Wexford featuring in colleges semi-finals

THERE WILL be a Wexford involvement in both of the third level colleges Division 1 hurling league semi-finals which are down for decision on Thursday, November 22. D.C.U. will take on Mary Immaculate from Limerick, with the grand total of ten Slaneysiders on their squad: the Foley brothers, Pádraig and Oisín, from Crossabeg-Ballymurn; the O’Connor brothers, Harry and Rory, their first cousin Joe, plus two more first cousins, Aaron Maddock and Conor Firman, all from St. Martin’s; Damien Reck (Oylegate-Glenbrien), Darren Byrne (Blackwater) and James Henebery (Faythe Harriers).

U.C.C. will face U.L. in the other semi-final, and wearing the famous skull and cross bones jersey for the Leesiders will be Ross Donohoe from Buffers Alley.

Ross, son of John and Cate, has moved to Cork to pursue his Masters after already representing Maynooth on the third level scene.

He lined out at midfield on Tuesday in their 0-12 to 0-10 win against D.I.T. in dreadful conditions.

One of the most pleasing aspects of the colleges hurling competitions at present is the significant number of Wexford players involved, something that wasn’t always the case in the past.

Among the others who have figured prominently thus far are Quinn Saunders of Our Lady’s Island with D.I.T., the W.I.T. quartet of Connal Flood (Cloughbawn), Stephen O’Gorman (Taghmon-Camross), Michael Feeney (Shelmaliers) and Shane Gahan (Monageer-Boolavogue), plus I.T. Carlow’s Oylegate-Glenbrien duo, Seamus Casey and Shane Reck.

Exposure to this level of high standard hurling can only be a good thing for Wexford’s future prospects.