Town and Country clash

Deborah Greene, from Edward Street outlet Thomas Moore and Sons, has donated a sports voucher to the value of £50 which will be presented to the man-of-the-match at the end of this year’s game.

Deborah said: “This particular charity game gives local fans something to look forward to during the winter months. It’s great that the St Vincent de Paul Society can benefit during hard times and we are delighted to be involved in this particular sponsorship.”

The Town and Country cup sees the best players from twelve clubs in the North Armagh region come together to raise funds for a very worthwhile cause. This season will be the fourth time the game has been hosted, and in the previous three years, the collective total raised for the SVDP has been over £4,000. The Town and Country cup is sponsored by the Lurgan mail and Portadown Times newspapers.

Eugene Creaney from the ‘MAIL’ said that recent success for several local clubs could swell the numbers attending this year’s match: “There is certainly a feel good factor amongst local GAA folk. The level of league success this season has been unprecedented and we are hoping for the biggest crowd so far in the series”.

He continued: “The man of the match sponsorship from Thomas Moore and Sons is a welcome boost it will certainly add to the interest.”

The inaugural game was won by the Town team but over the past two years the Country boys have held sway.

‘MAIL’ editor Clint Aiken also believes that this year’s crowd could be the biggest so far. He stated: “Each week that passes seems to bring more success for local clubs, I believe four have been promoted.”

He continued: “Local fans have always turned out irrespective of the weather and I don’t see this year being any different.

“The SVDP Society does a fantastic job in the community and we are delighted to be involved in promoting the venture once again.”

Long serving St Vincent de Paul official Benedict Lavery said: “It’s hard to believe that it has been almost a year since last year’s game, but although time moves on, the plight of some underprivileged families remains the same.

“We are still inundated with requests for help and a lot of families will suffer an amount of hardship, particularly in the run up to Christmas.

“Our society appreciates all the help it receives from the local community and the Town and Country cup provides a real lifeline for our association.”

When the availability of players etc. has been established, squads and the venue will be announced. The interest this year should be very keen even considering that both squads had at least twenty-three players who showed up for last year’s game at St Paul’s. The ‘MAIL’ is hoping to organise a press day at the post match reception and will be requesting that all the silverware collected by local senior sides be displayed for photos, etc.