Bare-faced cheek of Dublin supporters

June 2002

(Written after the pitch was invaded by a series of streaks during half-time in the Wexford v Dublin Leinster Football Championship match, played in Carlow after Ireland had drawn 1-1 with Cameroon in the World Cup in Japan that morning):

Question - What do you get if if you cross the World Cup, a feed of daytime pints, and a crowd of Dublin football fans?

Answer - Streakers. Five of them.

Until Wexford’s second half revival, it looked as though the main talking point from the night would be the Full Monty-style displays fo male flesh that the crowd was treated to at the interval, and indeed even earlier, as the first of the flashy five made his appearance while Mattie Forde was receiving treatment for an injury in the first half.

He at least had the grace to keep his underwear on and just let his trousers down to the knees, but the four who made their appearances at half time were a different story.

Technically, they weren’t completely naked either, since they kept their shoes on. But still, there was enough on view to ensure that The Sunday Game would have to carry an over-18 rating if it were to show the proceedings in their entirety.

One of the streakers did press-ups, two more did somersaults, and the fourth attempted to outrun a steward who gave chase by selling the sort of dummies that any good wing forward would be proud of.

It should be pointed out that his temporary escape was made easier by the steward chickening out of the tackle when he got close enough to make one – maybe he was afraid of the sort of ‘ tackle’ he might have ended up handling accidentally if he had indeed jumped in!

Watching the entire affair from the stand were Bertie Ahern and his ‘mot’ (as the Dubs would call her), Celia Larkin. Bertie didn’t join in the streaking himself, though. The Election is over – so he’s no longer so eager for such photo opportunities!