Favourites Brownstown lifted the intermediate hurling title in 2008 and although many may feel that this situation was a forgone conclusion that was certainly not the case. By Stephen Reilly From a player's point of view, yours truly feels that the story of how a championship was won should be told in this year's edition of the Maroon and White. Following the 2007 campaign when we dismally failed to stay in the senior ranks, retirement was the main focus for last year and trying to master the game of golf, among other things. However, after some gentle persuasion from some of the players and a lot of soul searching, the decision was made to return in early April. Nonetheless, there were many regrets along the way, but the end result is what we had all strived for throughout the campaign. With the enthusiasm of a coal miner heading down the mines for a 12hr shift, I headed off to the first training session and the panic attacks reached fever pitch when entering the dressingrooms. "What was I doing here, am I mad, Christ I could be home on the couch watching Big Brother", these were just a few of the thoughts that raced through the head. The fears were compounded when putting on the boots and having 'wintered well', it became a struggle to tie them and already the breathing became heavier and this was all before we jogged around that first circle! As the majority of players already had almost two months of training under their belts, playing catch up wasn't even an option, but the saving grace was that one 'only' had to stand in the goals for the year. That opening night was also the first encounter with our new manager for the year, Jimmy O'Grady, who had phoned the previous week to discuss a return. Now Jimmy's cv is an impressive one to say the least as he had trained our neighbours and fierce rivals Delvin to the intermediate championship only a couple of years previously. Now only that but he managed to keep them up senior the following year, during which time they drew with Lough Lene Gaels and beat Castletown-Geoghegan. So he came to us with a big reputation and in fairness there is no denying that he achieved what he was paid to do, by delivering the title at the first attempt. There was a mixed feeling among the players over the training methods introduced and in fairness we probably weren't pushed as hard as we should, although from a personal point of view that was probably a good thing as I could have become the first person in the club to have to use the defibrillator. A number of challenge matches were played early in the year and things were going reasonably well as we approached the first championship game against, who else, but Delvin. The rivalry between the sides has been reignited in recent years, which was evident by the large crowd that were present at Ringtown that evening. It's a game you always want to win and even though a defeat wasn't the end of the world, bragging rights played a huge part of the result. Following a lively start, the first task for our trustworthy number one was to collect a long ball over the top and deliver it back down the field, simple task? Not on this occasion, the decision to sell a 'dummy' backfired spectacularly as the sliotar went one way and I went the other; end result, a goal for Delvin. Those horrible thoughts of that first night back training came rushing back as a thousand eyes focused on the lad with the white jersey. If there was ever a time I wished Aliens existed then this was with, "beam me up now, and just get me out of here." Another two goals were conceded in that match as we lost out by six points, the doom and gloom in the dressingroom after was evident, but we all knew that there was a lot more to come from us. The campaign was back on track following a facile win over St Oliver Plunkett's and all was rosy in the garden once again. That was short lived as we could only manage a draw against a Southern Gaels' side that has struggled to make a real impact on the IHC for some time now. Training continued and although it became somewhat repetitive, numbers were vastly improved from the previous year, even though they could still have been better. Wins over St Brigid's, Clonkill, Turin and Cullion earned us a place in the semi final, where we would meet Turin again in the semi final. This is another side that we have had many great battles with in recent times. "Great battles with Turin" hmmm, there was a time the sides wouldn't be even mentioned in the same breath, but times change and this is where we are today. There was great interest in the semi final and there was a feel good factor in the camp without being any way cocky. Turin have put in a tremendous effort over the last few years without any great reward and they were up for it, only problem for them was that so were we. Throughout the year we relied heavily on scores from team captain Johnny McGuinness, whose accuracy from placed balls and play was exemplary. Whatever Johnny lacked in giving speeches, he certainly made up for on the pitch. We've been described as a team without leaders, but that is simply not true. The likes of Jimmy McQuaid, Philip Gilsenan, and Dara Brady are natural leaders both on and off the field, but probably our main inspiration apart from McGuiness was the quietest of us all. Over the years, Brownstown have had players from elsewhere transfer to the club, the majority of which have made little impact. However, Dublin native Niall Craig is an exception to the cause. The tenacity and determination that he has shown has been an inspiration to the younger players, indeed to us all. There is no question that he has been our most consistent player in recent years and some of his performances had earned talk of a call up to the county despite being in the twilight of his career. A three-point win over Turin was recorded and a place in the final secured. Delvin were expected to reach the decider also, but St Brigid's caused a surprise and it was the Dalystown outfit that we would face. Going into that game, we were overwhelming favourites, a tag that possibly doesn't sit well with us and so it proved as a nervy start to the match meant that this game could was going down to the wire. In the dying minutes, it was St Brigid's who were in the ascendancy as they fought tooth and nail for everything; a draw looked the most likely outcome until we were awarded a free about 60 metres in front of the St Brigid's goal. Normally this would be a relatively easy free for our captain to convert, but given the situation and the timing, the pressure was immense. However, McGuinness held his nerve and slotted over the bar to convert the winning point. The final whistle went soon after and all those regrets about coming back lifted immediately and an overwhelming sense of relief descended upon everyone. The celebrations continued for a few days afterwards and once again retirement was touted, but as the much used phrase goes, "There's no fool like an old fool". Roll on 2009. This was not the only success achieved by the club last year as the camoige side won the junior championship when defeating Crookedwood in the final. Under the managership of senior hurler Philip Gilsenan, the girls put in just as much effort as the lads did in their quest to lift the title. Indeed some of the camoige players would put their hurling counterparts to shame with the level of skill produced and the likes of Louise Connor, Orla and Joan Leonard and Leanne Dillon will certainly help make an impression on this year's championship. A lot of work has been put into the camogie club in the last few years by a few hard working people and they deserve great credit for the time and effort dedicated to the cause. Tweet

Most Read Stories