We Are Randox | Randox Ladies reach FinTrU Ulster GAA Inter-Firms Semi-Final
We Are Randox | Randox Ladies reach FinTrU Ulster GAA Inter-Firms Semi-Final
On Saturday 10th November 2018, Randox Ladies GAA team took to the field at the Tyrone GAA Centre of Excellence, Garvaghey, to compete in the FinTrU Ulster GAA Football Inter-Firms competition.
Catering for all levels of skills and fitness, the Inter-Firms competition is a tournament open specifically to workplaces across Ulster, in which teams can represent their workplace in Gaelic games.
On the day of the tournament, the Randox Ladies were placed in a group alongside Premier Electric, Options IT and FinTrU, and the first 7-a-side group match saw the ladies up against Premier Electric, who from the start proved to be very tough and experienced opponents.
Team Randox met the challenge head on however, and were leading the game from start to finish until a second goal against the run of play narrowly denied the Randox Ladies the win in the last minute of the game.
For their second match of the tournament, the Randox Ladies showed great character and hunger to bounce back and defeat Options IT 2-6 to no score, in what was an outstanding performance. This victory was not without cost though, as the ladies were forced to battle on in spite of a few injuries.
The final group game against financial services company FinTrU proved to be the toughest match for the Randox Ladies. Having played two games back to back, with numerous injuries gained along the way, the game was always going to be a difficult one, but once again the ladies showed a fantastic attitude, battling hard in all areas.
With their exceptional performance in the group stage, the Randox Ladies found themselves in the semi-final of the cup competition against last year’s winners South West College. From the first whistle, the ladies put everything on the line, running themselves into the ground despite injury and fatigue.
SWC picked up a few early points and then scored two goals against the run of play which would have finished off any experienced team, but with minutes remaining Randox admirably battled up the field to score two goals of their own to bring the game to within a score. In the end though the SWC ladies survived to hang on for a narrow win and went head-to-head in the final against eventual tournament winners FinTrU.
Randox Ladies emerged from their GAA début in an impressive third place.
John James Fallon, Randox Electrical Engineer and Bainisteoir / Coach for Randox Ladies GAA Team, commented;
“What the Randox Ladies have done in such a short time is a fantastic achievement. Most have never played Gaelic football before so for them to go out and to be able to keep up with the pace of very experienced players is nothing short of amazing. They should be extremely proud of themselves and with the men’s competition this Saturday the bar has been set extremely high indeed. Well done team!”
The 2018 FinTrU Ulster GAA Football Inter-Firms Junior Men’s Competition will take place on Saturday 17th November at the Tyrone GAA Centre of Excellence. We wish our Men’s team all the best!
For further information about Randox GAA, please email johnjames.fallon@randox.com
Left to Right: Christine Maybin, Ciara Shaw, Ashleigh McKinstry, Maria McLaughlin, Rachel Walls, Rebecca Molloy, Maeve McAllister, Rachel McCloy, Amy Best
(Team members missing from photo; Claire Donnelly and Jeanette Doherty)
Grand National sponsor Randox hosts Polo event in Bushmills, Northern Ireland
New Grand National sponsor, Randox hosted a unique event in Bushmills this weekend – an International Polo tournament with teams taking part from Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland, and South Africa.
Guests from around the world who made the journey to Northern Ireland for the Polo event were given a warm welcome – they were treated to an intimate performance from world renowned concert pianist Barry Douglas on the evening of Friday 16th September, in the recently acquired Dundarave Estate.
The Randox NI Polo was the first of its kind and over 500 guests made their way to the North Coast town to attend the inaugural event. The day kicked off with the Police Service Northern Ireland pipe band who entertained the crowds before the tournament began. Guests included Pamela Ballantine and the Lord-Lieutenant of County Antrim, Mrs. Joan Christie OBE who delivered the match ball of the opening game.
It was a victory for Scotland during the first nail-biting game of the tournament, as they went head to head with the team from Northern Ireland. But it was South Africa who emerged the winners of the 2016 tournament, after beating the team from the Republic of Ireland and scoring more goals than any other team. The weekend’s events ended with a Gala Ball and dinner, followed by a breath-taking firework display which was also enjoyed by members of the Bushmills community.
Randox Founder and Managing Director, Dr. Peter FitzGerald, a keen horseman and horse sports enthusiast, said he is looking forward to the highly anticipated Polo event;
“We’ve been engaged on the Point-to-Point scene in Northern Ireland for many years, close to our Randox headquarters in County Antrim, but up until now have never had the opportunity to also host a Polo tournament in Northern Ireland. We’re delighted to be able to now hold the event in the beautiful scenery of the North Coast and to bring the Randox Health message to our Polo guests. By taking care of your wellbeing you can ensure that you enjoy days out in Northern Ireland – such as the Randox Polo event – to the fullest.”
Earlier this year, it was announced that Randox Health will sponsor the Grand National, in a five year deal which starts in 2017.
At the time of the sponsorship announcement earlier this year, FitzGerald commented;
“We see this partnership as a natural fit, as both organisations invest heavily in the future and we aim to use our partnership to promote a positive lifestyle and to bring enjoyment to millions of people. We care about people’s health and this is the people’s race.”
As the company expands and develops – more than 370 million people across 145 countries now receive medical diagnosis via Randox products – it seems fitting that Randox would move from the local horse sports scene to the world’s greatest race.
But the global healthcare company is remaining true to its roots, continuing to host the Point-to-Point events that have been synonymous with the company for so long. And by bringing the Polo event to Bushmills, and opening its doors to the public, Randox is saying ‘we haven’t forgotten where we come from.’
Randox hosts Polo Weekend 2016 in Scotland
Piano, polo and cardiac risk profiles were part of the mix enjoyed by more than a hundred guests from around the world at the annual Randox Laboratories’ weekend in Scotland.
World-renowned concert pianist Barry Douglas launched the event at Gleneagles Hotel with an intimate recital of his new music, as well as performing O’Carolan’s “Farewell to Music” and Tchaikovsky’s “Autumn Song.” The evening concluded with dinner and a talk from Manufacturing Manager David Martin who presented Randox’s innovative plans for the future which included our new state of the art Science Park.
A range of impressive seminars were held on Saturday morning, many of which were live-streamed for the first time on our social media channels to international followers. Guests were shown ground-breaking studies completed using Randox products, with the potential to truly transform the way healthcare is delivered. Highlights included a talk by Professor Ray Sherwood from Kings College London who studied “Cytokines for Diagnosis of POEMS syndrome and Castleman Disease” and research by Dr Ibrahim Mansoor from the International Medical Centre in Jeddah on “Extended Lipid Profile, Roles of sLDL”.
The polo match ball was hand delivered to Dr Peter FitzGerald by the Red Devils Parachute Regiment who impressed the crowds by jumping from thousands of feet up in the air to land squarely on the field at Errol Park. Some of the world’s best players took part including Sébastien Pailloncy (3-goals) who wore the England jersey. After three games, England were crowned the 2016 winners, South Africa followed closely behind as the runner up while Scotland came in at third place.
As well as the action on the polo field, guests enjoyed browsing a selection of stalls assembled by the Prince’s Trust (Randox official corporate charity) which included businesses such as “Maddy Burrows Illustrations,” “My Fantasy Bouquet” and “The Family Tree”.
The weekend’s events concluded that evening with the Highland Ball and dinner, followed by a breath-taking firework display – which was also enjoyed by members of the Errol community!
Plans are already underway for our next Polo Weekend – held this weekend for the first time at Dundarave House in Bushmills, Northern Ireland.
