Champs will clash

Martin’s meet Anne’s in hurling opener

THERE WILL be a distinct Wexford District feel about Group A of the forthcoming Pettitt’s Senior hurling championship after the draws were made recently.

Four of the five clubs from the region competing in the top flight have been paired together, with Glynn-Barntown the only odd one out.

And there will be a meeting of reigning champions and close neighbours in the first round, as Intermediate titleholders St. Anne’s will take on Senior kingpins St. Martin’s on their return to the top flight after a one-year absence.

The other Wexford District sides, Shelmaliers and Faythe Harriers, will also clash at the outset, with Rapparees facing Buffers Alley.

Last year’s runners-up, Oulart-The Ballagh, will meet Glynn-Barntown in Group B, with Naomh Eanna facing Rathnure and Oylegate-Glenbrien pitted against Ferns St. Aidan’s.

Meanwhile, the two most recent winners of the Tom Doyle Supplies Senior football championship will lock horns in round one, as Gusserane are drawn to meet Starlights.

There will be a local derby between Glynn-Barntown and Taghmon-Camross, while Shelmaliers will play St. James’.

Kilanerin’s return to Senior ranks in Group A will start with a game against Sarsfields, while Castletown will take on St. Anne’s and Fethard have a date with St. Martin’s.

The stand-out opening round game in The Courtyard Ferns Intermediate hurling championship is the Group A derby featuring newly-relegated Cloughbawn and Rathgarogue-Cushinstown, who avoided the drop to Intermediate ‘A’ on the last day.

Fethard, fresh from their memorable journey to Croke Park, will first face Monageer-Boolavogue who weren’t too far away from a final appearance in 2017.

There’s a fixture that immediately jumps out from the Amber Springs/Ashdown Park Intermediate football draw also, namely the Group B clash of Duffry Rovers and HWH-Bunclody.

Relegated Horeswood will meet St. Mary’s (Maudlintown) in Group A, with promoted Crossabeg-Ballymurn facing St. Joseph’s.

There’s an interesting match-up in Group B of the Top Oil Intermediate ‘A’ hurling championship, as Junior titleholders Gusserane will come up against a Ballygarrett side still smarting from their relegation from the higher grade.

Another side which slipped down, Clongeen, will face the Kilanerin second string in their Joyces Expert Intermediate ‘A’ football championship Group B opener.

The Enniscorthy Farm Systems Junior football championship had eleven participants last year, but that has been upped to twelve after the decision of Naomh Eanna, Junior ‘B’ titleholders, to jump straight into the grade rather than Junior ‘A’.

Buffers Alley have decided to follow in the footsteps of Rathnure and Oulart-The Ballagh by opting not to play any adult football in 2018.

Elsewhere, the Enniscorthy Farm Systems Junior ‘A’ football championship will have eleven participants.

Clonard are no longer fielding in football and Duffry Rovers suc- cessfully applied to move down to Junior ‘B’.

However, Our Lady’s Island have decided to move up after winning the Wexford District Junior ‘B’ title, while a St. Martin’s third string is also upgraded.

The Permanent TSB Junior ‘A’ hurling championship is reduced from twelve teams to ten, with Duffry Rovers and Rathnure missing from last year’s line-up after both asked the permission of County Board to drop down to Junior ‘B’.

The full draws for the first round games, to be provisionally played in April on dates to be outlined in due course, are -

Pettitt’s SHC Group A: Rapparees v. Buffers Alley; St. Anne’s v. St. Martin’s; Shelmaliers v. Faythe Harriers.

Pettitt’s SHC Group B: Naomh Eanna v. Rathnure; Glynn-Barntown v. Oulart-The Ballagh; Oylegate-Glenbrien v. Ferns St. Aidan’s.

Tom Doyle Supplies SFC Group A: Castletown v. St. Anne’s; Fethard v. St. Martin’s; Sarsfields v. Kilanerin.

Tom Doyle Supplies SFC Group B: Shelmaliers v. St. James’; Gusserane v. Starlights; Glynn-Barntown v. Taghmon-Camross.

The Courtyard Ferns IHC Group A: Monageer-Boolavogue v. Fethard; Rathgarogue-Cushinstown v. Cloughbawn; Blackwater v. St. James’.

The Courtyard Ferns IHC Group B: HWH-Bunclody v. Craanford; Askamore v. Crossabeg-Ballymurn; Adamstown v. Shamrocks.

Amber Springs/Ashdown Park IFC Group A: St. Mary’s (Rosslare) v. Bannow-Ballymitty; St. Mary’s (Maudlintown) v. Horeswood; Crossabeg-Ballymurn v. St. Joseph’s.

Amber Springs/Ashdown Park IFC Group B: Ferns St. Aidan’s v. St. Fintan’s; Duffry Rovers v. HWH-Bunclody; Adamstown v. Ballyhogue.

Top Oil IAHC Group A: Tara Rocks v. Taghmon-Camross; Our Lady’s Island v. Duffry Rovers; St. Patrick’s v. Shelmaliers.

Top Oil IAHC Group B: Oulart-The Ballagh v. Marshalstown-Castledockrell; Gusserane v. Ballygarrett; Geraldine O’Hanrahans v. Liam Mellows.

Joyces Expert IAFC Group A: Kilmore v. Cloughbawn; Kilrush v. Naomh Eanna; Geraldine O’Hanrahans v. Réalt na Mara.

Joyces Expert IAFC Group B: Volunteers v. St. Patrick’s; Kilanerin v. Clongeen; St. Martin’s v. Craanford.

Permanent TSB JHC Group A: Horeswood v. Ferns St. Aidan’s; Bannow-Ballymitty v. Rapparees; Faythe Harriers v. Buffers Alley.

Permanent TSB JHC Group B: St. Mary’s (Rosslare) v. St. Martin’s; Davidstown-Courtnacuddy v. Rathnure; Monageer-Boolavogue v. Clongeen.

Enniscorthy Farm Systems JFC Group A: Oylegate-Glenbrien v. Davidstown-Courtnacuddy; Gusserane v. Shamrocks; Shelmaliers v. Naomh Eanna.

Enniscorthy Farm Systems JFC Group B: Castletown v. Glynn-Barntown; Starlights v. Rathgarogue-Cushinstown; Monageer-Boolavogue v. Blackwater.

Permanent TSB JAHC Group A: Kilmore v. Adamstown; St. Fintan’s v. Glynn-Barntown; Cloughbawn bye.

Permanent TSB JAHC Group B: Ballyhogue v. Oulart-The Ballagh; Naomh Eanna v. Tara Rocks; Craanford bye.

Enniscorthy Farm Systems JAFC Group A: Volunteers v. Monageer-Boolavogue; Sarsfields v. St. Martin’s; Ballyhogue v. Marshalstown-Castledockrell.

Enniscorthy Farm Systems JAFC Group B: St. Anne’s v. HWH-Bunclody; Adamstown v. Clongeen; Our Lady’s Island bye.