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Abu Dhabi Fianna - Summary of Club Happenings

By our intrepid reporter, PJ "The Truth in the News" Kirwan

The Abu Dhabi Fianna 2005-2006 football/social season is well and truly under way at this stage. Photo: PJ Kirwan, Abu Dhabi Irish Society, Dec 2005

As is the norm in this part of the world, it is very difficult to predict in advance what surprises the new season will hold. Rumours of the number of new ladies coming to Abu Dhabi for the first time meant that we were pretty confident of having sufficient lady players to continue the tradition of those who have come and gone over the past number of years. However, having lost so many of our longest serving and most talented male players at the end of last season (Gearoid Leen, Barry Maguire, Aengus Mannion, Malachy Mc Nulty and John Egan), the future of the men’s team in particular wasn’t clear. Therefore, it’s great to report that at the start of the season the men’s ranks have been replenished with new players committed to giving their best for the sake of the club. Previous players who had donned the Fianna shirt (both men and women) were listed and acknowledged by Tadhg Flahive in his Chairman’s speech at the Club’s “Welcome Back Party” in the Majlis Room of the Crowne Plaza. It demonstrated the contribution that the Abu Dhabi Fianna Club has made to the social lives of so many expats of several nationalities who have passed through Abu Dhabi in recent years, and long may the tradition continue. We currently have two playing members who can both speak fluent Swedish. Do you know who they are?

Mark Keenan has taken over the serious responsibility of training the men’s team while Declan Madden is doing likewise for the ladies’. Kieran Leahy is the new men’s captain and Geraldine Duncan is the women’s. Training is taking place twice weekly on Saturday and Wednesday at the Al Gazal Golf Club and at the Petroleum Institute pitches respectively. The club is indebted to Pat Fleming for liaising with PI for the use of their facility. Numbers at training have been very encouraging despite the long haul relative to previous years. The Crowne Plaza has been providing a bus whenever possible and UTS Kent is, as always, sponsoring the playing pitches. Our thanks to Denis Crotty for his firm’s continued support for the club. The Crowne Plaza has once again come on board with substantial sponsorship and we acknowledge the support provided by Richard Gosling and Walter Hall. Group 4 Securities are fast becoming a major sponsor due to the efforts of Rory Mallon. Jack Doyle and Al Mariah Transport continue their invaluable contribution by providing buses when we have away games. Our grateful appreciation is once again extended to all our sponsors. Johnny Rea and Tadhg Flahive are continuing to seek out potential sponsors as this is vital to the continuing survival of the club.

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SOCIAL EVENTS SO FAR

The year started out with our usual “Welcome Back Party” in the Majlis Room of the Crowne Plaza. This was combined with a fundraising “Grease” night in Heroes after the speeches and food- the brainchild of Dan Anthony who is already in contention for the award of “Clubman of the Year”. Everyone got into the mood of the night and the event proved so popular (and successful from a fundraising point of view) that a further “Abba” night was held at the end of November. Our new website was officially launched by James Ryan on the night and continues to be a work in progress. It can be accessed at www.abudhabinafianna.com and we would encourage all members to contribute to the site, to access it regularly in order to keep informed of the club’s happenings and to spread the word!!

The All Ireland Finals once again proved to be very successful social occasions with the Crowne Plaza pulling out all the stops decorating the room and providing several plasma screens to create an atmosphere that Croke Park would have been proud of. The “Score Prediction” in the hurling final proved to be a disaster in terms of fundraising due to the fact that the person in charge gave all the money back in prizes!! I won’t mention who he was, but if you’ve ever heard the song “Me One Half Crown”, you might be able to guess. Felim Bolster, as treasurer, is still suffering from palpitations.

Several other events have taken place on the social front. We had a “Bowling Night” in October with 27 participants. The winner on the night was Eoin Fitzpatrick. Several other side competitions took place with Felim Bolster beating Decy Brady with his last ball. Being the modest guy that he is, Felim didn’t even celebrate!!!! A mixed doubles tennis competition was also held in October with Sue Hatch and Derek O’ Sullivan emerging as the eventual winners. A very successful golf outing was organized by Declan Brady on the sand course at the Al Gazal Golf Club. It proved to be very controversial as some of the teams didn’t complete the 18 holes due to fading light. However, Decy wasn’t impressed and stuck to his guns regarding the final calculations of scores. The winning team consisted of Joe Somers, Mike Clifford, Mark Keenan and Declan Brady. Rumour has it that Johnny Cowie has written Decy out of his will as a result of the controversy!! Johnny Rea has held a number of “Shooting Nights” in the Armed Forces Officers’ Club to give club members access to this unusual social event. Because of Johnny’s military expertise and safety awareness, we were all surprised when the eventual winner on the first night was Chairman Tadhg who has actually framed the shooting target as evidence. Johnny has identified Kieran Leahy and Shawnah Staples as potential assassins so be careful what you say next time you are having a drink with them. A poker night was held in P.J. Kirwan’s residence with the night degenerating into a coin tossing competition won by Eoin Ryan. His Limerick background might have something to do with his expertise in this field as he had obviously done this before. There is currently a snooker competition in progress with 18 participants. Declan Madden and Eamonn Mc Corrick are the pre-tournament favourites. Place your bets with Paddy Power while the odds are still favourable!!

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JUVENILE CLUB

One of the most notable advances in the club in the last year has been the success of the Juvenile Club. Under the stewardship of Johnny Rea and Rory Mallon, numbers at training have swelled and continue to do so. Training is held at 4pm every Friday at the Municipality Pitch on 13th Street and Airport Road. Training was recently attended by 94- year- old Mike Daly who originally hails from Cork and is a Middle East veteran of almost 50 years. The youngsters were in awe at the sight of Mike trying his hand at hurling, the game he once excelled at. Mike was so impressed by what he saw that he has agreed to sponsor the club for forthcoming seasons.

Well done to Johnny and Rory for their efforts. The Abu Dhabi juveniles recently beat Dubai in their first game of the season. It’s very encouraging to see the youngsters of various nationalities taking part in our national sports. If you are free on Friday afternoons, why not drop down and give a hand with the training of the future generation of Abu Dhabi Fianna players?

RAILWAY CUP

The first competitive matches of the year were the “Railway Cup” games held at the Al Gazal Golf Club in Abu Dhabi. Oman were to send some representatives, but last minute hitches meant that they couldn’t travel. However, Dubai Celts (just returned from Shanghai where their men’s team won the Asian Gaelic Games Men’s Tournament and their ladies were beaten finalists) more than made up for this by sending a bus load of players. Because Dubai had difficulty finding the pitch, the games started late and the format had to be adjusted accordingly. There were no winners or losers on the day and all games were played in the spirit intended. After the games, everyone returned to the apartment of Tadhg and Edith Flahive (gracious hosts as ever) for refreshments before going to the Crowne Plaza for a buffet. It proved to be a great night with the Dubai and Abu Dhabi players mingling freely and competing with each other in the sing song stakes. The fact that the Dubai bus didn’t leave till after 2 am having originally planned to leave at midnight bears testament to the convivial spirit of the night, a trend we hope will continue for the rest of the season.

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IRISH ARMED FORCES TRIP TO DUBAI

The Irish Armed Forces stopped off in Dubai on their way to Australia where they were taking part in an annual “Round Robin Tournament” against the Allied Irish Banks and the Bank of Ireland teams. It was meant to tie in with the “Compromise Rules” series being held in Australia at the same time. The trip was eighteen months in the planning and was initially instigated by Johnny Rea in conjunction with Kevin Mc Stay of Mayo and R.T.E. fame on the Armed Forces side.

Since it was proving impossible logistically to arrange a game in Abu Dhabi, Dubai Celts, through Malacky Mulhall in particular, took over the running of the event with input from Na Fianna whenever possible. On the day of the match we sent up four players (Mark Keenan, Declan Madden, Ross Miotti and Kieran Leahy) to represent us on an “Emirates Selection” team, and Tadhg Flahive acted as a selector on the day. The Emirates team was completely outclassed on a score of 5-24 to 1-5 by their very talented opponents. The game brought us back down to earth regarding the standard we play at out here despite the undoubted improvement in recent years. The downside of the day was that Kieran Leahy stubbed his foot while taking a kick-out. What initially looked like an innocuous injury subsequently required surgery from which Kieran is still recuperating. The Club wishes him a speedy recovery.

Abu Dhabi Fianna had a table at the post match dinner and Pat English was seen mingling with his Mayo counterparts, even getting a mention in one of the Irish local newspapers as a result! Longford had four representatives on the night which must be a record in itself!! Rory Mallon was doing his best for North-South relations before heading off on a trip to Djibouti of all places.

EMIRATES CHAMPIONSHIP – ROUND ONE

Na Fianna traveled in numbers to Dubai on October 27th to take part in the first round of the now annual Emirates Championship. Jack Doyle provided a 50 seat bus which we managed to fill, and a number of other players and supporters traveled by car making it one of the best attended starts to a season in recent years.

The ladies’ team had a panel of almost 20 players. It was the first competitive game for a lot of these girls and they surprised everyone with their commitment, team work and standard of play on the day. Although the Dubai ladies had recently reached the final of the Asian games, they were stretched to the limit by a very determined Abu Dhabi team who eventually lost by four points. However, the margin belies how close the game really was and augurs well for the remaining matches in the season. All the players on the day caught the eye, but most noticeable were: Gail Waddington, Katie Lynch, Kirsten Smyllie, Lorraine Monaghan and Geraldine Duncan.

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Abu Dhabi Ladies’ team members:

Liza Bergstein, Brid Tierney, Lorraine Monaghan, Sue Hatch, Geraldine Duncan, Jane Waterhouse, Gail Waddington, Katie Lynch, Kirsten Smyllie, Neiti Morgan, Shawnah Staples, Orla Roche, Ciara O’ Reilley, Ellen Marie Quinn, Gerda O’ Malley, Marie Murphy, Holly Heiben

Despite initial concerns, the men’s team had over 20 players available on the day with the addition of three players from Ruwais whose contributions proved invaluable. The game was played over four quarters of 12 minutes. Abu Dhabi started strongly with Terry Fulton opening the score with a well taken point from play. Dubai replied immediately and extended their lead by two points before Declan Madden brought Abu Dhabi back into contention with two points (one from play). The sides were level at three points each at the end of the first quarter.

Na Fianna seemed to fall asleep in the second quarter as they failed to score while Dubai extended their tally to 1-7. The only notable opportunity for us was when Denis Crotty had a shot blocked down by the Dubai defence when a goal looked on the cards. However, the third quarter was much more productive. Paul Smyllie was outstanding and managed to score on opportunistic goal quickly followed by a point. Dan Anthony also came close when his attempt hit the side netting. Pat English (playing in goal due to Kieran Leahy’s injury) was unlucky when a sideline kick floated over his head. However, he made an outstanding save in the fourth quarter which more than made up for it. The third quarter finished on a score of 1-5 to 3-8 in favour of Dubai.

The footballing skills of the new players from Ruwais came to the fore in the final quarter with points from Trevor Buckley and Andrew Comerford. We eventually lost out on a score of 1-7 to 3-11, but a lot of positives can be taken from the game and the team is sure to improve.

Na Fianna Men’s Panel:

Patrick English, Denis Crotty, Terry Fulton, Niall Dooley, James Ryan, Declan Madden, Michael Boyce, Derek O’ Sullivan, Dan Anthony, Ross Miotti, Eoin Ryan, Paul Smyllie, David Scott Bywater, Trevor Buckley, Andrew Comerford, Sean O’ Connor, Eoin Fitzpatrick, Mark Keenan, Declan Brady, Mark Hallett , George Zacheru, Johann

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EMIRATES CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND TWO

Round Two of the Emirates Championship took place on Thursday, November 17th, on the training pitch adjacent to the Al Jazirah Sports Club.

The ladies played first. This particular bunch of girls seems to be gelling really well and attendance at training has been impressive since the beginning of the season. The girls didn’t disappoint and were emphatic winners on the night on a score of 6-10 to 1-5. The score is a fair reflection of the superiority of Na Fianna and augurs well for the forthcoming Bahrain tournament. Although a number of the Dubai players were missing due to commitments at a rugby tournament in Doha, they still had most of their better players available on the night.

This was undoubtedly one of the best displays by an Abu Dhabi ladies team since the formation of the club. To beat the Asian finalists in such fashion speaks volumes about the current squad and should give the players every confidence for the remainder of the season. Unlike previous years, Na Fianna seems to be blessed this year with a very balanced team of talented, committed and enthusiastic players. Every effort should be made by the club to send a full squad to the forthcoming Bahrain games as this team should be serious contenders for the title. However, complacency is something that should be avoided at all costs.

It would be impossible to pick out individual players as there were so many strong performances on the night. However, those who were outstanding and deserve special mention are Gayle Waddington , Kirsten Smyllie , Kate Lynch, Neiti Morgan and a vocal but very inspiring Liza Bergstein in goals.

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Na Fianna Ladies’ panel:

Liza Bergstein, Brid Tierney, Sue Hatch, Geraldine Duncan, Jane Waterhouse, Gail Waddington, Katie Lynch, Kirsten Smyllie, Neiti Morgan, Shawnah Staples, Orla Roche, Ciara O’ Reilley, Ellen Marie Quinn, Gerda O’ Malley, Marie Murphy, Holly Heiben and Ciara’s sister from Ireland !!

Na Fianna men completed a memorable double for the club and threw the Championship race wide open again when they had a hard fought two point victory over the Dubai “Blue” team.

Due to the number of players at their disposal and in order to ensure that all get competitive matches throughout the year, the Celts have divided their panel into two teams with some of the more able players available for both squads. Attendance at training by Na Fianna men has been causing a bit of concern in recent weeks as the commitment seemed to be lacking. Despite the absence of some players due to injury or work commitments (Terry Fulton, Alan Hose, Declan Brady, Kieran Leahy, Johann, Derek O Sullivan ), on the night we were again lucky to have the services of the players from Ruwais at our disposal- Andrew Comerford and Trevor Buckley. Once again they proved invaluable in adding much needed balance and talent to the team.

The first quarter was a very tight affair with the only score coming from the boot of Paul Smyllie who is improving with every game. Denis Crotty had a chance to nab a goal, but his attempt was well blocked down by the Dubai defence. Denis’ sharpness of last year still has to come back, but as he becomes fitter this should improve. Dubai failed to score in the first quarter in no small measure due to the tight marking of the Abu Dhabi defence.

Na Fianna continued to play well in the second quarter with points from Andrew Comerford, Ross Miotti and Declan Madden. Dubai managed to score three points in this period leaving the half time score 0-5 to 0- 3 in favour of Na Fianna.

The third quarter once again proved disastrous for us when we conceded 1-2 and were lucky that it wasn’t more. James Ryan (playing as goalkeeper due to a knee injury) kept us in touch with a couple of fine saves. Our only score in this period came from the boot of Mark Keenan. The score at the end of this quarter was 0-6 to 1-5 in favour of the Celts.

The fourth quarter proved to be very exciting and controversial. Referee Tadhg Flahive rightly dismissed one of the Dubai players for an overly robust tackle. Abu Dhabi made excellent use of the extra player and Paul Smyllie in particular was outstanding as he notched up three consecutive points from play. The turning point came when Andrew Comerford capitalized on a mistake by a Dubai defender to neatly slot the ball into the net soccer style in a fashion that Robbie Keane would have been proud of. Further points by Johnny (Socks) Cowie and Trevor Buckley brought our final tally to 1-11. In the meantime, the Celts had managed to add 3 points to their tally leaving their final score at 1-9.

The Championship is now all square after two rounds. A greater commitment to training was asked of the players at the end of the match and it is hoped that they will respond accordingly. The night proved that there is a decent squad of players at our disposal when they are all together.

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Na Fianna Men’s panel:

Patrick English, Denis Crotty, Niall Dooley, James Ryan, Declan Madden, Michael Boyce, Dan Anthony, Ross Miotti, Eoin Ryan, Paul Smyllie, David Scott Bywater, Trevor Buckley, Andrew Comerford, Sean O’ Connor, Eoin Fitzpatrick, Mark Keenan, George Zacheru

Scorers: Andrew Comerford 1-1, Declan Madden 0-1, Paul Smiley 0-4, Ross Miotti 0-1, Johnny (Socks) Cowie 0-1, Trevor Buckley 0-3

Upcoming events for the club include:

Please check the Abu Dhabi Irish Society calendar and Abu Dhabi Na Fianna calendars for more events

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