Sarsfields named Wexford District Club of the Year
2004
At the annual award ceremony in Piercestown on Saturday
3rd April, the Sarsfields were voted Wexford District
Club of the Year for 2004. Following the disappointments
of losing both the league and championship Senior
finals, this award is some recognition for the progress
made by the club last year and was proudly accepted by
club chairman, Ger Halligan
 Our individual recipient on the night was Jas Kirwan.
Jas holds
a unique place in Sarsfields' history as he is the only
man ever to win three Senior football championship
medals with the club. The Corish Park resident gave
magnificent service as a goalkeeper from the mid-1950s
to the mid-1980s, while he was a highly-regarded and
hard-working official for many years.
Jas came
to prominence with the strong Sarsfields under-age sides
of the 1950s, and he was a reliable netminder on the
Junior team which won the 1959 county title in April,
1960. His first Senior championship medal was claimed in
1961 at the expense of Starlights, while he added a
second to his collection in 1967 when Castletown were
defeated during the club's greatest year, as they also
landed the Minor and Under-21 titles.
While they
dropped back to Intermediate level in the 1970s, Jas
continued to perform to a high level between the posts.
He donned the number one jersey for the three-game
county final saga of 1979, with Sarsfields finally
seeing off Duffry Rovers in a second replay in early
1980 to return to the top flight.
Jas then
entered the history books in Centenary Year when he was
an understudy to John La Roche as the club secured its
last Senior championship crown. Sarsfields have won five
titles in all (with the first two coming in 1934 and
1935), and Jas is the only man with three medals in his
collection.
His
prowess as a player wasn't just confined to the
Sarsfields colours, as he was a long-time member of the
Wexford Senior football panel during the 1960s, and
played with distinction for ABS Pumps when the
inter-firms leagues were at their peak.
He was
also a trojan worker for the club off the field, serving
as Chairman and County Board rep. during the 1970s and
1980s. While Jas now confines himself to the role of
Sarsfields supporter, he has a very high regard for the
club and has a great collection of old photographs
depicting some of the greatest moments in its proud
history.
All
Sarsfields members join in thanking Jas for his
outstanding service, and we wish him well for the
future. |
