St Oliver Plunkett's hurling club will contest the 2004 intermediate hurling championship after being demoted from the senior ranks last year, a scenario nobody could have predicted earlier in the year. 'Maroon and White' takes a look at how the unthinkable happened. When the draw was made for the senior championship last year Plunkett's were placed in the same group as reigning champions Lough Lene Gaels, 2001 winners Clonkill and Castlepollard, who last won the title in 1997. The Mullingar side were automatically made favourites to finish bottom of the group but this young side had other ideas and with former Westmeath hurler Seamus Qualter at the helm, their year could not have got off to a better start. Although relegation was the surprising result after all their efforts, they can take heart from wins in the Under-14 premier and Junior B championships which mean that they year was not a total disaster. But how things could have been so different if results went their way. Although this could be said about any club in the country let alone Westmeath, Oliver Plunkett's have every right to feel aggrieved. In their first match against Castlepollard they turned the formbooks inside out and many followers of the game in the county were forced to stand up and take notice of this emerging young side. The result against Pollard will go down as one of the club's finest ever performance in the adult ranks and it looked as if their year's of hard work at underage level was finally about to pay off. They got off to the perfect start when in the eighth minute Greg Gavin blasted a 20 metre free to the back of the net. This gave the Robinstown outfit a major boost and when the sides went in at half time level on 1-4 to 0-7, it was obvious Castlepollard were rattled. Gavin got the first score of the day when he pointed a '65 metre free in the fourth minute but the Blue and Golds replied immediately. The excellent Gavin then scored the only goal of the game before their opponents hit back with four unanswered points to put them in a slender lead. David Murray and Dermot Curley both scored fine individual points for Oliver Plunkett's to turn the scoreline around, while full forward Govinda Geoghegan doubled their lead shortly after. Pollard kept in the match with two points right on the stroke of half-time and the second half continued to be tight with scores at a premium for both sides. Tony Gavin and Geoghegan put the Mullingar side two points in front and although the '97 champs cut the deficit to one point it was as close as they could get with Qualter's troops hanging on for a memorable win. Without doubt the result was a team effort but the display of Seanie O'Leary at fullback and Dermot Curley at midfield was the catalyst for this victory. Buoyed by this victory, Plunkett's had no fears in facing defending champions Lough Lene Gaels in their second outing and this was to prove the case in a very spirited effort. Their performance in the first half was that of a side full of confidence and it was no surprise that they led 0-8 to 0-6 at the interval with the Mullingar side leading by six points at one stage in the opening period. Points from the Gavin Brothers Greg, Noel and Tony along with scores from Govinda Geoghegan and Dermot Curley set Plunkett's up nicely for the second half. Points were exchanged between the sides at the start of the second half but it was the defending champions that looked the better side although the Mullingar side were still holding a two-point advantage with only a few minutes remaining. As the game entered its final minute Plunkett's trailed by a point but Greg Gavin levelled matters with a 30 metre free, but the Collinstown side showed their class and scored three unanswered points in injury time to take the points. Having had the county champions on the rack for so long during the game and already beaten favourites Castlepollard in their opening match, Plunkett's could be forgiven for feeling very confident of making the knockout stages of the championship. Neighbours Clonkill were the next opponents for Plunkett's and the manner that the town side started this match left Clonkill with a mountain to climb in the second half. The green and whites led by 1-7 to 0-1 at the interval with their goal coming from the stick of Tony Gavin and they looked set to book a place in the semi-finals. An amazing turnaround in the second half saw the Loughegar side claw their way back an eventually take the lead in the last minute to win by the narrowest of margins 2-8 to 1-10. It was a heartbreaking defeat for Plunkett's especially at the hands of their fierce rivals and with Castlepollard beating Lough Lene Gaels on the same evening it meant that the Saints and Pollard would have to meet once again in order to see who progressed to the knockout stages and who would be in a relegation play-off. The play-off match was a dour affair with neither side capitalising on the amount of chances they had and scores were very hard to come by, but it was the more experienced Castlepollard side that avenged their first round defeat. Having been so close to progressing further than they ever had in the senior hurling championship, St Oliver Plunkett's were facing a relegation play-off with annual strugglers Brownstown. The North Westmeath had not won a game in the 2003 SHC and Plunkett's were overwhelming favourites for this match but whether it was a case of over confidence low morale following the defeat to Pollard, the Mullingar side failed to produce their early season form. Brownstown got off to a better start when they pointed after two minutes although another 13 minutes elapsed before the next score of the match was registered. Govinda Geoghegan should have netted for Plunkett's after a mix up in the Brownstown defence but corner forward Peter Collins raised a white flag shortly after. Scores were hard come by as the game threatened to get out of control as there were a number of off the ball incidents but two pointed frees for Brownstown edged them in front before they stretched their lead even further when a goalmouth scramble resulted in the Blues raising a green flag. Peter Collins did slot over two frees to keep his side in the match on the stroke of half time. Brownstown continued where the left off and opened the scoring in the second half with a point but Plunkett's replied the best way possible when Collins scored a goal from close range. A point separated the sides now as time elapsed with the next score for either side being crucial. And it was Brownstown who earned that score when a speculative ball from midfield deceived Ian Egerton in the Plunkett's goal and ended up in the back of the net. Plunkett's were visibly shaken after this score but they kept battling but it was Brownstown who retained their status in the senior ranks for another year cancelled out every score they got immediately. Following the club's win in the Under-14 championship it was the turn of the Junior B side to add to the honours for the year to ease the heartache of losing their senior status and the minor hurling final after a replay to rivals Castletown Geoghegan. Delvin were the opponents in the final, a club that had their best campaign for many years having won the intermediate championship and league double. Both side were able to field a number of their stronger players but it was Plunkett's who had the edge throughout. The Robinstown based outfit led from start to finish in this match with star forward Peter Collins leading the way with some inspirational scores during the course of the match. Plunkett's led by 1-3 to 0-0 after 15 minutes and Delvin were playing catch up from here on. Even though the eventual winners hit eight wides in the first half they could afford to do so as their opponents were also misfiring. The Valley did look set for a comeback when just after halftime they scored a goal but Plunkett's weathered the storm and further scores by Collins saw them clinch the title. There is no doubt that the Mullingar side will be back among the senior ranks before too long and contesting for the highest award of them all but for now they must concentrate on winning the intermediate championship. Tweet

Most Read Stories