Bangkok 2009
2009 Asian Gaelic Games
Eilis Staunton reports from the AGG in Bangkok...."Away Games"
The Viet Celts with Dick Spring on the opening nite of AGG 2009.
Huy & Thu of the Viet Celts GAA Club presenting Micheal O' Muircheartaigh Honorary President of the Asian Co Board with a mahogany hurley in Bangkok at the Asian Games. Also present Paraic McGrath Chairman ACB & Peter Goff Secretary ACB 06-09
The girls got to the final of the bowl competition in their debut tournament and were unlucky to lose Marion at the start of the second half to an ankle injury. Elisa and the girls put up a great fight to soldier on without her but Marion would certainly have been worth a few points in the second half which might have ensured victory. Marion and Elisa were sensational throughout the tournament with the other girls putting in performances which belied the fact that most of them had been playing the game for about four weeks. I’m not afraid to admit, I had a drop of salty liquid forming in the corner of my left eye at the end of that game. The girls more that deserved their finalists’ medals and special congratulations to Marion for being selected on the All Star team.
Viet Celts A got to the semi final of the plate competition losing out to the Arabians after having taken a strong Hong Kong B team apart in the quarter final with a scintillating performance. Highlight of the Viet Celts A games apart from Viet and Connla’s goals, Matt Lee’s points and an extremely impressive backline was Gareth thumping a Hong Kong forward into the middle of next week (this week) with a perfectly legal but forceful tackle in the second half of the quarter final. The forward will probably be found next Wednesday.
Viet Celts B’s went on a scoring spree in their first game against Singapore D in their first game but found themselves in a very tough group with Thailand A and Malaysia A before going out in the quarter final to the team they walloped in the first game, Singapore D. Damien Cupitt was a rock of strength throughout the tournament for the B’s. The non-playing highlight was Huy managing to sap a bit of tedium out of the speeches at the function Sunday night by jumping up on stage with a requisitioned tambourine and going toe to toe with the Irish trad band or whatever part of your body you use to operate a tambourine.
Jim Kiernan
Water logging at the pitches:
