Pearse Og placed a spanner in the Knockbridge works by claiming the 2007 Louth senior hurling league in early June but they were unable to prevent their arch rivals from culling a third successive county SHC in mid October. While the latest narrow championship final reversal represented a definite blow to the town side, the thumping SHL final win was a real high for the Holy Parish men. The Pearse Og/Knockbridge rivalry is reaching epic proportions at this stage. The hurling equivalent of Pats V Cooley witnessed no let-up in '07 as the small ball code's fiercest adversaries once more went head to head for all the main honours, squaring up in final after final during the course of a thrilling year. Recent history set the stage for a compelling year's action. Pearse Og had captured the Paddy Kelly Cup in 2002 and 2004, with Knockbridge succeeding them on both occasions, winning the '05 decider after a replay. The perennial challengers met again in the 2006 final and this time the villagers had three points to spare. Thus, the 'Bridge were going for three in a row in '07, while Pearse Og were bidding for their third county crown in six years. Inevitably, they would clash in the final once more. Unfortunately for Pearse Og, they were edged out by a solitary point in the SHC showcase at Clan na Gael Park on Sunday October 14 - 1-13 to 0-15. Having trailed by six points going into the final quarter, the underdogs clawed back to level terms with a stunning series of successive scores, including five from Gerard Smyth. The sides were still level five minutes into added time and a second county final replay in three years looked predestined until David Dunne struck a late, late winner for Knockbridge. It was a sickening defeat for Pearse Og as the championship is the one that really counts. Still, with the dust settled on the domestic season, they can reflect on their emphatic senior league final win at Pairc Roiche with plenty of pride and that success must surely provide ample confidence and belief with the new season looming. The new calendar year started with an instant renewal of the Pearse Og/Knockbridge rivalry. The county's two premier hurling clubs had qualified for the 2006 senior league final, but the competition had not been completed in time. The deferred decider eventually took place in February '07 and it was a typically closely-contested affair, with a replay needed before Knockbridge won with four points to spare. However, four months later, Pearse Og would wrest the league title from their nemeses with a brilliant 0-17 to 1-9 2007 senior hurling league final victory at Castleroche on Friday June 1. This was a notable win for the Dundalk club, who had previously seemed unable to defeat Knockbridge on the big occasion. Though there was little separating the clubs in terms of ability, Knockbridge always seemed to hold an Indian sign over Pearse Og, carving out victories when it mattered most. (Again, comparisons with the football rivalry on the peninsula seem pertinent.) But not this time. Pearse Og were the better side from start to finish and thoroughly deserved their first Paddy Rice Cup heist since 1993. Though the players know each other all too well, they still served up a robust and highly-entertaining encounter with no quarter asked or given. The fact that the winners had almost 50% more shots at the target over the hour tells its own brief story about the trend of this game. Pearse Og were hungrier and more determined on the day. After going ahead for the first time in the sixth minute, they never looked back. Motivated by two narrow county final defeats on the trot, Pearse Og tore into the task at hand, making full use of wind assistance to compile a comfortable interval advantage. Their shooting was nervy early on and they missed the target three times before Gerard Smith steadied the ship with the match's opening score from a 60-metre free on six minutes - the first of nine scores on the day from the winners' unerringly-accurate young half forward. Shane Callan doubled the advantage with a spectacular tenth-minute score from inside his own half and the outstanding midfielder then added a sublime point from a sideline cut after Knockbridge had opened their account. When the county champions had Kevin McNally red-carded for a wild pull that caught Sean Conroy on the head, Pearse Og's prospects received a real boost and they edged 0-5 to 0-1 ahead by the 20th minute thanks to further scores from Smyth and Callan. The winners' half back line was in dominant mood and, when the opposition did manage to penetrate the cover of David Mulholland, Donnach Callan and Sean Conroy, goalkeeper Stephen Smyth was on hand to make a superb save to deny Brendan Corbett from point-blank range. The final six scores of the half were traded, with Smyth (2) and Brian Hassett on target to hand the 15 men a four-point lead at the interval - 0-8 to 0-4. Pearse Og had a nightmare start to the second period when a long Sean Byrne free bounced through to Knockbridge captain Corbett, who slammed to the net to reduce the margin to just one point. Playing against the wind, Pearse Og now faced a real challenge and it was Shane Callan, leading by example, who lifted them with three stunning points in rapid succession - a free, a 65, and a magnificent score from play. Further points from Gerard Smyth (2) and Ed Smith propelled the winners into a commanding 0-14 to 1-5 position and Smyth tagged on his side's final three scores as Knockbridge struggled to get back on terms. Ultimately, Pearse Og wanted this win more. Stung by a series of narrow defeats to their deadliest rivals, they played with wonderful verve and vigour, never allowing Knockbridge to settle into any sort of rhythm. While their defence was outstanding, Shane Callan's contribution of 0-6 was immense and Smyth knocked over a flood of vital scores to keep the 'Bridge at bay. Callan had really played a captain's part and it was fitting that the county star had the honour of accepting the Paddy Rice Cup from County Board chairman Paddy Oliver. The league success set Pearse Og up nicely for a shot at the SHC. In the round-robin phase of the 'knockout' competition, they recorded wins over Naomh Moninne (2-21 to 2-10) and Wolfe Tones (1-12 to 1-6) to assure themselves of a place in the decider. As Knockbridge had also beaten both Moninne and Tones in their first two outings, the third round of matches was done away with. Thus, there was no dress rehearsal for the final, which would have seen Pearse Og and Knockbridge meet in a largely meaningless Round Three encounter. Instead, the final went ahead in mid October and the young lions of Pearse Og came with a trademark late surge that almost did the trick. In the end, though, they narrowly missed out on a famous senior double. But at least there is some major silverware in the clubhouse this winter, providing the promise of bigger and better days on the horizon. Pearse Og, 2007 Louth senior hurling league winners: Stephen Smyth; John O'Brien, Phillip McFaul, Martin Myles; David Mulholland, Donnach Callan, Sean Conroy; Brian Hassett, Shane Callan; Brian McCabe, Ed Smith, Gerard Smyth; Aidan Callan, Noel Callan, Gerry Brodigan. Subs: Martin Denehy, Kevin Brady, Seamus McDonagh Tweet

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