SPORTING PASSIONS - MATTHEW MACKLIN:The Birmingham-based Irish middleweight tells Mark Roddenabout his background with camán and sliotar and continuing support for the county of his youth.

MY FATHER is from Roscommon, which is known as a football county. But he's from Four Roads, which is on the Galway border, and it's all hurling there.

Back in 1988 they beat Abbeyknockmoy in a Connacht club championship final. Michael Coleman would have been on the Abbeyknockmoy side. They went on and lost the All-Ireland semi-final to Buffers Alley, the Wexford champions, and I was at that match with my dad.

My mother's side of the family are from Holycross, Co Tipperary, but I did my club hurling with Ballingarry. I went back for the summer holidays to stay with a friend. My dad and his dad were working on the Channel Tunnel together so that's how we got to know each other.

I came back to play every summer from the age of 10 up to 15 or 16. I got selected to play for Tipperary in the Tony Forristal tournament, which is the under-14 intercounty tournament that's held in Waterford.

The reason I didn't end up playing was because earlier that year I'd played for Warwickshire in the Féile na nGael. Tipperary went on to win the tournament and I think Eoin Kelly got man of the match in the final.

The year after that I played in the same team who went to Cork and took part in an under-16 tournament there. I played against Cork, Limerick and Waterford. I think I scored a couple of points against Cork and I scored six or seven points against Waterford.

In that tournament I was playing left-half forward and then centre forward. John O'Brien, Eoin Kelly and Martin Maher, who's also played senior for Tipperary, were on that side.

When I was 15 I was playing for the Ballingarry minor team and

when the summer holidays were over I went back to England to go back to school.

We were in the South final but I had to return after the semi-final. But the club paid for my flight and expenses to bring me back. We beat Mullinahone by a point and Eoin Kelly, Paul Kelly and Paul Curran were all playing for them. I think I scored a few points that day as well.

For the county semi-final I was boxing up in Manorhamilton for a Birmingham select side. I fought on the Saturday night and Frank Maher, who was over the Ballingarry minor team, drove up and watched me fight.

When I had the fight won we drove back down and spent the night at his house, and the next day we played Golden in the county semi-final and they beat us by a couple of points.

Once I got to the age of 16 I started boxing through the summer in England and abroad. I played in a couple of senior county finals back in Birmingham when I was 15 or 16 but I got a bit of a knock on my hand in one game. The standard had got that bad anyway it wasn't really worth your while risking injury for just one match a year.

I came back for a lot of the games. I always return for at least one match a year if not a few. I was there at the All-Ireland in 2001 when Tipp won it and the All-Ireland in 1997 when Clare beat them.

When I was younger I loved Nicky English and John Leahy. If I had to pick one, John Leahy would have been my favourite. Liam Cahill as well, who's from Ballingarry. I thought Leahy was one of the best I've ever seen.

I remember Ballingarry were about 12 points up at half-time in a game against Mullinahone and the match seemed completely over. Then they came out and I think he scored about 1-15 and they won the game by four or five points. He pretty much single-handedly won it so I was a bit in awe. He had a bit of fire in his belly and I liked that.

I know Eoin Kelly and I have a lot of admiration for him as a player because he's a fairly prolific scorer.

I think he had a bit of a bad year last year but I know he was coming back from a couple of injuries. He certainly seems to be on form again this year.

This year could be good for Tipperary, with two All-Irelands back-to-back in the minors and winning the league. I know the league's not as important but I'd still rather be winning it than losing it.

Cork's a tough one but hopefully we can get through to the Munster final because I'm fighting July 12th in Dublin and the Munster final takes place the next day in Thurles. Please God, Tipp will win and I can go down and have a good day. "If I had to pick one, John Leahy would have been my favourite . . . Leahy was one of the best I've ever seen