Tony Mansfield
On Sunday night last, the sad news that our esteemed
and much loved Club Chairman Tony Mansfield, had passed to his eternal reward,
left all in our club with a deep sense of loss, as for the vast majority in our
club we have never known the club without Tony. For many in our club he was the
first coach they had in the club, the only chairman they knew or can remember
having but for us all he was a constant presence in our club and one that will
be sorely missed. However our sense of loss can only pale into insignificance
when compared to the loss being felt by his wife and great friend Moira, daughter
Caroline and sons Michael and Brendan. To them and all of Tony’s extended
family we send not alone our deepest sympathy but also our thanks for the help
and support they gave Tony, which no doubt enabled him to devote so much of his
time to the service of our club, something for which we will be eternally
grateful.
To say that Tony was a passionate GAA man would be an
understatement, and to say that he was passionate about his beloved
Abbeyside/Ballinacourty GAA Club would be even more of an understatement. He
served our Club and County as player, administrator, coach, manager and mentor,
whilst he also took up refereeing when he retired from playing. Throughout this
time Tony built up a reputation as an excellent reporter and commentator on the
GAA through his column in The Dungarvan Observer.
It is for his work with our Club, that all of us in Abbeyside/Ballinacourty
will remember him most fondly for. To describe him as a great servant to our
club does not even come near doing justice to his contribution to our club.
From when he played in the Minor Hurling County Final in 1955 as an Under 16,
Tony went on to bring unparalleled success to our club on the playing fields.
No matter what title you think of, you can be practically guaranteed that the
first time the name of Abbeyside or Ballinacourty was inscribed on the Cup,
Tony Mansfield had an input into the victory. Due to time constraints, I feel
it was not possible to do the work of Tony justice in this week’s notes, so next week we will carry a full and fitting tribute to
the lifetime of service he gave for the betterment of our club. One fact that
is worth noting though, from when he guided our Minor Footballers to a County
Title in 1959 he managed teams to County titles in no fewer than six decades.
This remarkable achievement gives some small insight into the lifetime’s dedication
he gave to our club.
To those who knew Tony well it is perhaps his calming
influence, advice and counsel and most of all good friendship that we will miss
the most. There are very few, if any of us who didn’t place a call to Sexton
Street (where it was often answered by his unpaid secretary!!) seeking advice
about opponents, the picking of a team, fixtures being changed or a myriad of
other difficulties involving team management. Tony always made you feel at ease
offering sound advice, normally with at least a story or two from his own
extensive experience of dealing with a similar problem before going on to offer
a solution that was usually the correct one. Without doubt we will never see
his like again in our club and all we can seek to do is carry out our duties as
club players, coaches, managers or administrators with the same pride and
dedication he did to ensure that the marvelous legacy he left us is built on
into the future. Ar dheis lámh Dé go raibh a hanam usail.
Jack The Joker
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| No. Drawn - 46 |
Our popular Jack the Joker Fundraiser will continue
this Sunday night in Kennedy’s Live where the Jackpot will be €9,096 as on Sunday
night Ann Kelleher was drawn out of the drum but did not find the Joker,
however she did win €50, while Naimh Briggs and Mary Cliffe won €25. The
following are the numbers that haven’t been turned yet 2, 3, 9, 11, 12, 14, 17,
18, 23, 26, 30, 32, 34, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53.
It was great to see Niamh Briggs continue her winning ways in The Joker as
unless you were living under a rock for the past few weeks then you would no
doubt be aware that Niamh has been in fantastic form for the Ireland Ladies
Rugby Team who secured the Six Nations Championship with a win over France on
Friday night with Niamh scoring a try. They now go in search of a grand slam
against Italy this weekend and we wish Niamh and all her team mates the very
best of luck with this.
Under 21 Football
This Friday night we take on St. Oliver’s in Fraher
Field at 8pm in the Western Final where all support would be greatly
appreciated.
Club Bingo
Our Bingo continues this Sunday night in the CBS Hall where
we will host a bonus night with a top prize of €500 on the night.
Membership
Membership fees are now due and can be paid to Jonathan
O’Donovan or Kevin Tobin or indeed any member of the club committee. We would
ask that all players make an effort to pay their membership as soon as possible
as training has now resumed with a number of Championships beginning in the
next number of weeks.
Deise Development Draw
Over the next number of weeks members of our club will
once again be calling to the people of our parish seeking your support for the
Deise Development Draw which will begin at the end of March. The format of the
draw is similar to previous years with nine monthly draws costing €10 a month.
Each month there will be a prize fund of €15,600 so as well as supporting our
club you will be in with a chance of winning some fantastic prizes.
