Potterton, Pat
November 22, 1991
Pat Potterton
Potterton, Pat
Meath's hurling star
by Jimmy Geoghegan
Pat Potterton holds the distinction of being one of the youngest players ever to play senior hurling for Meath. At an age when most players are still serving their 'apprenticeship' to the game, the Kildalkey player was pulling on the green and gold jersey and running onto hurling pitches throughout the country.
Potterton was only seventeen when he first lined out for his county in senior competition, an achievement that points to a precocious talent that has, in the mean time, blossomed and helped the player receive rave notices for performances with the sliotar and camain for both the county and club sides.
The Kildalkey man, who is now in his early twenties, first made his debut for Meath in 1986. He was part of the squad throughout the League campaign of '86/'87, playing counties such as Roscommon, Derry and Carlow. Often the young seventeen year old started the game on the substitutes bench but it wasn't long before he began to stake his place for a permanent place on the team. But even being part of the inter county set-up was, for him, a great honour. "I was absolutely delighted to get selected on the Meath team. I didn't think that the hurling would go so well for me and that I would get on the team so quick. It was a bit tough at first playing in the National League games in winter, but with the help of some of the players around me, I soon got used to the demands of these games."
Potterton was one of the young players in a Meath side that contained, at the time, some very promising talent and that soon began to jell together into a very effective unit. At the end of the 1988 League campaign, Meath, containing a plethora of young players such as Potterton and Willie Donnelly as well as many of the more experienced men as Christy Kelly, Martin Smith and Paddy Kelly, won promotion from Division Three.
Pat Potterton says that the help and advice of the older players was a vital element in helping him to cope with the higher demands of the Second Division. But it was not long before the young player himself, was giving star performances against traditionally strong hurling counties such as Clare, Tipperary and Offaly.
At the end of the campaign that season, Meath found themselves in fourth spot in the Second Division, the highest position any Meath team had reached in the National League. But in the B Championship that same season, Meath were beaten by Kildare. Since '86 Pat Potterton has become a permanent member of the Meath team, helping them to achieve a high position in the Second Division at the end of the '89 season, but he has also experienced the disappointment of watching Meath struggle in the same division over the past two years. A struggle that culminated in relegation at the end of the 1991 League campaign, a depressing fate that was only avoided by the restructuring of the League.
Hurling has always been an integral part of Pat Potterton's background and upbringing. His father, Nicholas, was one of the star performers on the Kildalkey hurling side that won the Intermediate Championship in the early seventies. Pat's younger brother, Nicholas was a regular member of the Meath squad before moving to live in the United States. Another younger brother Tom, has also shown signs of a promising career.
In 1988 at just eighteen he was voted Meath Player of the Year. Since then his natural talents have become integrated with his growing experience to produce a player equipped to play in the highest standards. But success in the senior county championship still eludes him. In the past four years, Kildalkey have twice managed to get themselves into the county final only to lose both of them.
In 1988, the club emerged from the twilight world of the no-hopers to reach the final. Nobody at the start of the championship had given Kildalkey much of a chance of advancing beyond the early rounds. But a series of impressive victories culminated in the defeat of highly-fancied Kilmessan in the semi final. For Pat Potterton this was an unforgettable occasion. "I remember we played the game in Navan and it was just great for us that we had won because we had come out of nowhere. At last we understood the meaning of getting into a final," he recalls.
The delight of reaching the final was however, shattered when Kildalkey lost to Trim, who were then the reigning champions. Kildalkey's failure to bring him the Jubilee Cup was compounded by their inability to take good scoring opportunities and by a second half defensive lapse that allowed Trim in for a decisive goal - their only score in the last 30 minutes. Two years later Kildalkey and the Pottertons were back in the final but this time against Kilmessan. "It was a totally forgettable day for us. Kildalkey froze on the day and never really got going."
But despite such defeats, Pat Potterton is hopeful that Kildalkey can yet reach the senior championship in the near future. With young players such as his brother Tom, Sean Kealy and Cathal Davis, such hopes are not unfounded.
In the meantime Pat, who works in Tara Mines, will continue to exhibit his talents with Meath. Already in the 1991/'92 League campaign, he has made his mark by giving two scintillating performances that emphasised his immense scoring abilities. In the first match of the campaign he helped Meath defeat Derry by scoring a total of seven points. This was followed a fortnight later with a highly impressive display against Roscommon at Athleague that saw him score twelve points, including two remarkable sideline cuts that sailed over the bar from very awkward angles.
Usually, when playing for the Royal County, Pat Potterton lines out at midfield or in the half forward line. He played in similar positions for his club. But he has also lined out for Kildalkey in the full back position. A variety of roles that hints at his range of skills and versatility that has made him one of the most exciting hurlers to come out of Meath in a long time.
Taken from Hogan Stand magazine
22nd November 1991
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