing against the strong wind, Waterford took total control in the second-half to run out convincing winners on the score-line of 06:17 to 03:05.

Waterford started slowly and after 5 minutes found themselves 1:01 to 0:00 and looked to be in trouble with numerous deliveries being launched on top of an overworked Full-Back line. However progressively Waterford's Half Back Line and Midfield began to achieve control and the supply into the Forward line started to yield scores. By the twentieth minute, the score stood at 0:05 to 1:01 in favour of Waterford, with Beth Carton scoring 3 points and two from Ashling Power, capitalising on the increased ball supply into the forward line. However on the 22nd minute a goal by Derry's Jackie Donnelly could have rocked Waterford but an almost immediate like score by Beth Carton restored Waterford's slight lead and two further points by Derry, with a single point response from Beth Carton saw the sides leave the field at half-time level at 1:05 (W) to 2:02 (D).

Whatever Waterford Manager Declan Drohan & his management team said to their charges at Half-time, worked the oracle and they stormed into the game for the first 10 minutes of the second half, scoring an unanswered 1:05 to put themselves into a commanding lead. Derry fought back with 2 points but this only spurred Waterford into another scoring spree from there to the finish, including a further two goals from Niamh Murphy and one each from Kate McMahon and Roisin Uniacke. In between Waterford's point taking was a joy to watch.

Beth Carton was named Player Of The Game, a due recognition for her scoring prowess in this game (2:11) and throughout the championship. However in truth every girl was a star today.

This was a just reward for a team where the majority of the Panel and Management Team have been together since U14 and have steadily progressed over the last three years through commitment and dedication to the game.

A special mention should also be made of Conor Phelan and the GAA club / Staff at WIT for their support of game through the establishment of the Camogie Academy each Summer over the last three years through which the Waterford U14, U15 & U16 Development Squads have benefitted greatly.

Team; 1) Brianna O'Regan (De La Salle), 2) Sinead Cunningham (Gailltir), 3) Sinead O'Brien (Cappoquin), 4) Aoife Shanahan (Butlerstown), 5) Laura Murray (Cappoquin), 6) Megan Dunford (Brickey Rangers), 7) Saoirse Bonner (St Anne's), 8) Courtney Healy (De La Salle), 9) Sibeal Harney (St Anne's), 10) Kate McGrath (Brickey Rangers), 11) Beth Carton (De La Salle), 12) Ashling Power (Cappoquin), 13) Niamh Murphy (De La Salle), 14) Kate McMahon (Butlerstown), 15) Anne Corcoran (Gailltir).

Subs 16) Clodagh Glavin (Cappoquin), 17) Roisin Uniacke, 18) Collette Hogan, 19) Taylor Healy (De La Salle), 20) Ellen Curran (Lismore), 21) Sharon Williams (Lismore), 22) Chloe Dempsey (De La Salle), 23) Roisin Oates (Ferrybank), 24) Sally Brown (Butlerstown), 25) Rachel McDonald (St Anne's), 26) Caoimhe Drohan (De La Salle), 27) Saoirse English (Tramore).

Mentor Team Declan Drohan (Manager), Joe Carton Don McMahon & Derek Healy

 

Sixth All Ireland Poc Fada Title for Trish Jackman

Congratulations to Gailltir player Trish Jackman on winning her sixth All Ireland Poc Fada competition in the Cooley mountains over the weekend. Trish is a member of the Waterford Intermediate team and this is a competition that she excels at. 

Fermanagh prove too strong for Waterford in Blanchardstown

Waterford Ladies bow out of Intermediate championship

Waterford ladies intermediate football team has bowed out of the TG4 All Ireland championship at the quarter final stage when they were defeated by a strong and resolute Fermanagh team on Saturday last. In a game played in excellent conditions played in St Peregrine’s GAA ground in Blanchardstown Dublin. Fermanagh were first on the scoreboard with a well taken point by Áine Mc Hugh after only 18 seconds but Waterford’s reply was quick with Aileen Wall scoring the equaliser after being  set up by  a good pass from Liz Devine in the 2^nd minute. Michelle Ryan put Waterford ahead in the 4^th minute and one minute later Hannah Landers stretched the lead to two with a well taken point on the run. Sharon Little scored two wonderful points for Fermanagh in the 9^th and 12^th minutes to level things up. In the 14^th minute there was a long stoppage as Fermanagh’s midfielder Caroline Little was injured.

This break in play seemed to unsettle the Déise girls and confusion in the ranks led to corner forward for Fermanagh Sharon Little getting through for a goal on the resumption of play to put the Ulster girls in the driving seat. Waterford to their credit got back into the game with a great point from Michelle Ryan in the 17^th minute followed by one from Liz Devine in the 25^th minute to leave the minimum between the teams. Michelle Ryan levelled matters in the 26^th minute and the Ballymacarbry sharpshooter put Waterford back in front with a point from a free on the stroke of half time.

Michelle Ryan opened the scoring in the second half with another point in the first minute but the Deise were rocked when half back for Fermanagh Michelle Monahan drifted upfield and set a rocket of a shot to the net to put the Ernesiders back in front. Lynne Mc Fredricks widened the gap with a well taken point before Waterford’s goalkeeper Aimee Jordan came up to convert a penalty to leave the score Waterford 1-9 Fermanagh 2-4 with 19 minutes to go for the next ten minutes it was an immense battle Aisling Moane and Lynne Mc Fredricks put Fermanagh back in front with two points before Liz Devine and Michelle Ryan cancelled these out with two well taken efforts for the Waterford ladies. Full forward Noelle Connolly levelled the game yet again in the 28^th minute for Fermanagh before Sharon Little put the Northern team in front with a point with 2 minutes to go. This was a lead that Fermanagh were destined not to lose and the game was up for Waterford when full forward Noelle Connolly struck for a goal in injury time and Caroline Little who came back on late in the game struck over a point to give Fermanagh victory on the final scoreline of Fermanagh 3-10 Waterford 1-11.

This was a major disappointment for a wonderful group of girls who had worked so hard all year in their efforts to win All Ireland glory. The six week lay off without competitive action was certainly a factor on Saturday. Fermanagh have had two competitive matches since their Ulster final defeat to Down. Many positives can be gleamed from the season with a number of young players gaining vital experience at this level. A Munster title has been annexed for the sixth year in a row and the girls ran Armagh very close in the League final but these are scant consolation for the amount of work the team and management put in during the season.

Waterford lined out as follows: Waterford lined out as follows: Aimee Jordan (1-0), Nora Dunphy, Gráinne Enright, Mary Foley, Gráinne Kenneally, Karen McGrath, Róisín Tobin, Michelle McGrath, Elaine Power, Linda Wall, Mairead Wall, Aileen Wall (0-1), Hannah Landers (0-1) Michelle Ryan (0-7), and Liz Devine (0-2).

Subs: Shona Curran for Róisín Tobin, Shauna Dunphy for Liz Devine, Caoimhe McGrath for Gráinne Enright, Gráinne Costello, Louise Ryan, Margaret Revins, Ciara Dunphy, Megan O Connor, Aisling Hahessy, Amy Whelan, and Aoife Landers.

 

County Final results

Four county finals were played in Lemybrien on Sunday at under 12 and under 15 levels with the following results.

Under 15 B final  Ballymacarbry 3-8 Gaultier 2-8

Under 12 E final Comeragh Rangers 0-8 St Pats 0-5

Under 15 C final  Abbeyside 3-12 Clashmore 4-8

Under 15 A final  Dungarvan 2-8 Stradbally 1-7

Well done to all involved, there was some excellent football played in atrocious conditions

Waterford and Fermanagh to Clash in All-Ireland Quarter Final

County Intermediates return to Championship action

Waterford Intermediate ladies team return to championship action on Saturday next when they take to the field against Fermanagh in St Peregrine’s GAA grounds Blanchardstown Dublin. This is a quarter final clash and for the losers it is the end of the road in this year’s championship. Waterford have reached this stage by virtue of their unbeaten Munster campaign in which they saw off the challenges of Limerick and Tipperary, defeating Limerick in the Munster final on a score line of 2-20 to 1-11.This was a day when everything clicked for the Déise girls especially in the first 20 minutes when the girls had 15 attacks on the Limerick goal which resulted in 15 points.

Saturday’s game against Fermanagh will be a much different affair and the players are under no illusion of the difficulty of the task ahead. Fermanagh put it up to red hot favourites Down in the Ulster final before finally going down on a score line of Down 0-15 Fermanagh 1-6 and since then in the qualifying rounds they had a comprehensive win over Ulster rivals Antrim by 4-18 to 1-4.They are ably led by captain Marita Mc Donald and have a strong defence well marshalled by Kyla Mc Donald. Up front Caroline and Sharon Little are certainly forwards who will need close watching.

Waterford have prepared well for the game in training and challenge matches but the fact that the girls have had a six week competitive lay off is a nagging worry for management. The team has had a very settled look about it all year and have gelled well together. The backs form a very cohesive unit and provide a platform for the midfield and forwards to attack and score. Seven different players scored in the semi final and manager Pat O Brien would be delighted with the same return on Saturday.

Games between Fermanagh and Waterford have been very close in the last number of years with Waterford coming out on top in 2012 by two points and Fermanagh turning the tables in 2013.As regards league form this can be thrown out the window. Waterford had a very successful Division 3 campaign reaching the final after being relegated from Division 2 in 2013.This season it was Fermanagh’s turn to struggle in Division 2 with relegation being their lot.

It is very difficult to call this game Fermanagh will be still smarting from their All Ireland semi final last year when they threw away a six point leads with less than two minutes to go to lose by  a point to Tipperary. Waterford are looking to get another tilt at All Ireland glory and have the players all over the field to advance their ambitions one step further this week end. Waterford to win but it will be a tough and exciting contest.

Not so lucky third time for Waterford Intermediate Camogie Team

Not so lucky third time for Waterford Intermediate Camogie Team

After being defeated by Galway in the previous two All Ireland Intermediate semi-finals, Waterford were looking to go one step further this year when they played Limerick in Carlow in this year's Liberty Insurance All Ireland Intermediate Championship semi-final.

Waterford had finished runners up to Kilkenny in the Group phase of the championship having been Meath, Cork and Wexford. Their only loss was to Kilkenny which meant that they faced the top placed team in the other group which was Limerick. 

The last time these two teams faced each other was back in the group stages of the 2013 All Ireland championship. On that occasion Limerick triumphed so the Waterford team knew that this was going to be a tough match especially as Limerick were beaten by Galway in the All Ireland final last year and would want to be back in Croke Park for this year’s final. Limerick had also won all their group games and had a impressive +76 points difference brushing aside all opponents.

Unfortunately, Waterford were to be denied once more in a close encounter losing the match on a score of 0-09 to 0-08. Waterford started the encounter the brighter scoring leading the match by three points to no score after ten minute with scores from Caitriona McGlone (2) and Karen Kelly. Waterford continued to lead for the remainder of the half going in by 0-06 to 0-03 with further scores from Karen Kelly and Lorraine Bray, all Limerick's scores in the first half were from the hurl of Niamh Mulcahy to keep them in contention.

When the second half commenced, Limerick started the better and levelled the match after ten minutes of the restart, and once again is was Limerick's Niamh Mulcahy that proved to be the thorn in Waterford's side. Limerick then went into the lead for the first time and extended it to 0-09 to 0-06 with 10 minutes remaining. Try as Waterford could they could not penetrate the Limerick defence in the second half until the 53rd minute when Lorraine Bray converted for her second point of the match. As fulltime approached, Trish Jackman fired over to leave the bare minimum between the two teams ensuring a thrilling finish to the match​. Waterford continued to press for the equalising or winning score but once more had to settle for beaten semi-finalists.

The other semi-final between Kilkenny and Kildare was played after the Waterford and Limerick match and Kilkenny ran out comfortable winners. The Liberty Insurance Intermediate All Ireland final will be played on September 14th between Kilkenny and Limerick.

The Waterford team were:  Deirdre Brennan, Shauna Prendergast, Pauline Cunningham, Claire Whyte, Mairead Murphy, Fiona Morrissey, Shauna Kiernan, Shona Curran, Charlotte Raher, Karen Kelly, Patricia Jackman (Capt.), Nicola Morrissey, Lorraine Bray, Niamh Rockett, Sinead Cummins, Zoe O Donoghue, Deirdre Nugent, Emma Hannon, Ruth Geoghegan, Iona Heffernan, Catriona McGlone, Jenny Simpson and Valerie O'Brien. Waterford's Manager: Niall O'Donnell and Selector was Austin Curran, Physio was Shay Fitzpatrick and Team Doctor was Sinead Fitzpatrick.

The County Board would like to thank all the players and team manager Niall O'Donnell and his backroom team for their commitment and efforts through-out the year and although inter-county camogie is finished for the year, these players still have club championship to play over the coming weeks.

U16B All Ireland Final

Waterford U16s travel to Leixlip next Sunday to play Derry in this year’s All Ireland final and we wish all involved the best of luck. This team were narrowly beaten by Cork in the 2013 final and much of that squad are still eligible to play in this year's final. This year's opponents will be Derry. The Waterford team will be confident going into this match as they have already played and beaten Derry in the group phase of this year's championship.

​U14 Development Squad

Waterford U14 Development Squad played Limerick A in a challenge match at Milford GAA grounds, Co Carlow in advance of travelling to the Intermediate Semi-Final to support the adult team. They came away with a very credible victory, winning on a score-line of 4:11 to 4:03.

Primary Squad

Waterford also had two Primary Squads play Limerick selections at the Carlow Town GAA grounds and despite losing both games, the Mentors were extremely happy with the performances and improvements shown by the girls over the course of the season. The solid work put in by the Management Team with the forty four girls involved will prove a solid foundation for the future development of the game in the county. Again the Panel attended the Intermediate Semi-Final after their games.

Junior Championship Semi-final

The Junior semi-final was played at Dungarvan GAA pitch on Sunday evening between Roanmore and Lismore. When these two teams met in the league phase of the championship the result was a draw. On this occasion the result was also a draw on a score of Lismore's 4-06 to Roanmore's 3-09. This match will be replayed and clubs will be contacted with details during the week.

Waterford's under 16's are back in All-Ireland Final

Waterford U16B team through to second successive All Ireland Final

Waterford's U16B team had an easy win against Down in this year's U16B All Ireland semi-final played in O'Toole Park in Crumlin on Saturday last. The team won the match by 10-24 to 0-04 and now must face Derry in the final. Both of these teams last played each other in the group games of the championship with Waterford triumphing on that occasion. The final is scheduled to be played later this month. Best of luck to the team in the final.

Below is the match report submitted by team manager Declan Drohan:

Waterford Under 16's travelled to O' Toole Park, Crumlin, Dublin on Saturday last 09^th August  to take on Down in the All-Ireland Under 16B Camogie Semi Final. Waterford came into the semi-final have recorded group wins over Cork, Antrim, Derry and Tipperary racking up impressive scores the Waterford girls have displayed a strong penchant for goals. Waterford's scoring has been very impressive hitting a total of 19 goals as they blitzed through the group stages finishing top ahead of Derry.

Down for their part finished second to Dublin in their group and came to O' Toole Park relishing the opportunity to take on the Waterford girls. From the throw in Down put Waterford under pressure due to some needless fouling in the middle of the field. With Waterford playing against a strong breeze Waterford's defence had to get the measure of their opponents and they dually did with the full back line of Sinead Cunningham, Sinead O' Brien and Aoife Shannahan closing out the goal threat of Katie Gilmore and Amanda Wood. It was Waterford who scored first, however the scores were hard fought for as Down put two players on Waterford's sharp shooter Beth Carton and the inside forwarded line of Niamh Murphy, Kate McMahon and Anne Corcoran came further out the fields congesting the 45m area.

Waterford's forwards were working off scraps and trying to win 50/50 ball as the half progressed. With the half back line of Luara Muarry, Megan Dunford now playing as sweeper and Saoirse Bonnor working hard to deliver fast ball against the breeze Waterford registered their first goal of the day from Anne Corcoran quickly followed by another goal by Kate McMahon. With Waterford's mid field now coming more into the game Courtney Healey delivered a ball that broke to the on running Kate McGrath who was fouled by Nicole McCabe and was rightly awarded a penalty. Goalkeeper Brainna O' Reagan was instructed by the management to make her way forward and shoot for goal however a point was the result.

Waterford backs and mid field continued to work tirelessly and as the whistle was blown for half time they had only coincided 00-03 points while Waterford had put 03-04 on the score board. Waterford now aided by the breeze in the second half and following a positional change of both wing forwards Ashling Power and Kate McGrath took control of the game. Down were now on the back foot as the Waterford girls pressed forwarded and created space within the first ten minutes they had registered three more goals and as many points. All six Waterford forwards registered scores as the game progresses and with a total of nine different scores on the day the management can only be happy with how the panel maintained their winning ways. As has been throughout the year the panel has been used in all games to effect and it was no different on Saturday last with the management making five changes Sharon Williams, Chloe Dempsey in for Anne Corcoran, Niamh Murphy, Collette Hogan in for Sinead Cunningham, Ellen Curran in for Saoirse Bonner and Roisin Uniacke in for Kate McGrath.

Waterford now take on Derry in the All-Ireland final on the 24^th August venue T.B.C and with very little between the teams in the group stages this panel will be well aware of the battle they face.

Waterford 10-14 Down 00-04

Waterford Panel:  Brianna O' Regan (00-01) Sinead Cunningham, Sinead O' Brien, Aoife Shanahan, Laura Murray, Megan Dunford, Saoirse Bonner, Courtney Healy (01-01), Sibal Harney, Kate McGrath (01-00), Beth Carton (03-08), Ashling Power (00-03), Niamh Murphy (01-01), Kate McMahon (01-00), Anne Corcoran (02-00), Clodagh Glavin, Roisin Uniacke, Collette Hogan, Taylor Healy, Ellen Curran, Sharon Williams, Chloe Dempsey (01-00), Roisin Oates, Sally Brown, Rachel McDonald, Caoimhe Drohan (Injured) and Saoirse English (Injured). Manager Declan Drohan, Selector Joey Carton, Selector/First Aid Don McMahon and Match Day Admin Derek Healy​

​Waterford Intermediate Team prepare for All Ireland Semi-final

The Waterford Intermediate team hope to join our U16 in the final of this years Liberty Insurance Championship by winning their match against Limerick next Saturday (16th August) at Dr. Cullen Park in Carlow with a 13:45 throw-in. The team has been preparing well under the management of Niall O'Donnell and his backroom staff. The team also appeared in the 2013 All Ireland semi-final but were unlucky during that match and this year want to at least one step better and represent Waterford in Croke Park this September. 

2014 Adult Championship

We have now completed this year's league phase of the 2014 Adult Championships and the final table positions are determined. These final table positions determine which teams are straight into the final and which teams face each other in the semi-finals. The outcome of the Waterford Intermediate team's All Ireland semi-final next Saturday may change some of the dates of some of these matches.

Senior Championship

Lismore are the team that are straight into the final after winning all their matches. St. Anne's will  face Gailltir in the semi-final. This semi-final match is scheduled for 31st August but the venue has yet to be decided. St. Anne's will surely be hoping to have a rematch of the 2013 Senior final if they win while Gailltir will do everything they can to be the team that faces Lismore in the final.

Intermediate Championship

An Rinn are the team to beat in this section having won all their group games and their reward is securing a final position. Cappoquin and Portlaw must face each other in the semi-final. Cappoquin will surely be the favourites in this match considering the quantity of County players from different county panels that they can draw on but Portlaw have proven to be quick learners after they won the Junior Championship in 2013. Again, this match is scheduled for 31st August.

Junior Championship

Ferrybank are through to the final in the Junior section while Roanmore must face Lismore in the semi-final. This match is scheduled for Sunday 17th August. The result from the league phase between Roanmore and Lismore was a draw so this will be a close match with the Lismore team hoping to join the Senior team in a final while Roanmore will be hoping to reach the final for a rematch of the League final earlier in the year against Ferrybank in which the Ferrybank team edged in injury time of the match.

Minor Championship Fixtures

This week sees Round 4 of the Minor Championship. Matches up for decision this week are:

Cappoquin v Brickey Rangers

Roanmore v St. Anne's

Clonea v Ferrybank

Tramore v An Rinn

De la Salle v Lismore

Munster U12 Blitz in Thurles

Best of luck to Gailltir, St. Anne's, Roanmore, Abbeyside and Lismore whose U12 teams travel to Thurles on Friday 15th August to take part in a Munster blitz. This blitz is part of the 110 year celebrations of the Camogie Association. Enjoy the day and the girls will get a chance to compete against other clubs through-out Munster. 

Under 17's record impressive results in Dublin.

Under 17 development squad blitz.

Waterford’s under 17 development squad took part in the All Ireland Under 17 development blitz in the grounds of Naomh Mearnóg GAA club in Portmarnock Dublin on Thursday last and recorded a set of very impressive results indeed. In the group stages Waterford were drawn against Mayo, Cork and Dublin A. The girls were slow to settle in their first game and unfortunately came out on the wrong side of a one point defeat to Mayo. Next up for the Déise girls was an encounter with near neighbours Cork and this game turned out to be an excellent free flowing game of football with the end result being a well earned draw by the Waterford team.

In the final group game Waterford played out of their skins to record a great win over a well fancied Dublin A side and by virtue of this win qualified them for a plate semi final against Meath. The Royal County were then despatched by the Déise girls and as a result set up a final against the other Dublin team. This too was a great game of football and the Deise girls overcame tiredness to record a historic victory over the girls from the capital and so took the honours in the plate final. It was a very worthwhile experience for the girls and no doubt will stand to them in the future. It was a great day out and plenty of good football was played. For the record the panel who travelled to Dublin was Ciara Hurley, Lauren Mc Gregor, Katie Hayes, Grace Heffernan, Rebecca Casey, Laura Cusack, Caitríona O Brien, Róisín Curran, Aoife Murray, Katie Murray, Emma Murray, Kate Hahessey, Jodie Nugent, Áine Power, Shauna Power, Becky Hogan, Lauren Guiry, Shauna Hewitt, Mairéad Boyce, Jess Fitzgerald, Paula Cliffe, Shauna Ryan, Caoimhe Bourke, Katie Cliffe, Carrie O Keefe and Katie Fowler.

 

County championships Round up.

As a result of a break in inter- county activity the adult competitions got underway in all four grades and has throw up some very interesting scenarios. In the senior grade Comeragh Rangers got the ball rolling with a facile win over last year’s intermediate champions St Anne’s and followed it up with a round 2 victory over county senior champions Ballymacarbry on Monday last .In a humdinger of a game which ebbed and flowed from the first minute Comeragh Rangers came out on top of the home team by a three point margin on a score line Comeragh Rangers 3-9 Ballymacarbry 1-12.this was a surprise in many peoples eyes and it certainly adds spice to the championship. There are a number of qualifying rounds still to be played but these two teams would be favourites to meet again in the county final in the coming weeks.

The Intermediate championship is turning out to be a very interesting championship with any one of the four teams involved capable of beating any of the others on any given day. Ballyduff and Clashmore kicked off the competition with a high scoring well fought draw. Dungarvan defeated Stradbally by four points, Stradbally were one point winners over Clashmore and on Monday last Ballyduff had six points to spare over Dungarvan. So it is all down to the last series of games where Stradbally take on Ballyduff and Clashmore and Dungarvan do battle. This championship could go any way yet and while Ballyduff would be the favourites, the other three teams will have a big say in where the Intermediate trophy will go this year.

In Junior A it looks like Na Déise could top the group and so earn an automatic place in the finals after three rounds of games they are still undefeated with a narrow two point win over near neighbours St Pat’s, a four point win over Brickey Rangers and a 2-5 to 0-11 draw with Old Parish. St Pat’s are keeping up the pressure with a good win over Mount Sion and no doubt Old Parish and Brickey Rangers will also be in the final shake down. In the Junior B championship there have been unfortunately been a number of walk overs and it looks like Ballysaggart and Comeragh Rangers will be contesting this final.

 

Deepest sympathy

On behalf of the Waterford Ladies Football County Board, I would like to convey our deepest sympathy to the Keane family Ballinagulkee, Ballinamult, on the recent sad loss of Michael Keane R.I. P. Ar dheis Dé go raibh sé.

Michael’s son Thomas is a great follower and promoter of all sports and especially Waterford Ladies Football and Camogie though his imput in the media, newspapers, radio and on-line.

 

Speedy Recovery

All at Waterford Ladies Football wish Maurice Cahillane a speedy recovery and we hope to see him back at our matches in the not too distant future.

 

16 year old Emily Foley to represent Ireland at WAKO Cadets and Junior World Kickboxing Championships in Italy

In Waterford there is at this moment, a number of sports people that are competing at a very high level. There is others coming behind them that while they may not be at this point in time at the heights they can achieve, they are not off that level.

Some of these sports stars get excellent coverage in the local or national media, while others through no fault of their own get little coverage, for what ever reason, often because they are involved in a minority sport.

One such sports star in Waterford at this point in time who is competing at a high level, and who could in the coming weeks, months and years be competing at an even higher lever is Emily Foley.

Sixteen year old Emily moved to Dungarvan some years ago, having spent her early years in nearby Touraneena where she lived with her mother Joanne as well as older siblings Katrina and Jack.

In 2010 Emily took up Martial Arts and took part in her first competition the following year. Since then her reputation has grown and she has competed in a number of National and International competitions.

Her list of achievements up to now is impressive, winning the Tallaght and Munster Opens in 2012 and 2013 and also took part at the BMA Rumble where she again performed well.

Added to these honours, Emily has won the National Open in the last three years in the Open Hand Form competitions.

On the International front Emily finished second at the World Junior Championships in Bratislava in 2012 and last year she also finished second at the European Championships in Poland.

A member of the Black Belt Academy in Waterford, Emily has now qualified for the WAKO Cadets and Junior World Kickboxing Championships in Italy this September.

The cost of travelling to the Championships is to be covered by those competing, so those taking part are currently involved in a number of fundraisers.  

Earlier this month Emily along with others from Waterford taking part in the championships took part in a Sponsored Walk in Waterford and last Friday a Table Quiz was organised for Dillon’s Bar in Dungarvan.

This Sunday a family sports day is organised for the Mount Sion Clubs in Waterford City, running from 1pm to 6pm. Those from Waterford competing in the Championships in Italy next month, including Emily will be present and will be looking for whatever support you can offer.

Why not play your part in supporting someone that could well return to Waterford as a European Champion and maybe in the near future achieve even higher standards.