North Westmeath outfit Ballycomoyle are one of the top junior sides in the county, having consistently made it at worst to the last eight of the championship. In the 2002 campaign they were defeated by Mullingar Shamrocks at the quarter-final stage and club secretary Des Carter tells Maroon and White of why that defeat is still a sore point with the club. The junior championship is played on a one group format thus maximising the amount of games clubs play during the year, with the top six teams qualifying for the knock-out stages. For this year's campaign, Ballycomoyle had John Smyth and Michael Lynch at the helm, both of which have given great service to the club down through the years. The return of midfielder Jim Ward was a major boost to the side following his absence the previous year due to a basketball scholarship in the States. In their opening match in the junior championship, the North Westmeath side were handed a tough task against Mullingar Shamrocks' third team. Their chances were made all the more difficult by the fact that Shamrocks had not played in the Intermediate championship so far and therefore were allowed to field virtually their second string side. The match was played on the May Bank Holiday weekend and anyone who thought that this would be a run away victory for the town team was very much mistaken. Conditions for the game were far from ideal as the wind played a major part in the skill level of the game. Shamrocks had the better of the opening exchanges and led by 0-5 to 0-2. A goal by Kevin Gavigan just after half-time brought Ballycomoyle right back into contention, with Mullingar replying almost immediately with a point, but this would be their last score until the final minute. The blue and whites were totally on top although they found scores hard to come by and could only manage two points despite their domination. In injury time the town team were awarded a dubious free only 20 metres in front of their opponents goal that was duly converted to give them a share of the spoils, on a scoreline of 1-4 to 0-7, a result they were very fortunate to get. "We definitely had enough chances to win that match," said Des. "The amount of possession we had in the second half was far more than Mullingar but we couldn't convert that into scores. "But we expected a tough match and we would have been pleased with a draw before the game. Playing the likes of Mullingar in the first match is always going to be hard as they can pick from their intermediate team." Ballycomoyle then had a comfortable win over annual strugglers St Fintian's/Multyfarnham with goals being the order of the day as they rattled five past Multy in a 5-9 to 0-5 victory. Neighbours St Paul's were the next opponents and as always a close hard fought battle was the outcome with the Clonmellon side coming out on top in the tie played in Archerstown. Ballycomoyle got off to a dreadful start in the match and trailed by eight points at the interval. The second half saw John Smyth's side play some outstanding football and they narrowed the gap to four points but time was against them and St Paul's fortunately held out for the win. Having three points from their opening three matches, Ballycomoyle went into their next match against St Joseph's knowing that it would be a tough game and so it proved as the Streamstown based outfit ran out easy winners on a scoreline of 4-10 to 0-7. The need to rely on dual players has been an ongoing problem for Bal' for many years. Situated just outside Castlepollard, the club have a small area to choose from and with near neighbours Castletown Finea having the majority of the Pollard contingent in their squad, Ballycomoyle have had to look players from Collinstown. With Lough Lene Gaels being the local hurling team and the dominant force in Westmeath for the past decade, it is with no surprise that the dual players give most of their commitment to hurling. Although known for their hurling poweress, many of the Gaels hurlers are noted footballers who would be a major boost to the footballers chances of winning a junior title. "Without doubt if we had the likes Daniel Carty, Christo Murtagh, Joey Williams, Mark McNicholas and Paul Molloy all year round we would have be a far stronger side," added Des. "It is hard to get these lads to commit to both because of the demands that both games command these days. But credit to the lads they have tried their best and there are a few more around that would be a major asset to us." Having played with the Ballycomoyle junior side for the past 17 years, Des has seen many changes in the game from when junior football was a case of hit or be hit, with many of the older players resenting the younger players who could get the better of them. Nowadays the game is all about fitness as the Glenidan man has realised. "Junior football has changed an awful lot over the years. When I started out playing it was made up of players that were starting and finishing their careers in the game. There was a fair amount of rough challenges in them days but now the game is all about fitness and speed. Physical training has also changed and teams must be fit in order to have any chance of success." Following wins over Delvin and Lougnavalley and a narrow defeat to Milltown, Ballycomoyle needed to beat St Loman's in their last group match to force a place in the knockout stages of the junior championship. The north Westmeath side started the brighter and raced into a two-point lead before St Loman's hit back and drew level within minutes. Playing with the aid of a strong wind Ballycomoyle had hoped to build a bigger lead by half time and they had plenty of work to do in the second half as they held a slender one point advantage, 0-4 to 0-3. A goal by David Corrigan early in the second half gave Ballycomoyle the perfect start and when the same player raised another green flag only eight minutes later, it was game over as the 'Bal went on to win 2-6 to 0-4. Preparations for the quarter-final against Mullingar Shamrocks went well and with the sides having already played out a draw in the opening match of the championship, another close match was expected. "The week before the game with Shamrocks we had 28 to 30 players in the park on the Tuesday and Thursday night, which just goes to show that a few wins can make all the difference. We were confident going into the game that we could win," added Des. As was in the first match conditions for the game were far from favourable. Ballycomoyle had the better of the tie but their failure to convert their chances was to prove their downfall as Shamrocks ran out winners by eight points, 2-7 to 1-2. "I think we would have felt better if we were hammered by 20 points rather that the way we did lose," said the veteran midfielder. "We had far the more chances but couldn't score and it was very disappointing to go out of the championship that way." It was bad enough that the side were eliminated from the junior championship but worse was to come, as relegation to Division six of the league was another blow to the club. A situation that the club secretary wants to rectify this year. "Definitely our main aim for the year is to win promotion in the league. To do well in the championship you have to be playing a decent standard in the league. We are also targeting a place in the semi-finals of the championship." The format for the junior championship looks set to have a different format for the coming year with their being three grades at that level. Ballycomoyle will contest the campaign along with fellow junior clubs St Paul's and St Joseph's. As part of the new format senior club's second and third teams will also contest this grade, making it very hard for the trio to progress. "It will almost be impossible for the likes of ourselves, St Paul's and St Joseph's to compete against sides that include players that are good enough to play in the senior championship. But we have to keep trying and hope that we get a favourable draw." There is no doubt that Ballycomoyle will not be lacking the experience or commitment when it comes to the junior championship and don't be surprised to see them cause an upset or two against so-called stronger opposition this year. Tweet

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