Connect with us

Sport

Mixed fortunes for St Paul’s in Week 1 of new National League season

Published

2 years ago

on

The St Paul's Scotts Lakers squad who travelled to Carlow to take on SETU Carlow.

The St Paul’s men’s and women’s teams got their respective National League Division 1 campaigns up and running with a double-header in Carlow on Sunday last and they came home to Killarney with one impressive win and one disappointing yet encouraging defeat.

The Utility Trust St Paul’s ladies overcame the hosts, SETU Carlow, on an emphatic scoreline of 83-50 with new American signing Jess Huber racking up a whopping 35 points. Coach James Fleming was without the services of several GAA-tied players like Rheanne O’Shea, Leah McMahon, Lorraine Scanlon, Denise Dunlea and Cliona Coffey so the manner of the victory will no doubt be encouraging to him and his backroom team.

Huber dropped in 14 first-quarter points as the home team struggled to keep in touch early on. They trailed by 14 at half-time (40-26) and with Niamh Ní Chonchúir, Alexa Naessens and Lynn Jones to the fore, the Killarney side accelerated even further ahead in the second half.

When Huber nailed the final basket of the game – a three-pointer – Paul’s led by 33 points. The squad can be pleased with this opening day win; it serves as an early marker of their intentions for the 2023/24 season.

ST PAUL’S SCORERS: Jess Huber 35, Alexa Naessens 12, Niamh Ní Chonchúir 10, Lynn Jones 9, Meabh Barry 7, Mary Kate Smith 7, Tara Donnellan 3.

LAKERS

The St Paul’s men’s team, operating under the Scotts Lakers banner, also took on SETU Carlow on Sunday but they were unable to make it a double as they fell to a 12-point defeat (99-87).

Despite losing, the away team played with a competitive spirit, structure and purpose that could have led to a more fruitful outcome. They trailed by 11 points at half-time (61-50) but they came back into contention by the end of the third with new signings Terion Moss (25 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists) and Braden Bell (28 points, 8 rebounds) leading the way.

The deficit was just three points in the closing seconds of the period when a controversial buzzer-beater, plus a free throw, was awarded to Carlow.

Now trailing by six, the Lakers fought hard at the start of the fourth quarter, but the home side managed to plough ahead and capture the points.

Nevertheless it was a positive enough start for the Lakers with several young local players showing what they’re capable of. Jack O’Sullivan scored 13 points, Paul Clarke played a captain’s role and Jamie O’Sullivan also caught the eye. Ronan Collins will have benefitted from his first outing in a while and Mark Sheehan and Eoin O’Carroll added to their burgeoning reputations. Young Chris Healy made his National League debut while Oisín Spring again saw court time.

SCOTTS LAKERS SCORERS: Braden Bell 28, Terion Moss 25, Jack O’Sullivan 13, Paul Clarke 7, Jamie O’Sullivan 7, Eoin O’Carroll 6, Ronan Collins 1.

SATURDAY

Both St Paul’s teams are in action at home at the Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre on Saturday. The St Paul’s ladies host the Limerick Celtics 4.30pm and the Lakers will take on the Limerick Sport Eagles at the same venue at 7.30pm.

The Eagles will be a tough assignment; they have brought in Da’Kquan Davis and Keelen Coats, two quality players who combined for 68 points in their opening night win over the Titans.

Related Topics:
Advertisement

News

Home cup tie for St Paul’s could be epic

Published

1 month ago

on

7 November 2025

By

Paudie O’Connor National Cup (Round 1)

Utility Trust St Paul’s v GCU Brunell

Saturday 7.30pm

Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre

The St Paul’s women’s team will be hoping to get their National Cup adventure off the ground on Saturday when they welcome 2024 champions Brunell to Killarney. Tip-off in the Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre is at 7.30pm.

Paul’s have displayed some fine early season form, although their unbeaten start in the Super League came to an abrupt end last weekend when they lost to the Trinity Meteors in Dublin. James Fleming’s side weren’t at their best on the day but they were well in contention heading into the final quarter with the scores at 47-45 in favour of the hosts. The Meteors pushed on in the fourth, however, eventually running out 63-53 winners.

St Paul’s scorers on the night were Maisie Burnham (13), Tara Cousins (12), Lorraine Scanlon (12), Lovisa Hevinder (9), Denise Dunlea (5) and Leah McMahon (2).

The Killarney club are now joint second in the table alongside the Meteors with both teams holding a 4-1 record. Killester are top having won each of their first five games.

Paul’s opponents on Saturday, Brunell, have won three out of five league matches so far.

LAKERS

The Utility Trust St Paul’s Lakers have now won three of their last four games in Division 1 of the Men’s National League following an impressive home victory over Moycullen in Killarney.

Eoin Carroll and Jack O’Sullivan made significant contributions of the Boys in Black; Carroll hit 17 points and collected 13 rebounds while O’Sullivan had 14 points, 12 rebounds and some spectacular blocks.

Steve Kelly posted 30 points and the durable Sam Grant played every second, adding 21 points along the way.

The Lakers started well before the visitors found their footing and the sides went in level at the half-time break after scores by home captain Carroll. There was still nothing to separate the teams entering the fourth quarter (68-65) but buckets by Carroll, Pablo Murcia and Grant opened up a nine-point lead. Moycullen fought back admirably, however, cutting the deficit to just four, but Luke O’Hea’s charges held firm to prevail by eight (88-80).

Next up is a cup tie against the Tipperary Talons, a side they defeated by 30 points just a couple of weeks ago. The cup can be very different to the league, though, and they will need another solid performance to advance to the next round. Tip-off in in Killenaule is at 6.30pm on Saturday.

Attachments

Continue Reading

News

Chances of Kerry v Cork Munster final in 2026 decrease as Munster GAA delay seeding plan

Published

1 month ago

on

7 November 2025

By

After facing a backlash from Limerick, Clare, Waterford and Tipperary players, Munster GAA have postponed their plan to keep Cork and Kerry separate in the 2026 Munster Football Championship.

The new seeding system – which gives the two highest ranked Munster teams in the National League byes to separate semi-finals – will now come into play in 2027, twelve months later than initially planned.

This will give Clare and Limerick a chance to earn promotion to Division 2 of the league, potentially overtaking Cork if the Rebels were to get relegated to Division 3.

Despite traditionally being the two main contenders for Munster football honours, Kerry and Cork haven’t met in a provincial decider since 2021. The Kingdom have won each of the finals since then (one versus Limerick and three versus Clare) by an average margin of 15.75 points.

More high-profile Kerry v Cork finals might be desirable for fans of those teams, businesses in Killarney and Cork, and neutrals alike but Munster GAA’s plans to effectively keep the great rivals on opposite sides of the draw understandably drew criticism from the other participating counties. A statement by the GPA confirmed that players from Limerick, Clare, Waterford and Tipp had met via Zoom to discuss the matter. They were said to be “deeply disappointed and concerned” by the decision.

The 12-month delay will at least give two of those disaffected teams an opportunity to benefit from the new seeding process.

The draw for the 2026 Munster Football Championship will take place on November 27 under the old rules. As 2025 finalists, Kerry and Clare will get byes to the last four (but they will not necessarily be kept apart).

Nine members of Kerry’s squad are up for All-Stars at tonight’s awards ceremony in Dublin with Joe O’Connor and David Clifford also in contention for the prestigious Footballer of the Year award.

Attachments

Continue Reading