Garrycastle may have failed in their bid to complete a hat-trick of senior championship successes last year, but their retention of the All-County League Division 1 title went some way towards atoning for that disappointment according to team coach and selector Garry Sammon. It is a measure of the high standards Garrycastle have set in recent years that their retention of the All-County League Division 1 title last November was barely acknowledged by some supporters. A 0-12 to 0-9 victory over county champions The Downs assured 'Castle of their third league title on the trot. However, it was small consolation for a team that had its sights set on completing a hat-trick of senior championship successes at the outset of the year. The 2003 senior football championship will not hold many fond memories for the hugely ambitious Athlone outfit whose quarter-final capitulation at the hands of Mullingar Shamrocks was both spectacular and unexpected. While acknowledging that the defeat was a low point in the club's proud recent history, team selector and coach Garry Sammon insists that Garrycastle haven't become a bad team overnight. "That was just a blip," he says. "While there was no excuse for our performance on the day, it's easy for people to forget that we were badly depleted for that game. Seanie Donoghue and Padraig Rattigan were huge losses through injury, while Dessie and Gary Dolan were both in America. "We were also without Stephen O'Reilly and Robbie Fox, while our midfielders Ciaran Ryan and David O'Shaughnessy had just flown in from England where they continue to work. On top of that, Alan Daly had been in Spain for eight weeks, during which time he missed out on a lot of football." Sammon, who was a member of the Westmeath minor team which narrowly lost to Meath in the 1992 Leinster final, accepts that Garrycastle were hit harder than most clubs by the mass exodus of players to the US last summer. However, he feels it would be unfair to lay the blame with them for Garrycastle's championship demise. "You can't blame lads for spending the summer in America - it's a great opportunity for them. But something will have to be done so that clubs don't end up losing their best players every summer. It's not just a Garrycastle problem - everyone seems to be suffering," he opines. "We thought our panel would be strong enough to absorb the losses of so many players, but we were wrong. There may also have been a lack of appetite among some players after the success we had in the two previous years." On reflection, Garrycastle's performances in the early rounds of the championship didn't mark them out as potential champions. In their opening game of the group stages against neighbours Athlone, they fought out a dour 2-3 to 0-9 draw. A brace of goals from Gary Dolan had looked like giving Garrycastle their first ever championship win over their town rivals, but they were denied that when Neil Dolan fired over a last-gasp equalizer. The champions' second outing against St. Loman's also looked to be heading for a draw until Dessie Dolan scored a magnificent winning point five minutes into injury-time. The Mullingar side had led by 1-5 to 1-2 at the interval, but an Alan Daly goal brought 'Castle back into contention on the restart and they went on to secure a 2-8 to 1-10 win. A dominant first half performance laid the foundations for Garrycastle's second win of the campaign against Tyrrellspass. Goals from Daly and Paul Dillon helped them to a seemingly unassailable 2-7 to 0-3 lead at the break. But Tyrrellspass staged a determined second half recovery which left Martin McCabe's side hanging on for a 2-8 to 1-9 victory. In Garrycastle's fourth outing against Coralstown/Kinnegad, goalkeeper Cathal Mullin almost emerged as an unlikely scoring hero when he pointed a '45' to give them the lead with three minutes remaining. But Eamonn Fleming salvaged a share of the spoils for Coralstown/Kinnegad with an equalizing point in injury-time. The first real signs that Garrycastle were beginning to struggle without some of their established stars came to light when they suffered a shock 1-10 to 1-11 reversal at the hands of Moate All-Whites. Even though 'Castle had already assured themselves of a place in the knock-out stages, their defeat to a team that had been threatened by relegation was a cause for concern. Four weeks later, supporters' worst fears were realised when Garrycastle exited the championship following a humiliating 1-0 to 0-10 defeat to Mullingar Shamrocks. In a bizarre encounter, Justin McAteer gave the Athlone side a dream start when he goaled after just 30 seconds. But incredibly, the champions failed to score thereafter as Shamrocks took a grip on proceedings to run out comfortable winners. Despite that hammerblow, Garrycastle continued to train as the league title was still an achievable goal. They went into their final league game against The Downs knowing that only a win would be good enough to retain their crown. There was also a lot at stake for The Downs who, had they won, would have completed a league and championship double. Three times in the first half the sides were level, but a late surge before half-time gave Garrycastle a slender 0-7 to 0-6 lead at the interval. On the resumption, Justin McAteer pointed twice to stretch Garrycastle's advantage to 0-9 to 0-6 before Tommy Cleary and Brendan Murtagh replied with points to reduce the deficit to the minimum. With time almost up, Garrycastle were clinging onto a 0-10 to 0-9 lead, but the prospect of The Downs salvaging a draw did not seem beyond the bounds of possibility. However, Garrycastle had one final spurt in them and they went on to seal a memorable win courtesy of late points from Rowan Mulvihill and substitute Noel Galvin. Not surprisingly, Sammon, who is employed as a GAA Development Officer in Athlone IT, was delighted with the success. "It says a lot for the character of the team that they were able to come back and win the league after such a disappointing end to the championship," he enthuses. "It also showed what we're capable of when we have a strong team out. With the exception of Dessie Dolan who was playing for Leinster in the Railway Cup on the same day, I think we had nearly all of our regulars out. "It was important for us to win the league because it sets us up nicely going into the new season. It was also a great achievement to win it for the third year in-a-row. Over the three years, we lost just one game and that was to Castledaly last year. In the vast majority of those games, we fielded without our county players." Garrycastle came close to retaining the senior 'B' title, only losing to Tyrrellspass by 0-13 to 1-15 in the final at Tang in August. At underage level, the under 14 team reached the Feile na nOg final, but were forced to give second best to St. Loman's on a 1-6 to 2-5 scoreline. Having recently become a Westmeath under 21 selector, Sammon has decided to step down from his position with Garrycastle. However, he intends to keep a close eye on how they are faring and is confident that they have what it takes to win back the Flanagan Cup in the coming season. "It will take a huge effort to win back the championship, but there is still plenty of football left in this team. To win a Leinster club championship has always been Garrycastle's ultimate aim and they won't be satisfied until that's achieved," he concludes. The Garrycastle team which defeated The Downs to retain the All-County League Division 1 title was: Cathal Mullin; Karl Henson, John O'Shaughnessy, Tom McHugh; James Duignan, Justin McAteer, Enda Mulvihill; David O'Shaughnessy, Ciaran Ryan; Paul Dillon, Rowan Mulvihill, Robbie Fox; Alan Daly, Stephen O'Reilly, Donal Ryan. Sub used: Noel Galvin. The team which contested the senior 'B' championship final was: Fergal Nee; John Murphy, Tom McHugh, Niall Fagan; Padraig Donoghue, James Duignan, Eddie Naughton; Doran Harte, Stephen O'Reilly; Robbie Fox, Rowan Mulvihill, Donal Ryan; Noel Galvin, Colman Gantley, Padraig Cosgrove. Subs used: Jonathan McGuire, Stephen McGuire and Declan Dockery. 'Castle girls capture All-Ireland Feile title The Garrycastle girls under 14 team were crowned All-Ireland Feile na nOg Division 3 champions in Galway last July. Under the guidance of Michael Maguire (manager), Jenny Fletcher and Eileen Walker, the 'Castle girls played out of their skins to take the All-Ireland title back to Westmeath. Operating from their Clonbur base, Garrycastle's first game resulted in a comfortable victory over Bray Emmetts. They then accounted for St. Fursey's of Headford before overcoming Offaly champions St. Rynagh's after a bruising contest. The victory over St. Rynagh's put 'Castle through to the semi-final where they faced Mayo outfit Hollymount. The first half was dominated by the Westmeath champions who had built up a 3-3 to 0-0 lead at the interval. Hollymount showed a big improvement on the restart, but Garrycastle still ran out winners by 3-4 to 0-5. The final against Donegal champions Ardara was due to be played at Pearse Stadium, but much to the disappointment of both teams, was moved to nearby Prairie because it clashed with the All-Ireland hurling qualifier between Galway and Tipperary. The Prairie pitch wasn't up to scratch, but it mattered little to Garrycastle who still managed to play some excellent football. Michael Brennan's charges took the lead with some well taken goals, kept their opponents scoreless for long periods and broke in the second half for some crucial points to win. To cap a memorable weekend, Garrycastle's Sinead Walker also won second prize in the skills competition where she was just edged out by four seconds. Tweet

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