Ringtown's hopes of making an immediate return to the senior ranks were dashed by St. Oliver Plunkett's in last year's intermediate final. New club trainer Noel Boyce feels it is imperative that the Whitehall-based outfit make amends this season. Ringtown's bid for an instant return to the senior hurling ranks was shattered by St. Oliver Plunkett's in last October's intermediate championship final at Cusack Park. Having suffered the heartbreak of relegation the previous season, the men in the famed green and gold stripes had hoped to bounce back, just as they had done in 1997. But a disappointing display in the final meant that they will be staying put for another year at least. "We're after shipping two hard knocks over the past two years," says Noel Boyce, Ringtown's new trainer and a key member of last year's team. "It was a huge disappointment for us to be relegated in 2000 and last year's intermediate final defeat was just as disappointing. St. Oliver Plunkett's later proved themselves to be a great team by winning the Leinster junior championship but, having said that, it wasn't much consolation to us," he adds. Ringtown will not look back on 2001 fondly. They played in no fewer than four adult finals but lost each of them. The intermediate team were not only defeated in the championship final but also in the All-County League Division 2 decider. The junior team lost the 'B' championship final to Southern Gaels and the league final to Crookedwood. "We can do an awful lot better than what was the case last year. To lose one final is disappointing but to lose four is devastating. We have got to put last year behind us and try to make amends this year," the former Castlepollard clubman stresses. The Whitehall-based outfit played seven games in last year's intermediate championship, winning four and losing three. They opened their campaign with a 3-9 to 0-14 victory over Delvin at Archerstown on June 1. Two weeks later, they defeated Southern Gaels by 1-9 to 1-4 at Cusack Park. Ringtown then suffered consecutive defeats to St. Oliver Plunkett's (1-4 to 1-13) and Lough Lene Gaels (2-8 to 3-12) before regaining winning ways at the expense of Crookedwood (1-9 to 0-6). The win over Crookedwood put them through to the semi-final where they renewed acquaintances with Lough Lene Gaels. The Gaels led by 1-4 to 0-5 at the interval and they had extended their advantage to three points within seconds of the restart. But a point from Noel Boyce was followed by a crucial goal from Adrian Moran. Lough Lene Gaels replied with three unanswered points and with five minutes remaining, they still held a two-point lead. But Ringtown refused to panic and county player Vincent Bateman proved the hero of the hour when he rifled home a late penalty to give his side a dramatic 2-6 to 1-8 victory. Ringtown went into the final against St. Oliver Plunkett's on October 21 as underdogs. Plunkett's favouritism was based on the fact that they had chalked up seven straight championship wins without too much bother and Ringtown had been among their victims. Noel Boyce opened the scoring for Ringtown but Plunkett's responded with three points on the trot. The Mullingar side appeared to be gaining the upperhand but they were rocked back on their heels when Colin Murphy scored the game's only goal for Ringtown. Greg Gavin quickly restored parity before a Noel Boyce free nudged Ringtown back in front. Dermot Curley levelled again but a Martin Burke point ensured the green and gold stripes of a 1-3 to 0-5 lead at the break. When Boyce slotted over a '65' and Coiln Murphy followed up with a point early in the second half, it seemed that Ringtown were taking control. But Plunkett's hit back with three unanswered points to bring themselves back onto level terms. Ringtown substitute Tommy Cunningham restored his side's lead but from then until the final whistle, the Whitehall men were held scoreless as Plunkett's went on to record a deserved 0-12 to 1-6 triumph. Further disappointment followed on November 11 when Ringtown were defeated by Castletown-Geoghegan by 1-15 to 1-11 in the All-County League Division 2 final. Vincent Bateman was Ringtown's top scorer with 0-6 while Martin Burke scored their only goal. Ringtown were also out of luck in the junior 'B' championship decider which was played in early September. They led by 0-6 to 0-3 at the interval and were still in front until Pat Loughran scored a last minute goal to give Southern Gaels a 2-7 to 0-11 win. The club contested two underage finals in 2001, winning one and losing the other. Ringtown also joined forces with Castlepollard to form Derravaragh Gaels at minor level. Derravaragh Gaels reached the county final but were forced to give second best to a strong St. Oliver Plunkett's side. While the under 14s were beaten by Raharney in the 'A' championship final, the under 16s enjoyed better fortune, defeating Delvin by 3-5 to 1-6 in the 'B' championship (13-a-side) decider. Trained by Noel Boyce, the under 16 team qualified for the final by virtue of a semi-final victory over Crookedwood. Played at Collinstown on November 18, the final proved to be an excellent contest with Ringtown recovering from a half-time deficit to triumph by five points. Delvin led by 0-5 to 1-1 at the interval but a goal by team captain Niall Kilcoyne on the restart helped to turn the tide in Ringtown's favour. Kilcoyne and Anthony Blacoe added points before a third Ringtown goal, scored by David O'Hara, put the Whitehall side firmly in the driving seat. Michael Anderson pulled back a goal for Delvin but a late point from Blacoe copperfastened victory for Ringtown. A Leinster GAA Coaching Officer based in Longford, Boyce reveals that he is putting his playing career on hold in order to concentrate on training duties this season. "I want to put every effort into training the team and that means I won't be playing this year. But even though I'm 38, I hope to be back playing before too long," he explains. After last year's disappointment, Boyce feels it is imperative that Ringtown capture the intermediate championship crown this year. He has been in contact with 43 players and is confident that the majority of them will answer the call. "I think what let us down last year was our lack of fitness. We weren't as well prepared as we could have been. We have some fantastic young players at the club and we also have a number of players who know what it takes to win a championship. "If we can get the right blend, we will be very difficult to beat. Everything will be geared towards winning the intermediate championship this year," he concludes. The Ringtown panel which captured the under 16 'B' hurling championship title was: Shane Brophy, Trevor Nolan, Eanna Doolin, John Boyhan, Aaron Corrigan, Stephen John Wallace, Anthony Cafferty, Gordon Maxwell, Mark Smith, Kieran O'Hara, Anthony Blacoe, David O'Hara, Niall Kilcoyne, Jeffrey Nea, Shane Boyce, Tom Macken, Aidan O'Grady, Ronan Geoghegan. Tweet

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