London Champions crash out of All Ireland Club Championship
London Champions crash out of All Ireland Club Championship
January 18, 2011
Both London Senior club champions were knocked out of their respective All Ireland Club Championships this past weekend in Ruislip.
After a long delay, due to the inclement weather conditions in December, both matches were played at the Emerald Grounds. First-time champions, Kilburn Gaels, would be up first, taking on Leinster champions Dicksboro of Kilkenny. Making their debut at this stage of the competition, the London champions put up a fine display, however the long layoff would not have helped their preparations. The Dicksboro manager commented after the match and commended the local champions on a fine display, noting this was the toughest match they had played, noting the score difference was far closer then that of the county and Leinster finals. Final result: Dicksboro 2-13, Kilburn Gaels 2-4
The following day, Neasden Gaels would make their long awaited return to All Ireland club action, taking on hotly favoured Crossmaglen Rangers. Neasden started brightly, recording the first score of the match. They gave a valiant performance, and were unlucky to have their opponents score a heartbreaking goal in the final minutes of the game to put the match out of reach. Going into that last quarter of the match, the former All Ireland champions were still in touching distance, and the crowd were hopeful that an upset could be on the cards. Unfortunately for the home side, it was not to be, and Crossmaglen now advance into the Semi finals. Final Score: Crossmaglen Rangers 1-8, Neasden Gaels 0-5