Ross in need of help

Ja regular reader and correspondent, was prompted to make contact with some observations after our recent feature on Wexford’s National Hurling League win in 1967. As a native of New Ross, he has fond memories of the Geraldine O’Hanrahans team of the time, and their amazing feat in having ten players from the club on one county squad.

‘They won a county title that year, and they should have won three or four but it was not to be,’ he wrote.

‘When you look at that team it was nearly as good as the county team. One player who went to Australia, Joe Murphy, was very talented.

‘I was only a Minor then and I would watch him training. He was gifted and some player to strike the ball over his head with his back to the goal. He was some loss to hurling.’

As for the current situation in New Ross, John notes that the GOH contested the Intermediate and Intermediate ‘A’ finals of 2006 and 2019 respectively, but lost both.

‘It’s hard to get young people playing hurling when you don’t have success, and the County Board could do more for the club,’ he added.

John recalls a chance encounter coming out of Croke Park many years ago when he was with the late Nick Murphy, a brilliant corner-back with the club.

They bumped into the great Mick Jacob who remarked that ‘we will never win an All-Ireland unless the town teams start winning county titles again’, and John agrees wholeheartedly.

‘The town teams have the skill to add to the toughness of the country teams, and the mix, like Mick said, makes a good team.

‘Young people like to see the inter-county players. I remember growing up and going to O’Kennedy Park to see all the top teams play... and the crowds!

‘That’s what we need from the County Board to bring county teams to New Ross, and then you will get the young people coming back to hurling. It is sad to say that one time we had so many good hurlers at Minor, Under-21 and Senior on county teams. Will we ever see that day again?’