Winners Alright in 2022 Púc Fada


Winners Alright in 2022 Púc Fada

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Winners Alright in 2022 Púc Fada

December 27, 2022

The annual Púc Fada competition again in 2022 was a resounding success, with our largest tally of participants taking part, and several new faces and teams, including girls / ladies team in 2022 for the first time.


The registration was at 11.00 in the club carpark, and you knew from the volume of cars, and people milling around, that the numbers were up on previous years. People were ferried to the start down pass the large grain sheds, on the Bridgetown road, to the starting point, which was meant to be the gates of Sean and Michelle Sheedy – one to watch for 2023, as some people, well they took off, before the line. Still in good humour and buoyed up by a decent crowd, it was entertaining.


The early pace, the score to catch was been set by Kennedy Roche, and his team of Jack Stafford, Max O Reilly and Ryan Roche, who seemed unerringly accurate in the first half of the competition, each púc was right down the centre of the road, and gaining ground.


Up the road, at the shorter starting point, the juvenile competition was just as keenly fought out, with Daithi Murphy, bringing in two ringers (friends) from Mallow, who knew what a hurley was.  They were impressive, but others teams as well, were staying in touch. That was a theme this year, well utilised by his Dad Barry as well, with extended family teams which made for great banter.


The stone walls of the Hazelwood families gave good rebounds for some, and ferocious kickbacks for others, who hit the protruding piers. The grand gates at Clifford House took some negotiating and the bends at Dave McCarthy’s house were tempting to some to loft.  A shot that did not land on the road was meant to incur a penalty stroke that we hope all marked up judiciously on their cards, but it also meant retrieval of the balls from the adjoining fields, and quite a few of them are either ploughed or stubble fields, which meant for soiled footwear.


Next obstacle of note came at the railway gates, where Colin O Gorman has built a spell binding house, with large windows, but thankfully, they survived and  people bravely, or timidly got onto the straight of the road after Jamsie Magner’s place. A good shot here would have you scurrying down the hill past Sliabh na mBan (the home of Niall and Denise, and yes, he is from Tipperary, and reminds us of it, all the time) but harder to achieve  than it appears.


Niall and Denise, and Paddy and Roseanne had some light refreshments ready at this juncture that gave a pep in their step to some, while the break in impetus thrashed others. It was a great meeting spot though, and with large crowds milling around, any shot from there after was keenly watched. Des Barthly stone wall was kind to some, and gave a kick to some sliotars to run up over the brow of the hill, and scurry down towards the Power Seeds plant, and the junction with the road ahead.


At that junction, with some lofting the junction, while others played it safe, into the facing car park , which would be a great location for a stopping point on the proposed Mallow to Dungarvan railway line, the completion rolled on. Past the old Tinny House Bar, home to Noel and Ann, around Julia’s wall and onwards towards Monanimy castle.


Down the hill of Monanimy, admiring the splendid setting of the castle and the manicured farm buildings of Tom and Anne Dorgan, and kind bounce here saw Brian Fitzpatrick weak shot trundle slowly down the hill.  It was weak but effective, and probably reflective of the excesses that Brian was doing, the day before with his in-laws, Mikey Boyle and co.


Onto the busier junction with the New Line Road, over the River Tiddane, adjacent to Carlton bridge. From here, it was all about lining up your shots to get across the Blackwater bridge, and in through the gates of the pitch entrance. Having a skewed bridge made for interesting trigonometry but certainly added to the hilarity.


In the end, on countback, the very experienced team of Barry Murphy, the boy from Clare, with the All Irelands in his back pocket, the Cork Senior football panellist of Sean McDonnell and the scratch golfer Dinny McCarthy from Mallow won, with a new record of 49 shots – that meant that each shot had  to go over 60 metres. 

In second was the gallant team of the Cronin Brothers, Mike, Patrick and Liam, while Cian Lankford, Owen Magner and Paul O Sullivan, seemed like winners for a while. That while ended up, seeing these lads been paid out by our vigilator / accountant only to have the money taken from them again later, after the error was realized.  It is tough to get money from Paul O Sullivan, at any stage, so kudos to Rory for extracting that.


The juvenile affair was an altogether closer contest, with two teams on a co-score.  They were sent back again across the bridge, but that failed to separate them.


Rory the vigilator asked that they pick a team member from the their group, and it became a straight shoot off, which saw the team of Michael Barry, Bill Palmer and Killian Lynch prevail against Daithi Murphy, Ryan Cagney and Conor O Shea.


The best girls’ team was that of Abbie Griffin, Zara Roche and Abbie Fitzpatrick, which we will have a competition for in 2023, God willing, that we be all about for more sport then.


Thanks to all who participated, officiated and stewarded - it was just a great meeting up day.




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