Paul turns back the clock

TWENTY-ONE years after he made his senior debut, Paul Lawlor finally got his hands on a senior medal. On Saturday he played in the Senior ‘B’ final in the Emo colours. In 2004 Paul played in the senior final against Portlaoise and was on the losing team again to Portlaoise after a replay in 2015.

Twenty years ago Paul kicked three points when they also beat the Heath in the Division 1 league final. Emo celebrated the event, it may not be what their aim was at the beginning of the year but you take what you get.

Saturday’s game was well contested right from the throw in and it was Emo setting the pace, and for most of the second half. Then Stradbally took control and it was point for point.

Eventually the game headed for extra time but there was still no separating the two sides and for the first time in Laois a title was decided in a penalty shoot-out.

Paul had scored 1-3 in normal play and then, following an injury to the Emo goalkeeper Eoin Butler, went into man the goal. He then went on to save two penalties, having already scored one, and the referee sounded the final whistle.

The John Conway Cup will be welcomed in Emo as the late John played with and against many men from the Emo club.

Different rules applied less than 24 hours later.

When Seamus Mulhare sounded the final whistle in the senior final, he obviously was wiser than everyone else. He waved his arms and said they will meet again.

The people in the packed stand were sitting awaiting extra time when the public address beamed out the news that the game was over and would be re-fixed. Fifteen minutes later Midlands 103fm confirmed the game would be replayed on Sunday week 26 October, throw in time 2pm.

It will be the first replayed senior final since Portlaoise overcame Emo ten years ago.

If the replay is near as good as last Sunday’s offering, then nobody will be complaining.

It was a great occasion for the men in white. Right from the throw-in Courtwood played some lovely football but slowly the county champions settled down and matched their opponents as you might expect. In the end a draw was a fair result.

The curtain raiser is seldom mentioned but last Sunday these two well prepared sides, Crettyard-Spink and Portlaoise, gave it their all. It was pure football from both sides. Not since Evin O’Carroll led them to glory in 2013 had Crettyard-Spink, with a sprinkling of Killeshin players, captured this trophy. Last Sunday there were joint captains Tiernan Patterson and Jamie Fitzpatrick.

While it was football weekend, hurling crept into it as well. The much maligned Senior ‘B’ hurling final was played on Sunday morning out in Raheen. Abbeyleix and the Harps had designs of greater things earlier in the season but it did not work out for them. So, after few hiccups, the two headed for John Grace Memorial Park on with small attendance but an entertaining game saw the Harps claim the honour. Maybe next year that elusive senior Crown might come their way.

It was good weekend for the club as on Saturday they also defeated Abbeyleix in the MHC semi-final. That will be the curtain raiser to next Sunday’s senior final.

Mention of underage success, Clonad are surely making the headlines. A week after they ended their adult famine winning the Intermediate crown, on Saturday morning Clonad-Trumera U/15 team overcame Mountmellick after a great contest. On Friday evening the U/13 players qualified for another final after they beat Borris/Kilcotton. On Sunday Clonad headed to Camross to participate in the annual Eoin Doran hurling bonanza and the Sash departed with the Shield trophy and the host club overcame Borris/Kilcotton in the cup decider.