Castlepollard claimed their 14th senior hurling title in 2005 following a tough campaign that resulted in a replay final win over neighbours and bitter rivals Lough Lene Gaels. Here 'Maroon and White' takes a look at how the men from the 'Town' achieved their success. Pollard have now moved a step closer to the top of the all-time roll of honour list and are now only one title behind current leaders Brownstown, who have 15 titles to their credit. Two years ago in their Centenary year, Castlepollard won the championship with a dramatic injury time goal by captain Darren McCormack and although this year's campaign was not as spectacularly won, the importance of the victory was substantial. The club have been written off since their win in 2004 and many critics believed that they were an ageing side, who would struggle against the so-called bigger and more youthful teams that oppose them. Players like Sean McLoughlin, Alfie Devine, Brendan Murphy, Jody Murray, Ollie Devine and Barry Kennedy can now be described as veterans, but their performances during this year's campaign has proven that they have plenty left to offer the game. Mixed in with the younger players like Johnny Murray, Darren McCormack, Martin and Shane Egan, Adrian Smyth, Noel Boylan and Kevin Brazil, Pollard have a very formidable side and they showed the whole county what guts, determination and effort can achieve. Former Westmeath and Meath manager John Davis was once again at the helm, while Michael Lynch and Martin Egan were chosen as selectors. At the start of the campaign, Pollard were fancied to reach the knockout stages of the championship, but were not seen as real contenders, due to their ageing squad. They were also dealt a blow with the news that tough tackling defender Robert McLoughlin announced his retirement from the game after a lengthy and successful career. McLoughlin's larger than life presence on the field had left his mark on many opposing teams, but the club had to overcome this setback and plan ahead. They opened the campaign with a win over Delvin and followed that up with a less than impressive win over neighbours Ringtown. To be fair, the management team decided to hand a number of fringe players the chance to shine, while resting some of their more experienced players. The plan almost backfired as Ringtown fought hard throughout, but Pollard held on to win by 0-12 to 1-5. Clonkill provided the next test. The Loughegar outfit have failed to build on their success in 2001, despite reaching the latter stages of the championship on an annual basis, but are always a real danger. And so it proved as they ran out winners by four points 1-15 to 1-11, although the scoreline somewhat flatters Castlepollard as they never looked like causing Clonkill much trouble. Having unconvincingly defeated two of the weaker sides in the championship and lost their first real test, morale in the camp was not great and the club needed to return to winning ways very quickly. The blue and golds were in real danger of struggling in the campaign. However, their next two outings would change the course of their season. Raharney were first to be put to the sword when Pollard recorded a comfortable 1-13 to 0-9 victory. Then their best performance of the campaign was produced when they defeated Lough Lene Gaels by 3-11 to 1-10. These sides have had many great battles in recent years and the rivalry between the clubs has intensified a great deal. Not only was the manner of Pollard's display pleasing, but the fact that the opposition were the Collinstown outfit made it all the more satisfying. That win gave John Davis' charges eight points in the group and guaranteed them a place in the quarterfinals at the very least. The 2004 champions were caught off-guard when Castletown-Geoghegan conjured up a 2-14 to 2-9 win to keep their championship hopes alive. In the final group match, Pollard notched up 0-13 as they saw off the challenge of St Oliver Plunkett's that meant they would meet Castletown-Geoghegan in the quarterfinal. Castletown had already beaten the 'Town' in the championship group stages and were defending champions. So, the black and amber entered the match as favourites, but as the old saying goes, favourites are always there to be beaten. The underdogs ripped into their opponents right from the start and Castletown were left shell-shocked. Barry Kennedy, Sean McLoughlin and Kevin Brazil lead the way in the scoring charts as Pollard ran out easy winners on a scoreline of 3-13 to 0-7. This win underlined the 2003 champions credentials of being genuine contenders for the title and left many of their rivals looking over their shoulders. In the semi-final, Castlepollard met Clonkill, the second side to beat them in the group stages. Pollard adapted the same attitude as they had in the quarterfinal and began the match at a fierce pace. Centre forward Brendan Murphy was on top of his game as he fired over three excellent points from play, while he was well supported by Adrian Smyth, Kevin Brazil and Martin Egan. The 'Town' were well on top throughout and all this was done without the influential Alfie Devine, who was away on holidays. The scoreline of 2-17 to 0-10 reflects Pollard's dominance of the match. As expected Lough Lene Gaels saw off the challenge of Raharney in the other semi-final, although the Deelsiders squandered numerous chances to win the match and cause a huge upset. Despite the convincing win over the Gaels in the group stages, many considered Castlepollard as underdogs going into the final. In front of almost 4,000 fans, the game was a lively affair throughout, but really ignited in the final quarter. The Collinstown outfit looked to be imposing their physical presence on their opponents and were well worth their 0-7 to 0-4 lead at half time. The introduction of Alfie Devine at half-time steadied Pollard in the middle of the field, where they had been losing possession. However, the Gaels managed to keep their noses in front until three minutes from time when Sean McLoughlin scored a cracking goal to put his side in front by a solitary point. McLoughlin rolled back the years to give an excellent display of markmanship and he underlined his status of being of the best hurlers that the county has ever produced over the past 20 years. To their credit, Lough Lene Gaels kept battling until the final whistle and were rewarded with a draw when they scored a late point. In fairness to both sides, a second outing was the fairest outcome. The sides were forced to wait almost three weeks for the replay due to the Westmeath hurlers trip to New York which included Pollard hurlers Darren McCormack, Barry Kennedy and Donal Devine. Nonetheless, it was worth the wait as the 'Town' won at a canter. The game itself was not much of a spectacle as Pollard dominated from early on. A penalty converted by Alfie Devine put his side in front and they never looked back after that. When Brendan Murphy also found the net with a cracking shot just before half time, the match was as good as over. At the interval the score was 2-5 to 0-2 and despite playing with a stiff breeze in the second half, Lough Lene could not make any headway due to a well marshalled defence where Johnny Murray, Ollie Devine and Darren McCormack were outstanding. At the other end, McLoughlin and Kennedy scored two points apiece to make sure of the victory and when the final whistle went, there were delirious scenes as Johnny Murray was presented the Westmeath Examiner Cup by County Board chairman Seamus Whelan. Write Castlepollard off at your peril, time and time they have defied the odds to come out on top and who knows next year could see them move joint top in the roll of honour!! Tweet

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