FERMOY SWIMMING CLUB - SWIMMER’S CORNER

- What’s good about swimming?-

Swimming is good exercise (that’s obvious). Swimming is a lifetime sport that benefits the body and the whole person! But what is it that makes swimming good, specifically? That depends on what you are trying to accomplish.

Swimming is a healthy activity that can be continued for a lifetime - and the health benefits swimming offers for a lifetime are worth the effort it takes to get to the pool. Regular swimming builds endurance, muscle strength and cardio-vascular fitness. It can serve as a cross-training element to your regular workouts. Before a land workout, you can use the pool for a warm-up session. Swimming with increasing effort to gradually increase your heart rate and stimulate your muscle activity is easily accomplished in the water. After a land workout, swimming a few laps can help you cool-down, move blood through your muscles to help them recover, and help you relax as you glide through the water.

Swimming does burn calories at a rate of about 3 calories a mile per pound of bodyweight. If you weigh 150 lbs. and it takes you 30 minutes to swim one mile (1,760 yards or 1,609 metres), then you will be using about 900 calories in one hour. However, many swimmers do not swim that quickly, and many cannot swim for that distance or duration.

Spending time in a group workout, whether water aerobics or a masters swim practice, is a great social outlet. Exchanging stories, challenging each other, and sharing in the hard work make swimming with others a rewarding experience.

There are other psychological benefits to swimming, if you allow it to occur. Relax and swim with a very low effort. Let your mind wander, focusing on nothing but the rhythm of your stroke. This form of meditation can help you gain a feeling of wellbeing, leaving your water session refreshed and ready to go on with the rest of your day.

Many swimmers find an in-direct benefit from swimming. They develop life skills such as sportsmanship, time-management, self-discipline, goal-setting, and an increased sense of self-worth through their participation in the sport. Swimmers seem to do better in school, in general terms, than non-swimmers as a group.

One thing swimming is not good for is losing a lot of weight. The online Merck Manual explains that swimming is not the best way to lose weight due to the cooling effects of being in the water. While you do use a lot of calories swimming, once you get out of the pool much of that calorie burning stops.

Doing land based exercise like running or cycling may use about the same amount of calorie per hour as swimming, but once you stop exercising the land-based workout usually leads to continued increase in calorie use for as long as 18 hours after the workout.

Why? Because when you are in the pool you don’t heat up as much as you do on land and your body does not have to work to cool you down as much once the exercise session concludes.

Swimming does exercise almost the entire body - heart, lungs, and muscles - with very little joint strain. It is great for general fitness, just not a great way to drop excess pounds.

MITCHELSTOWN DISTRICT POOL LEAGUE

- 25th anniversary challenge match tonight -

To mark the 25th anniversary of the first winners of the then named Mitchelstown and District Pool League, a challenge match has been arranged between the 1983/84 league champions Paul Roche’s Bar and the current and recently crowned league champions 2008/09 Miko’s Bar ‘A’.

This much anticipated challenge match will take place tonight Thursday, April 9th in Miko’s Bar commencing at 9pm sharp.

Though the evening is expected to produce a great night of fun and entertainment with no shortage of banter along the way it is no secret that both teams would dearly love to win this match.

Paulie Roche’s former players, who issued the challenge, will want to prove that they still have it 25 years on from their title success while Miko’s ‘A’ recent triumph clinching back to back league championships.

Pride will be very much at stake here and you can be assured that no quarter will be asked or given. All are welcome so why not come along and enjoy the entertainment.

Good luck to both sets of players and may the best team on the night win.

NOTICE

Proceedings on the night will be under European rules guidelines. However, the match will be played under the old format of 3 doubles games followed by 6 singles games.
Paul Roche’s Bar team: 1. John Hickey, 2. Pat Murphy, 3. Eamon Keane, 4. Billy “TaPot” Pigott, 5. Mick Scanlon, 6. Kevin “Spaz” Ryan, 7. Liam Roche.
Miko’s Bar ‘A’ team: 1. John O’Beirne, 2. Dave Coughlan, 3. Dan Furey, 4. Seamus Kilmartin, 5. Mike Lyons, 6. Kevin McGrath, 7. Alan Murphy.

FIXTURE

Thursday, April 9 25th Anniversary Pool League Challenge Match 9pm (Miko’s Bar, Mitchelstown) Paul Roche’s Bar ’84 v Miko’s Bar “A” ’09.

GLANWORTH GAA

- Harbour and Grange share the spoils -

JUNIOR FOOTBALL LEAGUE (DIVISION 2)
Glanworth 2-6 Grange 2-6
Games between Glanworth and class neighbours Grange are invariably open, sporting affairs and the latest encounter in Glanworth on Saturday evening was no exception to the usual trend. It was the classic game of two halves with an equalising goal in the final moments.

Glanworth got off the mark in the opening minutes when Emmett Sheehan powered home a superb goal. Pierre O’Driscoll added two well taken points to give us a lead of 1-2 midway through the half. A Grange point narrowed the gap but a minute later Fergal Fitzgibbon, who was always dangerous when in possession, scored our second goals.

In the final ten minutes the game ebbed and flowed and two Grange points were spliced by a typical Fergal point to see Glanworth having a 2-3 to 0-3 advantage at the interval.

It was a good opening period and the goals from Emmett and Fergal were vital for us. Liam Cotter was having a commanding performance at centre back and there is no doubt that our game lost its cohesion when he had to leave the field because of injury.

Barth O’Keeffe and Davy Leahy were also impressive defenders. Denis Healy and Robert O’Driscoll battled hard at centrefield, an area where Grange, were strong and forceful. But we more than held our own.

We opened the second half impressively when Chris Pyne scored two sublime points from play and we had an eight point lead. But Grange had no intention of being easy prey and responded with a goal and three points in a twelve minute spell.

They probably could have goaled again if Ciaran Cotter had not been so confident in goal. He fielded three balls on his goal line despite the Grange forwards efforts to punch a score. Both sides missed good opportunities to raise white flags. We probably should have made better use of our possession by working the ball into Alex Sheehan who had the pace and skill to unsettle the Grange defence.

With two minutes remaining Pierre O’Driscoll, who gave a typically wholehearted display, scored his third point of the game, to give us a goal lead (2-6 to 1-6). In the remaining couple of minutes each side created chances until Grange earned themselves a 13 metre free in the final moments.

There was only one option at that point of the game and Grange took it. The free was powered towards the roof of our net and despite the best efforts of our players on the line the ball ended up over the line.

A draw was a fair result especially when one takes into account Grange’s magnificent response to our eight point lead after Chris Pyne’s two magnificent points in the opening five minutes of the second half.

Our level of intensity dropped in the second period and we were very dependent on the superb goals scored by Emmett and Fergal in the first half.

The ties between both clubs are deep and one could write a fascinating book tracing these connections back to the day when Paul Barry founded the Grange club. These close ties were very evident on Saturday and only people who are reared in the sporting tradition of the area could understand that you can have keen sporting rivalry without the least bit of rancour or bitterness.

Referee Michael Sheehan left the game slow and we had a most exciting contest. This is a good Grange side and we wish them well in the championship. Team: Ciaran Cotter, Barth O’Keeffe, Tristan Quirke, Michael O’Neill, Liam Brennan, Liam Cotter, David Leahy, Denis Healy, Robert O’Driscoll, Fergal Fitzgibbon (1-1), Christopher Pyne (0-2), Pierre O’Driscoll (0-3), Alex Sheehan, Bill Sheehan, Emmett Sheehan (1-0). Subs used: Robbie Fuller, Martin Roche and Aidan Condon.

MINOR A HURLING LEAGUE
Rovers 1-8 Kilworth 0-13
This was a keenly contested game between two sides that placed the emphasis on good crisp striking and there were a number of superb individual performances on each side. The game was balanced on a knife edge throughout and it was a game that reflected well on both sides who met in Glanworth on Sunday.

Kilworth opened the scoring with a point but a minute later Francis John O’Flynn was on hand to blast an exquisitely flighted Sean Finn sliothar to the net. From that point onwards in the first half each side gave a splendid display of all that is good in Cork minor hurling. Kilworth, as one would expect, were very impressive but we matched them in the opening half.

Thomas Condon who had a magnificent game, pointed twice in the first half and his companion in greatness Sean Finn added another point to give us a 1-3 to 0-5 lead at halftime. In the opening minute of the second half our goalkeeper Martin Jackson brought off a truly magnificent save. His performance over the hour was splendid and he never looked like conceding a goal.

In the first seven minutes of the half we had a point each from Sean Finn, Francis John O’Flynn and Shane O’Riordan to give us a 1-6 to 0-5 lead. At that point Kilworth got into a scoring groove and rattled over six glorious points to give them a two point advantage. Shane O’Riordan, who displayed both passion and flair, scored his second point to close the gap to one white flag.

Kilworth responded with two points before the indomitable Sean Finn, who was imperious throughout the game, fired over the last point of the game to leave us two points in arrears at the final whistle. Victory went to a very good Kilworth side that had a number of exceptional hurlers.

But we had our own superb performances. Thomas Condon has all the skills and poise to become an exceptional player. Sean Finn and Sean O’Keeffe were heroic, while Martin and William Jackson, Shane O’Riordan, Johnny Magnier, Padraig Dineen and Eoin Baker worked bravely over the hour.

Referee Michael Sheehan had no problem in handling two sporting sides. As always Kilworth were generous in victory. Our coach, Joe O’Brien can be very proud of his team. He, Noel O’Neill, Johnny O’Brien, John Paul Cotter and Brian Gallagher have a very positive group of players in their charge. Team: Martin Jackson, Brian Roche, Padraig Dineen, Shane O’Riordan (0-2), Eoin Baker, Sean O’Keeffe, Johnny Magnier, Sean Finn (0-3), Thomas Condon (0-2), David O’Sullivan, William Jackson, Ciaran O’Brien, Ryan Carroll, Francis John O’Flynn (1-1), Jerry Foley.

SYMPATHY

Mrs Kitty Fenton, Main Street, Glanworth passed to her eternal reward on April 3rd. Kitty, who was a very popular lady, was a member of the esteemed Gleasure family. We offer our sincere condolences to her beloved son Mike, her brother James Gleasure, her sisters Margaret Roche, Nan Barry and Mary Gowen, Mary Sheehan, her extended family and her wide circle of friends. May Kitty’s soul rest in peace.

LADIES FOOTBALL

Aine and Katie Sheehan brought more honour to their club and parish last weekend. Aine played a vital role in Cork senior ‘A’ ladies victory over Kerry in the National League quarter final.

In the senior ‘B’ game against Dublin Katie scored 2-2 and was the outstanding player for Cork. We look forward to the summer when the Sheehan sisters will as always bring all their talents to their club and county teams. Website: our club website is www.glanworthgaa.ie

KILWORTH TENNIS CLUB

- New chairman -

Kilworth Tennis Club has a new chairman, John D’Arcy who has been a very dedicated and active member over the last few years was elected to the position of chairman at last week’s AGM.

John is joined at the top table by Mag Frawley as treasurer and the position of secretary will be filled at a meeting this week (this publication will be gone to press before this meeting happens).

A number of other positions were filled during the AGM. Claire O’Flynn has been elected vice chairperson. Assistant treasurer is Ursula Gubbins. Sean Magnier has been appointed tournament director and PRO. Two delegates have been selected to represent the club at Munster Branch level of Tennis Ireland and the delegates are Dan Noonan and Liam Magnier.

The juvenile officers appointed to care for younger members of the club are Caitriona Hanrahan, Mary Clancy and John D’Arcy. Also at the AGM outgoing chairman Bill Hennessy gave a comprehensive report of proceedings from the 2008/09 season.

The year gone was a very busy one with a number of internal and external competitions taking place during the year. The three internal competitions took place in May, September and in early spring 2009.

Bill expressed thanks to Cora Heskin and all her team for making these competitions so successful. A massive debt of gratitude was also conveyed to the sponsors of these competitions. On the external competition front Kilworth were successful in division 1 of the North Cork Cup and a ladies team were victorious in division 4B of the South Tipperary league.

Our club also had representatives in the Summer Cup and in the recently concluded winter league teams took part in three divisions. Regrettably success eluded the club in the winter league. Caitriona Hanrahan, our juvenile officer, gave a very comprehensive report. A huge amount of work has gone into our juveniles.

The Sunday morning sessions are always well attended. Our juniors go from strength to strength and are competing with much success. The past year has been an active one for the junior club. We have over 30 players most of whom regularly attend the Sunday morning practice sessions at 10 and 11 am.

These sessions continued through out the year with just a month’s break in summer and 2 weeks at Christmas. Bill, John Darcy and I ensure that one but mostly all three of us attend at least one of these sessions. Katherine O’Leary is also involved as much as she can at present and we are grateful to her for her help. Also thanks to Mary Quigly Clancy and Matt for filling in. The regular practice has benefited our juniors and we try to combine fun and serious tennis.

Thanks to the Sports Complex, we have the facilities of squash & Handball courts as well as the upstairs room when weather conditions are unfavourable.

The €2 charge per player is used to the benefit of the junior club:purchase of practice and tournament balls, entering teams to tournaments eg South Tipperary and North Cork Leagues, Wilson Cup and Spring Munster League; refreshments and prizes for local tournaments; some refreshments for visiting teams and lights when required for same; and supplementing coaching fees.

Great credit is due to the coaching team, Caitriona, John, Bill and Mary and others who look after the juniors every weekend and to all who help them prepare for competitive games.

The U12 team reached the semi-finals in the North Cork Cup and South Tipp league, while combined teams of U12 and U14 got to the quarter-finals of the Wilson Cup. For future tennis stars there is an open invitation to come to the courts on Sunday mornings to develop tennis skills and love of tennis.

The annual table quiz was held again this year in the Grand Hotel. Thanks to Corbett Court for their sponsorship again this year. All money raised at the quiz went towards the Stuart Mangan Appeal.

Outgoing chairman, Bill Hennessy, ended his address by wishing the incoming committee the very best for the coming year. So business continues at Kilworth Tennis Club.

The first spoils of the new season were achieved at the 2009 Ballyhooly Open. In the division 3 Plate competition there was success for a partnership of Ann-Marie Quane and Michael Walsh. In division 1 of the 2009 Ballyhooly Open a team comprising of Breda Kennedy and Tom Flynn retained their title.

Great credit is due to Ballyhooly Tennis Club for the successful way which they run this competition, which has now become an annual event. Thanks for the invitation and the great tennis and the many cups of tea and coffee you served before, during and after games.

For those of you who have put away your tennis racquets with either the Christmas decorations or the chocolate for Lent it is now time to dust them off and clean them up for there is a new season upon us. The first thing to do is put Thursday’s club night in your weekly schedule.

For many members club night became their first step into the club. So for those of you who are looking for a new activity for the spring and summer you are more than welcome to come to Kilworth Tennis Club night and take your first swing at hitting a tennis ball.

Another very important event to put in your calendar is the spring team singles competition, which will be beginning over the coming weeks. Watch the notice board in the sport complex for details.

Information will also be sent to members by text message.

PARK UNITED SOCCER CLUB

- Bs climbing -

With two wins at home in the space of two days in league division 1A Park Utd B have now pulled away from the relegation zone. Firstly on Thursday night last it was a local derby against near neighbours Glanworth.

After an evenly fought contest Park emerged winners on a 2-1 scoreline, the goals coming from Shane Cahill and Joe O’Brien.

Then on Saturday Park entertained Hillington at home in another important league fixture and after a hard battle Park won on a 2-0 scoreline. Jamie Finn and Joe O’Brien again on the scoresheet.

Two more wins from 8 games will see Park safe in division 1A for another season.

PARK UTD A

With both league and cup aspirations well gone for this year Park still had a chance of qualifying for the league cup semi-finals but all this vanished within a 2 day period last week.

Firstly on Thursday night Park went down 2-1 away to Ballyvolane. The referee on the night had a shocker, but in saying that Park still had loads of chances to win this game. Park’s goal came from Gary O’Connor and there were notable performances from our U17s who helped out on the night.

Then on Saturday a fairly depleted Park side travelled to Ballincollig for the last game of the group stages. After conceding early we got back in it from a Gary Lynch headed goal. The physical strength of the homeside told in the end and they ran out winners on a 3-1 scoreline. Again many thanks to the U17 players who helped us out last Saturday.

At last we seem to have a crop of players coming through who have a bit of pride in the jersey and respect all that is good about Park Utd AFC.

With 7 league games to go finishing as high up the table is now Park’s target.

PARK UTD U17'S
NO FAVOURS
Park U17s were unable to do our neighbours Fermoy any favours when they lined out against Richmond in Waterfall on Sunday last. Basically if Park drew or beat the homeside Fermoy were champions and after 4 minutes the omens looked good when Park took a 1-0 lead.

However, the gale force wind and sloped pitch favoured the homeside and at the break they led 4-1. The second half was that bit tighter but Richmond added 2 to Park’s 1 and ran out winners on a 6-2 scoreline. This was our U17s last game and overall they had a good season.

Many thanks go to Tom O’Keeffe and Paddy Moloney who were at the helm all year and to Matt Robinson and John Coleman who also helped out on various occasions. Well done to all the players, ye served the club well over the season and you’re commitment to training and respect for management was 100%.

A big thank you to Tony Mullally and The Hunters’ Rest for the meal served to the team on Sunday last.

ASTRO TURF FACILITY

A number of hours have become available on our astroturf facility. Enquiries to (086) 2476032.

LOTTO

Our weekly lotto was held in Spratt’s on Monday night last and the numbers drawn were 2, 5, 15, 19. There was no winner so next week’s jackpot stands at €1,750. Thank you for your continued support.

FIXTURES

Saturday, April 11 League Division 1A – Park Utd B v Ballyvolane B in Brigown, 3pm. Sunday, April 12 Premier League – Coachford v Park Utd A in Coachford, 10.45am. Tuesday, April 14 League Division 1A – Hillington v Park Utd B in Glenville, 6.30pm.

CORK G.A.A. SENIOR HURLING NEWS

-Rebels left reeling as Cats bag points -

LONG TERM DAMAGE AFTER SUNDAY'S MAULING?

The postmortems continue after Cork’s 27 point hammering by Kilkenny on Sunday last.

Here Avondhu reporter, and avid GAA follower, John Ahern, takes an in depth look at the road ahead for Denis Walsh and Cork. He contends that the Cats look set to dominate hurling for the next decade and that the Rebels will suffer long term damage from last Sunday’s mauling.

The Cork hurlers have dealt out 4-26 to 0-11 hammerings to teams in the past but have rarely been on the receiving end. Undoubtedly traumatic, new coach Denis Walsh’s first job will be to re-group, rally the troops and prepare for the championship.

The 2009 hurling championship will provide its fair share of competitive matches but none of these will involve Kilkenny. The bad news for Denis Walsh, the Cork senior hurlers and the Rebel army is that Kilkenny are operating at a level above everyone else.

The really bad news is that maulings such as was dished out to Cork in Nowlan Park last Sunday do lasting damage to a team – a quick knockout is one thing, 15 rounds of being pummelled on the ropes is another. One has only to look at Waterford’s graph to see what patients are like after the Kilkenny treatment.

Hurling anoraks are big into theories and one of the most interesting is that the team best placed to threaten Kilkenny’s dominance of inter county hurling is Dublin.

One would think that Dublin are 6 or 7 years away from threatening to challenge for All-Ireland honours, however, that’s exactly the point. Kilkenny are all set to dominate hurling for the next decade and Dublin have by general consensus one of the GAA’s best underage and schools’ development systems in place. If this system holds up and the talent that emerges is looked after they may very well break the Cats’ stranglehold.

For Cork and everyone else this is a pretty depressing scenario but there is a certain logic to it. As well as the breeding, tradition and sense of expectancy in the county, there are a number of factors that can’t be overlooked when assessing Kilkenny’s ‘world domination of hurling’.

Firstly, they possess possibly the weakest Gaelic football teams in Ireland, soccer is a minority sport and rugby is only played in a few pockets around the county. They have the luxury of being able to focus completely on one sport and surprise, surprise, they have become much better than everyone else at it.

Worryingly for Denis Walsh some of his top players who were missing last weekend are mainly defenders. What Cork lack are scoring forwards and the really good ones are like hen’s teeth.

Joe Deane is probably one of the best around, but deep down, he won’t relish the prospect of having the life squeezed out of him by a ruthless Kilkenny defence.

Denis also referred to his players looking tired and drained last Sunday. Even allowing for the strike, all these players should have very high levels of fitness, closer to the truth is that Kilkenny’s power play drains the energy of other teams, again cast your mind back to Waterford in Croke Park last year, these players were in top condition – an hour on the park with the Cats had reduced them to physical and emotional rubble.

And yet Cork supporters will always have hope, hope that a chink or two might appear in the armour and that they just might summon up the strength to fell Goliath. Here’s hoping.