Shower of Poccers
Talking Balls
This weekend sees the 2008 Final of the Poc Fada competition at Annaverna Mountain, Ravensdale County Louth. Last year’s Poc Fada winner and Tipp goalkeeper Brendan Cummins, will be seeking to hang on to his title.
He will face stiff competition from the likes of Waterford manager and former winner Davy Fitzgerald, Adrian Power of Waterford Graham Clarke from Down, Shane O’Connor from Offaly.
No doubt Cummins and Davy Fitz will have a few words ahead of their All Ireland semi final date. You never know Davy Fitz might make use of his time to take Cummins out of it with an accidentally well-placed poc.
The competition also boast a native American participant - Dan McAuliffe, a member of the Milwaukee Hurling Club who takes part for the first time. He’s not native American in the bow and arrow sense, rather he’s US born and bred if you know what we mean.
Derry’s Ruairi Convery heads up the mountain for the first time, taking time out from chasin’ women up round Portstewart. Ruairi, a big poccer himself, will be whalin’ his way round the Co Louth course as if he were back home in Derry.
Speaking of whom, the Oak Leaf county board of course is in turmoil at the minute after the footballers dysfunctional championship performance and stories abounding in the Sunday papers of over rampant egos, player disharmony, odd behaviour by management and ultimately a failed summer.
Meanwhile the hurlers’ summer lasted longer than the footballers with their surprise qualification for the Christy Ring semi-final. Word has it that a cheer went up in the Derry hurling dressin room when the news of the footballers defeat to Monaghan in Clones came through. Sadly Co Chairman and hurling fanatic Seamus McCloy wasn’t there to witness it as he was up in Clones with the less successful senior football team.
Mean-the-while the Derry U-21s look odds on to retain their Ulster title following their second successive defeat of a fancied Antrim team. Well, sorry an Antrim team that fancied themselves rotten. As popular manager Brian McGilligan said there aren’t too many many fellas in Derry with back to back provincial medals at any level.
Just as well they didn’t burn their hurls. . .