There were great celebrations in Páirc Uí Tuathail and later in Ballyboden as the Under 15 football team won the Division 1Gerard Canavan Tournament on Thursday 16th July reports Joe Roche.

The team had won through from their group on Monday with wins over Na Fianna (0-9 to 0-8) and Whitehall Colmcilles (0-8 to 0-6). Played on a tight pitch, the forwards did well to create space to score. In a very close match against Na Fianna (never more than two points between the teams), two points from Cathal Flaherty closed the game out for a narrow win. Good defensive displays from Ryan Gillen and Brendan Byrne limited the Na Fianna attack.

In the other group game against Whitehall, good fielding and attacks by Sam Moloney and Neil Jordan along with key interceptions by Niall Keegan established a platform for the forwards. Having established a four point lead, Boden withstood a strong Whitehall finish to top the group and qualify for the semi-final.

On Thursday, Naomh Mearnóg were Boden’s first opponents. The bigger pitch suited Boden and strong running from midfield led to goals by Danny O’Reilly and James Roche. These scores gave Boden an advantage they did not relinquish. At the other end, strong defence from Sean Keller and Dan Buckingham did not allow Naomh Mearnóg’s forwards any space.

In the final, Boden lined out against old rivals, Kilmacud Crokes. Crokes started the stronger and established a two-point lead early on. They say that goals win games and it was certainly true in this case. Two piledrivers either side of half time from Cathal Flaherty gave Boden a strong advantage. Jack McCarron picked off a couple of fine points before a trademark Sam Moloney run led to Boden’s third goal. Kilmacud finished strongly, but Boden had done enough to close out the game 3-4 to 1-6 and win this season’s first silverware.

A well deserved win and a perfect boost mid-summer prior to re-launching the league campaign in August. While the team was not at full strength, thanks must go to players from the U15B team (Danny O'Reilly, Conor O'Reilly and Brendan Byrne) and the U14 team (Jack McCarron, Killian Power, Tom Hanafin, Corry McCelland, Stephen McDonald and Cian Bates) who all featured strongly and made their mark on the games. Well done lads. Thanks to Jimmy, Ger and Neil for coaching the team to win these close-fought games and to the parents who travelled in support. Finally, many thanks to O’Tooles and the Canavan family in particular for the organisation of a fine tournament – a fitting annual tribute to the memory of Gerard Canavan.