Monaghan Harps Lotto: Numbers 10, 18, 19 and 27. Jackpot of €8,650 not won. Residual prizes: €100 Margaret O’Neill c/o Bernie Rushe; €40 Deirdre McCluskey c/o Ciarán Cuddy; €40 Dessie McCabe c/o Barry Sullivan; €40 Aurelia Callan c/o Ciarán Cuddy. Jackpot for Sunday, October 21 is €8,800 and Fergus and Mary Coyle are on duty. Lotto draw takes place in the clubhouse every Sunday night. All welcome. Please continue to support our club lotto. Tickets are €2 each or three for €5!

 

Minors: The minor footballers went so close to ending our six-year wait for a MFC title in last Sunday’s final against Castleblayney in Clones, only to fall short by two points on a scoreline of 0-12 to 1-7. Our lads fell three points down after six minutes, but Fearghal McMahon kicked our first point and we added a goal on 10 minutes when Carl Foentjies cleverly punched a high ball from Kevin Loughran into the bottom corner. Blayney got the next two points, but a brace from Fearghal and a Michael Galligan free had our lads a point up at half-time: 1-4 to 0-6. A good point from Kevin got us off to a bright start in the second half, but Blayney quickly replied and our lads went on to miss a few chances to put a bit of daylight between the teams. Michael did convert a free from a tight angle and although Blayney hit two on the trot to draw level, a patient Harps created a fine point for Evan Doherty. That proved to be our last score, however, as Blayney hit three unanswered points in the final ten minutes to decide the match in their favour. Thanks to the players and their management team of Maurice Galligan, Pádraig Reilly, Paddy Kelly and Declan McArdle for their efforts all year.

Team and scorers: Ryan Shields; Pauric Murphy, Niall Treanor, Mustafa Gamal; Turlough Clerkin, Shane Maguire (Capt.), Michael Galligan (0-2f); Evan Doherty (0-1), Kevin Loughran (0-1); Benin Devlin, Conor Forde, Carl Foentjies (1-0); Jason McHugh, Fearghal McMahon (0-3, 1f), Shane Loughran.

Subs: Francis Lynch for Murphy (inj., 53 mins), Dónal McCarthy for Forde, Myles Dwyer for McHugh (both 57).

Rest of panel: Anthony Croarkin, Paul Smyth, Paul Byrne, Colm Galligan, John Treanor, Conor Burns, Hassan Gosana, Brendan McQuaid, Darragh Connolly, Ahmed Gamal, Evan Morahan, James McKenna, Christopher McGonnell.

 

Poker Classic: The club’s annual poker classic takes place in the clubhouse this Friday, October 19, with an estimated prize fund of €2,000. Tickets are on sale from senior players and club members, costing €30. Please support.

 

AGM: The club’s Annual General Meeting is due to take place on Sunday, November 18, with the juvenile AGM set for Thursday, November 8.

 

Lotto direct debit: A direct-debit scheme for the Harps Lotto has been developed and forms are available at present. Contact Owen Connell or any committee member for more details.

 

Clubhouse: There are a number of upcoming events in the Monaghan Harps clubhouse, with Friday’s Poker Classic to be followed by ‘Mr. and Mrs. Part Two’ on November 3 and a table quiz in early December. More details to follow.

 

Aido file: A speedy recovery is wished to Mark Murphy, one of our Under-14 hurlers. No doubt every nurse in the hospital knows who he is at this stage!

 

Handball; Our achievements so far at the World Handball Championships have been remarkable. Eoghan McGinnity and Jakub Szkup both reached the last eight in the Under 11 Singles 40×20 from an entry of 91. The latter also was chosen to carry the Polish flag at the opening ceremony – a proud occasion for his family and club. There is no doubt that Eoghan McGinnity’s performances have been the highlight of these World Championships with many people enquiring about the talented Monaghan ten-year-old. Other notable performances came from Conor McDonnell and Ramunas who both reached the last 16 in their respective grades.