Footballers take it on the chin for their clubs

Local rivalry is always a great thing in the GAA, especially when two neighbouring clubs are up against each other. And it's even better when there's a history between two clubs. But Dunshaughlin and Blackhall Gaels must have put their past behind them, as they combined forces for a major fundraising event at the weekend. Or had they? Because the fundraising event in question was a boxing match, where members of each club could legitimately beat the lard out of each other. The wounds had healed since the 2002 quarter-final controversy, but were new ones about to be opened? Fourteen members of each club were lined up to clatter into each other in Cathal O'Grady's white collar boxing exhibition in the neutral venue of Dunboyne Castle Hotel. The action started with Dunshaughlin's county star Caoimhin 'King of the Ring' King getting the better of Martin 'The Nail Gun' O'Neill. Thirteen more fights followed and the atmosphere amongst the partisan crowd reached fever pitch when the final bout between Niall 'Sweets' Kelly and Blackhall's Paul 'Below the Belt' Nestor began. Thomas Delany (Blackhall Gaels) beat Jamie Minnock (Dunshaughlin); Jimmy Larkin (Blackhall Gaels) beat Eamon Bowe (Dunshaughlin); Brian Murphy (Dunshaughlin) beat Aidan Ferris (Blackhall Gaels); Michael Johnson (Dunshaughlin) beat David McGowan (Blackhall Gaels); Sean Rattigan (Blackhall Gaels) beat Henry Komolafe (Dunshaughlin); Declan O'Dwyer (Dunshaughlin) beat Kevin Maye (Blackhall Gaels); Martin Reilly (Dunshaughlin) beat Tommy Clarke (Blackhall Gaels); Gary Taaffe (Blackhall Gaels) beat Colm McLoughlin (Dunshaughlin); Eoin Hand (Dunshaughlin) beat Dan O'Neill (Blackhall Gaels); John Crimmins (Dunshaughlin) beat Ronan McGowan (Blackhall Gaels); Erick Broad (Blackhall Gaels) beat Ian Hand (Dunshaughlin), and Mark Ferris (Blackhall Gaels) beat Ulick McDonnell (Dunshaughlin). In the last bout, Paul Nestor needed to win to level the scores between the two teams and did so with a technical knockout when the unfortunate Niall Kelly was forced to retire at the end of the second round with a bleeding nose. At this stage, both had a round each and a third round would have been a dramatic decider. In the end, a draw was a fair result as the standard of boxing on show was a credit to the boxers involved and to Cathal O'Grady, who trained the boxers for six weeks prior to the event. Both clubs have thanked Dunboyne Castle Hotel for the use of their lavish facilities for hosting this unique event, and Cathal O'Grady and his team. Thanks also went to the main sponsors of the night, SuperValu in Dunshaughlin and SuperValu in Maynooth, as well as all who sponsored fights and boxers on the night and to all who attended the event or supported it in any way. Most of all, they thanked all of the boxers for giving so generously of their time in the interests of both clubs.