1957 Junior Championship Final

Thrilling Junior Football Final

Caulry 1-10

Shamrocks 1-5

“Caulry Glorious in triumph, Shamrocks glorious in defeat. Such was the climax of the Junior Football Championship in Cusack Park last weekend when widely excited and cheering Caulry supporters swarmed onto the pitch to carry their heroes shoulder high off the field. This was a game that will live long in the memory of those who saw it. The regret was that it was not a draw; no more pleasing prospect could be envisaged than another encounter between the two sides. Certainly they brought themselves and Junior football every distinction. That is not to say that Caulry did not deserve their win. They surely did. To put across such a finely balanced struggle one might use a litany of superlatives”.

“From a free Malynn pointed and at this stage the Shamrocks defence must be blamed for petty fouling, which cost them 3 further points for the unerring boot of Malynn. At this stage superiority at midfield kept the Caulry forwards on the attack, but it was McCarthy from a free that scored next for Shamrocks. Ground play embracing Mullen and J. Carey brought another McCarthy point, leaving the score 1-4 to 0-5 in favour of Shamrocks. Play slackened off a little now, but in the dying seconds of the first half, Shamrocks were dealt a mortal blow when from the right wing Casey (Caulry) sent and innocent looking shot into the Town goal, it looked as if it was going wide, but somehow it finished up in the net leaving the half-time score Caulry 1-5, Shamrocks 1-4. After five minutes of very exciting play, Casey scored a great Caulry point. Forcing a fifty, Caulry found Seery safe in the Shamrocks goal and his great save was cleared by Killion. McCarthy from a free left one point in it, and the Caulry defence came under heavy pressure, fighting back they turned defence into attack, and but for the quick thinking of M. Carey, Shamrocks would be down another goal. P. Ledwith (Caulry) pointed and from a centre by J Rourke, T Fitzgerald put Caulry three points in front. The loosers though overplaying the ball squandered many scoring chances and Caulry took full advantage of any lapses. In a dying effort Shamrocks rallied greatly but the most they could do was to force a 50, which was cleared. P. Ledwith, E Rourke and Nugent had Caulry points with McCarthy replying for Shamrocks with a point off a free, leaving Caulry winners, by 1-10 to 1-05.

Caulry: W. Ledwith, J O’Hara, M. Conlon, J. McHugh, O. Nugent, M. Nugent, J. Coffey, E. Rourke, P. Ledwith, P. Nugent, J Malynn, T. Fitzgerald, N Nugent, J Rourke, J Casey.

Shamrocks: M. Seery, M. Ryan, M. Mulligan, M. Carey, M. Mullen, O. Grennan, J. Killion, B. McNamee, J. Carey, M. McCarthy, M. Purcell, S. Magee, S. Finn, T. Dalton, H. Magee.

Referee: Mr. E. Reilly (Mental Hospital).

Extracted from the Westmeath Examiner Archives, 25th January, 1958