Oulart-The Ballagh’s first winners will be honoured at county final showpiece

IT’S HARD to believe it nowadays, when one looks at the Pettitt’s Senior hurling championship roll of honour and sees the Oulart-The Ballagh name lying proudly in second place with an overall haul of 13 titles.

Only great rivals Rathnure on 20 have a superior record, but the remarkable thing to note is that the red and black brigade didn’t win their first until 1994.

That memorable triumph will be recalled in Innovate Wexford Park on Sunday when the players and surviving mentors will be presented to the crowd to receive their silver jubilee awards.

Oulart-The Ballagh went on to retain their title in 1995, so both victories will be incorporated into the ceremony which will take place at half-time in the Senior final between St. Martin’s and St. Anne’s.

That decider 25 years ago was a novel pairing, and it attracted widespread interest throughout the county because a new champion was guaranteed once Rathnure were eliminated at the semi-final stage.

They were the only previous winning club to qualify for the last four, so a notable changing of the guard was guaranteed when they were defeated by St. Martin’s on a 3-12 to 3-9 scoreline.

Oulart-The Ballagh had beaten Crossabeg-Ballymurn on the same double-header by 3-12 to 2-9, and they went on to take the ultimate spoils for the first time on an emotional day for the parish.

They had one precious point to spare (1-14 to 0-16), but it was worth its weight in gold as the Dr. R.J. Bowe Cup returned to the parish for the first time.

It meant so much to the club, after suffering the pain of defeat in the finals of 1974, 1975, 1982, 1989 (after a replay), and 1992.

Rathnure had inflicted that first loss, and after that it was neighbours Buffers Alley all the way before the tide finally turned.

Oulart-The Ballagh were rewarded for their persistence, and they never looked back after eventually making that big breakthrough, going on to retain their crown in 1995 with a 2-15 to 2-9 success against Glynn-Barntown.

Sadly, three key figures in those victories are no longer with us, namely substitute goalkeeper Dave Sinnott along with mentors Tom Neville and Willie Sunderland.

The latter duo were assisted in the backroom duties by former Wexford colleagues, Mick Jacob and Jimmy Prendergast, while the victorious teams were captained by Tomás Dunne (1994) and Martin Storey (1995).

The other members of those squads were Paul Dempsey, John Stamp, Declan Stamp, R.J. Blake, Liam Dunne, Philip Rossiter, John Cleary, John Rossiter, Jonathan Mythen, Pierce Redmond, Martin Redmond, Martin Dempsey, Seán Dunne, James Ormonde, Robert Dunne, Brendan O’Connor, Henry Quigley, Thomas Cullen, Seán Moran, Aidan Finn, Alan O’Connor, Bartle Redmond, Declan O’Connor, Paul Finn, Jimmy O’Brien, Ronan Doyle and Damien Harris.

Oulart-The Ballagh have gone on to add further titles in 1997, 2004, 2005, 2007, the marvellous five-in-a-row from 2009 to 2013, 2015 and 2016.

And the trail-blazers, the men who got the ball rolling, will re-live the start of the club’s golden era next Sunday.