By Niall Gartland
SOMETIMES it’s the little things that stay with you longest. Aimée Conlan had the honour of captaining Ballinderry to their first-ever Ulster Junior A Camogie Championship title with victory over Crosserlough last weekend, and while the feeling of lifting the trophy will live long in the memory, so too will the excited words of a few young supporters who approached the players during the post-match celebrations.
Conlan and her teammates celebrated in the traditional Ballinderry way following their 0-12 to 1-5 victory over Cavan opponents Crosserlough. She takes up the tale.
“Thankfully the Ulster matches have been early enough in the day that we were back in Ballinderry for about six o’clock
“It was unreal on Saturday in terms of the atmosphere and the amount of people who were out supporting us.
“We got out at our usual spot, a wee house that everyone knows as Margaret Bell’s house, at the side of the bridge. It’s Margaret’s family home. We usually gather there and walk over the bridge, with all the wee young children coming up to us and wanting to hold the cup.
“There were a couple of wee girls who said, ‘This is the best day of our lives’, and it was great to hear that!”
“We’re definitely proud of ourselves and proud of each other. When people think of Ballinderry, they probably think of the football, so I think we’re just so honoured to still be training at this time of year. Hopefully, we’ll be training for a wee while longer yet!”
It won’t be such an early arrival back home whatever happens in their upcoming All-Ireland quarter-final clash against British champions Tara. That game will be played in London, so it should be a memorable experience whatever transpires. Conlan is grateful that the organisation will be left to others, so they can focus on the task at hand.
“Thankfully, our management, the camogie committee and lots of people involved in Ballinderry take all the weight off us. We can just train, work hard and, at the end of the day, play camogie, which is great because it doesn’t leave us under too much stress.”
The Ballinderry club are celebrating its 100th anniversary and its foremost achievements down the decades have come from their footballers. Now the camogs are making a real name for themselves, and that’s something Conlan is very proud of.
“We’re definitely proud of ourselves and proud of each other. When people think of Ballinderry, they probably think of the football, so I think we’re just honoured to still be training at this time of year. Hopefully, we’ll be training for a wee while longer yet!”
Ballinderry were full value for their win over Crosserlough, though the concession of a goal two minutes into the second half was a temporary setback. They dug deep, however, and eventually won out with four points to spare on the scoreboard.
“That goal left only two points in it, so you’re thinking about trying to keep building up the lead. Thankfully, when they got the goal, we didn’t drop our heads. We just kept pushing forward and, again, thanks to all the players, everyone played their role and kept getting the ball up to the forwards, and they did the rest.”