Those Ballyragget boys love their parish.
It was a great day for the club in Ballyragget after they captured the Leinster Intermediate Hurling Championship on Saturday.
Despite being heavy favourites, the Kilkenny outfit struggled against 16/1 outsiders Glenealy in Nowlan Park but got over the job in the end.
The Wicklow outfit were looking to cause a mammoth upset in the final, they did have Leighton Glynn after all and he was used to not following the script.
Glynn was a member of the Rathnew team that caused the shock of the year as they knocked out Dublin’s St. Vincent’s in the Leinster Senior Football Championship and was looking to do something similar in hurling.
At half time, the Kilkenny outfit were leading by just a single point. This is not how it was supposed to go.
Glenealy actually took the lead in the second half and it looked as if it was going to be their day.
Oh the nerves 56 minutes, 1-14 to 16 Glenealy lead
— Official Wicklow GAA (@wicklowgaa) December 2, 2017
But, like what is required from all good champions, Ballyragget dug deep and Ballyragget prevailed.
With the last puck of the game, Kevin Kelly struck over a free to seal the title and the Cats outfit were Leinster champions.
Now, you might expect the players to go out and celebrate straight away. How often does any club win any Leinster championship after all? Those sort of honours will elude the vast majority of club players their priorities in order.
They don’t forget the men and women that wash the jerseys, make the sandwiches and cheer Ballyragget on every step of the way and they certainly don’t forget those that have been doing it for decades.
So, that’s why when the full-time whistle blew the trophy was brought to St.Luke’s General Hospital in Kilkenny nearly straight away.
“On winning the Leinster final yesterday, some of the St.Patrick’s GAA players went straight from Nowlan Park’s dressing room to the local hospital,” the club told SportsJOE.
“The players visited several members of the Ballyragget community. The people visited were over the moon with the arrival of the players with the cup in tow and the time the boys spent with them so shortly after the final whistle was blown.”
Fair play.
