Bawnboy/Templeport native Kevin Baxter is looking forward to a long hot summer, brimful of GAA championship action and is hoping Cavan can launch a serious assault on the Ulster SFC. John Loughran reports. Like many of his peers, Kevin Baxter emigrated to Britain at the end of the 1950s. However, before he made the short hop across the Irish Sea he represented his native Templeport up to Minor level and had trials with the Cavan Minors. Having found his feet in London, the sports mad youngster lined out for St. Joseph's in Hanwell for a number of years before switching his allegiance to well known London outfit St. Brendan's. He also found time to study the martial arts and qualify as a black belt in Judo. On returning to Dublin in the early 1970s after carving out a successful career in sales and marketing with Coca-Cola, the affable businessman got involved with St. Brigid's in Blanchardstown and served on the club's development committee for many years. He also served as development chairman at the Black Bush Golf Club in Dunshaughlin in the early 1990s, a venue where the Cavan GAA Supporters club in Dublin held many a successful venture over the years. Kevin's love of the Cavan GAA scene hasn't diminished over the past 40 or so years. Indeed, he is still as passionate about the county colours as the day he first set out for the UK all those years ago. "I still get a great kick out of it. I am up and down to Templeport on a regular basis so I still follow their fortunes very closely. I would also keep a close eye on the county scene," he commented. Kevin freely admits that he doesn't get to as many club and county matches as he would like, because of family and work commitments, but his enthusiasm for the game is as strong as ever. To that end he feels Cavan have more than a sporting chance of leaving their mark on this year's Ulster SFC and All-Ireland series. "With the new system (the qualifiers) teams that have been in the doldrums for many years such as Fermanagh, Sligo and Westmeath have come through and made their mark," he opined. In Eamonn Coleman, Kevin thinks Cavan have the ideal manager to lead them to the Promised Land. "All we can do is throw our full weight of support behind the manager and the team and hope that they can get a run going in the championship. I feel they could have a good year in 2005," he added. He continued: "Coleman has plenty of experience at inter-county level. He did well enough last year in his first year in charge, but he will be looking to take Cavan to another level this year." With Coleman in his second year at the helm, Kevin believes Cavan can significantly improve on their 2004 showing, when they were unlucky to go under to Armagh in the Ulster SFC before succumbing to Derry in the qualifiers. "Derry made it to the semi-final where they were beaten by the eventual winners Kerry. Derry needed extra time to get past Cavan in the qualifiers, which shows you there isn't that much between the teams," he recalled. On mentioning Kerry, Kevin's mind goes into overdrive with thoughts of the 1997 semi-final final when the Kingdom downed reigning Ulster champions Cavan to book yet another place in the All-Ireland final. Cavan, under Martin McHugh entered that game with high hopes but they came up against a resolute Kerry team with designs on adding to their treasure trove of All-Ireland titles. "It was a new experience for the team. Cavan probably didn't do themselves justice on the day. They were a better team that the scoreline suggested," he noted. He added: "They did brilliantly to win the Ulster Championship that year. We were all very disappointed to lose to Kerry." At least one member of the Baxter household has fond recollections of the day. "My wife Agnes is from Kerry so she was obviously delighted. Over the years Kerry have had the upper hand, but she would be thrilled to see Cavan doing well," Kevin remarked. With every passing year Kevin marvels at the levels of commitment and dedication the Cavan players and management put into the cause, with little or no tangible results. "The players put in a huge effort between training and playing games. I would have great respect for them. The back door system has been great for the weaker counties in that respect. If Cavan get knocked out of the Ulster Championship at an early stage, they could still put a run together like Fermanagh and Derry did last year through the qualifiers, so there is a great incentive for the players," he elaborated. Before Cavan head into the throes of championship football they have to navigate a course through the Div. 2B of the Allianz National Football League. "They'll be looking to put a good run together in the league before the championship. With every win in the league they will be building for the championship. You have to go out with that winning mentality every time, so they will be pushing for promotion," he commented. Having avoided Ulster heavy weights Tyrone and Armagh in the first round, Cavan can look forward to their Ulster SFC showdown with Antrim with some optimism. However, if they see off the saffron challenge they'll come face to face with the winners of Tyrone and Down. "There are no easy games in Ulster, but I would be hopeful that Cavan can beat Antrim in their opening game." He continued: "The winners of that game will play the winners of Tyrone and Down, which will be very difficult. But if you are going to win Ulster you have to beat the likes of these teams." Kevin Baxter is the owner of Baxter Auctioneers, based at Estate House, Main Street, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15. Celebrating 30 years in business this year, Baxter Auctioneers is very much a family run concern with Kevin's daughter Anne Marie and son Damien playing leading roles in the company. Baxter Auctioneers specialises in the sale of industrial, commercial and residential properties as well as agricultural and development land in North West Dublin. The company is also well known as a leading mortgage broker. Buoyed by the continued construction boom in the capital, the company, which employs a fulltime staff of 16 continues to go from strength to strength on the back of offering high levels of customer service. Kevin and his team pride themselves on being willing to go the extra mile for the customer in what is ultimately a "service" based business. To that end the company opens six days a week from 9.00am to 7.00pm. "We are a long established company with a strong track record in the business. It is all down to service and we pride ourselves on offering a very personal service," Kevin concluded. Tweet

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