Middle East Championship Finals 2014 Round Up
June 04, 2014
Mens Senior Championship Finals
The Dubai Celts won this yearâs Mens Senior Middle East League and went in as favorites for the Championship where they were looking to pull of the double. Abu Dhabi Na Fianna finished second in the League and were the defending Champions having won the Championship last year. The hosts of this yearâs Championship finals were the Arabian Celts who finished third in the League and contested 3 finals throughout the season were quietly confident of making another final on home ground. Qatar GAA had an indifferent League Campaign finishing in that 4th slot but had success elsewhere winning the Derek Brady Cup for the first time at the Asian Gaelic Games in Kuala Lumpur and the Gulf Gaelic Games at the end of March.
As had been the case all season there was very little between the Teams with a kick of the ball the difference between winning and losing. Dubai Celts got off to a great start beating the Arabian Celts in their opening match and with Qatar GAA beating Abu Dhabi Na Fianna in their opening game the smart money was on a Dubai/Qatar Final. The Arabian Celts hit the ground running in their 2nd game and got the win over defending Champions Abu Dhabi Na Fianna who were facing an early exit. League winners the Dubai Celts met a determined Qatar Team in their 2nd game and despite a spirited 2nd half comeback, Qatar came away with their 2nd win of the day. In the final group games Abu Na Fianna needed a win over Dubai to stay in the competition and Dubai knew a win would see them safely into the final. Dubai probably came into the game a little complacent and Abu Dhabi saw the opportunity and had 3 points on the board without reply. Dubai dug deep and it was 5 points apiece at half time. The games were tied at 7 points with a minute on the clock and Abu Dhabi struck a killer goal. Dubai came back hard but the Abu Dhabi defence held firm and got the much needed win and with a better score difference putting them in pole position for a final as the Arabian Celts lined up against hot favorites Qatar in the last group game. The final group game went point for point before Qatar struck a goal before half time. The Arabian Celts fought hard I the 2nd half and went a point ahead with a minute on the clock. Qatar came back to equalize with the final kick of the game putting them in the final with two wins and a draw against the Arabian Celts with one win and a draw. The Arabian Celts went into the final with two men down as Brian Cafferty had pulled a groin and Terry Kehoe had pulled a hamstring with the last kick of the game in the final group game. Despite the setback the Celts went two points up in the final before Qatar struck their first goal. The Celts drew level with a point before Qatar struck a 2nd goal before half time. The Arabian Celts were back in it with an Alan Burke goal on the resumption of the 2nd half before Qatar pulled ahead with 2 Collie Coyle points. As the 2nd half wore the shortage in numbers was beginning to take its toll on the Celts in the searing heat. Both sides traded further points before referee Michael Collins blew the final whistle and Qatar GAA were crowned Middle East GAA Senior Champions 2014.
In other results Abu Dhabi na Fianna had some consolation in when their Mens B won the Mens Senior Plate over a much improved Al Ain Team.
In the Mens Intermediate competition the Kuwait Harps had a very close win over Naomh Alee Riyadh in the Mens Intermediate final. The mens Intermediate Plate saw an all Oman clash with Clann na hOman facing Omann GAA for the first time with Clann na hOman the eventual winners with a closer than expected one point victory over their neighbours.
In the Mens junior competition the Arabian Celts All Stars had a good win over the Kuwait Harp B Team having lost to them in the group games earlier in the day.
In the Mens junior competition the Arabian Celts All Stars had a good win over the Kuwait Harp B Team having lost to them in the group games earlier in the day.
Ladies Senior Championship finals
In the Ladies Senior Championship Abu Dhabi Na Fianna Ladies have dominated the League and Championship over the last two years and this year was no different. The won the Middle East League this year with the Dubai Celts running them very close throughout the competition finishing second. Former League winners Sharjah Wanderers finished 3rd and Abu Dhabi B pipped the Arabian Celts for 4th spot in the Championship finals in the last round of the League. On finals day Abu Dhabi Na Fianna started as they finished the league with 3 wins out of 3 in the Group games and qualifying for the Championship finals. Dubai Celts had a solid start with a win against Sharjah but it was the Abu Dhabi Na Fianna B Team that shocked the other heavy weights with wins over Dubai and Sharjah to make it an all Abu Dhabi Final. It was close in the early stages but this Abu Dhabi Team showed why they are true Champions and got the crucial goals either side of halftime that put them into the driving seat to secure the win and a 2nd double of League and Championship wins in two years.
In the Ladies Senior Plate Qatar GAA had a one point victory over host Club the Arabian Celts. In the Ladies Intermediate Final the Kuwait Harps ladies secured their 2nd intermediate title of the day with a win over Naomh Alee Riyadh and in the Ladies Junior finals the Abu Dhabi Harlequeens secured the win over the Arabian Celts Legends.
Mens Hurling Championship
Pitch 1 (Grass) | |||||||||||||
Team | G | - | P | - | S | v | G | - | P | - | S | Team | |
09:00 | Kuwait Harps A | 4 | - | 4 | - | 16 | v | 1 | - | 2 | - | 5 | Arabian Legends |
09:20 | Abu Dhabi A | 5 | - | 5 | - | 20 | v | 0 | - | 1 | - | 1 | Abu Dhabi B |
09:40 | Clann na hOman | 0 | - | 6 | - | 6 | v | 2 | - | 7 | 7 | 13 | Naomh Alee Riyadh |
10:00 | Dubai A | 2 | - | 1 | - | 7 | v | 1 | - | 1 | - | 4 | Sharjah |
10:20 | Arabian Celts | 0 | - | 8 | - | 8 | v | 3 | - | 4 | - | 13 | Dubai A |
10:40 | Qatar A | 0 | - | 9 | - | 9 | v | 0 | - | 5 | - | 5 | Abu Dhabi A |
11:00 | Kuwait Harps A | 2 | - | 9 | - | 15 | v | 1 | - | 1 | - | 4 | Oman GAA |
11:20 | Abu Dhabi C | 1 | - | 4 | - | 7 | v | 2 | - | 5 | | 11 | Naomh Alee Riyadh |
11:40 | Abu Dhabi A | 8 | - | 5 | - | 29 | v | 2 | - | 1 | - | 7 | Sharjah |
12:00 | Dubai A | 1 | - | 2 | - | 5 | v | 1 | - | 5 | - | 8 | Abu Dhabi B |
12:20 | Arabian Celts | 3 | - | 5 | - | 14 | v | 2 | - | 7 | - | 13 | Abu Dhabi A |
12:40 | Qatar A | 1 | - | 6 | - | 9 | v | 0 | - | 3 | - | 3 | Dubai A |
13:00 | Abu Dhabi A | 3 | - | 4 | - | 13 | v | 0 | - | 1 | - | 1 | Dubai A |
13:20 | Abu Dhabi B | 5 | - | 3 | - | 18 | v | 1 | - | 2 | - | 5 | Sharjah |
13:40 | Ladies Intermediate - Abu Dhabi C | 1 | - | 1 | - | 4 | v | 2 | - | 4 | - | 10 | Ladies Intermediate - Riyadh |
14:00 | Dubai A | 0 | - | 7 | - | 7 | v | 1 | - | 7 | - | 10 | Abu Dhabi A |
14:20 | Arabian Celts | 0 | - | 6 | - | 6 | v | 1 | - | 3 | | 6 | Qatar A |
14:40 | Mens Intermediate-Riyadh | 1 | - | 4 | - | 7 | v | 1 | - | 2 | - | 5 | Mens Intermediate/Arabian Legends |
15:00 | Mens Intermediate - Abu Dhabi C | 1 | - | 2 | - | 5 | v | 2 | - | 16 | - | 22 | Mens Intermediate - Kuwait A |
15:20 | Kids | 2 | - | 3 | - | 9 | v | 2 | - | 3 | - | 9 | Kids |
15:40 | Mens Snr Plate - Abu Dhabi B | 3 | - | 6 | - | 15 | v | 0 | - | 3 | - | 3 | Mens Snr Plate - Al Ain |
16:00 | Ladies Cup Final - Abu Dhabi A | 0 | - | 8 | - | 8 | v | 1 | - | 1 | - | 4 | Ladies Cup Final -Abu Dhabi B |
16:30 | Mens Snr Cup Arabian Celts | 1 | - | 5 | - | 8 | v | 2 | - | 4 | - | 10 | Mens Snr Cup - Qatar A |
Pitch 2 (Astro Turf) | |||||||||||||||||
Team | G | - | P | - | S | v | G | - | P | - | S | Team | |||||
09:00 | Abu Dhabi C | 6 | - | 8 | - | 26 | v | - | 1 | - | 1 | Abu Dhabi D | |||||
09:20 | Qatar A | 2 | - | 6 | - | 12 | v | 2 | 4 | 2 | - | 8 | Al Ain | ||||
09:40 | Arabian Celts | 3 | - | 5 | - | 14 | v | 1 | - | 1 | - | 4 | Clann na hOman | ||||
10:00 | Dubai B | 1 | - | 3 | - | 6 | v | 2 | - | 3 | - | 9 | Al Ain | ||||
10:20 | Qatar B | 0 | - | 6 | - | 6 | v | 0 | - | 7 | - | 7 | Abu Dhabi B | ||||
10:40 | Qatar A | 3 | - | 6 | - | 15 | v | 3 | - | 0 | - | 9 | Clann na hOman | ||||
11:00 | Arabian Celts/Qatar - Hurling | 0 | - | 0 | - | 7 | v | 0 | - | 0 | - | 2 | Al Ain/Clann na hOman - Hurling | ||||
11:20 | Arabian Celts | 1 | - | 6 | - | 9 | v | 1 | - | 4 | - | 7 | Al Ain | ||||
11:40 | 0 | - | 0 | - | | v | 0 | - | 0 | - | 0 | ||||||
12:00 | Dubai B | 1 | - | 4 | - | 7 | v | 2 | - | 9 | 15 | Abu Dhabi B | |||||
12:20 | Arabian Legends | 3 | - | 3 | - | 12 | v | 2 | - | 1 | - | 7 | Oman GAA | ||||
12:40 | Qatar B | 1 | - | 5 | - | 8 | v | 1 | - | 6 | - | 9 | Al Ain | ||||
13:00 | Clann na hOman | 2 | - | 3 | - | 9 | v | 2 | - | 5 | - | 11 | Abu Dhabi C | ||||
13:20 | Arabian Celts/Qatar Final | 0 | - | 0 | - | 3 | v | 0 | - | 0 | - | 2 | Dubai A- Final | ||||
13:40 | Al Ain | 2 | - | 2 | - | 8 | v | 1 | - | 1 | - | 4 | Clann na hOman | ||||
14:00 | Dubai B | 0 | - | 2 | - | 2 | v | 3 | - | 5 | - | 14 | Qatar B | ||||
14:20 | Abu Dhabi B | 8 | - | 4 | - | 28 | v | 0 | - | 1 | - | 1 | Al Ain | ||||
14:40 | 0 | - | 0 | - | 0 | v | 0 | - | 0 | - | 0 | ||||||
15:00 | Ladies Plate Final -Arabian Celts | 1 | - | 3 | - | 6 | v | 1 | - | 4 | - | 7 | Ladies Plate Final - Qatar A | ||||
15:20 | Mens Inter Cup - Riyadh | 0 | - | 2 | - | 2 | v | 1 | - | 4 | - | 7 | Mens Inter Cup - Kuwait |
Pitch 3 (Grass) | |||||||||||||
Team | G | - | P | - | S | v | G | - | P | - | S | Team | |
09:00 | Arabian Celts B | 6 | - | 5 | - | 23 | v | 0 | - | 0 | - | 0 | |
09:20 | Arabian Celts All Stars | 3 | - | 5 | - | 14 | v | 1 | 5 | 3 | - | 6 | Naomh Alee Riyadh B |
09:40 | Kuwait Harps B | 1 | - | 4 | - | 7 | v | 1 | - | 2 | - | 5 | Arabian Celts FC |
10:00 | Qatar B | 0 | - | 0 | - | 0 | v | 12 | - | 10 | - | 46 | Kuwait Harps A |
10:20 | Kuwait Harps B | 2 | - | 5 | - | 11 | v | 1 | - | 3 | - | 6 | Abu Dhabi D |
10:40 | Oman GAA | 0 | - | 0 | - | 0 | v | 0 | - | 0 | - | 0 | Abu Dhabi Harlequeens |
11:00 | Qatar B | 0 | - | 0 | - | 0 | v | 6 | - | 7 | - | 25 | Naomh Alee Riyadh |
11:20 | Arabian Celts All Stars | 1 | - | 6 | - | 9 | v | 1 | - | 1 | - | 4 | Arabian Celts FC |
11:40 | Kuwait Harps B | 1 | - | 4 | - | 7 | v | 1 | - | 4 | - | 7 | Naomh Alee Riyadh B |
12:00 | Arabian Celts B - Junior Final | 1 | - | 5 | - | 8 | v | 3 | - | 6 | - | 15 | Abu Dhabi Harlequeens - Junior Final |
12:20 | Kuwait Harps A | 4 | - | 5 | | 17 | v | 0 | - | 3 | - | 3 | Naomh Alee Riyadh |
12:40 | Abu Dhabi C | 8 | - | 8 | - | 32 | v | 1 | - | 0 | - | 3 | Kuwait Harps B |
13:00 | Arabian Celts All Stars | 0 | - | 6 | - | 6 | v | 1 | - | 5 | - | 8 | Kuwait Harps B |
13:20 | Naomh Alee Riyadh B | 2 | - | 5 | - | 11 | v | 3 | - | 3 | - | 12 | Arabian Celts FC |
13:40 | Ladies Inter Semi - Kuwait A | 8 | - | 5 | - | 29 | v | 0 | - | 1 | - | 1 | Ladies Inter Semi - Duwait |
14:00 | Ladies Inter Plate- Abu dhabi D | 2 | - | 7 | - | 13 | v | 1 | - | 0 | - | 3 | Ladies Inter Plate - Qatar B |
14:20 | Mens Junior - Arabian Celts All stars | 2 | - | 4 | - | 10 | v | 0 | - | 3 | - | 3 | Mens Junior - Kuwait Harps B |
14:40 | Ladies Junior-Arabian Celts B | 1 | - | 8 | - | 11 | v | 3 | - | 6 | - | 15 | Ladies Junior - Abu Dhabi Harlequeens |
15:00 | Mens Inter Plate - Clann na Homan | 2 | - | 2 | - | 8 | v | 1 | - | 0 | 4 | 3 | Mens Inter Plate - Oman GAA |
15:20 | Ladies Inter Final- Kuwait Harps A | 4 | - | 7 | - | 19 | v | 0 | - | 1 | | 1 | Ladies Inter Final - Riyadh B |