Sarsfields GAA (Newbridge)
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| Founded: | 1897 | ||||||||||||
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| County: | Kildare | ||||||||||||
| Nickname: | The Sash | ||||||||||||
| Colours: | Green with White Diagonal Sash | ||||||||||||
| Grounds: | Rickardstown, Newbridge | ||||||||||||
| Coordinates: | 53°11′14″N 6°48′37″W / 53.18711°N 6.81015°W | ||||||||||||
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Sarsfields is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Newbridge in County Kildare, Ireland, winner of 25 Kildare Senior Football Championships. The club name is linked to Patrick Sarsfield's castle in the area and the colours, green with white sash, were based on the colours allegedly worn by Sarsfield's men. Pat "Boiler" White, grandfather of later Kildare footballer Gary White, was a member of the Kildare Gaelic football team of the millennium.[citation needed] Niall Buckley was an All Stars Award winner at midfield in 1997. Dermot Earley was an All Star winner at left half forward winner in 1998 and at midfield in 2009.[citation needed]
Football
The club was founded in 1897. Originally known as "Roseberry" or "Roseberry Sarsfields", and with its headquarters in the Roseberry area, it was registered as "Sons of Sarsfield Gaelic Football Club". A green jersey, with a white sash, were the chosen club colours.
Roseberry Sarsfields won its first championship within seven years, securing the 1904 title after beating Naas, in a delayed final played in January 1905.[1] Combining with Clane, Sarsfields won the 1905 All Ireland as Kildare representatives.
Nine Sarsfields players played on the Kildare team that reached the All Ireland final in 1903. For the next decade, Sarsfields dominated Kildare football, with a Monasterevin intervention in 1911 preventing the Sash winning nine titles in a row.
The club also won championships in 1945 and 1947 and also a "three-in-a-row" between 1950 and 1952. No other club has managed to win three in succession since that time.[citation needed]
Sarsfields waited thirty years for their next championship win when the 1982 team, including Dermot Earley, John Courtney, Ray O'Sullivan and Shay Fahy (later an All Ireland winner with Cork) and John Crofton, defeated St. Lawrences. Four years later, in 1986, Sarsfields won both minor and senior titles.
The club also won the All Ireland sevens in 1983 and 1984. In 1983, they defeated Scotstown of Monaghan in the final on a score line of 1-21 to 2-15 in extra time. In the all-Kildare final of 1984, Sarsfields defeated Johnstown Bridge, winning on a score line of 4-15 to 2-8. Sean O'Sullivan, manager of the Sarsfields 2005 county championship winning team, played in that game.
In 1993, a young Sarfields team were champions again. In the same year, the minor and under 21 titles were also secured.[citation needed] The Dermot Burke Cup was retained in 1994 and, while a three-in-a-row seemed a possibility, Ballyteague won the title in 1995.[citation needed]
In 1999, another championship was won. The club reached its first Leinster final only to lose to Dublin's Na Fianna. Sarsfields' twentieth title was captured in 2001 when neighbours, Moorefield were defeated. Na Fianna from Dublin defeated the club in the Leinster semi-final but used six substitutes, one more than allowed. The penalty was forfeiture of the game but Sarsfields offered to replay it. In a close game, Sarsfields were beaten in extra time with literally the last kick of the game.
2005 saw the club win the minor and senior championships. Sarsfields reached their second Leinster Final, losing out to Kilmacud Crokes. However, the minors were denied their opportunity of sharing the county final day with the seniors as Laurences, finalist in minor and senior finals were granted their request of postponing the minor game to allow their minors play with the senior team. In the same year, the senior B team were also county championships beating Kilcock in the final.
In 2006, the seniors ended up in a championship relegation battle with Maynooth having failed to qualify out of the group stages of the championship for the first time since the group format was introduced. In 2007, the Minor and U21 championships were captured. The seniors won the league beating Carbury after extra time. The Junior C team won the championship to conclude the year.
Later years saw a revival of hurling in the club.[citation needed] Three consecutive junior league finals were contested between 2007 and 2009 with two wins recorded. After a series of near misses, the Junior championship was won in 2009, allowing Sarsfields to compete in Intermediate ranks for the first time in over 20 years in 2010.[citation needed]
The senior footballers contested but lost out in the 2010 county final. However the senior B team won the championship for the third year in a row at this level and also captured the Jack Higgins cup. In addition the junior C team captured the championship for the second year in a row.[citation needed]
In 2012, a senior championship football title was won against Carbury. In addition, the senior team captured the league title and won the Aldridge cup. The senior B team lost out in the league final while the Reserve E team won the championship.[citation needed]
Hurling
After a number of years without a hurling team Sarsfields re-entered the junior league in 2007 and in June 2007 were crowned League champions after defeating Athy by 5–8 to 2–6. Sarsfields Hurling were 2009 Junior League and Championship double winners and now compete at Intermediate level.
Ladies Football
Sarsfields were Kildare junior champions in 2003 and intermediate champions in 2004. They also won the Leinster Intermediate Championship in 2004 and the Ladies U14 league in 2007. They beat Moorefield in the minor Championship in 2008. They then went on to win their u15 County Championship in Division 1 in 2011.[citation needed] They again won the intermediate championship in 2014 and the first ever senior title in 2015.
Honours Sarsfields
- Kildare Senior Football Championship: Winners (25) 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1912, 1915 1945, 1947, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1982, 1986, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2012,[2] 2015,[3] 2016,[4] 2019
- Kildare Senior Football League Division 1: (14) 1945, 1946, 1947, 1952, 1954, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1992, 2007, 2012
- Kildare Senior Football League Division 2 (1) 2000
- Kildare Junior Football Championship: (2) 1924, 1933.
- Kildare U-21 Football Championship: (5) 1987, 1992, 1993, 2007, 2013, 2017
- Kildare Minor Football Championship (14) 1940, 1941, 1957, 1958, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1986, 1990, 1993, 1996, 2005, 2007, 2014
- Kildare Minor Football League DIV 1: (16) 1942, 1958, 1962, 1970, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1993, 2013, 2014
- Kildare Minor Football League DIV 4: (6) 1979, 1981, 1987, 1991, 1993, 1996
- Kildare Under-16 Football Championship (12) 1948, 1954, 1955- 62- 66-67-68- 88-2006, 2012, 2013, 2014 . FL: 1984– 88. 'B' 1999 2003
- Kildare Senior B Championship (9) 1994, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020, 20221
- Jack Higgins Cup (4) 1985, 1994, 2009, 2015
- Kildare Junior Hurling Championship (1) 2009
- Kildare Intermediate B Hurling Championship (1) 2010
See also
References
- ^ "A snippet of History #125yearsofthesash". sarsfieldsgaanewbridge.clubifyapp.com. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
The final was not played until January 29th 1905 when Rosberry Sarsfields had no difficulty in beating Naas 0-14 to 0-3
- ^ "McKenna turns the tide for Sarsfields". Irish Examiner. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
- ^ "Sarsfields snatch title with late blitz". Irish Examiner. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
- ^ "Kildare SFC final: The Sash overcome 14-man Moorefield". Hogan Stand. 16 October 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
- ^ "Davy Burke appointed Wicklow football manager". RTÉ. 24 September 2019.
- ^ "Wicklow boss Davy Burke open to recruiting surplus Dubs". RTÉ. 7 November 2019.
Bibliography
- Sarsfields GFC 86 Golden Years 1897 To 1983 by Tommy O'Hanlon, Sarsfields GAA 1983, 108pp.
- Kildare GAA: A Centenary History, by Eoghan Corry, CLG Chill Dara, 1984, ISBN 0-9509370-0-2 hb ISBN 0-9509370-1-0 pb
- Kildare GAA yearbook, 1972, 1974, 1978, 1979, 1980 and 2000– in sequence especially the Millennium yearbook of 2000
- Soaring Sliothars: Centenary of Kildare Camogie 1904–2004 by Joan O'Flynn Kildare County Camogie Board.