Newcestown GAA Club is named inaugural winner of the West Cork Sports Club of the Year Award
NEWCESTOWN GAA Club has been announced as the inaugural winner of the Celtic Ross West Cork Sports Club of the Year award, run in conjunction with The Southern Star and c103.
It comes in the wake of a busy and successful 2014, during which the Newcestown club enjoyed a fantastic season that saw the club’s junior A hurlers win the South West junior A hurling championship, while the U21 hurlers were crowned Carbery U21 A hurling kingpins also.
As well as that, Newcestown’s premier intermediate hurlers embarked on a terrific county championship adventure that saw them just miss out on joining the senior ranks, as they lost the PIHC final to Ballyhea. On reflection, it was certainly a season to savour for the Newcestown club.
The award will be presented to representatives of the club at a gala banquet in the Celtic Ross Hotel, Rosscarbery, on Saturday, January 10th, when the overall Celtic Ross West Cork Sports Star of the Year will be announced.
Also, there will be presentations to both the Hall of Fame winner and the youth award winner who have been revealed as Christy Mullins and Connor Ellis, respectively.
The Celtic Ross West Cork Youth Sports Star of the Year, Connor Ellis from Kealkil, Bantry, has been banging in the goals for the Cork City FC U19 team and is tipped as a bright prospect for the club’s senior team, managed by John Caulfield, which finished second in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland last season.
Connor was chosen from the year’s four quarterly youth award winners – the others having been Mairead O’Driscoll, Castlehaven (bowling), Emma Spillane, Bantry (ladies’ football) and Alex Hassett, Baltimore (Gaelic football).
The Celtic Ross West Cork Sports Hall of Fame award winner is Christy Mullins, the road bowling great from the Bantry area. His choice for this award is particularly appropriate as the sport’s governing body, Bol-Chumann na hÉireann, celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2014.
Both at national and international level, Mullins has proved himself a supreme sportsman, and he has won the admiration of bowling followers everywhere.
He has been competing in the senior ranks since 1980 and is still today a formidable force on any bowling road. In 2014 he saw off the challenges of several of the game’s best to reach the county senior final, losing out only in the final throws to Aidan Murphy.
He was also victorious in the Noel Phair Cup at Clonakilty and competed at countless fundraising events at venues from Dingle to Castletownbere. He has worn the green jersey of his country with honour and distinction in Germany, Holland and Italy, and indeed as an exile in Launder’s Lane in London.
He continues to capture the imagination of bowling followers with his willingness to play scores for charity, tournament or championship, in any corner of the county. He has mastered the art of Moors bowling with sublime skill, winning individual and team medals since he made his international debut back in 1977.
The overall winner of the 17th annual Celtic Ross West Cork Sports Star of the Year award will be chosen by adjudicators Con Downing, editor of The Southern Star, and Paudie Palmer, c103 sports commentator, from the 2014 monthly winners.
Tickets for the gala banquet may be booked through the Celtic Ross Hotel on 023-8851000.
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