Dinner Dance tickets are on sale from Anne Creevy, Vincent Minnock and committee members and from Flynn’s of Grogan, Gussies and The Gav Inn. It is important that tickets are ordered by the 12th October as accurate numbers attending the function must be given to the Hotel.

Garrycastle Tournament.

St Manchan Gaels under12 team won the Plate competition in the Garrycastle Tournament on Saturday evening. Congratulations to all the players, management and parents on this great win and hopefully there will be many more from this group.

Bridge House Hotel Under 17 Football Championship White Final Replay.

Best of luck to St Manchan Gaels who will take on Shamrocks in the Under 17 Final Replay. After coming from six points down to snatch a draw in the  first game, St Manchan Gaels will try to go one better in the replay in Bord na Mona O’Connor Park on Saturday at 2.30. All support would be much appreciated.

Division 5 Football League.

Ballycumber recorded a 4—12 to 0—1 victory over an under strength Raheen side at home on Sunday. The game was played with 13 players on each side and highlights of the game were two wonderful saves including a penalty by goalkeeper Kyle Cornally.

Team. Kyle Cornally, Alan Flanagan, Kenneth Delaney, Clive Keena, Michael Egan, Andrew Grennan, Mel Guinan, Kevin Kelly, Colin Daly, Emmet Kelly, Sub. Conor Connelly.

Ballycumber Dance Class.

Learn how to Jive, Waltz, Quickstep, Foxtrot and Line dance. Dance Classes every Monday night from 8pm in Ballycumber Community Centre.  Beginners class 8 - 9, Improvers from 9 - 10 and dancing for all from 10 - 11pm.  Great exercise and good fun, no partners required.

Lotto.

The numbers drawn this week were 7,8,14,32. No jackpot or match three winners. Next week’s draw will be held in Gussies on Monday night at 10 o’clock for a jackpot of 9450euros.

Play lotto on line at https://www.locallotto.ie/localhome.asp?LL_ID=415 until 8pm on Monday or buy tickets from local shops, pubs and from usual lotto sellers.

Club History continued.

The Intermediate Football Championship was introduced in 1949 and was contested by Ballycumber, Doon and Durrow with teams meeting twice. Ballycumber and Doon qualified for the Final. Doon became the first Offaly Intermediate Football Champions

Ballycumber;  K Buckley,  F. Gilligan, P. Flynn, J. Murray, P. Geraghty, P. O’Reilly, P. Costello, P. Lehane, and T. Flynn, P. Dunne, P. Ryan, J. Daly [capt] O. Murray, J. Horan, P. Murray. Jimmy Murray.

Doon; M.Rohan, P. Connor, M. Guinan, M. Hanamey, Ml. Egan, K. Rohan, M. Rohan,  P. Egan and Maurice Egan, B. Flynn, T. Ryan, P. Daly, B. Flynn, F. Fitzpatrick and S. Ryan. T. McCormack .

In the 1950 Championship Ballycumber also lost out in the final and the Club faced into a barren decade. In 1952 an under 12 team including Patsy Guinan and Sonny Daly won the Schools under 12 Championship and on the same day the under14 team lost their final. In 1954 reaching the Juvenile final lightened the gloom. There were high hopes of victory for the under 16’s when they defeated Ferbane in the semi final on a score of 4—5 to 1—2. The final was played on a Wednesday evening in “ Fleming’s Field” in Clara and defeat was once again their lot when Tullamore got through for a late goal to snatch victory by one point. Some of the players who played that evening were Sean Guinan who later became Club Secretary  and Eamonn Horan,Club Treasurer in the sixties.  Gay Claffey, Andy Lynam, Frank Healy, and the Grennan brothers from Tubber.

The 1950’s were a very unrewarding era for the Club and the task of keeping the Club in existence fell mainly on the shoulders of Club Secretary Paddy Murray. He was assisted by Johnny Horan, Bill Kelly and Peter Flynn, who acted as Chairman during those lean years. Paddy was a familiar sight on the roads of the County as he travelled to County Board meetings on his bicycle. Paddy had played on the 1948 team along with his brothers Owen, Joe and Jimmy and when he hung up his boots he immediately set about helping the Club in an administrative capacity. Some of the players who competed without any reward in this era were Paddy Geraghty, John Gavin, Frank Gilligan, Kevin Buckley, John Cornally, Owen Murray, Joe Doolan, Paul and Kevin Ryan, Christy King, Tom Murray, Mick Murray, Peter Flynn, Tommy Flynn and Paddy Fenlon who represented U.C.D and Offaly at senior level in the fifties. Among the minors who toiled without success were Andy Lynam, Paddy Daly, Dennis Morgan, Jimmy Guinan, Davie Sheridan, Colm Doolan and Tony McGuire.

The sixties brought another resurgence in the affairs of the club and indeed it is worth noting that the Club was represented in one county final or another every year from 1963 to 1968.  1963 Junior.1964 Juvenile.1965 Under 21.1966 Junior. 1967 Under 21. 1968 Senior.

The1963 County Final was played in Birr on the 13th October against Belmont. Ballycumber had overcome Clonbullogue and Belmont had got the better of Kilcormac in their respective semi finals. The match was described as tough, with no quarter given or expected and was remarkable for its excellent sportsmanship.

This scintillating game was a classic example of survival only for the fittest, but in close body marking and speedy encounters there was neither a “ cribber nor a grouser” to turn the teak tough game into a maul. That was what made it a great junior final.

Ballycumber led 1---3 to 0—2 at half time and the score line shows that they maintained a consistency of scoring in both halves. However, Ballycumber’s win can best be attributed to constructive football, with neat and close attention to the pre arranged plan. Belmont were to say the least of it, victims of ill- luck and just as Killeigh and Daingean suffered from poor scoring, so was Belmont’s marksmanship completely off target.

Among the men who contributed most to gaining the crown for Ballycumber were Mick Ryan, Johnny Egan, Sonny Daly, Jackie Maloney and Paul Boland, while among the gallant losers  Peter Daly, Joe Quinn, the Ryan’s and Darcy’s were best.

Teams. Ballycumber; Tom Fleming, Charlie Daly, John Buckley, Paddy Grennan, Sean Hanniffy, Johnny Egan, Brendan Daly, Jackie Maloney, Patsy Guinan , Paul Boland, Sonny Daly, Joe Scully, Sean Egan, Willie Grennan, Mick Ryan. Sub. Christy King.

Belmont. J, Brislane, K, Kenny, L, Darcy, B, Conroy, J, Quinn, E, Ryan, D, Naughton, Peter Daly, Patrick Daly, S, Rohan, P, Kelly, P, Heavin, O, Darcy, B, Ryan, E, Carthy, Subs, S, Coughlan, C,Heavin.

Referee. Sergt. Bill Jackson. Athlone.

Jackie Maloney and Sonny Daly were selected on the Offaly Junior team to play Longford in Mullingar on Sunday 7th April 1963. The game ended in a draw, Offaly 1—8  Longford 3---2 and was replayed in Tullamore on the following Sunday, with Longford winning on a score of Longford 2---8 Offaly 0---8.

On the 12th of May Ballycumber played an interesting challenge match with Trinity College, Dublin in O’Connor Park, Tullamore  and were victorious on a score of Ballycumber 2---5 Trinity College 0---7. The match was organised by former Ballycumber player and administrator and Offaly senior selector Con Lehane.

The visitors were leading by 0---6 to 1---1 at half time, but Ballycumber got their measure in the second half and ran out deserving winners in a very sporting game, in which clean tackling set a fine standard for the duration of the game.

Trinity started brightly and had the better of the play until Gay Claffey scored a goal for Ballycumber to bring them back into the game approaching half time. On resumption Ballycumber got on top and ran out winners.

Teams. Ballycumber. Tom Fleming, Charlie Daly, John Buckley, Paddy Grennan, Brendan Daly, Jackie Maloney, Willie Grennan, Patsy Guinan, Sonny Daly, Ray White, Gay Claffey, Christy King, Peter Guinan, Sean Hanniffy, B. Donoghue, Subs. J. Langan, Eamonn Horan.

Trinity College.  P. Doherty, London. C. McGrattan, Dublin. J. Woulfe, Kildare. M. Manning, Kerry. M. Higgins, Sligo.  J. Conway, Kerry. J. Mooney, Dublin.  M. Moran, Tipperary. J. Mills, Mayo. G. Slowey, Fermanagh. J. McHugh, Sligo. J. Malone, Louth.  J. Phelan, Kerry. S. Kelly, Kerry. E. Wall, Waterford. Referee. Brendan Dagg, Tullamore.

Tom Fleming played in goal for Offaly in a senior challenge match against Galway and saved a penalty from Brian Geraghty, after Mattie McDonagh had been fouled.

In June of 1963 the announcement was made by C.I.E that Ballycumber Railway Station was to close.

 On the 29th March 1964 Tom Fleming, Sonny Daly, Paddy Grennan, Johnny Egan, Jackie Maloney and Willie Grennan were selected on the Offaly Junior team who defeated Laois in the Leinster Championship and Patsy Guinan and Joe Scully were added to the panel for the second round game with Longford.

The Under 16 team won the 1964 County Final with the addition of players from Erin Rovers most notably Tommy Joe Rosney.

In the Offaly Senior Football championship Ballycumber faced Tullamore in the first round and lost after a second replay was required following incidents in the earlier games.

Once again Ballycumber returned to Junior ranks in 1965 and the under 21 team which would form the basis of the 1968 victorious team reached the County Final only losing to a St Rynaghs team who also won the hurling title.

The highlight of 1965 was reaching the first under 21 final and the men who represented the Club on that historic occasion were. Tom Cornally, Jim Kavanagh, Mick Bannon, Richard Condron, Peadar Daly, Billie Grennan, Pat Kenny, Joe Flynn, Pat Monaghan, Peter  Guinan, Gerry Doolin, Tommy Fleming, Oliver McManus, Chris Daly, Denis Scully.

 

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