Castletown Liam Mellows returned to training on Tuesday night as they prepare for two Leinster championship knock-out games in the space of just four days, the second of which takes place on a Tuesday evening in Westmeath.
Castletown sealed a famous club double last Sunday by winning the Wexford intermediate A hurling final. The game went all the way to extra-time at Wexford Park, where they eventually edged out Monageer-Boolavogue, 2-18 to 0-23.
The previous Sunday, the Castletown footballers had battled out a 0-9 to 0-6 victory over Gusserane O’Rahilly’s in the Wexford senior football decider at the same venue.
It is the first time in the club’s history a football and hurling double championship success has been achieved in the one season.
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A total of 10 players featured in both county finals, including former Wexford footballer Conor Carty.
The prize for the hurlers is a round one Leinster junior hurling championship clash away to Kildare champions Moorefield in Hawkfield on Saturday afternoon at 2pm.
Had the hurlers come up short in their county final then the Castletown footballers would have been playing St Loman’s of Westmeath this coming weekend. However, given the crossover of players, that fixture has been moved to next Tuesday.
Leinster Council have tried to put in place contingency plans this season to accommodate dual clubs by having alternative midweek dates on standby should fixture clashes arise.
As a result, Castletown will not face two provincial championship games on the same weekend.
However, they must travel to Mullingar on Tuesday evening to face St Loman’s under lights at Lakepoint Park with a 7.30pm throw-in.
And while a Saturday-Tuesday schedule is a more palatable scenario than Saturday-Sunday, it remains a challenging task for the Wexford champions.
Castletown to Mullingar is approximately a 320km round trip, with the journey taking just under two hours each way.
Last Sunday’s small-ball triumph was the first time in 57 years the club claimed an adult hurling championship, and it was achieved just seven days after many of the same players had won the senior football crown.
It has been a success story made possible by co-operation between hurling manager Tommy Dixon and his football counterpart Jimmy Fogarty.
Just two days after winning the football final, the players were punching in for hurling training.
“They came back in straight after the county final, they wanted to go win the hurling,” said Dixon, a former Castletown player.
“There are a lot of very talented players in the group and we knew at the start of the year that if we managed it correctly in terms of looking after the bodies and not doing too much that it was possible for the players to do the both. It has been about trying to get the balance right.”
The celebrations after the hurling triumph on Sunday were parked by Tuesday as the players undertook a recovery session and some light football training. It will be hurling training on Thursday night, and then the first of the two quick-fire provincial matches takes place on Saturday.
“It is challenging but if we can get over the next 10 days or so then you never know what kind of a run you could get on in Leinster. The players have the hunger to keep going as long as possible,” added Dixon.
“Saturday is now on the radar and no matter what the result is, the focus after our game on Saturday will turn immediately to the football on Tuesday.”
If the hurlers beat Moorefield, then they would be in action again the following weekend against Wolfe Tones of Longford. The footballers would at least have a two-week break before any potential provincial semi-final.
Castletown are the most decorated club in Wexford football, having won the senior county championship a record 13 times. However, building momentum in Leinster has been a problem.
In their last provincial championship appearance, in 2022, Castletown lost to Portarlington in the first round. They also bowed out after just one game in 2019 (vs Éire Óg, Carlow) and 2010 (Skryne, Meath).
No Wexford club has ever contested a Leinster senior football final so Castletown are trying to break new ground in the weeks ahead.
Two of the last six Leinster junior club hurling titles have been won by Wexford outfits — Horeswood in 2022 and Fethard in 2017.
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