Successful schoolgirls’ season bodes well for the future

SULLANE U12, Dunmanway Town U12 and Drinagh Rangers U14 finish the year as deserving SuperValu West Cork Schoolboys and Schoolgirls League’s schoolgirls champions.

Another terrific season of schoolgirls soccer saw three clubs crowned as West Cork champions.

Sullane outlasted Clonakilty AFC and Drinagh Rangers to win the 2023 U12 Schoolgirls Premier League title. Without dropping a point, the Ballyvourney club’s perfect league record owed much to top scorer Aisling Kelleher’s magnificent return of 26 league goals. Caroline Creedon, Grainne Loinsigh, Lily Hoare, Muireann Ni Shuibhne, Lilly Scannell, Abbie Scannell and Rionach White also contributed important strikes.

It took a full squad effort for Sullane to capture the title and the Ballyvourney side completed a perfect campaign by also winning the SuperValu U12 Schoolgirls Cup. Skibbereen (6-0) and Riverside Rangers (6-0) were overcome before Sullane defeated Drinagh 2-1 in the cup decider thanks to Aisling Kelleher and Caroline Creedon efforts.

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Dunmanway Town and Lyre Rovers’ season-long battle for the SuperValu U12 Schoolgirls Championship ended with the former edging their rivals by three points for the trophy.

Unbeaten throughout their league campaign, Dunmanway’s even spread of scores was a contributory factor in becoming league champions. Lucy McCarthy netted eight times with Theresa Crowley, Nicola Hurley, Cadhla McCarthy, Rachel O’Leary, Kiera Kiely, Amelie McCarthy and Niamh Sweetnam also hitting the net.

Drinagh Rangers won every league game en route to becoming 2023 SuperValu U14 Schoolgirls Premier champions. The Canon Crowley Park club outlasted Sullane to capture the trophy and those two sides will meet in this season’s SuperValu U14 Schoolgirls Cup final.

Rangers produced some terrific football throughout the year with Katie Collins topping the scoring charts. Collins’ 14 goals along with Rosie O’Donovan, Aine Collins, Emily Buttimer, Sarah Buttimer and Muireann Campbell strikes helped maintain Drinagh’s unblemished league record.

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The West Cork Academy will shortly return to SFAI National Inter-League action and hope for better fare in the early months of 2024.

West Cork’s U12 schoolboys representative side are scheduled to host Cork United in Group H of the SFAI U12 Inter-League grade. Improving with every outing, the U12s will be eager to bounce back from defeats to North Tipperary and Limerick County Whites.

Group F of the SFAI U13 Schoolboys Inter-League sees West Cork’s squad preparing for upcoming meetings with Limerick District and Waterford. The West Cork U15 schoolboys defeated Limerick County and lost narrowly to Kerry in Group D of the SFAI U15 Inter-League before Christmas. North Tipperary and Cork are the rural academy’s upcoming opponents.