It was a day to remember for this Wexford GAA Club…
Raheen Rounders won two All-Ireland Championships on Sunday afternoon.
Firstly, their Intermediate Ladies won the All-Ireland Championship in which was an All-Wexford All-Ireland final with their counterparts, Glynn Barntown, being their opponents. The Raheen Ladies team were captained by pitcher, Joanne Murphy. Raheen defeated Glynn-Barntown in the final on a score-line of 18-11.
Then, later that day, the Raheen Rounders Men were crowned Intermediate All-Ireland Champions. The captain for the Raheen Rounders men team was 42-year old, Dylan Whitty, who played a pivotal role outfield. The Raheen Rounders team defeated the Carlow based, Fenagh Rounders, on a score-line of 17-14. Their win will now see them promoted to the Senior ranks of the Rounders All-Ireland Championship.
It could have been even better for Raheen Rounders. They had a chance to make it a trio of All-Ireland wins, but they lost out the Intermediate Mixed Division All-Ireland final to Kilmeena GAA Rounders in a close battle which finished 10-8 to the Wexford team’s opposition.
There was a great buzz around the small Wexford village in the lead up to the All-Ireland final, and there’s no doubt, that the buzz will be even greater now.
The extent of the achievement becomes even more apparent when one realises that Raheen Rounders Club was only started just one year ago. Double All-Ireland champions after a year? That’s not bad at all.
Interestingly, Raheen wasn’t the only GAA club in Wexford that received double All-Ireland success over the weekend either. The St Martins minor (u-18) Rounders team won the men’s division while they also were victorious in the mixed minor (u18) division. St Martins defeated Seann O’Conghaile’s of Longford in both All-Ireland finals on Saturday.
Jason Redmond
From Gorey, Jason is the owner of Wexford Weekly. He is also a post-primary English and History teacher.
