Ulster Final: The very fact that I have the pleasure of reporting an Ulster Final involving Blackhill is a sign of what a wonderful year we have had and of the great progression that this team has made. A reminder of this progression was evident in the captain’s programme notes as he recalled making his championship debut having been plucked from the stand as a young teenager because we hadn’t enough players to start. The band of brothers of 2016 are a different proposition though. Last Sunday, in Newry, they faced Tyrone champions Rock, who had already won the competition twice. The opening exchanges were a cagey affair, although when things settled down, it was Blackhill that held the upper hand, dominating possession and attacking with real intend. James Daly hit for 2 superb long range efforts early on and Colin Woods was in fine form ending the game with 5 from play. This was a period however that Blackhill will look back on with regret as after being the dominant side for the first period they  really failed to capitalize fully, including 6 wides, to change sides only 1 point up. An even more significant blow in the 1^st half was the loss of Michael Geehan to injury. The second half saw a change in the momentum as Rock started picking up most of the breaks and were able to use this as a springboard for their attacks. Again, however they were unable to fully punish by converting this into scores, thanks in part to some wonderful defensive displays led by Donal Courtney, Ryan Courtney and Thomas Courtney. Blackhill went 18 minutes without a score and also lost talisman Ciaran Courtney after a nasty collision. When Colin Woods did raise a flag, time was against the hill and they were now in arrears. Dermot Daly was given the opportunity to force extra time with a free from around 40 yards. With the clock visibly ticking past the allotted time, he calming split the posts to leave it 9 points apiece at FT. The first few minutes of extra time ultimately decided the contest. In such tight games, goals can usually be the difference and Rock hit for 1-1. Game over for most teams, especially with four of their most influential players now on the sidelines with Aaron Kenny and Hugh Byrne joining Michael and Ciaran on the sidelines following black and red cards respectively. But this group never gave up and with the deficit down to a single point, only heroic last ditch defending by a former All Ireland winner denied them. Final Score- Rock 1-12 Blackhill 0-14. It ended out to be a disappointing day, but as we all know it’s the disappointing days that make the good ones great.

Go Raibh Míle Maith Agaibh: A huge word of thanks to everyone who has followed and supported the team this year. It was great to hear such great noise in the stand on Sunday to cheers the team on.

Get Well Soon: Everyone at the club would like to extend its best wishes to Ciaran Courtney who lost his front teeth on Sunday and to Michael Geehan who suffered a shoulder injury.

AGM: The Annual General Meeting will take place this Friday evening at 8pm. All members are encouraged to attend.