Cloudforests May Sports Round-Up
We had another incredibly successful month with all of our Cloudforest teams, with wins all round, plenty of goals being scored, trees being planted & even trophies being won! We also got some great news regarding a brand new community sports team, which we are very excited about and we will be announcing in the coming weeks. So, with further ado, lets get right into the round-up.
TowerHill Rovers
There really is only one place to start this month with TowerHill Rovers. If you thought the final day of the premier league was exciting, you mustn’t have heard about the final day of the CCFL Division 1 2021/2022 campaign, where one of our incredible community teams, Towerhill Rovers faced Mullingar Town. Coming into the final day Towerhill Rovers needed all three points to win the league as Mullingar Atheltic were one point ahead in the table heading in to this final day decider. This effectively made this game a cup final, where the winner took the league title. As such, the tension was unsurprisingly palpable for both sides. The tough weather conditions did neither side any favour either, as neither side managed to get foothold on the game early on.
Despite chances for both teams, neither side managed to break the deadlock in the first. Then, early on in the second half, a pinpoint cross whipped in from Towerhills Dan Dalton was converted easily by Shane Collins & pandamonium soon ensued. Unsurprisingly, Mullingar went all out attacking for the remainder of the game, with multiple efforts on goal, which were all denied by young Cian Culleton in goal, who was outstanding on the day.
It was a great win for Towerhill Rovers and one which promotes them to CCFL Top Division next season.
However, the season isn’t over for the lads as they face off against Monksland United this Saturday in the John Farrell Combined Counties Cup Final. Hopefully, they will be able to make it a league & cup double, after being denied a treble earlier in the month with a heartbreaking defeat against UCL Harps in the Division 1 Cup Quarter Final.
Congratulations to the whole squad & management team and best of luck this weekend. You’re a credit to the Cloudforest Community!
Shelbourne Academy Teams
Shelbourne U19s
It was a busy month for the Shelbourne U19s in May, with plenty of travelling around the country. The month began with a 2-1 away loss to Derry in the league, followed by another league game a week later, as they faced Sligo Rovers away at the Showgrounds and came away 3-1 winners.
They then had another away trip down to Tralee to face Kerry in a thrilling Cup encounter which finished 4-4. They then finished the month with a home draw, once again in the cup, against Cobh Ramblers at the AUL.
These results leave the team in decent positions in both the league & the cup going into June.
Shelbourne U17 Women’s
The Shelbourne U17 WNL side had yet another successful month with emphatic victories in both league & cup competitions. They started the month with a big 4-2 Cup win against Dundalk at the AUL, Aleeshal Palanzuela & Ruby McCarthy both scoring twice to secure a comfortable victory. This win was followed a week later by another cup game against Sligo Rovers, which was decided by 4 Ruby McCarthy goals in a comprehensive 4-1 win. The girls then finished the month off strong with a brilliant 3-0 win over Peamount United away from home. Unsurprisingly, Ruby McCarthy was on the goal sheet again, along with goals from Hanna Healy and Katie McCarn.
A special mention as well to the team’s goalkeeper, Katie Keane, who started for the senior Women’s team in a 3-0 victory over Bohemians this month. As well as this, 5 members of the team trained with the senior team this week. It’s brilliant to see the recognition of all the hard work being put in by the team and the staff. The future looks bright for this team, this season & beyond!
Shelbourne U17 Mens
The Shelbourne U17 Men’s side only had two games this month, both in the league. They started the month with an emphatic 9-0 victory away from home against Carlow-Kilkenny U17s side. However, this was followed by a disappointing 3-1 home defeat to local rivals Shamrock Rovers.
Hopefully, they can restart their season with a victory in their next game this weekend.
Shelbourne U15 Mens
Finally, the U15s men’s had an unbeaten month of May, representing what was a great month of all for the Cloudforest Community teams. Two thrilling home draws against UCD and Bray Wanderers, followed by a commanding 6-2 victory over Drogheda United away from home showed the quality of this team.
Hopefully, the U15s & the rest of our Shelbourne Academy Teams can bring their good form into June and beyond.
The Red Wood
It wasn’t just the Shelbourne Academy Teams who had a brilliant May. The two senior teams also had a great month of results & with the Women’s team sitting at top of the Women’s National League, 7 points clear, and the Men’s side climbing up the table to a very respectable 6th place, the momentum seems to be going the right way as we head into the summer.
The Women’s Team added 8 Trees to the Red Wood in May, with 8 goals scored in 3 big wins. The first win came over their closest competitors at the top, Peamount United. A 1-0 victory, gave them some breathing room as they came into May. They followed this up with two impressive victories on the bounce; a 3-0 win over local rivals Bohemians and a 4-0 win over UCD Waves to ensure they kept their incredible record. They have won 10 out of 11 games so far this season & can make 11 from 12 this weekend as they face Cork City this Saturday. Hopefully, they can come away with all 3 points and a few more goals to grow the Red Wood Forest even more.
The Men’s team also had quite a brilliant month of May, as they turned their home form around and could finish the month unbeaten with a win or a draw against Dublin rivals, Shamrock Rovers tonight, in Tallaght Stadium.
Overall, they contributed 7 Trees to the Red Wood, with 7 goals in 4 matches. They began the month with their first home win of the season in a 2-1 victory over Sligo Rovers. This was followed a week later by another home win over Drogheda United, it was a close encounter at Tolka which finished 1-0 to Shels.
These two wins were followed in quick succession by a win over St. Patricks Athletic & a 2-0 home win against UCD just three days later. Congratulations to Damien Duff, the rest of the coaching staff & of course the players for working hard to get it right after a few disappointing defeats earlier in the season. Hopefully, May can be a catalyst for the rest of the season!
Currently, after the month of May, the digital Red Wood currently has 95 Trees in it. All of them are ready to be planted at our Red Wood Site in the coming months (which will be revealed on the 6th of June).
If you want to learn more about the Red Wood or if you’d like to purchase a Tree, follow the link below to our exclusive Red Wood Page:
The Endurance Team
It was just our community football teams that had an exciting month. It was also a busy month for our Endurance Cycling Team (The End Team) as they trained, trailed & cycling around the country.
Ruth Brooks has had an especially month as she took on the Inaugural Galway Classic Mna (Hell of the West) 2022. Ruth commented on her first road race by saying:
"My first official road race and what a baptism of fire! Just lining up at the start with some of the best women in Irish cycling was amazing. Loved the gravel sectors but those fat tires were a drag on the road. Also, my handlebars came loose & got stuck there at 13km and I had to just keep going which ended up being extremely uncomfortable. Myself and Hannah Gibney had all the craic working together from 25-75km. Special mention to all the race organisers and marshalls too. First road race..... maybe not the last though"
She also spent a day in Lough Boora Discovery Park, which is a beautiful spot with a nature reserve within it. Keep an eye out for a blog on this shortly!
If you’d like to learn more about The Cloudforests Endurance Team & their adventures, follow the link below:
