Round 5 of the European Hurling/Camogie Championship took place in Maastricht on Saturday, 30th September. It was a great day out for our club as we put out full teams in hurling and camogie. Unfortunately, we couldn’t repeat our success from Round 4 in Den Haag, where we won our first European hurling trophy. Our team consisted of experienced Celts along with some newer Erasmus students – most of them called David Ryan – and all players demonstrated their abilities.
2023 has proved to be a brilliant year for the Celtics, as Cologne is now a regular fixture at European tournaments, having sent teams to Den Haag, Dresden and Maastricht before this in the other rounds of the European Championships. This tournament report is primarily a hurling report, and it was compiled by our club hurling officer and head coach, Frank.
The players representing the club at this tournament were Frank, Jan, Anto, David Ryan (Cork), David Ryan (Waterford), Sebastian, Malte, Fred, Jack, Niall, Finbar, and Alex in hurling, and in camogie, we had Laura, Niamh, Svenja, Laura C, Katharina, and Phoebe.
Hurling Tournament
Match 1: Den Haag
The day began quite early for the Celtics, and a lot of coordination was involved in ensuring that our players were there on time. We had players coming from Bonn, Hürth, Cologne and Düsseldorf, but they all got there on time.
Our tournament proper began with an intense showdown against Den Haag. This match was a tough start to it for us. The Den Haag boys are good hurlers, and it was an intense match! We put up an impressive performance with some extraordinary points from midfield by Anto and Waterford David. Ballincollig David scored our goal, but unfortunately, Den Haag scored two. Our backs were brilliant, though, and Fred, once again, took a leading role. Fred has been arguably our most consistent tournament player this year. He was outstanding throughout.
The first match finished in a draw – 1:09 to 2:06.
Match 2: Darmstadt
After teaming up with them in the last tournament, we found ourselves playing against them in this one. As is now Celtics tradition, we started poorly against Darmstadt, as we always start poor against Darmstadt. Not enough intensity, not enough physicality, but then we kind of pulled away. We had a slow start, but we managed to regain control by the second half.
Our puck-out strategy worked well, and Finbar made some notable contributions. Sebastian also got his fair share of game time, impressing us with his performance. Niall made one very memorable contribution when after miscontrolling a ball, he ran the full length of the pitch to win it back. It is this attitude and aptitude that builds strong teams. Fair play to you, Niall! In fact, seeing his improvement from the last tournament to this one demonstrates how important going to tournaments is for players.
In the end, we ran out comfortable winners with a scoreline of 4:09 to 0:03 points, but the scores don’t always tell the full story. We know we need to sharpen up in matches, especially at the start.
Match 3 – Setanta Berlin
The match against Setanta was also a relatively comfortable victory for us on the scoreboard, but it was a very feisty affair. The final score was 3:09 to 0:03. We built up a strong lead by half-time, with Waterford David wreaking havoc and scoring at will. By this stage, he was really hurling well. Jack was also doing what Jack can do and was proving to be too much for them to handle. He was very accurate with his free-taking, and in a physically competitive match like this, that meant we could benefit from any ill-discipline.
In the second half, we could use some of our less experienced players, and we could rest individuals for later rounds. Frank came out of goal to get some time outfield. This tournament was one of our better tournaments for ensuring that all players got a lot of game time.
Sebastian, one of our least experienced players but most dedicated trainers, is developing into a huge asset for the club. He is becoming „Fred II“ and is an absolute wrecking ball of a player. He was competitive on the ground and in the air and looked as if he had played hurling all his life. It is something of enormous pride to our club when we can see how such players are developing.
Match 4 – Switzerland
With two victories and one draw, we were now out of the group stage and into the knockouts against a strong Switzerland team. The Swiss boys were a different quality to many of our previous opponents, and they would eventually run out as champions of the entire tournament. The match finished Switzerland 6:08 Cologne 4:01, but on another day, maybe we could have done better.
Switzerland had a very strong player, originally from Co. Clare, who played in midfield and the forward line, and he was head and shoulders above the rest. He really dominated the centre with his speed, agility, and heads-up play. He cut through our centre and either scored or set up goals at will. They had a commanding lead at half-time.
In the second half, we could show more of ourselves, and our puck-out strategy proved effective, with Cork David scoring a few goals to bring some respectability to the scoreline. Malte also got on the scoreline in this match with one of his trademark goals. On another day, if we had figured out our strategy in advance, who knows. The Swiss boys were deserving winners and were victorious in the tournament itself.
Match 5 – Eindhoven
Our final match was the third/fourth place playoff, and for this match, our less-experienced players were given a lot of game time. Alex, for example, played the full match and was brilliant. He showed tremendous energy and willingness to run everywhere. Niall and Sebastian were also immense. We are building a strong squad, and I think in 2024, we can make a really good go of the European Tournaments.
In the end, we came fourth. We lost out to Eindhoven by 1:05 to 1:03, and by that stage, we weren’t too disappointed. It was a closely contested match, and at this stage, we have gotten to know Eindhoven quite well. They took part in our St. Patrick’s Weekend Tournament, and we have played them in other rounds of European hurling over the last year or two. The main thing was we had played a lot of matches, and everyone had lots of time on the pitch.
Waterford David was feeling the effects of his previous efforts and played some of that match in goal. Throughout the day, the Davids, Anto, Finbar, Malte and Jack were our main scoring threats. Jan had a brilliant day in the backline. He was his usual reliable self and made some incredible catches. He’s a strong man when the high ball comes in!
Unofficial Match 6 – With Darmstadt v Jersey
The tournament was over for most Celtics, but at the end, a couple of us joined up with our frienemies from Darmstadt. When we are not facing off against each other, we really do wish the best for those lads… they have been amongst our longest rivals, and our players got to know each other even better at the recent GAA World Games. Jan, Sebastian and I joined up with them for their final match against Jersey Irish GAA.
The Jersey boys were brilliant; they deserve a shout-out of recognition! They mostly consist of second-generation Irish, and they had a difficult trip making it to European tournaments, but in fairness to them, they made it. Their trip involved stopovers in Manchester, amongst other places, and it sounds like it was a real nightmare to get over, so well done to them.
In the end, Darmstadt won their match 2:07 to 1:05, and we could play our part in it. I was able to get a few scores, but sure, self-praise is no praise!
Overall Impression and Future Prospects
Overall, it was a great tournament and very well organised. The weather was great, the pitches were in excellent condition, and the Maastricht Gaels really did a brilliant job organising the tournament. Thankfully, the paramedics were in place and ready, as there were a few scrapes along the way, including a bizarre injury for Cork David, but he was quickly seen to and none the worse for it.
For our club, as said, it was great to bring in new Erasmus lads and our less experienced players, but it was also brilliant to see some of our other players who hadn’t been there in a while due to different reasons.
At this stage, we have so many players and members compared to a few years ago when it was just a group of 5/6 lads playing in a grass park. Huge credit has to be given to Lea and others for securing the current facilities; they are making a big difference in how we can train. Of course, for different reasons, not everyone can always get to European tournaments, but we really have a chance of doing something big in 2024 if we can build on our successes this year.
The future is bright for hurling in the Domstadt, and we cannot wait to see what it holds for us. Kölle abú!
Thanks, Frank, for the report! 2023 is starting to wind down a bit now, although there are still some massive events, matches and tournaments coming for the Celtics between now and the end of the year. If you would like to get involved with us, please do not hesitate to contact us and join the club!
Cologne Celtics 