For the second time in three years, the Westmeath hurlers stole the limelight from their football counterparts by capturing the Christy Ring Cup. Touted as a future county footballer not so long ago, Paul Greville has had no reason so far to regret concentrating all his efforts on hurling. Despite their annoyance at being denied promotion to next year's Liam McCarthy Cup, the Westmeath hurlers can look back on 2007 with much satisfaction, having inscribed their name on the Christy Ring Cup for the second time in three years. That the celebrations were much more low-key than two years ago is a clear indication of the raised expectations in Westmeath hurling circles. There is a strong feeling in the county that they are ready to move up to the next level, and that their ambitions extend beyond winning the second tier hurling championship. "We got a taste of the big-time last year and we'd love to get another crack at it," says Christy Ring Cup final man of the match and Westmeath full back Paul Greville, who certainly wouldn't look out of place in the top flight. "I think we've grown as a team since 2005, and the expectations are that bit higher. It was a case of 'job done' as much as anything this year. We learned a lot from playing in the Liam McCarthy last year and I think that was clear for all to see in the final against Kildare. We moved the ball a lot quicker than them and that all comes from playing against the top teams. "The big difference I noticed between playing in the Christy Ring and Liam McCarthy Cups was how fast the top teams moved the ball. There wouldn't be an awful lot between the stronger and weaker counties in terms of fitness, but there's a hell of a difference in terms of the speed with which they move the ball," he adds. While thrilled to pick up his second winners' medal, Greville is understandably disappointed that there is no longer promotion for the Ring Cup champions. A controversial decision made at last year's Special Congress means that unlike in 2005 when Westmeath beat Down in a thrilling inaugural final, they won't have the opportunity to test themselves against top-class opposition in the Liam McCarthy Cup in 2008. But at least they will see action in the Leinster championship after gratefully accepting an invitation from the Leinster Council to take part. When Westmeath last participated in the provincial championship in 2006, they recorded a famous victory over Dublin before going on to give creditable performances against Kilkenny and Waterford, the latter in the All-Ireland qualifiers. However, the year ended in disappointment when a revenge-hungry Dublin defeated them in a relegation play-off at Tullamore. "I think we deserve to be playing in the Liam McCarthy - the decision to change the rule does nothing for the promotion of hurling in weaker counties," the Raharney clubman contends. "We feel we are good enough to compete against most of the teams operating at the top level. We've proved that we are a step above the rest in the Christy Ring Cup and we want to move on to the next level. We'll be putting a big effort in the Leinster championship next year and with the exception of Kilkenny, I don't think there are any teams in it that we should fear. And, of course, we'll be going all out to retain the Ring Cup." "It was a great achievement to win the Christy Ring Cup for a second time. We've now won it the two years we competed in it, and that's not a bad record to have," says Paul, who was disappointed to see Seamus Qualter end a successful four-year involvement with the team in the aftermath of the victory, but could fully understand his decision for stepping down. "We started the campaign slowly, but I would put that down to the fact that we had gone seven weeks without a competitive game. It took us a while to get up speed and we were only approaching somewhere near our best by time the final came around." Paul's father Sean was the Lake County's goalkeeper throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s, and was named on the Westmeath Hurling Team of the Millennium in that position. Last year, Paul and his brothers Johnny and Jimmy were to the fore as Raharney ended a 12-year wait for senior hurling championship honours. An Irish international in the hurling-shinty series, Paul also starred for Killucan in their march to the 2006 senior football championship semi-final and received a call-up to the county football squad on the back of it. But he chose to stick with the game he loves best. "Where I come from (Raharney), hurling rules the roost and I'd prefer it to football. I'd love to see hurling played all over Westmeath. Three years ago, the county went football-mad after Westmeath won the Leinster, but I think hurling has since clawed back some of the ground that was lost that time." Football's loss appears to be hurling's gain in the case of this talented young sportsman . . . Tweet

Most Read Stories