Minor musings
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Ted very nearly played in a Minor final too as having followed up on his aside that "I played minor with Ballinkillen" we learned that Ballinkillen beat Moyle (near Tinryland) in the 1939 MFC semi-final, the newspaper report stating "For the winners, Byrne, who hails from a great football family in Ballymurphy, was their chief scorer but he was well supported by Joyce (son of an old Borris gael), Phelan, Dillon, Walsh and Treacy.
Cummins was a tower of strength in defence but on the whole the side showed style and understanding".
Next up the O'Hanrahan's in the county final but a Moyle objection scuppered those hopes, an unregistered player proving their downfall after Ballinkillen had proved that two other players were indeed under-age while a third was born in the USA and they were unable to obtain his birth certificate at short notice.
The Blues, the dominant Minor force, beat Moyle in the final and the following year as Ballinkillen didn't affiliate a Minor team Ballymurphy did but were beaten by Bagenalstown, the eventual champions, in an early round, "Kennedy, McGee, Byrne and Joyce" mentioned as playing well for the vanquished.
Though Ballymurphy, junior champions in 1939, reached the 1940 Intermediate final, beaten by Bagenalstown in a replay, Ted did not figure on the starting fifteen.
Carlow's protracted Leinster semi-final marathon with Wexford in 1941 held up club fixtures and then the foot and mouth epidemic caused further disruption, the end result being that it was decided to abandon all competitions that year.
Thus Ted Joyce got no Minor football in his 18th year.
