That second conker lasted three cracks of Ciaran Donoghue’s 12-er, but Paul knew that he was playing the long game, biding his time until the following year when he would unleash his secret weapon.


One year on, the ball alley loomed over Paul and the intensity of the gathering crowd was bearing down on him. Johnny Kelly eyeballed him, but this was not about physical strength. Kelly would realise that he might be able to push him around at football training, but that in this game Paul had the upper hand. It was obvious from the dull complexion of Kelly’s conker that he had cooked it overnight. This was frowned upon and considered bad sportsmanship, but no one was going to challenge Kelly on this. Finally the time came for Paul to challenge Kelly in the contest. Kelly’s shoddy conker lasted two cracks of Paul’s champion, and he stormed away, furious that he had been beaten by the weakling four-eyes he so despised.


Kelly scowled as Paul shouted after him, ‘Better luck next time, Kelly’.


Later that day, Ciaran Donoghue invited Paul to play football, but he told him he had better things to do. After all, he was now the King of the Conkers.


STOP AND THINK What do you think is going to happen next?


That evening as usual, Tom Byrne’s bus dropped Paul at the local GAA club. It was about a half-mile walk to his house from there. Paul was baffl ed as to how Johnny Kelly managed it, but as he rounded the corner half-way up his road, there was Kelly, waiting for him. From the moment Paul laid eyes on him, he knew the deal. Outrunning him was unrealistic, so Paul walked towards him.


‘You seem to think winning a few conker matches makes you important. You made a fool outta me today, Brennan, and no one makes a fool outta me,’ he snarled.


‘I beat you fair and square. Why can’t you take your beating?’ Paul retorted, shocked at his own bravery.


Passions and Pastimes


149


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