OLBC side take the honours at annual Salthill Devon 5s

Date Published: 06-Jun-2011

Mike Rafferty

When the Carlsberg National Fives kicked off early on Saturday morning, more than 100 with names like Intelligent Monkies, Lame Ducks, Pornstars Super Injunctions and Geratric Turkeys all had ambitions of winning the 35th running of the event.

However just after six o’clock on Sunday evening, Big O Taxi’s were crowned champions as the OLBC backboned side held off the challenge of the Mervue-based Better Bettors by 2-1 in the final.

Played in front of a huge crowd at the splendid amphitheatre that is Salthill Park, the winners were generally in command throughout and stunning long range strikes in each half by Geoffrey Power had them ahead before Eamonn Feeney pulled one back for the losers in the closing minutes.

Galway minor star Shane Maughan was their leading goal scorer as he notched eight throughout the campaign, while Ronan Caldwell also contributed hugely in the scoring stakes. Power was rewarded for his prowess with the goal of the tournament award.

For Better Bettors it was a bitter pill to swallow as they were going down in the final for the second year in succession and indeed such is their consistency that it was the third time they had got the last four.

However one of their charges was rewarded when Derek McWalter was selected as the Player of the Tournament by the Fives special guest Seamus McGettigan, himself a winner in 1981. He was presented with the Diarmuid Fadden memorial medal.

The Ray Healy memorial ‘Fair Play’ award selected by the referees went to beaten semi-finalists ECO Car Wash.

Big O Taxi’s: Alan McDonagh, Geoffrey Power, Jimmy Jennings, Ronan Caldwell, Shane Maughan, Damien Carter, Joe Hession.

Better Bettors: Ryan Griffin, Derek McWalter, Stephen Cunningham, Stephen Larkin, Colie Kelly, Eamonn Feeney, Summit Chawla.

As part the 35th running of the event, Salthill Devon included an Over 35 section in the Fives for the first time and after a lot of energy was expanded Cregmore were crowned champions following a 2-1 win over Kelly’s Heroes (Salthill Devon).

Pete Kelly was most unfortunate to head home an own goal for the opener and it was Padraig Brennan who got the second for Cregmore, but the biggest cheer of the day was still to come when the long serving Devon clubman drilled home a cracker after being set up by Shane O’Doherty.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.