Ger Ramsbottom: My Club and I
- Can you remember the first time you went down to play with the club?
When I started out playing with Park/Ratheniska, our club grounds were in the old Lamberton estate. We started playing Cumann na mBunscol with Ratheniska NS under the great Liam Wall and we'd walk down to the field a few times a week to train, what I remembered most about then was the plentiful amounts of sheep droppings we'd have to hurl around! Thank God we now have the great Club grounds we have in the village!
- Tell us a bit about the area…
Well our area has increased considerably these past two years as a result of our Park/Ratheniska-Timahoe amalgamation! I grew up right on the edge of the Park/Ratheniska and Timahoe border and the rivalry growing up would always be great craic. I suppose we'd predominately be seen as a football area, but hurling has always been my first passion and us and Timahoe would always have had links from underage hurling together. We're very passionate about our hurling here and we're really intent on making this amalgamation work and its great to see the work being put into our underage especially.
- What are the facilities like at the club?
Our facilities are second to none in Ratheniska and Timahoe, which is great as both Clubs are growing hugely with numbers in recent years, especially on the hurling side as a result of our amalgamation. My own Club Park/Ratheniska are currently in the process of building onto our Clubhouse which will be a massive addition to us once the works are completed in early 2020.
- Can you remember your first ever game for the senior team?
I made my competitive debut for Park/Ratheniska in a league hurling match in another of our pitches in Rathmore, it was quite a shock to me as I was only 14 at the time, but my father Har fired me into the line up alongside club legends such as Martin and Liam Wall who looked after me! Those were different times compared to now, if you tried to throw a 14 year old in alongside some of those lads the guards would nearly lock you up!!
- Did you enjoy much success in the underage grades?
My first final was an U14 Hurling Championship final when were beaten by Ballyfin. I was in goals that day, same as today, and I was only 10 years of age! We didn't enjoy much underage success in the Club but we did pick up the odd Championship here and there, most notably an U17 A Hurling Championship win over Camross.
- Who did you look up to in the club when you were younger?
One of the lads who looked after me especially in the Club when I was coming through was Andy Morrin, a stone cold Club legend. Andy was the sort of lad every club needs, a fella who didn't lead by what he said, but more by his actions. Andy never let the team down, but more importantly he always looked out for the younger lads coming through. And while he may not have said much on the field, he was some man for a singsong afterwards! I played many years alongside Andy, winning Laois and Leinster titles with him.
