On June 22nd, a party of twenty nine departed from Dublin travelling to Dussledorf representing the LFA on their bi-annual trip to Westphalia
The party lodged in the Sport Schule in Kaisereu, Kamen approximately ten miles from Dortmund. The first match of the week was played on Tuesday evening against a Westphalia selection played on an excellent surface in Herbern. A very fast paced exciting match saw the game end scoreless despite several chances being created by both sides but Leinster would feel slightly unlucky not to have shaded the game
The second match was played against a top club side on the Thursday and it seemed like the heat was beginning to tell on the travelling party as they did well to scrape a one nil win with a late penalty scored by Jimmy Keohane
The final for the Azzaria Cup was played on Saturday afternoon in front of a large crowd and in some very heavy thundery downpours. Leinster put in a blistering performance and went one nil ahead through Thomas Crawley after three minutes but conceded a late first half equaliser when Westphalia scored with the last touch of the half. Leinster were much more dominant in the second half and goals from Neil Harney and Thomas Crawley retained the cup on German soil for the first time in many years.
It was an excellent week of football with the behaviour of the players being exceptional. We had no issues or problems with any of them and they were a credit to their clubs, families and themselves. The management team of Robbie Hoey, Martin Kinsella and Stephen Weafer were always in control and it was obvious they were well respected by the players. Our German hosts looked after us with their usual efficiency and our travelling delegates all ensured that the week passed without any problems to report
Travelling party: John Coughlan (Head of Delegation), Tony Manning, David Hearst, Tony O Dowd, Barney Blood, John Stokes, Peter Doyle (Administrator), Dermot Clarke (Media)
Management: Robbie Hoey, Martin Kinsella, Stephen Weafer
Players: Nicholas Kantonious, Michael O Connor, Thomas Crawley, James Kelly, Jimmy Keohane, Jason Dwayne, Craig Fitzpatrick, Garvan Broughall, Neil Harney, Ian Johnston, Owen Doherty, Mark Griffin, Chris Kerr, John Smith, Edward Melia, Chris Byrne, Gary Burke, Derek Kierans
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