What a week it has been for the Louth Pool Association! Their A, B, C, and D Men’s Teams, along with the over 50’s, set out for the all- Ireland champinships in Kilarney on Wednesday with hopes of bringing home an All-Ireland title from to the wee county.
By Sunday, the Louth A, B, and D Teams, as well as the Over 50’s team, had qualified for the semi-finals of their respective competitions.
Unfortunately, the journey ended in the semi-finals for the B and D Teams, who narrowly missed out on advancing. Louth A faced tough opposition from Mayo A in their semi-final but emerged victorious with a comprehensive 14-9 win. The Over 50’s team had a derby match against Meath in their semi-final, coming out 8-6 winners.
In the singles events, the Louth contingent also performed admirably. Paul Heeney reached the final of the Over 60’s category but was defeated by Martin Rothwell from Meath.
In the Junior C Championships, Darren Sullivan and Cillian Smyth almost set up an all-Louth final, but Cillian narrowly lost his semi-final in the deciding frame. Darren went on to win an incredible final 8-6 against Lee McCutcheon.
In the A team event, Tyrone had a massive win against the favourites, Meath, with a 14-8 scoreline, setting up a final against Louth A. Meanwhile, the Over 50’s team from Louth beat Wexford A 8-6 to claim the All-Ireland Over 50’s Championship title.
There was no rest for Derek Smyth, Harvey Lavelle, and Willie Browne, members of the winning Over 50’s team, who immediately had to play in the A’s final against Tyrone.
The final started with Tyrone taking an early 3-0 lead, but Louth’s resilience shone through as they clawed back to 13-12 in a race to 14. Eoin O’Boyle faced his good friend from Tyrone, Oisin Wallace, in the deciding frame. Eoin delivered a brilliant clearance to win the frame, securing the championship for Louth A.
A special mention is due for Wayne Rogers and Aaron Callan, two former Louth players who have sadly passed away. They were integral parts of the Louth Pool Community for many years and were honoured by the Louth team and the Irish Pool Association with a moment’s applause during the opening ceremony.
