Brownstown hurling club have one of the strongest traditions within the county having won 15 senior hurling championships since their formation in 1922. The Archerstown Blues still sit proudly on top of the roll of honour list with their most successful era coming between 1977 and 1993 when the Westmeath Examiner Cup returned to the parish on ten occasions. But, sadly as the old saying goes 'all good things must come to an end' and 2004 saw almost a decade of struggling to stay in the senior ranks come to an end as Brownstown were relegated to the intermediate championship. Many believe that the demotion could bare well for the future as it gives the club a chance to rebuild, while others feel that it may be a long time before the Archerstown based club are back contesting for their 16th senior title. No matter what the outcome, one thing is for sure, 2004 will not hold any fond memories for all involved in the club. Too many people have been too keen to point the finger of blame at others for the club's downfall and although there are plenty of questions to ask, no one seems to have any answers. Like in all walks of life, when things are going well, everyone wants to be part of the success, but when a club is at a low point, all there seems to be is criticism fired in every direction. 2005 will be a huge year for Brownstown hurling club and one that will need everyone standing together and showing the true spirit of the Archerstown Blues. At the start of the year, former players John Leonard and Jim Davis were appointed as the management team. Training as always began with large numbers turning out. The main reason for this was the excellent training scheduled by Eugene Dolan, who agreed to train the hurlers and footballers of St Paul's, although many do play both codes. The Westmeath senior hurling championship consists of eight teams with four of them realistic contenders for the title, while the other four are left to battle it out to avoid the drop. Brownstown have been part of the latter group for some time now and although it was hoped that the club could manage to get through this bad patch, while introducing young talent into the side, it was not to be, as a scarcity of hurlers at underage level affected the club's prospects. In their opening match of the championship, Brownstown met fellow relegation strugglers Ringtown at a sun-drenched Cusack Park in May. This match was to be a real case of a 'four-pointer' as neither side could afford to lose or so it seemed at the time. The Blues began the stronger and fired over some early points as they dominated the match throughout. A goal just before half time brought Ringtown back into the match and although the Whitehall side found the net for a second time early in the second half, Brownstown held on for a merited win on a scoreline of 1-9 to 2-1. The win was a major boost to the club and a great start to the campaign, however their joy was short-lived as championship contenders Clonkill were the next opposition. For so many years Brownstown had the upper hand on Clonkill but times have changed and the Loughegar based outfit are now one of the top teams in the county. As expected, Clonkill ran out rather easy winners, clocking up 2-16 to Brownstown's return of 1-4. The result was disappointing for the North Westmeath side and immediately heads seem to drop as was evident in their next outing. Old foes Raharney, who themselves had narrowly avoided the drop two years earlier are a team like Brownstown, who are going through a transition period. However, it must be said that the Deelsiders have been fortunate in that a number of young players have broken through the ranks. The match was once again played in Cusack Park on a sunny evening. The early exchanges were close as Brownstown held a slender lead after the first quarter. Raharney came back strong to lead at half time. Here within lies the problem with the hurlers from Archerstown - a second half collapse. This sequence of events has become so common in the team's display that people take it for granted that the team will be found wanting in the latter stages of a match. The Raharney game was another case of what should have been as the Joristown club picked up two points after a 2-15 to 2-08 win. Castletown Geoghegan then inflicted a heavy defeat on Brownstown that really demoralised the side and they now faced a huge task in order to pick themselves up and carry on. Further defeats to Castlepollard and Lough Lene Gaels left them needing a win against neighbours Delvin to ensure a play-off. Although now in the twilight of his career, Pat Clancy rolled back the years to put in an excellent performance to guide the Blues to victory on a scoreline of 1-9 to 1-5. Clancy along with Seamus Reilly have been the two players that have helped lift the side in vital games over the years and unless someone comes along and takes over responsibility from the respected duo, Brownstown could be staring at the doldrums of intermediate hurling for some time to come. Defeating Delvin left Brownstown with four points in the group along with their neighbours and while Ringtown had failed to win a solitary game in the championship, a relegation play off between the bottom two was to be the outcome. Thus the two most Northern teams in the county were forced to meet again. Ringtown was the venue for the clash as torrential rain made the conditions almost impossible for the players to perform, although this did not detract from the standard of hurling produced on the day. Both sides battled hard throughout and both had the chance of winning the match. A late goal for Brownstown looked to have secured victory until an injury time point for Delvin sent the game into extra time. Delvin made most of the 20 minutes of extra time and secured a merited win leaving Brownstown to face Ringtown in the 2004 relegation play-off. Even though Ringtown had not managed a win in the championship, they were still rated as favourites to retain their senior status for another year. Brownstown were dealt a blow before the match as Pat Clancy was unavailable through prior commitments. As stated Clancy has been the one to lift the side on many occasions and in his absence it was now up to some of the younger members in the side to deliver. Despite taking an early lead, the blues hit far too many wides in the opening half that were to prove costly at the end. Ringtown clawed their way back into the match and despite a valiant effort by their backs; it was to be the end of an era for Brownstown hurling club. And so began the analysing of the entire year and where everything went wrong. There were many questions with no answers, but one thing for certain - everybody in Brownstown must dig deep in order to restore the club to their rightful place in the senior ranks. The club have in place an excellent underage system with all ages catered for, although as a rural club they have struggled with numbers, particularly from under-16 level upwards. Until this problem is addressed and Brownstown are back competing in all grades, the adult team will struggle. Lets hope it will not be too long before the tradition of the club is once again the envy of all other clubs in the county. Tweet

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