Pride of the Rovers

PAT WALSH is a fountain of Bride Rovers knowledge. With 35 winters behind him, he’s soldiered through hurling days both good and bad.

He still retains vivid memories of Bride’s hurling adventures, facts and figures from games gone by spilling from his mind with perfect clarity.

After Bride won the East Cork Junior B crown in 1993, Walsh’s hurling experiences were filled with harsh lessons. In 1994 they were walloped 8-18 to 2-7 by Watergrasshill in the East Cork Junior A, and even when they reached a semi-final in 1997 Castlelyons gave them a trimming before proceeding to collect county honours. In Bride Rovers they felt the chasm between themselves and success was growing.

But the following year they regrouped and surmounted the semi-final hurdle against Watergrasshill, before facing Dungourney in the East Cork decider.

“A fella from Watergrasshill told me that the pick of both our teams wouldn’t beat Dungourney in the final,” recalls Walsh. “But we beat them to win the East Cork.

“We played Ballinascarthy in the county semi-final and were down by nine points. But we came back to beat them by three. Then in the county final Freemount were beating us for 55 minutes. They missed a few frees. It’s only small moments like that which change the whole thing.”

Walsh remembers back in 2000, when Rovers were still swimming in intermediate waters, togging out for Imokilly in a county senior semi-final against UCC. He lined out in the half-back line and gazed awestruck at the other members of that triumvirate Mark Landers and Derek Barrett. Walsh admits the occasion got the better of him and his appearance on the pitch was brief

“To be alongside players like that at senior level, I said it’d never happen to us in Bride Rovers.”

Yet three years later they were intermediate county champions. The final against Inniscarra saw them produce a glittering display but the semi-final against Youghal was a nerve-shredding experience. They were three points down before a fortuitous goal scrambled them a draw. Then, in the replay, Bride Rovers swatted them aside. They have lived a senior life since.

“The speed of hurling was faster and that was something we had to adjust to. We’ve been progressing all the time though. We were getting to quarter-finals, then semi-finals and making league finals.

“We nearly had some big wins — a few years ago I thought we’d Newtown beaten in Fermoy when we got it to 0-14 apiece. But Ben and Jerry got a point each to win it out.”

Those lessons were absorbed and this year they have been utilised successfully. Tomorrow is one final examination. Sars have swept up the popular acclaim this year and Bride have had to rely on more dogged qualities to see them through. They espouse the theory that the sum is greater than the individual parts.

“There’s a huge bond there,” says Walsh. “When I was building my house three years ago, I could safely say everyone on the team had some part to play in helping me between block-laying, footpaths, groundwork. To me it’s a great source of pride that lads give that sort of time to each other outside GAA.

“I’m 35 and you start to feel it in the legs when you’re playing. This year has been a great year and next year, whether it’s junior or senior, I’ll plug away. When we beat Erin’s Own in the semi-final, I couldn’t sleep that night. I never thought I’d see this day when we’d be in a final.”