Who will be lucky 13th?
Race for Intermediate hurling honours starts
EIGHT OF the twelve runners in The Courtyard Ferns Intermediate hurling championship will be in action over the weekend, as the quest to become the 13th top-flight team in 2021 gets under way with four appetising ties.
GROUP A: Crossabeg-Ballymurn v. Rathgarogue-Cushinstown (New Ross,
Saturday, 7 p.m.).
These sides both exited at the hands of eventual champions Cloughbawn last year, Rathgarogue-Cushinstown in the quarter-final and then Crossabeg-Ballymurn in the penultimate round.
They clashed in last year’s group stage in Bree, when the Over The Water men had a handy 2-22 to 0-9 success.
Indeed, they have held sway in all three of the sides’ meetings in the five previous campaigns. The 2016 quarter-final was tight, with Crossabeg-Ballymurn edging through after extra-time by 2-18 to 1-19, while the margin was 3-16 to 0-14 in a group game one year later.
Diarmuid McDonald is managing the Wexford District side, assisted by Michael Cummins, Jimmy Kielthy and coach Kevin Kennedy, and they will be hoping to go all the way this year after being the ‘nearly’ team of this grade.
They lost the finals of 2015 and 2017 by one-point margins to Naomh Eanna and St. Anne’s respectively. Eventual champions Oylegate-Glenbrien and Cloughbawn beat them at the semi-final stage in 2016 and 2019, while St. James’ knocked them out in the 2018 quarter-final.
Ger Cody is managing Rathgarogue-Cushinstown, with Tommy Young and James Bolger serving as selectors. James Rossiter and Donal Porter have come up from Minor ranks for the New Ross District outfit who have lost three quarter-finals in the last four years.
GROUP B: HWH-Bunclody v. Ballygarrett (Bellefield, Sunday, 2 p.m.).
A lot has happened since these teams last met in the championship – a 4-17 to 4-7 group win for Ballygarrett in Oulart on August 12, 2014.
The Gorey District side were relegated in 2017, but they bounced back last year with an exciting 1-14 to 1-13 win over Geraldine O’Hanrahans in the Intermediate ‘A’ final.
They have retained the successful backroom team of John Nolan (manager), Seamus Kennelly, John Sinnott, Diarmuid Dunbar and Murt Kavanagh, and report no additions or subtractions from last year’s panel.
HWH-Bunclody have been on a generally upward trajectory since that defeat
Pat Kenny of Buffers Alley evades Stephen Lacey (Monageer-Boolavogue) during their meeting in April of last year.
six years ago, losing semi-finals in 2015, 2017 and 2018 before making the decider last season. They lost that to Cloughbawn by 3-14 to 0-17, but the backroom team of Bartley Regan, Denis Kelly, Seamie Kelly, Rory Kinsella, Ger Cowman and Peter Hally will feel they are good enough to go one step further.
Ronan Roberts is in Australia, but the arrival of James Black, Mylie Connors and Ciarán Regan from the Minor grade will increase competition for places.
GROUP C: Buffers Alley v. Monageer-Boolavogue (Chadwicks Wexford
Park, Saturday, 7 p.m.).
The near neighbours have travelled in opposite directions hurling-wise, and this will be their second successive meeting at this level after the Alley eased to a 2-18 to 0-13 win in Gorey early last year.
Champions in this grade in 2013, the Monamolin-based side went on to contest four Senior quarter-finals on the trot before their relegation at the end of 2018.
Having lost the Intermediate semi-final to HWH-Bunclody last year, they are being prepared for battle by manager Colm Morris, the ex-Wexford footballer, along with ’80s forward Pat Leacy, Fintan Farrell and Johnny Dempsey.
New Ross native John Donovan is a new addition from Ballinteer St. John’s in
Dublin, while David Meleady, Oisín McNulty and Cian O’Connor have stepped up from Minor ranks.
Monageer-Boolavogue beat St. James’ to collect the Intermediate ‘A’ title in 2015, and they were most unfortunate to lose a semi-final to Crossabeg-Ballymurn after extra-time two seasons later.
However, they have been lucky to survive at this level in the interim, beating Craanford and Shamrocks respectively in the relegation deciders of 2018 and 2019.
Ger Coleman of Duffry Rovers is team manager, while Ed Rowsome and Adrian Flynn are selectors. Ronan O’Leary is a new face from last year’s Minor team, while Peter Breen has returned from abroad. GROUP D: Oylegate-Glenbrien v. St. James’ (New Ross, Sunday, 6 p.m.).
This is a novel pairing, as the clubs’ respective first teams have never met before at such a high level.
Oylegate-Glenbrien have a major point to prove as, after losing in a Senior quarter-final and semi-final respectively to Naomh Eanna in 2017 and 2018, they were relegated last year following defeat to Faythe Harriers.
They were last Intermediate champions in 2016, beating Adamstown in the decider, and they have looked to Oulart-The Ballagh pair Stephen Doyle and Colin Sunderland – assisted by clubman Eoin O’Mahoney – in their quest to make an immediate return to the top flight.
The rise of hurling in Ramsgrange has been astronomical, and they won the Intermediate ‘A’ title after a replay with neighbours Fethard in 2016, one year after losing the final to Monageer-Boolavogue.
After semi-final and quarter-final exits in 2018 and 2019, to Fethard and Buffers Alley respectively, they will be put through their paces by mentors Ben McPhillips (manager), Leo Connolly and Niall Williams.
Matthew O’Hanlon missed their key games through injury last year, and it goes without saying that he will be a huge asset this time.
They also have a quintet coming up from Minor ranks to keep the more established players on their toes, namely Paudie Barron, Tommy Barron, Ben McPhillips, Rory Lynch and Darragh McPhillips.
However, Mark Molloy has transferred to a club in Kildare where he is working, and he will be a major loss in their midfield engine room.
The four teams with byes on weekend one are Taghmon-Camross (Group A), Askamore (Group B), Blackwater (Group C) and Adamstown (Group D).
Additional research (mentors and players): Dean Goodison.
WITH JUST three first teams competing in the Permanent TSB Junior ‘A’ hurling championship, it means that only one match can go ahead this coming weekend as the domestic games programme begins with a bang.
Fortunately, two of those clubs - Clongeen and St. Fintan’s - have been included together in Group A, meaning they can lock horns in the former’s Fr. Wheeler Memorial Park venue in Ballybore on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Second and third teams cannot play in the championship until their ‘firsts’ have fielded, so it won’t be possible to have four Junior ‘ A’ fixtures until the second weekend.
Eddie Moloney of Our Lady’s Island fame is back training Clongeen for another term, and their backroom team is completed by Denis Rochford, Seán Murphy and James Purcell.
St. Fintan’s will be welcoming two of last year’s promising Minors, Jack O’Leary and Liam Crowley, to adult ranks for the first time, and the team is prepared by Shane Sinnott (manager), Conor Berry (trainer) and Dave Kelleher (selector).
Rathgarogue-Cushinstown - under the guidance of Tommy Young (manager), David Cooney and Colin Carney - have a bye in Group A this weekend.
The only other first team in Junior ‘A’, Kilmore, are in Group D along with Naomh Eanna and Adamstown.
Conor Moore and Stevie Cousins have recovered from long-term injuries for the seasiders who are looked after by Mark Roche (manager/coach), Johnny Berry and Kevin Keating.
Eddie Dillon (manager) and Jake Doyle are at the helm with Adamstown, while the Naomh Eanna management team comprises Niall Kirwan, Michael Bernie and Darren Kelly.
The first Group B game, on July 25, will pit Buffers Alley against Tara Rocks in Monamolin, while Rathnure have a bye.
Anthony Kelly (manager), Will Walsh and Paudie Reidy form the Alley’s backroom crew, with Shane Tobin and John Broughan guiding Tara Rocks.
July 26 will mark the start of Group C, when an Oylegate-Glenbrien side prepared by Seán Quirke, Tony Moulton, Keith Whelan and Seamus Heffernan will host Cloughbawn, whose mentors are Eoin Doyle (manager), Barry Carton, Martin Kehoe and James O’Neill.
Oulart-The Ballagh, who have a bye, will be mentored by Paul Hayes (manager), Dermot Byrne, Damien Harris, Jason Quigley and Henry Quigley.
Just one Junior ‘ B’ hurling championship game is on the schedule for this first weekend, with St. Martin’s Purple hosting Shelmaliers in Piercestown on Sunday at 6 p.m.
John Codd, Pat Barrett and Arthur O’Connor are over the Martin’s ‘thirds’, and a fourth team from the club will also be competing under the ‘White’ banner.
Darren Shiggins (manager) and selector Ibar Murphy Snr. will be hoping the Shels can get off to a winning start.