The 2007 senior hurling championship saw Lough Lene Gaels beaten heavily by Clonkill in the final and the general consensus around the county was that the Collinstown outfit was an ageing side with their best days behind them. However, one of the longest serving members of the current side, Paul Williams, strenuously denies that is the case and is confident that the Gaels can once again reach the pinnacle of the Westmeath championship. Paul has represented both club and county with distinction over the years and although his county career may have come to an end, he has no intention of hanging up his hurl for another few years. With five senior hurling championships to his credit and numerous underage titles obtained, the 33-year-old has had a glittering career to date, but is eager for more silverware. "I can't see why any of the current squad would retire, there is still a few years left in us all, why there are young lads coming through the ranks on a annual basis, so I don't think there is any need to panic yet," he stressed. Paul admits that it was disappointing to lose last year's county final, but believes that the experience will stand to the younger players in the squad. "I think the only way you learn to succeed is by losing and dealing with the pain of defeat. It is a great learning curve in life and makes a person stronger. We certainly have the players to contest the championship again this year and we wouldn't fear anybody, although you would respect all your opponents." The Gaels championship campaign began last year against Ringtown. The structure of the championship meant that a win in the opening game meant that a side could not be relegated and although that not really apply to the Gaels, it certainly did to Ringtown, who are still finding their feet in the senior grade. And so it proved as the Whitehall outfit battled bravely throughout and Lough Lene had to dig deep to record a three-point win, which put them into the 'winners' group. The other teams to make it through were Clonkill, St. Oliver Plunketts and Crookedwood as the championship got down to serious business. As expected, Lough Lene Gaels recorded a comfortable win over Crookedwood in the first round of matches, but the next two were always going to be the toughest. "The first game against Ringtown was a really hard match. They have been improving every year and there was a lot at stake in that match and fortunately we came through. "We beat the wood fairly handy, but we knew that we had too as the games against Plunketts and Clonkill were going to be hard. Training under Mick (Cosgrave) had been going really well and confidence was high in the camp." However, the Gaels suffered their first defeat of the campaign when the high flying Plunketts came out on top by a goal and this left them needing a win in the last match against Clonkill to ensure a place in the semi final. In a classic encounter, the purple and amber got the better of the Loughegar outfit by four points and this restored confidence after the Plunketts match. "We didn't play well against Plunketts, but you could take nothing away from their performance, they deserved to win on the day and we knew then that the Clonkill match was huge. All the lads were brimming with confidence that day and everything went right for us." The semi final saw the Gaels take on Raharney who had qualified for the last four having come through the losers' group. The Deelsiders were defending champions and were not to be taken lightly at all. "Raharney have a great underage structure and they have a lot of young lads coming through regularly, while their county players are some of the best hurlers in the county. In saying that we knew that we could beat them as we have some exceptional hurlers in the club too." The game itself was a lively affair that could have gone either way, but the greater determination of the Gaels' players shun through as they advanced to the final for the first time since 2003. Clonkill came through the other side of the draw and many expected a classic final, but as is often the case, it did not turn out that way as Lough Lene Gaels failed to perform on the day, which was a major surprise given the fact that they had been so impressive throughout the campaign. "It's hard to explain what happened on the day. We just never got going. Clonkill played very well and it was to be their title, but we know we can play an awful lot better than that. "I think that defeat will spur us on for this year. All the players want to prove that they are better than that. We have Castlepollard in the first match, which will be very tough, but we will certainly go out and do our best. The majority of teams in the senior championship have a chance of winning the title, which is good for hurling in the county." Although, success was not achieved in the senior championship, the Gaels did make amends somewhat in the junior campaign as they lifted the title following a win over Clonkill at Archerstown. Having defeated Delvin comfortably in the semi final, the Collinstown outfit were still underdogs in the final against a Clonkill side seeking their sixth consecutive win in the grade. Clonkill in spite of their best efforts in an attacking sense, found scores difficult to come by in the first half. Thanks to a goal, scored directly from a dead ball situation, Lough Lene Gaels were in front by a margin of seven points at half-time. Clonkill, to their credit, were a much improved team in the second half, bringing great pleasure to bear on the Lough Lene Gaels defence, while at the same time restricting the options available to any Lough Lene Gaels player in possession of the ball in an attacking situation. In fact, Lough Lene Gaels were destined not to score in the third quarter of play. However, good defending by Lough Lene Gaels ensured that Clonkill earned the scores that they did obtain throughout the second half. Lough Lene Gaels just managed to notch two points in the entire second half, both coming inside the final ten minutes of play. However, those two points were to be the difference between the teams at the final whistle. Clonkill's late spell of attacking play in search of a match saving goal went unrewarded as Lough Lene Gaels defended superbly late on to claim an unexpected, but on the day, a merited victory. For Lough Lene Gaels, goalkeeper Keith Fitzpatrick played very well, personified by an excellent reaction save from a first-half David O`Reilly snapshot. In defence for the Purple and Golds, Shane Fitzpatrick and Seamus Carroll gave outstanding performances. That duo received excellent support from the quartet of Ciaran Williams, Francis Kennedy, Francis McDermott and Alan Murray. Lough Lene Gaels midfielders Darragh McCormack and James Boyle both made handsome contributions to their teams great success. Both players chipped in with a point each and assisted with defending duties towards the end of this exciting clash. In attack the Purple and Golds players such as Joe Williams, Michael Walsh and Padraig Fitzsimons. That trio in turn obtained and received excellent back up and support from the trio of brothers Niall, Noel and Damien Conaty. Camogie Early on Saturday morning, September 29th, a Lough Lene Gaels senior squad of 10 players, accompanied by the Chairman of the club, Richard Carroll, who would carry out the duties of team manager for the day, made the journey to Clane in County Kildare, to participate in the Clane Camogie club 7-a-side camogie tournament. This popular camogie tournament, which started in 1996, consists of a cup competition and a shield competition. In the 2007 Clane 7-a-side camogie tournament 12 teams participated in the cup competition, while 14 teams participated in the shield competition. The format in both the cup and shield competitions was the same, both played on a league system, each consisting of three divisions. The top team in each division, after the playing of matches in the league phase qualified for the semi-finals, plus the runner up with the best record. Lough Lene Gaels played in the shield competition in 2007. They were drawn in a division, along with Boardsmill (Meath), Clane (Kildare) and St Oliver Plunketts (Dublin). Lough Lene Gaels played their opening match versus Boardsmill. The purple and golds turned in a splendid performance, emerging merited and convincing winners. The final score was Lough Lene Gaels 13-01, Boardsmill 0-00. In their second group match, Lough Lene Gaels played the host club Clane. This particular match was more of a contest for Lough Lene Gaels than their opening fixture versus Boardsmill. However, Lough Lene Gaels still managed to overcome Clane with a little bit to spare. The final score was Lough Lene Gaels 2-03, Clane 0-01. In their third and final match in the league phase of the competition, Lough Lene Gaels played Dublin's St Oliver Plunketts. It was a top of the table clash, St Oliver Plunketts having won both of their previous matches versus Clane and Boardsmill. Lough Lene Gaels and St Oliver Plunketts served up an entertaining contest. It was therefore fitting that this match ended in a draw. The final score was Lough Lene Gaels 1-05, St Oliver Plunketts 1-05. That result qualified both teams for the shield semi-final. Now through to the semi finals, Lough Lene Gaels played Good Counsel of Dublin for a place in the final. This semi final was superbly contested with victory belonging to Lough Lene Gaels. The final score was Lough Lene Gaels 1-05, Good Counsel 1-03. Through to the final, Lough Lene Gaels found themselves playing St Oliver Plunketts for the second time in the shield competition. The winner would claim the honour of winning the 2007 Clane camogie club 7-a-side shield competition. From the first throw in at the start of the shield final Lough Lene Gaels stamped their authority on the contest. Victory went to Lough Lene and with it the honour of winning the Clane camogie club 7-a-side shield competition of 2007. The final score in the final was: Lough Lene Gaels 2-05, St Oliver Plunketts 0-03. At a function afterwards in the Clane GAA clubhouse, Lough Lene Gaels team captain Aisling Conaty accepted the Clane camogie club 7-a-side tournament shield on behalf of Lough Lene Gaels. Many congratulations to the players and team manager Richard Carroll for bringing this success to the club. Lough Lene Gaels (Squad): Celeste Dermody, Alma Hayden, Orla Doolin, Elizabeth Hannon, Sheila Carroll, Veronica Gavigan, Aoife Higgins, Michelle Murtagh, Sinead Sheridan, Aisling Conaty (captain) Team manager: Richard Carroll Tweet

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