The Donegal Sports Star Awards Committee will have taken note of a number of sporting achievements during the month of April that will no doubt form part of their deliberations when deciding winners at the end of the year.
April 2013 won’t be forgotten in a hurry by young Ramelton man Kyle-Callan McFadden (pictured right) a previous Donegal Sports Star Award Soccer winner.
Just three days after helping Norwich City to the FA Youth Cup Final the 18-year-old Ramelton lad signed his first professional contract with the Canaries. And it got better as the centre-half played his part in the dramatic late 1-0 first leg win over the mighty Chelsea in front of 21,500 fans at Carrow Road. For further details on the Donegal Sports Star Awards visit donegalsportsstarawards.ie or follow us on Facebook at Donegalsports Starawards.
Other excellent April highlights included athlete Mark English who represented Ireland at a World Relays event in the US and was one of three Letterkenny AC members to win track titles at the national universities championships in Cork. April was also good for boxing as five young fighters came back from the National Stadium with gold medals.
Another magnificent triumph was Moville Community School winning the FAI Senior Girls Final. April was good for athletics in terms of both titles and qualification for international competitions. Finn Valley athlete Sarah Collins broke the Irish Junior 5k record in the USA to make the qualifying time for the European Championships in Rieti next month. Another Finn Valley athlete hammer thrower Felan McGuigan qualified for IAAF World Youth Championships at Loughborough, England reaching the World ‘B’ standard for a second time. He now goes to the finals in the Ukraine next month.
John Kelly (2012 Donegal Sports Star Best Secondary Boy Athletics Award winner) reached the ‘B’ Standard for the IAAF World Youth Championships in Loughborough with two throws of 18.21m and 18.33m. Letterkenny AC’s Mark English set a new Donegal 400m record at Universities Track & Field Championships in Cork and helped Ireland to fifth place at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia in a team that included Brian Gregan, Ciaran O’Lionaird and Paul Robinson. Also at the Universities Track & Field Championships in Cork, Darren McBrearty won the 800m and Dan King took the 1,500m title to make it a treble success for members of Letterkenny AC. Mark Hoy, Finn Valley was second in the 800m. At the end of the month Brendan Boyce finished 6th in Germany in a time of 1:24:38 in a 20km walk
In badminton the reigning title holders Donegal were beaten in the Division 1 U-15 Final at the Ulster Inter League Team Championships at the National Badminton Hall in Lisburn. However, there was good news for the Donegal B side who won the Division 2 Final., another past Overall Donegal Sports Award winner Illies Golden Gloves fighter Willie McLaughlin won again against a Ukrainian opponent in Italy as a member of the Italia Thunder team.
There was a good end to the month for young Errigal Cycling Club member Shauna McFadden who won the U-12 category at Ras na nOg in Drogheda and was third in an event in Cookstown and finished fourth in a race in Banbridge, Co. Down. Another Errigal Cycling Club member Dylan Traynor was 3rd in the U-12 race in Banbridge and fourth in the Cookstown event. Conor Halvey was fourth in U-14s in Cookstown and Ciara Doogan 3rd in U-16 Youth Olympic Trials. Michael McGlynn was third in the U-14 race in Cookstown.
At the Donegal Championships Conor McElwaine (Errigal Cycling) and Siobhan Gallagher (Four Masters) won the male and female Time Trial Championships while in the top event of the weekend Cormac Keeney was first across the line in the County Road Race Final. Meanwhile, Jordan McGinley (Errigal Cycling) from Letterkenny received an invitation to be part of the Belgian Project-David McCall Foundation Composite Team for the Ras Dhun na nGall.
In GAA football it was not a month of success outside the county but the Donegal U-21s did reach an Ulster Final against Cavan. At the end of the month the County’s Minor footballers lost to Monaghan in the Ulster League Final at Brewster Park. Hurling produced two winners although the Donegal senior hurlers lost to Fingal in Division 3A League Final in the middle of the month there were Ulster titles at the end of the month for the county’s minor team winning the Ulster Shield defeating Monaghan in the final at Brewster Park and the St. Eunan’s hurlers triumphed in the Ulster Division 4 decider overcoming Pearse Og (Louth) in the final at Garvaghy, Co. Tyrone.
Letterkenny man Patrick Quinlivan was named ‘Disability Gymnast of the Year at a reception in Banbridge. Patrick is a also a previous Donegal Sports Star Award winner. Sammy Wasson (Letterkenny) came third in Power Lifting World Championships in Castleblaney.
There were a number of soccer titles handed out in April. Letterkenny Rovers and Bonagee Utd won the U-16 Champions League and U-16 Europa Cup respectively. Letterkenny Rovers youth player Dale Gorman signed for English League side Stevenage. On Sunday April 14th the destiny of four league titles were decided between Donegal and Inishowen. Donegal Town won the Division 1; Gweedore Utd lifted the Division 2 League Championship title while Kerrykeel 71 were also promoted to Division 1.
Out in Vienna there was another international cap for Milford girl Amber Barrett (Lagan Harps) but it was to be disappointment for the Irish U-17s losing to Norway in a European qualifier meaning no place at the Elite Finals. At just 21 years of age goalkeeper Ciaran Gallagher made his 100th appearance for Finn Harps against Salthill Devon in Ballybofey while another young netminder at the club Shaun Patton was in goals for Republic of Ireland Schoolboys against England in 2-2 draw in Cork. At the end of the month Letterkenny Rovers Youths won the Colin Breslin Cup Final defeating Rosses Academy;
In schools sport at primary level Kilmacrennan NS captured a unique treble of county titles in three different sporting codes, namely soccer, gaelic football and athletics. The three titles were won within a fortnight of each other. First up was the girls soccer team who swept all before them in the FAI Futsal competition without conceding a goal.
The Sportshall Athletics was the next competition that saw success come the way of the Kilmacrennan school. The 3rd/4th class girls team won the county title and went all the way to the All-Ireland finals where they finished in 3rd place. The boys made it a unique hat-trick of titles when they won the Indoor GAA title in Letterkenny.
In Secondary Schools sport St. Eunan’s College second year boys basketball side defeated Summershill (Sligo) in regional final to retain their title and reach the All-Irelands play-offs.
For further details on the Donegal Sports Star Awards visit donegalsportsstarawards.ie or follow us on Facebook at Donegalsports Starawards.