Reeling in the year 2021 

The ninth instalment of our Reeling In the Year feature brings us back to September 2021.

It was hectic on the playing fields in September with condensed schedules being completed at fierce speed. There was a mixed bag for the 'hill in terms of results with a number of finals reached, but with no success unfortunately. 

Our U-12 boys secured their place in the league final with a comprehensive win over St. Colmcille's. They went on to lose out to Kiltha Óg in the Final after extra-time. (4-6 V 2-6)

Our U-15 boys also progressed to the East-Cork final with a victory over Erin's Own but lost out to St. Coleman's in the final after a titanic battle in  Ballinacurra. Not to be outdone the U-13's also enjoyed victory over Blackrock in the Premier 2 league. Go-games continues also with our U-10 team travelling to Carrig Na Bhfear and our U-11 team hosing Ballyhooly and Castlelyons in Watergrasshill. On the adult side our Intermediates lost out to Castlelyons (3-21 V's 1-11) in their 1^st round championship game and also went down in round 2 to Iniscarra (2-17 to 4-13)  with the Junior A team also losing out to Cobh in the 1^st round. 

Off the field - there was a buzz of excitement around the village as a film crew from TG4 paid a visit to interview some past pupils and get some shots of Felix Sarsfield Memorial Park as part of the documentary which aired in December documenting the life and times of Eamonn Ryan. Club members shared their fond memories of Eamon and talked about the legacy he has left in our community.

The next phase of our program to improve the facilities and accessibility to same for our entire community also took shape in September with the completion of a dedicated foot & cycle path linking the vilalge to our grounds. Since the opening of Felix Sarsfield Memorial Park in Condonstown in 1978, the fundamental benefit of having our GAA grounds at the heart of our community, safely and easily accessible for all was always hampered by the N8/R639. Whilst the location made vehicular access relatively easy, pedestrian and cycle access has always been unattractive due to the lack of a proper footpath. However, thanks to the efforts of our club committee, a new cycle and foot path have now been completed which connects the village directly to our grounds. This is a great piece of infrastructure, which now means that one can walk from the center of the village to the pitch and with the extension of the reduced 60Kph to a point North of our grounds, the stretch of road has now been transformed to an amenity where evening walks to the pitch are safe and enjoyable. With upgraded junction signage, a staggered crossing point and new footpath & access works at the southern end of the grounds, the connection with the village has been much improved and will no doubt benefit the entire community for years to come. Watergrasshill GAA would like to thank Cllr. Sheila O’Callaghan & Cork County Council for their support in completing this invaluable project for our community. 

Lotto 

There was no winner of the Lotto Jackpot this week. Numbers drawn were 2, 7, 20 & 32. Lucky dip winners are Pat O'Leary (The Pound), Charlie Walsh, Mickey Cronin (Lombardstown) & Ciara Cashman. Congrats to you all. Next week's jackpot is a fantastic €11,900 and draw will take place Monday 15^th February. Tickets are on sale in some of the village businesses like The Hut Bar, The Fir Tree, Johnny's Shop and our new Lotto stand in Ross's Centra. Tickets can also be purchased on-line via our club website (www.watergrasshillgaa.ie). The Club would like to take this opportunity to thank all our members and supporters of the Watergrasshill GAA Club Lotto. The Club Lotto is a vital source of income for the running of all our teams within the Club and for future development of our facilities, so we ask you to please support it if you are in a position to do so. Remember, if you’re not in you can’t win. 

Pitch Signage & Advertising Opportunity

Rebels Bounty Draw 

Support from across the parish and beyond has been fantastic and we've now surpassed our minimum target, meaning that proceeds from every ticket sold go directly back into our community. We've also now set up an internal monthly draw for a €50 prize for all Rebels Bounty ticket holders giving 31 chances to win per month, that's 372 prizes over the 12 monthly draws.

The Rebels Bounty draw is an initiative of "One Cork" to give clubs a significant opportunity to raise funds. Proceeds from every ticket sold above minimum targets go directly to our clubs in Watergrasshill & Glenville.  We had a fantastic response in 2021 and tickets are now up for renewal. We are asking all members and supporters to renew again this year and support this very important fundraised for both clubs. The 2022 prize fund is over €500,000 with 30 chances to win every month. Entries can be made on-line via www.gaacork.ie/rebelsbounty or through any club member. If you need any assistance, feel free to contact Brian or Paud or please email rebelsbounty@gaa.ie or hillglenvillerebelsbounty@gmail.com. Your support is greatly appreciated with much needed funds going directly into supporting your club and your community, míle buiochas duitse go léir.