During the course of an illustrious hurling career, John Gavigan provided sterling service to both Lough Lene Gaels and Westmeath. The gifted attacker decided to hang up his hurl after the 2005 county SHC final, lowering the curtain on a career than saw him garner a whole host of honours as well as rubbing shoulders with some of the finest stickmen in the country. For the best part of a decade, from the mid-nineties on, John Gavigan was a stalwart member of the Westmeath senior hurling team. The Lough Lene Gaels clubman gave exceptional service to the Lake County as the midlanders endeavoured bravely to engineer a major breakthrough (and sowed the seeds for the 2005 Ring Cup breakthrough). He also enjoyed a remarkable club career, talking part in seven SHC deciders (nine including replays) and winning four. All in all, John's is a career well worth reflecting upon and, fortunately, the man himself kindly agreed to have a brief chat with 'Maroon and White 2006', looking back at the sacrifices he made for love of club and county and also giving his views on the present health of Lough Lene Gaels and Westmeath hurling John lined out for Lough Lene Gaels for 20 years in total, between underage and senior. After moving impressively through the club's juvenile ranks from 1985, he broke onto the first team in 1994. It was clear from an early age that he was a natural talent and, with application allied to this keen aptitude, he soon established himself as a vital cog in the Gaels' perennial quest for glory. The first taste of championship victory came in 1992 in the form of a Westmeath minor hurling title. Under 21 souvenirs were annexed in 94 and '95, with a JHC medal also plucked the latter year for good measure! After breaking into the senior side, the play-anywhere forward made an immediate impression with a SHC breakthrough in 1996. From there, county glory seemed destined to arrive every second year as championships were culled in '98, 2000 and '02. The sequence looked set to continue as LLG blazed their way to the '04 decider as well. But they lost narrowly, as they would again twelve months later - a game that would mark John Gavigan's last appearance. (He also featured in the county final in 1997, which Lough Lene Gaels lost after a replay). In the white-hot heat of the intercounty arena, the Gaels clubman represented the Lake County at all levels - minor, U21 and senior. He broke onto the Westmeath senior panel in '95 and would remain a permanent fixture therein until 2003. John has no regrets - but does he miss the cut and thrust of competitive hurling? "Yes, I do miss it. But you have to give it up sooner or later. I've made my decision and I'm happy with it. I feel that I put a lot into the game. I always gave 100% in every single game I played and I thoroughly enjoyed my career." Highlights? "I think the highlight from a personal point of view was captaining Lough Lene Gaels to the 2002 championship. With Westmeath, I'd say winning the Kehoe Cup in '95 and also playing Kerry in the Division Two final in '98. They beat us by two points but as finalists we still qualified for promotion to Division One the following year. Unfortunately, it was decided not to accept promotion, which was a disappointment. That was the best team I played on and it would have been nice to have tested ourselves in the top division." Despite this, John still had plenty of outings against top-quality opposition. Cork were in Division Two one year and he had the privilege of marking none other than Brian Corcoran in Pairc Ui Rinn. "We also played against very good Dublin and Laois teams in the round-robin stage of the championship and we met Limerick at the Gaelic Grounds in the league one year." Though he now resides in Naas, John remains as passionate as ever about his beloved Lough Lene Gaels. And he's confident in their ability to rediscover their SHC-winning touch: "They still have the core of the team that won the three-in-a-row from 1998 until 2000. They have some very strong, experienced lads from that side and a lot of younger lads have also come along since. I know they haven't won a championship since 2002, but that could have been a lot different… "We only lost to Castletowngeoghegan by a point in 2004 and in 2005 we could have beaten Castlepollard the first day. Unfortunately, we were beaten by one puck of a ball on both occasions but it could have been two more championships for Lough Lene Gaels and that would have generated a lot more interest in the team. "It was very hard on the players to lose two successive finals under such difficult circumstances. It's not easy to keep it going when you lose like that, after going so close. 2006 would have been a lot different if they were going for a three-in-a-row. Okay, it was a poor enough year for Lough Lene Gaels but I know from speaking to some of the lads that they have the hunger and desire to pick themselves back up. "They are fully committed and they have a good blend of youth and experience. So I'd expect to see a different Lough Lene Gaels this year and I don't think anyone will write them off. I'm sure nobody will relish the prospect of facing Lough Lene Gaels in the 2007 senior championship." The former Westmeath player is also keeping the faith on the intercounty front. John enjoyed every minute of the Lake County's historic Christy Ring Cup success and reckons the Maroon & Whites have more to offer: "It was great to see Westmeath win the Christy Ring Cup in its inaugural year. A lot of the players and backroom staff had been there for many years and they thoroughly deserved a big day like that. It was an unbelievable breakthrough and a great advertisement for Westmeath hurling. "Everybody who was in Croke Park that day acknowledged that the standard of the Down-Westmeath game was exceptional and it was nice to know that Westmeath hurling at its very best can reach those heights. "Last year, it was a wonderful result to beat Dublin in the first round of the championship - though it was also disappointing to then lose to them in the relegation play-off. But there's great potential in the team and they can take a lot of positives from the last couple of years. If the effort is put in, then there's no reason why Westmeath hurling can't make a big impact again in '07." John Gavigan is a Contracts Manager with PJ Hegarty & Sons, a leading national building and civil engineering contractor. Tweet

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