Carlow/Kilkenny U15 Soccer Div. 1 Final
History was made on 24th February as Borris College claimed their first ever Div. 1 soccer title, at any age, with a 4-1 win over Tyndall College. Having claimed a handful of Div. 2 titles over the years as well as a sole Leinster title in 2017, Borris finally climbed to the top of the ladder in Div. 1. Both teams had great semi-final wins to reach the final. Borris scraped past Presentation Carlow while Tyndall swept aside title favourites CBS KK. The scene was now set for a classic encounter between two evenly matched and in-form sides.
The Met Eireann forecast was for a thunderstorm around lunchtime on Monday. Well, it certainly arrived – in the form of Borris’ Jack Richardson that is. Fresh off scoring the decisive goal in each of his previous two school games, Jack jumped up a level with a hattrick in the final. It could have been even more, had the goalframe been 4 inches taller, as he struck two towering headers off the Tyndall crossbar. He was a force of nature in this game. Surging runs, crunching tackles, booming headers and a touch of finesse for his third goal. He gave Borris the lead after great play by Jack Ivers, giving Richardson a chance to head the ball over the line. He wasn’t on his own, however. Joe Walsh, alongside Richardson up front, put in a huge shift. Excellent hold up play and constant pressing caused the opposition major problems. He hit the post from a corner just before Borris scored their first goal and had a superb assist in the 2nd half.
Another player to impress was Jack Ivers. A goalkeeper by trade, Jack was instrumental in most of Borris’ good play in his unfamiliar position on the wing. A constant threat on the right, he delivered crosses with pinpoint accuracy for the forwards to attack. With two assists to his name, it was a good day at the office for the Ballymurphy man.
Bill Roberts, on the left side, was equally eye-catching. The Myshall man, still in 1st year, is a supremely intelligent player. One particular bit of excellent play saw Bill carry the ball from his own half all the way to the end line and then produce a sublime cutback for James Flood to smash into the bottom corner to give Borris a 2-0 lead at halftime. Flood was outstanding in this game as well. His composure and technique are matched by his physicality and work-rate. A constant source of calm on the ball, he helped to give Borris a dominance in midfield that Tyndall couldn’t compete with. Kian Minchin beside him only amplified this dominance. Cool, steady and solid are all apt words to attribute to this young man. Very rarely loses the ball and always seems to be in the right place to disrupt the opposition or launch a Borris attack.
Dylan King was another Borris hero in this final. King was given a particularly difficult task of keeping Tyndall’s star man, and promising league of Ireland player, quiet. No bother to the Borris man. Sacrificing his own game for the good of the team, King got the better of his opponent in this 1v1 duel and was a massive part of Borris’ success.
Due to the performances of the midfield and forwards in front of them, the Borris defenders weren’t under too much pressure in this game. However, when pressure did come on, they stood firm. Captain Shane Jordan leading by example, as always, with Jack Barrett and James Dalton not putting a foot wrong all game.
Our star goalkeeper Darragh O’Neill had a quiet enough day in goal but was on hand to mop up at the back whenever needed. He was unfortunate to concede a deflected goal midway through the 2nd half as Tyndall gave everything to get back into the game. Richardson had bagged his second goal just before Tyndall pulled that one back. Soon after, he sealed his hattrick with a deft finish into the bottom corner to deliver the title to Borris. 4-1 the final score. On a history making day for Borris College, Mr. Tuite and Mr. Lavelle identified the work-rate, composure, skill and character of these young men as crucial in claiming the famous trophy.
It’s all systems go for this group of players now with a last 16 Leinster Shield game on Thursday and a home Leinster Div. 1 Champions League quarter final next week. Soccer in Borris is thriving in 2025 with the 1st year boys already qualified for their first ever Div. 1 final and all four girls’ teams through to the next round of their Leinster competitions. With coaches from Bagenalstown AFC and Callan Utd, players from Ballymurphy, Bridge Utd, Burrin Celtic, CK Utd, Highview, Nurney, St Pats, Waterford FC and Wexford Youths all coming together to represent the school, it might not be the last soccer trophy to pass under the viaduct this year!
