Within the space of a week, Southern Gaels won the 2000 and 2001 junior 'B' hurling championship titles last September. Armagh native Pat Loughran was the hero of the hour in the final of the latter championship. The first two Saturdays of September 2001 will be remembered for some time to come by supporters of Southern Gaels who celebrated an historic junior 'B' hurling championship double. The Athlone-based club defeated Delvin by 1-10 to 2-6 in the delayed 2000 final on September 1 and retained their title one week later following a 2-7 to 0-11 victory over Ringtown in the 2001 decider. Both finals were played at Castletown-Geoghegan and, as the above scorelines suggest, were extremely close affairs. "It was asking a lot of us to play two finals in a week but thankfully we got the right results in both," says Pat Loughran, Southern Gaels' match-winning hero in the 2001 final against Ringtown. "Both finals were very competitive and we really had to dig deep to win them. Against Delvin, I thought we were the better team but Ringtown will probably feel a bit disappointed that they didn't at least get a draw with us in the second final," he adds. A native of Armagh where he played his hurling with the Cuchulainn's club, Loughran was one of several players who figured in both finals. He lined out at corner back against Delvin but was moved to centre half forward for the meeting with Ringtown. Loughran's positioning on the '40' paid rich dividends for Southern Gaels as he pounced for the match-winning goal in the dying moments. "It was nice to score the winning goal but really, it was a team effort. Ringtown looked to have the game won but we hung in there and the goal eventually came," he says modestly. The Southern Gaels management teams of 2000 and 2001 differed slightly. Frank Young, Paddy McCormack and Johnny Moran were in charge of the 2000 side. The only change last year saw Martin Carey replace Moran. The Shannonsiders defeated Delvin, Turin (twice), Crookedwood and St. Oliver Plunkett's en route to the 2000 final. They renewed acquaintances with Delvin in the decider and made an excellent start with points from Paddy Divilly (two), Tony O'Keeffe and Seamus Qualter giving them a 0-4 to 0-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Delvin brought themselves back into contention when Joe Ivory scored the opening goal but Stephen Tobin quickly replied with a point for the Gaels. Unanswered points from Tomas McInerney and Brian Farrelly restored parity for the Delvin men but Southern Gaels finished the half strongly with a point by Tobin and a goal from veteran Kevin Jordan giving them a 1-6 to 1-3 lead at the interval. The side in saffron and maroon started the second half in the same vein with scores from Qualter and Tobin extending their advantage to five points. Delvin reduced the deficit to three points before Tony O'Keeffe fired over for Southern Gaels. Then, with four minutes of normal time remaining, Pat Doherty scored a second Delvin goal to leave just the minimum between the sides. However, substitute John Benton settled Southern Gaels with a crucial point and a late free from Brian Farrelly wasn't enough to prevent the Athlone side from claiming the honours. Southern Gaels returned to Castletown-Geoghegan seven days later, hoping to retain their title against Ringtown. Favoured by a strong breeze in the first half, the challengers had five points on the board before Seamus Qualter opened Southern Gaels' account after 15 minutes. Pat Loughran added another seven minutes later but a Martin Cunningham effort gave Ringtown a 0-6 to 0-2 advantage at the break. Paddy Divilly cut the deficit to three points on the restart but Ringtown hit back with two quick scores to move five points clear. However, the Gaels then enjoyed a fine period of dominance which yielded points from Loughran and David Geraghty, and a goal from John Benton. Southern Gaels eventually took the lead through Seamus Qualter, but Ringtown responded with points from Padraig Fanning and Martin Cunningham. The Athlone-based side appeared destined for a one-point defeat before Loughran fired home the winning goal three minutes into injury-time. It was the first time in the club's history that they had put championship titles back-to-back. While the junior 'B' championship successes were warmly welcomed, Southern Gaels' main ambition is to win the intermediate championship. Last season they made their exit after a play-off defeat to Crookedwood. "Once again, the intermediate championship proved elusive," Loughran laments. "We lost our first three games but recovered to force a play-off with Crookedwood. We had beaten Crookedwood earlier in the championship but they had the upperhand in the play-off. It was disappointing but I think that game came for us at the wrong time." The play-off fixture with Crookedwood took place on September 15 - one week after the 2001 junior 'B' championship win. In recent years, the meeting of Southern Gaels and Crookedwood has produced thrilling encounters and this one was no exception. Ger Brennan grabbed an early goal for the north county outfit but Southern Gaels had restored parity by half-time thanks to an excellent goal from Seamus Qualter. Having played against a strong breeze in the first half, the signs looked encouraging for Southern Gaels as they faced into the second half. Qualter and David Johnson each scored a point on the resumption but the 'Wood had forced their way back onto level terms with five minutes remaining. In a dramatic finale, Crookedwood scored 2-1 in reply to Qualter's second goal. The final score was Crookedwood 3-9, Southern Gaels 2-8. Another disappointment for the Gaels was their failure to consolidate their position in Division 1 of the All-County League. "Having just come up the previous year, it was disappointing to be relegated. We beat Brownstown but lost the rest of our games. Before we played Raharney in our final game, we had a chance of staying up but they beat us and it's back to Division 2 this year," Loughran notes. A member of the club for the past eight years, Loughran expects Southern Gaels to make a determined bid for intermediate championship honours this season. "After winning the Westmeath club of the year award, there is a great buzz in the club. There is little or nothing between any of the teams in the intermediate championship and, with a bit of luck, we might finally make the breakthrough this time," he concludes. The Southern Gaels team which won the 2000 junior 'B' championship title was: Brendan Keogh; Pat Loughran, Noel Lyons, Nicky Seery; David Geraghty, Daire McCoy, Colman Gantley; Tony O'Keeffe, Michael Larkin; Stephen Tobin, David Johnson, Tom McHugh; Paddy Divilly, Seamus Qualter, Kevin Jordan. Sub used: John Benton. The 2001 junior 'B' championship-winning team was: Brendan Keogh; Kevin Melia, Noel Lyons, Nicky Seery; David Geraghty, Daire McCoy, Colman Gantley; Mark Ivors, John Benton; Tom McHugh, Pat Loughran, Michael Larkin; Paddy Divilly, Seamus Qualter, Kevin Jordan. Sub used: Tom Henehan. Tweet

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