Alan Power Anniversary Games

July 18th 2009

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"If ye want to win, give me the ball!"*

Our dear friend and club-mate Alan Power passed away suddenly on 20th July last year after the SGL annual Blitz competition.  His loss was and is still felt deeply by the club and by the wider sporting community here in Singapore.  Alan was an avid sportsman and aside from playing with the Gaelic Lions during the 7 years he spent in Singapore, he ran Hash and played with 3 soccer clubs and also dabbled in a bit of AFL.  So to mark his anniversary we turned eccuminical and "foreign sports" mixed in with a bit of Gaelic was the order of the day.... 

In the weeks after Alan's passing last year, a group of his close friends in SGL pulled together a football team that Alan had long been talking of starting and entered "Gaelic Lions FC" into the Singapore ESPZEN Saturday Division 1 league.  Now, a year later, Gaelic Lions FC, is a thriving club having finished 3rd in their first season & 2nd in their second season.  Season 3 is underway at the moment.  They also reached the semi-finals of the ESPZEN FA Cup where they were beaten by eventual winners. They are also competing in the ESPZEN Champions Cup in October where the 16 best sides in ESPZEN fold play off.   So of course, Gaelic Lions FC, ably led by Gary O'Callaghan were central to the plans for "AP's day" as it came to be known.

On the day 3 of Alan's former Football clubs - Hibernians FC, HSBC Lions and Orchard Rovers along with Gaelic Lions FC, the Pirates and the Singapore Wombats AFL team contested for the Alan Power Memorial Cup which was the "foreign" one.  And 4 combined Ladies and Mens teams named the Sweet Cheeks, The Langers, The Latches and the Fag Suckers (Alan's Hash name) competed for glory in the Gaelic Football Blitz. 

Overall around 120 players took to either the soccer or gaelic field (and many to both) on the day from 7 different clubs, and that night many a glass was raised to honour and remember our good friend.   Huge thanks to all those who helped organise & co-ordinate the day, most notably to Gary O'Callaghan who had everything running like clockwork and made sure the day was such a resounding success.   Finally thanks to all at Muddy Murphy's - both for sponsoring the trophies for both the Football and Gaelic Competitions and for hosting the on on later that evening.

Here's to Alan, and to doing it all again next year !

Photos of the day:  Gaelic Football,  Football,  Craic at Muddy's

Soccer, eh sorry, Football:  Alan Power Memorial Cup

With six competitive teams in the running for the innagural Alan Power Memorial Cup, the day promised - and delivered - some quality football.  There was a fantastic turnout from the clubs, with Hibs alone having 27 available to play on the day, including star Lioness Jen Allen.  The ranks of the Wombats were swelled with a few hapless Gaelic players who, like their AFL counterparts didn't really know what to do with their hands ....  Games were 15 mins long and played off in 2 Groups with the top 4 teams progressing to the semis. 

Group A:  First up in the group games were Gaelic Lions FC vs. Hibs and Hibs were dispatched 1-0.  Hard luck Ally.  Next up Hibs vs. Pirates with Hibs emerging the Victors and in the last match of the group Pirates and Gaelic Lions ended in a Goal-less draw.

Group B:  The Wombats, who are AFL players, took the field in the Group B games looking slightly lost on a soccer field and a bit perturbed that they definately (yes, definately) weren't allowed to hit people in this "football" game.   The wily lads of the HSBC Lions took their first scalp beating the Wombats 4-0.  Next up Orchard Rovers vs. HSBC Lions which ended in a 1-1 draw.  In the final group match Orchard Rovers beat the Wombats 3-1.

Semi Finals:  Hibs vs. Orchard Rovers was won by the Rovers 2-1.  The second semi came down to a NAIL BITING penalty shoot out, best of three.  With Goalie O'Callaghan pulling out some major saves to eh, save the day, the Gaelic Lions dispatched the HSBC Lions (yes, there were alot of Lions out there people - its easy to get confused) 1-0.  Job done.

Before the final got underway there was some placing decisons to be made with the Wombats and Pirates playing off for the Wooden Spoon - with the Pirates just beating the Wombats for that particular accolade.  3rd/4th playoff was between the HSBC Lions and Hibs and ended 2-1 to the Lions. 

The Final:  Next up, the big one.  Gaelic Lions FC vs. Orchard Rovers.  Gaelic Lions FC had Rovers beaten in the fashion stakes before they took the field but would it be enough to secure victory???   We hoped so...  The lads approached this one like twas the FA cup final and there was all sorts of tactics being talked and motivational sports cliche's being rolled out.  Great stuff.    In the end a single goal separated the teams.  It was scored by newly drafted 14 year old talent from Kerry, Jack Savage for Gaelic Lions FC and the trophy was theirs.  Nice one...

Huge thanks to all the clubs who took part and to Referee Alex Subramian for providing his services free for the day.  Many many thanks.

Gaelic Football Blitz****

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