The annual Michael Byrnes Memorial Challenge took place in its usual slot on St Stephen`s Day at 12 noon with Fr O`Hara Park playing host to a couple of interesting games which always form an integral part of the Christmas schedule in the community and GAA calendar. The ladies club kicked off proceedings with a game involving two evenly matched teams which produced some interesting fare as the two teams held nothing back with a decent contest ensuing as play zipped up and down the field at a fairly brisk pace. I`m not quite sure how the scores were kept but the ladies seemed quite content with what was playing out before them as they kept the scoreboard ticking over at a decent clip. Some stand out performances from a cluster of girls on both sides pock marked the occasion with the final whistle bringing lots of high fives and handshakes on all sides as the ladies made for the warm sanctuary of the dressing rooms happy to have played their part in what`s always a fun and enjoyable occasion as people  make a special effort to attend and tog out in recognition of the memory of the late Michael Byrnes and his family who were present in large numbers.
The main event saw the under-30`s take on their over-30s in the with the younger men keen to snap a losing streak of results in this contest stretching back any number of years. Both teams were missing some stellar names but there was still quite the starring cast with Paddy Goldrick, Ruairi Cullen, Sean and Paddy Joe Dunleavy. Ben Conway, Tadhg Horkan, Eoin Flannery , Thomas Goldrick, Gavin Honeyman. Mike Marren and others stepping up to the breach to provide plenty of dash, pace and industry for the younger cohort . The over 30s had plenty of stardust in their ranks with John Casey, Ray Lenehan , Thomas Parsons, Kevin Deignan, Aidan and Dermot Higgins, Darragh McMeel, Brian O`Connell, and the O`Connor duo Ryan and Dean all bringing plenty of magic and flair to the paddock as they set about the job of retaining their title which they take great pride in doing every year. Conditions were on the heavy side of good with a large crowd coming through the gates to get some post Christmas entertainment and get some fresh air after being cooped up for the previous twenty four hours. James Breheny took the whistle and applied what could be called a fairly liberal  version of the rules. The new rules were left on the shelf for this latest joust with the tempo high from the throw-in before the pace slackened off as the turkey and  grog from the night before began to kick in with the over -30s playing most of the good football in the early stages. They got some good scores on the board with Shane Moran rolling back the years with some accurate kicking with the left peg. The under-30s took some time to get the dirty petrol out of their system but they enjoyed a good ending to the half with Sean Dunleavy slotting over a few nice points  displaying an accurate side to his game we hadn`t seen previously as he barrelled forward at every opportunity from his wing back station. The scores were pretty much deadlocked at the interval with both teams happy to avail of the copious amounts of water that were available at several different stations on the pitch.
The second half was a little more sedate it has to be said which suited the old cohort just grand as they exercised a fair modicum of control around the middle third. Ray Lenehan, Darragh McMeel and John Casey kept things tight at the back with Thomas Parsons , Kevin Deignan , Dermot Higgins and Aidan Higgins displaying craft and guile in abundance as they kept it simple when on the ball and hit everything that moved out of possession with many of the younger cohort finding themselves on the floor having been mauled in the tackle with referee James Breheny coming under scrutiny from the  under 30s who were unhappy at some of his so called impartial decision making. James was in no mood to take any lip however and  warned several players of their need to curb the tongue or run the risk of getting a card and not of the  Christmas variety might I add . The over 30s bagged a cracking goal midway through the second half with Shane Moran rounding off a scintillating, flowing move by dispatching the ball to the net to put some daylight on the scoreboard and keep the older men firmly on the front foot. The under-30s huffed and puffed and did their best to reduce the deficit but the over 30s defence held out rather comfortably it must be saidand managed to defuse any danger with solid, no-nonsense defending. The final whistle brought mixed emotions with the over 30s elated to have retained their title while desolation prevailed in the under 30 camp as their wait to end a long, losing sequence goes on for another year. Ray Lenehan accepted the cup on behalf of the older 30 squad as peace and goodwill broke out with hand shakes and fist pumps being shared all round. It was good to see several members of the Byrnes family in attendance with Michael`s Mum Sadie , sister Maureen and the large crowd all making  their way to the dressing rooms to avail of the vast array of tea and refreshments that were on offer with cakes, buns, sweets and sandwiches going down a real treat with both young and old.

There was a charitable undertone to the game with St Vincent De Paul the main beneficiaries with a very healthy amount of €1,200 being collected. This brought the curtain down on another well attended , well supported and popular event in the Sarsfields calendar as Charlestown people, players , ex-players and colleagues of the late Michael come from far and wide to pay their respects to a great Gael whose memory continues to burn brightly in the hearts and minds of all who knew and admired him. Roll on 2025 for the next episode of an occasion that always brings people together and is a hugely cherished part of the Christmas calendar.