It was another busy and successful week for Donabate Community College teams and athletes, with victories across several competitions, strong individual performances, and plenty of students representing the school with pride.
The week began on Monday with an important win for our minor girls football team in Ballymastone. Facing Coláiste Glór na Mara, the girls produced a strong all-round performance to secure a 2–1 victory. Goals from Ovenden and Redmond proved decisive and ensured DCC took the spoils after a competitive match. The result sees the team advance to the last 16 of the Leinster Minor Shield, with their next fixture scheduled for Friday 13th in Ballymastone. At the time of writing, confirmation of their opponents is still awaited, but the team will be hopeful of continuing their positive run in the competition.
Tuesday saw a group of twelve DCC students take part in the Women’s 4 × 200m relay competition organised by Dublin City Council at the National Indoor Arena in Blanchardstown. The event took place in the impressive surroundings of the National Indoor Arena, a venue that regularly hosts some of Ireland’s top athletics competitions.
First to compete were the second-year team of Alice Maher, Caragh Smith, Lucy Harris and Zoe Laird, who performed very strongly in both their heat and the final, representing the school admirably against tough opposition.
DCC’s depth of talent was particularly evident in the first-year category, where two teams qualified for the final. Both teams delivered excellent performances in a closely contested race. In the end, the quartet of Lile Murphy, Faye McConnell, Kate Redmond and Lara Nolan narrowly edged out their schoolmates Eryn Gray, Marta Bodo, Abbie Kearns and Kim Kuznik to claim the silver medal and early-season bragging rights. With many of these athletes also competing with local club LSA, the quality on display was extremely encouraging. Attention now turns to the upcoming North Leinster qualifiers in Santry, where the school will once again hope to see strong performances.
On Wednesday, a number of female students travelled to Abbotstown to take part in the Fingal Sports “Come Try Sports” Day. The event gave students the opportunity to experience a variety of different sports in a fun and inclusive environment, while also promoting participation and physical activity among young athletes across the region.
The week concluded with a double success on Thursday. Our senior footballers recorded an impressive victory in the Leinster Shield Round of 16, travelling to Portlaoise and producing a dominant first-half performance to build a 0–6 lead by the interval. The team maintained their control in the second half to secure a convincing 1–9 win and book their place in the quarter-finals.
There was further good news in Ballymastone, where our camogie team also recorded a victory over Skerries Community College. The result means that they too advance to the quarter-final stage of their competition, capping off a very positive end to the week for DCC sport.
Overall, it was an encouraging few days across a wide range of sports, with strong team performances, individual achievements and continued progress in several competitions.
At the time of writing, full fixtures for next week have not been confirmed, but keep an eye on our social media channels on Friday for the full details!
(Picture: Senior Footballers, Leinster Shield Round of 16, Dunamase College 1-9 Donabate CC)
