Representative Sports Honours

Soccer

Abby Tuthill -Represented the Irish U19 Women’s soccer team over the Easter break at the second round of UEFA European Championship Qualifiers.

Hockey

Congratulations to Hannah Duffy and Eva Doyle who represented the Irish U16 Hockey team over Easter in a Four Nations tournament in Germany.

Sports Overview

There has been a huge number of fixtures, training, competitions and more throughout this very busy term. We have fielded teams in hockey, rugby, golf, tennis, soccer, cross-country and equestrian. Our students have all represented the school really well in various sports. It has been fantastic to see the campus so busy every Wednesday and Saturday with fixtures and training sessions. Well done to all the teams so far this season and best of luck with the rest of the year!

Equestrian

We have had some good results in various events so far this season. Well done to all students who have been competing and representing the school so well. Our St. Gerards Show Jumping event was postponed due to bad weather but we are really looking forward to the event which will now be held in December.

Some of our notable results from the season so far include Cocobelle Manning winning the 1.10 individual competition in Barnadown. Ali Condren finished 2nd in the 80cm individual competition in Coilog Equestrian. Our open team won Best Turnout at the same event. Our Green Novice team finished 5th out of 28 schools and won the Best Turnout prize in Barnadown. A huge ‘well done’ to all the students who have represented our school so far this season and all the best for the rest of the year!

Boys Cricket

The boys cricket programme was again able to field three teams in Leinster leagues. This summer proved very popular for the sport, and it showed in all our matches. Our First year boys played in the Raftery Trophy, and after two great wins in their pool matches, they qualified out of their pool section. They went on to beat CUS in the semi final, and have booked a place in the League Final against Wesley College! This is a great achievement, as it is the school’s first final in cricket, after reintroducing the sport back into the summer sports programme.

Our Second year boys played in the 2nd Year B league, and had two wins and two losses. Our Third year boys played in the Alf O’Connell league which is predominately made up from senior seconds teams. Despite what the team lacked in age, they had bundles of fight and spirit, and came very close on two occasions to cause an upset.

Recording the most number of victories the school has ever achieved during the cricket season, and indeed reaching a semi final, it is true to say that the appetite for the game is definitely growing. We look forward to building on this next year.

Basketball

With the introduction of basketball into the multisports programme in St. Gerard’s this year, we are continuing to build the numbers of those participating. It is encouraging to see a nucleus of junior and senior cycle boys getting involved through the weekly games programme. With mixed basketball on a Thursday, the programme is open to all students wishing to get involved. The emphasis so far has been on creating a fun environment to work on fitness, teamwork and skill development through small-sided games. This provides the players with more opportunities to make decisions and develop game skills, by getting up more game shots and offering a more natural tendency to pass more often.

Boys Senior Soccer

Given that we had a new squad of players coming into the team and only seven returning players, the squad had an impressive season. We went out of the league cup in the quarter-final stage, beaten by a good St. Vincent’s Castleknock College team who progressed to the final. This year we entered the team into a Senior Cup which had over 100 teams competing. After a preliminary game, we exited at the second-round stage to a division one team. The lads competed well but in the end, we were up against a school that had specific football programs. The team also entered a second smaller cup with only fifteen teams. In their match, the players did well and gave a good account of themselves but failed to make it to the finals. Still determined to finish on a high, we entered two teams into a ‘Mini-World Cup’ against three other schools. The lads did well with one squad winning Group A and the other squad finishing runners-up in Group B.

Sailing

Our sailing squads took part in the inaugural schools sailing league event in March where they competed in a team racing format. There were three rounds planned, but unfortunately, they could not be held during May, and these events have been moved to September.

St. Gerard’s again held our annual Inter-school Sailing Regatta in Greystones Sailing Club. The event hosted six schools, with 51 sailors in 29 boats. Congratulations to Cian and Caoimhe Swan for winning the Jack Roy Trophy, and to the sailing squad for finishing second overall on the day. and third respectively.

Cross Country And Athletics

It has been a very busy year for our cross-country and athletics squads. In January we had the East Leinster Cross Country Championships take place. We had seven students qualify from East Leinsters for the Leinster cross country Championships. Well done to Isabelle Smith, Isobel Lynch, Malachy Kenny, Evan Kenny, JP Lynch and Emily Harty who all qualified as individuals. Congratulations to our Junior Boys team who finished 3rd (Evan Kenny, JP Lynch, Luke Redmond, Isaac Leahy, Fredy Willis and Rian Kavanagh). Isobel Lynch went on to qualify for the All-Irelands in the senior girls category. The All-Irelands took place in Waterford in March. Isobel represented the school incredibly well and finished midpack on the day in tough conditions, well done!

We had over 90 students competing at the East Leinster Athletics Championships in UCD this year. We have entries in every age category and are delighted to see numbers so high for athletics. We are excited to see how the championships go for our athletes.

Our annual Djouce run took place in April. We had over 30 students sign up for the event. It was a glorious day on the mountain and the students ran the course with great enthusiasm. Congratulations to our winners Malachy Kenny and Martha Moore! A special mention to Isaac Leahy, JP Lynch, Emily Gleeson and Victoria Roche who all finished second and third respectively.

Golf

Our pupil’s Golf Championship was held in Dun Laoghaire Golf Club on Friday 19th May and had twenty-four entrants. Congratulations to Jack McGovern who won the boys event with a stunning three-under-par (69 Gross) score. This also contributed towards Jack taking the Golfer of the Year award. Congratulations to Emma Haugh, winning the girls event with a fantastic 41 points. Congratulations to Adrianna Mulloy also, who won the Girl Golfer of the Year award this year.

The Junior Boys squad played two matches in the summer term, a friendly with St. Columbus College, and the CBC Inter-school Match Play Invitational in Killiney Golf Club. With more girls involved in golf in the school, we are hoping to have more friendlies during the summer months for both girls and boys.

As part of our Extra-Curricular Activity programme, our school golf spring lessons took place again at the Dun Laoghaire golf club. 46 pupils, made up from both senior and junior schools, attended an eight-week programme with the professional team up in the club.

Boys Tennis

The return to school after the Easter break saw the tennis season kick into full flight! We had five boys teams competing in Leinster leagues. With the interest being very high, we were able to field two teams at both junior and minor levels for the first time.

Both our Junior A and Senior tennis teams qualified from their group, and progressed through to the knock-out matches and into the finals of their respective competitions. The Juniors were in a position to retain the Leinster Division 2 title but sadly came up against a very strong St. Andrew’s College side in Templeogue TC. The Senior team played in a very close match with St. Fintan’s High School in Fitzwilliam LTC which saw the match go down to the last set in the last doubles. Despite battling for over two hours, it was not to be this year! It was a great achievement to have two of our boys teams make it into the final.

The Family Tennis Evening again proved to be a very enjoyable evening in the school and saw 46 couples compete for the title. On a calm Wednesday evening in May, it was the turn of Hugh McCarthy Morrogh and his uncle, Tadgh McCarthy Morrogh (a former pupil) to take the honours in a closely fought final. Our Prize and Sports Day on Sunday 21st May saw all our school tennis championship finals come to a conclusion, and we would like to congratulate all our finalists, and, of course, the winners at minor, junior and senior levels!

Girls Tennis

This year we have three very strong girls tennis squads at minor, junior and senior levels. We had a huge turnout to the tennis trials for each age group which was brilliant to see. Our minor girls team beat The Teresians School and Muckross Park College in the opening rounds of their Leinster League Campaign. They now face Loreto Foxrock in the League Quarter Finals.

Our Junior girls had a very strong win against Rathdown in their opening match. They won all 3 matches in convincing fashion. They then faced a very strong Holy Child Killiney team in the next round where they narrowly missed out on advancing to the next stage.

Our senior squad had a great win against The Teresians School where they picked up all three points. They then took on Mount Anville School in the quarter-finals of their league. The team had a great performance beating Mount Anville 3-0. They then faced Alexandra College in the semi-final stage, again having another super performance and didn’t drop a match on their way to victory! It was brilliant to reach the finals day at Lansdowne Tennis Club where we faced St. Mary’s College, Naas. This was an incredibly close fixture. It all came down to the last match but unfortunately, we lost 2-1. Congratulations to Ethna and Olivia Vondrys, Sophie and Isabelle Rhatigan, Florence Clopin, Emily Harty, Sarah Browne and Charlotte Ballagh on a successful season!

HOCKEY Senior Cup Team

Our SCT Team has had an enjoyable season with some great results along the way. From December the team played in a lot of important games, getting some good results. They played Holy Child Killiney, Temple Carrig School, Wesley College, Mount Anville Secondary School, and The High School Dublin. Unfortunately, our last game was a narrow 1 - 0 loss to Holy Child Killiney in the South Dublin League final. After a 17-game season, we said goodbye to the hard-working 6th Years and then entered the summer pre-season training with a new-found determination. Throughout the Easter break, we were given a detailed running plan so we could keep our fitness up and be ready to get back to the pitch. Sam and Cara had us working hard on strength and conditioning both on the pitch and in the early morning gym sessions. Since the start of pre-season, our training has been highintensity and the coaches have been pushing us all to do our best individually as well as as a team to get us to reach our potential going into next year. June training will commence shortly and this consists of two, three-hour long weekly training sessions. We will be working really hard at hockey and fitness to give us a head start for when we are back at school and the league starts.

Senior 2

The S2 squad showed great improvements and development throughout a difficult competitive year. The girls found themselves on the wrong end of several incredibly close games decided by very small margins. These setbacks however did not dampen their appetite to train and develop, with over 20 players present regularly at sessions. Their engagement in training and commitment to work and learning in the face of some tough days is a testament to their attitude and perseverance. A large number of the squad will no doubt be members of the SCT next year and we can’t wait to see their continued development as athletes over the coming year.

Senior 3

Despite small numbers, due to the Spanish exchange, the Senior 3s continued to show dedication in their training. Consistently facing difficult matches with a positive ‘can-do’ attitude the Senior 3s came away with a strong willingness to improve their skills. Ending the season with a tough loss against Mount Sackville Secondary School the girls showcased some great hockey nonetheless. A season filled with many highs and lows, with extra challenges due to low numbers, the girls showed up and worked well together at training. Well done, and congratulations on all of your hard work!

Junior Cup Team

Our JCT Team has had a brilliant season with some great results along the way. The whole group has bonded really well and have all made improvements to their game. The team played 20 fixtures this season which was a considerable number of games. The team has made enormous progress from our first game in August to our last game in March. Throughout the season, the team scored 32 goals, a season high! Some of the most notable results were victories in the first and second rounds of the Leinster Cup against St Wolstan’s Community School and The High School respectively. We then faced Holy Child Killiney in the third round of the cup. This game was a true nailbiter and our girls left everything on the pitch. After a scoreless draw at the end of fulltime, we headed to a shootout. Well done to the five girls who stepped up to take an eight-second shuttle as it is never an easy task. The shootout was incredibly close and after the 16th shuttle, Holy Child Killiney won. This was an incredibly difficult result for the team as they were so close and everyone was extremely proud of their effort.

The team finished out their Leinster League campaign with a convincing 4-0 victory over Loreto Dalkey. We then shifted our focus to the South Dublin League where we won both our pool games to reach the final. We faced a strong High School team in the final and lost 1-0 on the day. This team has had many highs and lows this season but they have always stuck together and worked hard for each other! Well done to all on a very successful year!

Junior 2

The Junior 2 squad have been incredibly committed and enthusiastic throughout the season. They have improved immensely as a team and have some incredibly close fixtures. Every player involved has improved their technical and tactical skills. They have been a pleasure to work with. The team had some very notable results throughout the season. They beat Holy Child Killiney, Rathdown School and Wesley College. Their victory over Wesley College really highlighted the strides this group has made. They worked incredibly hard that day to earn themselves a brilliant league win. The team have faced many challenges throughout the year with a change of coach and close losses in the Leinster League and South Dublin League but they remained dedicated and kept coming back to work hard in training. Overall, it has been a very enjoyable, successful and rewarding season for the team. Well done all!

Minor Squads

All Minor teams had a good season and we saw some good displays and some excellent hockey. The development of all the players both tactically and technically was impressive. The Minor A’s had a solid league campaign and were ultimately set back by some midseason form which cost them their place in the semifinal. They had a good cup run, losing out to Alexandra College in a very tight cup match where they squandered some excellent chances. They competed very well in the South Dublin League and won the final displaying their best hockey of their season.

The Minor B’s were in a tough group in the league and ultimately found the going hard. Despite putting in some great performances they just seemed to always come out the wrong side of the result. They progressed as a team and were moving the ball around and causing problems for their opponents and creating many chances.

The Minor C’s had a very good season constantly improving and playing some fantastic hockey. They had a mixed league campaign with both close wins and losses. They were very competitive in all their games and pushed their opponents. The group really gelled as a side and seemed to really enjoy playing together.

1st Year Hockey

Since Christmas, the 1st Year Hockey squad has been extremely busy. Unfortunately, the B1 Eight-a-side team did not progress any further in their league. However, the A2 team went on to win their league final. In total, they played four round-robin matches against four schools with a tough final against Loreto Secondary School, Bray. The girls stepped up to the plate and secured the win with two super goals from Sanna Rankin. As we left eight-a-side hockey, the teams merged into two squads of A and B. The B team had a challenging group but their spirits never dampened despite not being very successful in their league. The A team however made great strides by reaching the final of their league which meant they got a day out in Three Rock against St. Andrew’s College. Despite some great support from their year group, the match did not go their way and they finished second overall in their league. The team also made the semi-final of their cup fixture but also lost out by one goal. Overall it has been a great season for 1st-year hockey.