I wasn’t much good at basketball, but I still remember the excitement in Newtownforbes (County Longford) when our school installed a court – for the first time in its history.
Yes, the introduction of the sport to the school (which itself no longer now exists) happened during my time there… over 40 years ago.
Once we had the new facilities – a novelty beyond the usual football and athletics – we enthusiastically formed a school basketball team. I was chosen as captain, not because of my ability, but due to my height.
Mediocrity ensued.
Not wishing to engage in stereotyping or anything, but when some American families moved to Newtownforbes – some of the parents apparently taking up management roles in the Burlington factory in Clondra – our new classmates showed quite a natural talent for basketball.
The lads from Rooskey, Longford and surrounds watched and learnt. It turned out Drumlish wasn’t on a par with Detroit when it came to basketball pedigree.
I’d like to think we went on to dominate the burgeoning schools’ basketball scene, but can only recall one or two memorable competitive outings.
In any event, I’ve always enjoyed dipping in and out of elite basketball on the TV. I didn’t get to see much of the earlier rounds at the recent Olympics, but caught up with both finals. They made for thrilling viewing. The USA defeated France 98-87 to win the men’s final. I was surprised at how well the home team did, but this fine showing by the French men was surpassed by the hosts’ team in a gripping ladies’ final last Sunday.
The USA went into that gold medal game having won the previous SEVEN Olympics. Yes, the USA women’s team has won every single Olympic gold since 1996.
Tuning in on Sunday, I expected that dominance to continue. It did, but only by the smallest margin, and in dramatic circumstances.
It was shattering for the French. In a highly dramatic finale to a tremendously tense game, Gabby Williams’ last-gasp score was deemed to be a two-pointer (her brilliant effort came from just inside the three-point line) when a three-pointer would have levelled the scores. USA won by 67-66, having admirably come from behind.
RTE’s somewhat eccentric commentator, Tim McCarthy (a long-time and very popular resident of Kiltoom, Co Roscommon) reckoned France were the better team, but the USA prevailed, making it 61 successive wins for them at the Olympics (dating back to 1996). I imagine this was their closest call.
Back in Newtownforbes in the early 1980s, we had no such drama (or success), but we made good friends –and great memories.
The big kick-off
Players that are spoilt and overpaid; egotistical, overly sensitive managers with tunnel vision; spiralling wages and transfer fees; badly-behaved fans (a minority)…
Also, costly VAR deficiencies; a culture of cheating by players; sometimes tiresome hype and hysteria from Sky Sports; an occasional whiff of corruption; a clear sense that the influx of foreign owners is adversely affecting the game; loyalty in terminal decline… the Premier League returns for a new season this weekend.
Can’t wait.
Best of luck, Richael
Best of luck to Roscommon sportsperson Richael Timothy, who will represent Ireland in her second Paralympics, taking place later this month.
The former Irish soccer international was also an inter-county GAA player with Roscommon until an acquired brain injury ended her career prematurely.
Richael will represent Ireland in cycling at the Games, which begin in Paris on August 28th.
Locals heading to World Wallball Championships
From August 18th to 23rd all roads will lead to the University of Limerick as the World Wallball Championships are set to take place there, with entries expected from all over the globe.
Normally held in conjunction with the 40×20 World Championships, Onewall (or Wallball as it has been re-branded) has gained such popularity in the last 15 to 20 years it now warrants its own separate competition.
Needless to say there will be good Roscommon representation there, mainly from St Coman’s and Kilglass, with a few contenders among the 21 Rossies competing.
While the seedings are not available at the time of going to press, Fiona Tully will surely be expecting to be seeded no worse than top three.
With her aggressive killing style, Fiona is a serious contender for the Ladies Open title. She also teams up with ladies legend Catriona Casey from Cork in the Ladies Open Doubles for what looks like a very formidable pairing.
Another strong contender will be Alanna Coggeran from Kilglass, who takes part in the U-19 grade. A Onewall specialist, Alanna also teams up with another Onewall specialist, Ava Sweeney from Galway, in the doubles – and they could take some beating.
In the Ladies ‘A’ grade, despite less than stellar preparation, St Coman’s duo Carragh Kennedy and Siobhan Treacy are formidable players and have the ability to do some damage in both singles and doubles.
Kilglass have two fine players in the U-13 grade. Eoin Grehan has impressed many in the last year and he could go a long way.
His clubmate Niamh Hall is a very tough competitor, who has worked hard at her game and is constantly improving.
Best of luck to all local participants!
Karate Club on the move!
JKA Roscommon Karate Club moved from their old training venue, the Hyde Centre, to the Christian Brothers School in Roscommon earlier this month.
The club is a member of JKA Ireland and affiliated with the Japan Karate Association, the largest and most prestigious traditional karate organisation in the world.
Classes began at their new dojo on Wednesday, August 7th, with juniors (Under-16s) training from 6 to 6.45 pm and seniors (Over-16s) from 6.45 to 8 pm every week.
All ages are encouraged to come along to try it out with new members welcome throughout the year.
