Although still at an early stage, the development of Ratoath's new club grounds is taking shape. Confident that the blue and golds will be plying their trade in new surroundings within two years is Club Secretary, Rose Moore. Nearly four years ago, Ratoath GAA purchased 27 acres of land with the intention of developing their own playing grounds. Located at Brownstown on the Dunshaughlin Road, the site was purchased for £120,000, a bargain price given the huge demand for land for property development in the area. Not surprisingly, there has been numerous enquiries from interested property developers since 1996 about the possibility of Ratoath GAA selling their land. Each offer has been refused, however, as club members have resisted temptation. Their determination to provide their players and juvenile members with one of the finest playing facilities in Meath has ensured this has been the case. "There were offers alright," admits Club Secretary Rose Moore "but there was no way we were ever going to sell the property. When we bought it off Irish-American Michael Coyle, he wanted it to be used for GAA purposes and it was our intention not to let him down. This property is for the up-and-coming players of Ratoath and we hope to provide them with the best facilities possible in the very near future." For many years now, Ratoath GAA have shared their home with the local soccer and pitch and putt clubs (the grounds are parish-owned). The development of their new grounds is still at an early stage but a £23,000 grant from the National Lottery, allocated over a period of two years, has helped to speed things up. At the moment, the finishing touches have just been applied to what is the main pitch. The grass seeds were sown in September and it is hoped the new surface will be ready for playing on in two years' time. The second pitch, which will be suitable for juvenile matches and training purposes, could be in use within a year. Even with two pitches, there will still be enough space to develop other pitchs if the need arises. "The great thing about having 27 acres is that we have plenty of room for expansion," explains Rose. "Our main pitch, which is full size, will not be in use for about two years in order to let the grass seeds grow properly. However, thanks to the great work of Mick Rock - our pitch contractor from Rathkenny - the second pitch should be ready for playing on next year." Of course, no GAA ground is complete nowadays without a clubhouse and this is something which Ratoath's executive committee hope to have in place for the opening of the main pitch two years from now. "It is our aim to have a fundraising drive up and running within the next few months. Ratoath is one of the fastest growing villages in Meath and we intend to have a sports centre which will not only provide dressing rooms and meeting rooms but also a variety of facilities for the youth in particular," reveals Rose. The Pitch Development Co-ordinator is Rose's brother Danny McCann and among those who will be partaking in the fundraising are Michael Lynch (Club Chairman), Michael Barnes (Vice-Chairman), Paddy Dolan (Treasurer), Anne O'Malley (Pitch Development Treasurer), Martin Lynch, Dermot Rooney, Gerry Byrne, Brian McCann, Damien Willis, Johnny Ryan and, of course, Rose herself. As for the playing side of things, 1999 was another year of what might have been for Ratoath in the Junior 'A' Football Championship. Drawn in a group which comprised Simonstown Gaels, St. Vincent's, Gaeil Colmcille, Enfield and Trim, the blue and golds defeated the latter in the final decisive game to qualify for a quarter-final showdown with Moylagh. Played at Kilberry in early September, this proved to be a closely contested game with the outcome remaining in doubt right up until the final whistle. Unfortunately for Ratoath, though, they finished up on the wrong end of a 0-9 to 0-10 defeat, with Moylagh notching the winning point deep into injury-time. "We were very disappointed to lose that game, especially as Moylagh had knocked us out of the championship the previous year as well. It could have gone either way but it was Moylagh who scored the vital last point and it made all the difference. But we'll be back," says Rose. While the Junior 'A' Football Championship crown was what Ratoath had yearned for most, there was a huge slice of consolation gained from the fact that the club captured the Division Two Hurling title at Dunboyne's expense. Ratoath's underage section also enjoyed a good year with the under 17 and minor football teams reaching the semi-final stages of the championship. Ironically, the team which eliminated them from both competitions was Wolfe Tones. All in all then, Ratoath is looking forward to the new millennium with much optimism. With a rapidly expanding population, first class underage structure and major new facilities on the way, a successful future beckons. Third time lucky for Ratoath After years of perseverance, Ratoath were crowned Division Two Hurling champions at Trim on October 17 last. Team trainer Martin Lynch outlines the significance of the success to Randal Scally. The hurling fraternity of Ratoath was given reason to celebrate this year when they finally got their hands on the Division Two Hurling Championship title. It was a case of third time lucky for the south Meath club (this was their third time contesting a decider) when Paul Kirwan's injury-time pointed free gave them a 2-12 to 3-8 victory over Dunboyne at Trim on October 17 last. Ratoath, who last won the competition in 1988, qualified for the knock-out stages courtesy of an unbeaten record which included victories over Dunderry, Gaeil Colmcille, Wolfe Tones, Bective and Athboy as well as a draw with Drumree. A replay win over hurling traditionalists Killyon put Ratoath through the final where they overcame Dunboyne after a superb contest. "It was a fantastic year for us, it made up for a lot of previous disappointments," notes team trainer Martin Lynch. "The effort the lads put in was tremendous. Beating Dunboyne capped off a great season even though we would liked to have beaten Blackhall Gaels in the league final as well. Still, I think we can look forward to next year's Junior 'A' Championship with a great deal of optimism." Dubliner Martin, who along with Mick Barron (manager) and Paddy Dolan (selector) formed the Ratoath backroom team, believes that the team is capable of making greater strides in the years ahead. "Given that the team has an average of just 21, I can see no reason why they cannot make it into the intermediate ranks in the near future. All of the players seem to be extremely ambitious and will hope to build on this year's success." Ratoath's triumph over Dunboyne in the Junior 'B' final will live long in the memories of their supporters. Dunboyne, who claimed intermediate and minor championship honours in '99, led by 3-7 to 2-3 at the interval and looked to be on course for victory. However, Ratoath improved dramatically on the restart and succeeded in restricting their opponents to a mere point in the final 30 minutes. Austin McMahon, Damien Ryan and Aidan Hickey were to the fore for Ratoath when Dunboyne threatened to overrun them, with goals from McMahon and Paul Kirwan keeping them within striking distance. A superb '65' from Gerry Lynch opened the victors' second half account. Barry Crowley narrowed the deficit in the 40th minute and a Kirwan free maintained the momentum. Kirwan missed a glorious chance to level the tie but Ger Lynch made amends soon after. Ratoath's sustained pressure at this stage yielded the desired result when Kirwan swooped for the all-important score. The winners had many heroes, including goalkeeper Philip Dolan, defender Paul Dolan and attackers Crowley, Lynch and Kirwan. The victorious Ratoath team was: Philip Dolan; N O'Malley, Paul Dolan, P Cummins; S Ryan, D Eiffe, D Lumley; G Lynch (0-3), A Hickey (0-2); A McMahon (1-1), B Crowley (0-1), J Kiernan (0-1); D Ryan (1-1), S O'Grady, P Kirwan (0-3). Subs: W Smith, G Maher and M O'Neill. Tweet

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