Monday 1st March

Senior & Championship Fixtures Announced
The Ulster Club and Armagh Hurling League fixtures have now been drafted. Cuchulainns play in Division 1A of the Ulster League which will be a huge step up for the panel but one which will ultimately help improve the quality of the panel.
All Senior league fixtures can be found on the Fixtures section of the web site

The Armagh Championship draws were made at the last County Board Meeting and the draws are as follows:
Senior – Middletown v CHC
MC Cormack Cup Group – Keady, Killeavy, CHC
Minor – Sean Treacys v CHC
U16 – Craobh Rua v CHC
U14 – St Malachys v CHC
Feile Group – Killeavy, Sean Treacys, Keady, CHC
U12 – Craobh Rua v CHC


Youth Update
The Under 16 & 18 Late Night League began last Friday evening in Sherry’s Field and proved to be a very worthwhile venture with over 20 players involved. The teams were assisted by members of the senior team, underage coaches, and committee members who all enjoyed the hurling on display. Although there was freezing temperatures the evening’s sport and fun was enjoyed by all and any players who missed this week are encouraged to attend this week. The league starts at 10.00pm but players are asked to meet at 9.45 to arrange teams.

Under 14 training continues on Friday evening on the Astroturf pitch at Sherry’s Field from 6pm-7pm.

Under 12 training continues on Astroturf on Friday evening from 5pm-6pm, £2 per player to cover pitch fee. This young team played a challenge match against Carrickmore last Sunday and had a good run out against an older side. There were some good performances from individuals and some passages of solid team play. All in all a good start for the Under 12sand their management.

The Hurling Academy for 4-7 year olds has restarted on Monday evenings in St Brigids H.S. Younger group 6pm-7pm and Older Group 7pm-8pm.
Indoor hurling for P4-P6 boys resumes Thursday 4th February at usual times.


Thursday 18th February

Club Development Seminar - Southern Sports Partnership
The Southern Sports Partnership this week launched their exciting Club Development Seminar for sports clubs which will be held at the Armagh City Hotel on Tuesday 2nd March 2010.
The seminar will give clubs the opportunity to gain information on a range of topics including funding available for clubs, Clubmark NI accreditation, developing sports development plans, community amateur sports club status, implications of vetting and barring for sports clubs.
Sport Northern Ireland , will address attendees on their new programmes Clubmark NI and Active Communities and detail how these will impact on clubs. The Conference will get underway with a buffet from 6.00pm – 7.00pm during which time representatives from national governing bodies and local sports forums will be on hand with the latest information for clubs.
Speaking at the launch this week, Alan Curran, Partnership Officer commented “we are delighted to give clubs the opportunity to hear from a wide range of speakers who can pass on their knowledge and experience to local sports clubs.”
For further information please contact the Sports Partnership Officer on 028 3831 4470 - the application form be downloaded by clicking here . You will need Adobe Acrobat to read this PDF file.

Card Night
The next card night will take place in the Toby Jug at 9.30pm on Friday 26th Feb - entrance £10.

2010 GAA Injury Scheme Brochure Drafted
The GAA have recently presented a final draft of their Injury Scheme Brochure - it can be downloaded by clicking here. You will need Adobe Acrobat to read this PDF file.

New Proposed Changes For Ulster Feile
Following discussions at Coiste Iomána Uladh it has been decided to try to modernise the annual Feile Uladh Under 14 Hurling competition, which is traditionally played on the first Saturday in May each year. Feile Uladh is organised by Ulster GAA as a celebration of hurling within the Province.

The main objective of the tournament is to give young people from throughout Ulster the opportunity to play and enjoy the game of hurling against teams of similar ability levels.

Since its inception the tournament has been organised with groups of four teams playing off on a 'round robin' basis with the winner of the group proceeding to play in a final in the afternoon. After the group games, teams assemble at a central location for a parade before rushing off to play in a final at a different location. This practice has been reviewed and a number of changes are now recommended to help provide a better experience for the teams that compete in the event.

Those changes are outlined below:

• The tournament will now be played over two days.
• Day one will involve all entrants who will play off in a league format. Ideally a facility with a minimum of two pitches would meet the needs of the competition.
• There will be two groups in each Division and a minimum of five teams in each group.
• Each team will therefore play a minimum of four games of 15 minutes each way, which will be a total of 120 minutes of hurling, for each team, on the day.
• Should a group contain less than five teams then the playing time of each game will be increased to ensure that 120 minutes of hurling will be played by each team - i.e. if there are four teams in the group, each team will play three games of 20 minutes each half.
• Coiste Iomána Uladh Members will each be responsible for managing and organising a group venue. This will spread the work load and make it easier to keep track of teams that are not turning up for the event.
• Each venue must have First Aid cover in attendance for the duration of the event.
• The winners of each group will play in a final, which will be played on a separate date.
• All finals will be played together in one venue with 20 minutes each half.

Feile Uladh Group Stage (Example) Division 1A (Five Teams)

• Sixty Teams will be permitted to enter the tournament each year. Teams that competed in last year's tournament shall be given priority to participate each year. Teams that did not participate the previous year will be entered into a draw for places that may become available should any team withdraw.
• Games will be played over two 15 minute halves
• The team with the highest points at the end of the group stage will qualify for the final.
• Should teams finish on equal points then score difference shall be used to determine the winner of the group.
• Unlimited substitutions to be permitted
• Where teams struggle to get full teams then 13 or 11 –a-side will be permitted
• Mentors should ensure that all players get as much playing time as possible.

Possible venues:

Division 1A – Antrim
Division 1B – Derry

Division 2A – Armagh
Division 2B - Antrim

Division 3A - Down
Division 3B - Armagh

Division 4A - Derry
Division 4B - Tyrone

Division 5A - Cavan
Division 5B - Monaghan

Division 6A - Donegal
Division 6B – Fermanagh

Finals Day – All games 20 mins each half
Venue - Armagh
Saturday 15^th May 2010.

12.00 - Division 6 Final
1.00 - Division 5 Final
2.00 - Division 4 Final
3.00 - Division 3 Final
4.00 - Division 2 Final
5.00 - Division 1 Final


Thursday 11th February

Senior Presentation Night
The Senior Presentation Night took place on Saturday 30th January 2010 in Charlemont Arms Hotel, with a good crowd of club members and supporters in attendance as well as Special Guest, Offaly All-Star Brian Whelehan, fresh from a training session with our current senior team.
The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the ‘Mc Cormack’ Cup and medals to our senior team. As well as the team awards there were individual awards:
‘Powell Cup’ for Senior Player of the Year: Eoghan Gribben
‘Corvan Cup’ for Young Senior Player of the Year: Patrick Heaney
‘Mc Manus Cup’ for Minor Player of the Year: Patrick Heaney
Most Improved Minor Player of the Year: Tom Marley
The club also acknowledged both Senior and Minor Management for their efforts throughout the year. The evening closed with a presentation of the club jersey to Brian who then thanked the club for a great evening’s hospitality and wished the club every success in the future.

2010 Club Registration Night
Club registration evening for all Senior/Underage players and parents will take place on Friday 12TH February in the Ceannaras Building starting at 7:00pm.
The membership fees for 2010 are;
Full Club Membership – £25
Student Membership - £15
Youth Membership - £5
Family Membership on the basis of 2 Adults, 2 Children - £45

Any new players are more than welcome to join the club at any time, contact the team manager or any committee members for further details.

Underage Training Resumes
Under 14 training continues on Friday evening on the Astroturf pitch at Sherry’s Field from 6pm-7pm.
Under 12 training continues on Friday evening on the Astroturf pitch at Sherry’s Field from 5pm-6pm.
The Hurling Academy for 4-7 year olds has resumed at St Brigid's High School on Monday from 6pm-7pm for the younger group and 7pm-8pm for the older group.
Indoor Hurling for P4-P6 boys has also resumed Thursday evening.
Any queries contact Rónán McWilliams on 07843092025.

Minors Selected for County Trials
The following Minors have been selected for a second trial which took place last week – Neil Duffy, Tiarnan Donnelly, PJ Nugent, Tom Marley, Ryan Gribben, Paddy Heaney, Jack Lynch

Brendy Arthurs
It is with regret to report that a close friend of Cuchulainns passed away recently. Brendy Arthurs, whose son played up to Minor level, was a regular Card Night supporter and an active member of the Club’s Golf Society, having held the office of Captain in the recent past. We wish to extend on our sympathy to his wife Maeve and sons; Tony, Kevin, Simon and Brendan.

Annual Underage Presentation
The Pearse Og Park Clubrooms witnessed an unprecedented gathering of the underage hurlers, parents and mentors at its annual underage awards ceremony to celebrate yet another successful season at underage level. Once everyone was suitably fed, Jimmy Kelly, Cuchulainn Chairman, got proceedings underway by introducing the special guest, Gareth “Magic” Johnston, the Ballygalget & County Down star to make the presentations. First up were the under 10, 8, & 6 boys from the hurling academy announced by Ronan McWilliams who each received; a certificate, medal and poster. (the academy is ongoing at St Brigid’s High School on Mondays & Thursdays)
The Under 16 awards were then presented by Ronan Hart as follows; Most Improved Player 2009 Tiarnan Donnelly, U16 Player of the Year 2009 Tom Marley.
Next up were the Under 12 awards announced by Niall Clifford. The Enda Kirk award for Best Newcomer was awarded to Martin Rafferty. Most Improved Player 2009 Conall Campbell and U12 Player of the Year, Shane Cartmill.
The final awards were for the victorious U14 Squad who were crowned County, Ulster and All Ireland Feile Champions as well County Champions for 2009. Damien Kirk announced each squad member in turn giving insights into some of the personalities that make up this band of young athletes. Thanks to the generosity of the Maguire family, who have agreed to sponsor a set of jerseys for the 2010 season, each player was presented the jersey they wore in the 2009 campaign. The award for Most Improved was so intense that it was shared jointly between Conor Quinn and Rory McGrath, with Player of the Year awarded to top marksman, Barry Coulter.
The final presentation of framed squad photos was made by Captain Lorcan Oliver to Mary Coulter, Damien Kirk, John Quigley and Adrian Corrigan and the evening was brought to a close by Fr Rory Coyle. The Club wishes to express its gratitude to the parents for their continued commitment both in time and finance so that the Club can continue to provide all resources required for its underage development. The Club also wishes to thank Gerard Davidson, Chairman, and the officers of Pearse Og GAC for the use of its excellent facilities at Ballycrummy.


Friday 22nd January

New Club Posts Filled for 2010
Following on from the recent AGM held at the Athletic Grounds the following Office Bearers for 2010 have been agreed:-

President - E Donaldson
Chairman - J Kelly
Vice-Chair - C Breen
Secretary - G Bradshaw
Asst. Secretary - C Poland
Treasurer - L Ross
Asst. Treasurer - C Kane
PRO - N Clifford
Registrar - L Hart
Children’s Officer - C Clifford
Senior Player Rep. - C Coulter
Committee - C Powell, R Hart, D McParland, A Kearney, B Kirk

Annual Presentation Night
The Club's Annual Presentation will take place on Saturday 30 January in Charlemont Arms Hotel at 7.30pm with 4 times All Star, Brian Whelahan of Offaly.

Underage Indoor Hurling
The Hurling Academy for 4-7 year olds resumes at St Brigid's High School on Monday 1 February from 6pm-7pm for the younger group and 7pm-8pm for the older group.
Indoor Hurling for P4-P6 boys also resumes that week on Thursday 4th January at St Brigid's.
Any queries contact Rónán McWilliams on 07843092025.

Please find below the details for the U8 and U10 Indoor Hurling Blitzes announced by the County Board which will take place in February and March.

U10 Indoor Blitzes.
Saturday 6th February - Keady High School - 1pm til 5pm.
Saturday 20th February - Killeavy GAC - 11am til 1pm.
Saturday 20th February - St. Paul's Junior High School, Lurgan - 11am til 1pm.

U8 Indoor Blitzes.
Saturday 13th February - Keady High School - 1pm til 5pm.
Saturday 13th March - Killeavy GAC - 11am til 1pm.
Saturday 13th March - St. Paul's Junior High School, Lurgan - 11am til 1pm.

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