1972 will not be remembered as a very
successful year trophy wise, but more a year when the solid foundations were
established in the history of Drumragh Sarsfields. the following is the way
the news was revealed in the local press at the time;

On Sunday 16^th
January, Tattysllagh and Tattyreagh G.F.C.’s joined forces to promote two
new teams in the parish under the banner of Drumragh Sarsfields as it was
unamnously felt by both sides that to continue alone would be highly
impossible as the pool of players was not large enough to create enough
interest.

It was honestly felt by all
that were keenly interested in keeping the National game alive in the area
that this solution was much better than the two individual sides having to
completely fold altogether.

After some serious
consultations the two sides met in St.Eugene’s Hall, Clanabogan, and drafted
out the following officers for the coming year; Chairman, P Starrs:
Vice-Chairman, Peter McGlone: Secretary, Celsus Starrs: Treasurer, P McGread:
Assistant Treasurer, Dominic Darcy. Committee  members, Peter McGlone, P
McFarland, P Mullin, J Campbell, J Darcy and P Conlon. Delegates to the
West-Tyrone board: J Darcy, B Starrs, P Mullin, C Starrs.

It was also decided by those
present that Peter McGlone, along with J Darcy and Chairman P Starrs, would
be completely responsible for the choosing of the teams.

It was earnestly hoped that
the  new club  would get the support of all the people in the area concerned
in order to keep the GAA interest alive in the community.

The following players are
requested to be in St Eugene’s Hall, Clanabogan tonight (Thursday) at 8pm
for training session: S and D Montgomery, P Conlon, B Lowry, P McGinn, D
Darcy, J Darcy, B Darcy, Peter Mc Glone, P McGlone, K McGlone, D Mullan, J
Grugan, A Hagney, Egormley, J Maguire, M Darcy, D Sheridan, D Taggart, L
McFarlane, M O’Neill, C Moore, P McGiven, K and E McCann, S McCrory, P
Mullan, T Baxter, B Starrs, L Mcfarland, John Bradley, P McMenamin, M and B
Starrs, M and C Quinn, B McKenna, Tony McBride, N Colton, P Mullan, T
Campbell, Willie McFarland, S McCann, J McLaughlin, K McLaughlin, F and S
Loughran, M McGee, J Mc Swiggan, D McCormick, and J Sloan.

Any other person interested and
who may have been inadvertently omitted is earnestly asked to attend. The
above players are requested to bring slippers and togs.

All
players are also requested to note that a challenge games has been fixed for
Sunday next at 3.30. all players must turn out for this game.

The path was now clear for competitive
action to take place and it was a Junior team (now Reserve) who were first
in action. A victory was recorded against Pomeroy by a score of 5-2 to 1-3.

Sunday April 9th witnesses the Senior
teams first game in the league. Although expected to overcome the Wolftone (Dregish/Drumquinn)
they could only manage a draw 1-5 to 2-2. There then followed two victories
over Eskra and Fintona, the latter a 2-7 to 2-6 win. A some what bizarre
headline then appeared in the Ulster Herald “Drumragh Hold All-Ireland
Record”, considering that only three competitive games had been played.

This ‘record’ was broken due to a defeat
by Beragh Red Knights or ‘Red Shites’ as some Drumragh wag referred to them
in the early seventies.

Drumragh’s first championship game
resulted in a convincing victory over Fintona on June 11th 1972 at Trillic;
scoreline 2-12 to 1-5. Training continued at McSwiggans Holm and a further
championship victory over Eskra saw the Sarsfields into the semi-final.
However there was to be no fairytale first final as a three goal blitz in
the last fifteen minutes gave Dungannon a 3-6to 0-6 victory at Pomeroy on
July 23rd. The final league games were played out to give a league table of
the following;

Five victories and three draws out of
fourteen games coupled with a Championship semi-final appearance was
certainly no mean feat in the Sarsfields first year in existence. No-one
could doubt that the club had set out on a firm footing.

Although the inaugural year, Drumragh
already had a County star among the ranks. Barry Lowry played on the Tyrone
Vocational Schools Team which won the All-Ireland title in 1970 and was a
member of the Tyrone Minor  Team ( Ulster Champions 1971).

1973