Biggest win over Carlow since 1898

WEXFORD MET Carlow in the championship for the 32nd time on Sunday, and one aspect of the outcome is well worth highlighting.

That 23-point winning margin was only bettered on one prior occasion – and that was, remarkably, in the first-ever clash of the counties almost 126 years ago.

It was the opening round of the 1897 championship, that wasn’t played until July 17, 1898 in Jones’ Road, the Dublin venue better known nowadays as Croke Park.

Wexford won that game by 25 points (2-24 to 0-5), but only after trailing by 0-5 to 0-3 at the interval!

A newspaper report summed up the second-half in one succinct paragraph: “On resuming, whatever combination existed among the Carlow team seemed to have completely vanished, and the Wexford men began scoring goals and points with a regularity which soon became monotonous.”

Does that remind you of anything? It sounds extremely like last Sunday’s game if you ask me, not that I’m complaining, of course!

The 17-a-side teams in 1898 were – Wexford: Martin Cummins (capt.), P. Rath (goal), Mike Cummins, T. Redmond, J. Redmond, W. Creane, J. Roche, M. Cogley, J. Furlong, P. Furlong, O. Gordon, J. Leary, P. Sinnott, W. Daly, D. O’Connor, W. Brien, N. Daly.

Carlow: W. Allen (capt.), J. Croke (goal), P. Foley, J. Geoghegan, M. Murray, M. Dwyer, T. Shelly, M. Kenny, P. Doyle, P. Timmons, J. Kennedy, J. St. Ledger, L. Nolan, M. Clowry, J. Finn, J.F. Reid, A. Dwyer.

Referee: J.P. O’Sullivan (Kerry).

Another strange quirk is that Wexford had never beaten Carlow at Sunday’s venue in the championship prior to last Sunday.

However, that’s explained to a large extent by the fact that it was only the third of those 32 meetings to be held in Wexford Park.

Game two of the counties’ four-match saga in 1941 was played there on June 22 in that year, with their replay finishing in a 2-7 each stalemate before a third draw in Croke Park was followed by a 2-8 to 0-3 win for Carlow at headquarters.

Two years later – on June 14, 1943 – Carlow recorded a 1-7 to 1-1 success in Wexford Park, and that was the last Leinster championship clash of the pair that was staged there prior to Sunday.

Enniscorthy Showgrounds (1918), Barrett’s Park (now O’Kennedy Park) in New Ross (1924), and Bellefield (1959) also hosted meetings, but the majority of their clashes were played in Dr. Cullen Park, Nowlan Park and Croke Park, plus one tie in Bagenalstown in 1935.