GAELIC SPORTS WORLD Issue 31 – August 8, 2015 | Page 29

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
HURLING CHAMPIONSHIPS REPORT
AUGUST 6, 2015

BELGIUM DOUBLE
BY BILLY FINN
The European Hurling & Camogie
championships came to a climax on
July 25th in Brussels, Belgium. The
men from Brussels, Viking Gaels,
Amsterdam, Luxemburg, and The
Hague competed in Hurling, while
in Camogie the ladies from Holland
and Brussels took to the field to do
battle to see who would be reigning
champions for 2015.
With the outcome of the men’s
championships still in the balance
Belgium hurlers celebrate their third European championship in a row. Photo courtesy of Belgium
between Viking Gaels and Belgium
GAA.
A, the day promised to provide
competitive hurling and some cracking matches that did
CRACKING SEMI
not disappoint in an unseasonably rainy day in Brussels.
Two very good hurling teams in what proved to be the
In the group stages, there were comfortable wins for Vi‘cracker game’ of the day. Viking Gaels stormed into the
king Gaels against Belgium B and Amsterdam, while the
lead with 3-1 notched up by half-time and this seemed
other group saw victories for Belgium A against The Hague
to shock The Hague lads into action. They reverted to a
and Luxemburg.
sweeper system to prevent more goals and this was exploited by Den Hague to great effect.
Under the watchful eye of Ex-GAA President & Current
MEP Sean Kelly and the EU Commissioner for Agriculture
With injury time beckoning and Viking Gaels 1 point
Phil Hogan, the semi-final pitted Viking Gaels against The
down the drama really took a classic turn. Stiofan Ryan
Hague.
gathered an opposition puck-out and thundered up-field

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