U16s XV v Loreto Milford photo album
CCS U16s XV opened their Ulster High Schools Cup campaign in October with a hard-fought victory against Loreto Milford. Final score: 22-12.
PHOTO ALBUM - Carndonagh CS Annual Sports Awards 2018
On Friday, 11th May, the Áras welcomed the most successful group of athletes ever assembled in CCS for the Annual Sports Awards. With the stage weighed down by silverware, a conveyor belt of teams and individuals took to the stage for certificates, medals and mementos recognising their many and varied achievements. Treasa Doherty - past-pupil, Donegal Football star and Carn woman - was on hand to do the presenting. She outlined the values that are critical to achievement at the top level, highlighting 'dedication' as key to getting the best out of yourself, regardless of silverware. She did lament the lack of Saturday lie-ins. But such sacrifices must be made! Members of the Senior Boys Soccer squad (once again National Champions) and the Mackey Cup winning Gaelic Football squad were each presented with a display photo for the mantlepiece. There were Ulster titles all over the place with First Year soccer and futsal (boys and girls) taking many of the plaudits. Some big futures there. (Remember, DEDICATION!)...The afternoon was rounded off with the ‘Inishowen Tours Outstanding Prospect in Sport Award'. The worthy recipient of that prestigious accolade was Daniel Houghton, now a two-time National senior boys soccer champion and an International goalkeeper. We'll endeavour to publish the full list of titles secured throughout the year, if we can remember them all. Overall, 2017-18 will be remembered as the most successful year to date for sport in CCS.
We were prepared for anything: Gear bags packed, water bottles filled, the finest rugby kits in the school freshly washed, Ethan was coming; we were set. A full squad ready of the top u16 rugby players in the school (also Sean) were going to Omagh to win. Then the match was cancelled and we had to go back to class, despite the protests of three of our players who had missed breakfast that morning. Slightly disheartened, but unbroken, we once again prepared ourselves mentally and physically to play a bit of rugby as a team, despite a change in manager from Mr. McNally to Mr. Spencer. Then it got cancelled and we had to go back to class, again, to the dismay of the players and the manager alike. The next day, tired, and desperate to actually get playing rugby, we headed to Omagh without Ethan (singing his wee heart out at the talent show) or Ronan Kelly (rushed to NowDoc after scraping his knee), taking the wrong kits and a size 4 ball instead of a size 5.
Read more: U16 Rugby - Omagh Leave Valiant CCS Stuck in a Ruck!
The senior CCS boys’ rugby team returned with vengeance after their previous defeat to Rainey, when they faced St. Columba’s in the Ulster U18s Trophy Semi-final. From the starting whistle the boys emptied the tanks and played with one hundred per cent commitment to winning the game. The Columba’s team came out with initial bursts of pressure coming from the opposition flyhalf, who kicked more than an angry donkey; but that pressure was handled perfectly by an on-form Darragh McCormick (who played the first decent match of his life).
Read more: Senior Rugby - Magic Display Takes Years off Mr. McNally!
The boys’ senior rugby team kicked off their season on Wednesday, 29th November, when Mr. McNally retreated from teaching to take the team to Rainey. A young PJ Callaghan was told he was going to the hill and Stephen Kelly was handed a Mars Dar Duo to force them both to play. It was too tempting an offer for Kelly to turn down. The team felt defeated from the beginning when team hero Christopher Gill couldn’t go due to international duty against New Zealand; good luck Christopher!! From the whistle, team captain Finin MacLochlainn, an all-around phenomenal person on and off the pitch, dump-tackled the other captain off the field. The CCS lads piled on the pressure until a mistake caused the Rainey boys to score under the posts. Birthday boy Connor Bambrick retaliated with a compelling run down the wing to score. Runs from Stephen Kelly, PJ Callaghan and Michael Harkin constantly forced the Rainey defence back. Poetry in motion occurred when Stephen got the ball, steamrolled an unsuspecting Rainey prop and offloaded to Finín, who performed a perfectly timed one handed passed to Eoin Hela, who reminded the crowd of a young Michael Flatley, spinning like there was no tomorrow.
The Women's Rugby World Cup was a high-profile visitor to CCS on Thursday, 11th May. The school's rugby pitch was a hive of activity, with local primary school pupils enjoying a blitz of catch-and-run. Our own girls spent at least half an hour posing with the World Cup before taking part in a tag-rugby match with the boys. The main event of the day was CCS Girls XV v St. Columba's Girls XV (Stranorlar). It has to be said that many of the spectators in attendance weren't quite ready for the spectacle. There's no doubt that some of the tackling was on a par with anything seen in boys rugby. The game's intensity was notable and every girl on the pitch gave it the whole nine yards...At one point there MAY have been a short recess to let everyone calm down a bit! Fair play to Mr. Spencer for managing to keep a lid on proceedings, while imparting his knowledge of the game in the process. In the end, the CCS ladies ran out 20-10 winners. But as can be seen from the photos, everyone left the battleground with their heads held high. Well done to both teams on a superb exhibition of "the gentleman's game".
Women's Rugby World Cup Visits CCS (photo album)
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