After a brief time away, our My Club and I segment is back.
This week we chat to Kieran Bowe who plays hurling for Ballypickas.
He will be part of the side that takes on Abbeyleix on Sunday morning in the junior hurling championship round 1 at 12noon in Raheen.
1 – What’s your earliest GAA memory?
Going up to Spink GAA pitch for my first training when I was around 8 with Aidan Barry (RIP) and Tom Cahill.
Ballypickas pitch was being done up at the time so I spent my first year training in Spink.
2 – Tell us a bit about the club?
Ballypickas was founded in 1915 and since the 1930s Ballypickas has won a county final title every decade. They won junior titles and intermediate ones in the 30s and 60s. We last contested a county final back in 2012 where we lost to Timahoe in a replay. In 2012 our U-21 hurlers were joined with Abbeyleix when they won the A county final.
Last year we got to the junior league final where we were defeated by Slieve Bloom. Three of our younger lads also played with Abbeyleix last year in the minor final with Abbeyleix which they one. The juveniles are currently joined up with Raheen Parish Gaels. The nickname of the club is the Belgies.
3 – What are the facilities like?
The facilities are top notch in Ballypickas and a lot of credit goes to the committees over the past few years. We were one of the first clubs in Laois to have a ball wall. There is an astro turf pitch in front of the ball wall now with floodlights and a fence around which saves the pitch in the winter time as we can do a full training session on the astro turf.
The pitch itself is one of the best in the county. Early on in the year when a lot of matches where being cancelled due to water logged pitches, Ballypickas was as dry as a bone.
4 – Can you remember the first time you went to compete with the club?
I suppose one of the first memories for me was playing in an U-10 blitz in Slieve Bloom. It was a miserable day and we had to stay in the dressing room for a while to let the rain die down. I’m nearly sure we won the blitz though.
5 – What is your favourite memory while being involved?
Definitely my favourite memory was the Leinster final win back in 2015. We got knocked out of championship in the semi final stage that year and we thought the year was over but we ended up playing in a playoff match against Mountmelick to see who would go and represent Laois in the Leinster special junior competition.
We beat Mountmelick and ended up playing Wolfe Tones of Longford. It was the on November 15 so it was a cold, wet and windy day. We bet them, just about.
We then played Broadford from Kildare in the final. It wasn’t a classic by any means but we got the victory. It was great to have finally won something with Ballypickas. Celebrations went on for a week after it and it was just a great time for the club and players.
6 – Did you enjoy much success in the underage grades?
We had a very good U-12 team where we won the league and championship for two years in a row. I didn’t really win anything them until I was on the team the won the U-21 with Abbeyleix.
7 – Who did you look up to in the club when you were younger?
I would have to say Liam Lalor. Liam used to train us a good bit underage and no matter how bad you were he would never give out to you. Playing along side him now is a different story though!
8 – What young player in your club would you say is one to watch out for?
There is a few very talented young players in the club at the minute but I would have to say Aaron O’Dea is definitely one to watch.
9 – If you could do anything to improve the club, what would it be?
Try to have more young lads coming along. Ballypickas is only a small rural club that is surrounded by two big senior clubs. Unfortunately some of the younger lads are going to these clubs. That would be OK if we had a big area to get players from but unfortunately we don’t.
10 – What’s the best and worst thing about being involved?
The best thing would have to be the friends for life that I have made since I started hurling. The feeling of winning a Leinster final with lads I have hurled with since U-10 was second to none.
The worst thing about it is the losing of games, especially finals. Anyone that knows me knows I don’t take defeat well at all.
READ ALSO – Eight young players to look out for in Senior hurling championship
