The junior hurling final takes centre stage this weekend

were title holders at the time were victorious in the replay.

The two top teams in their respective clubs contested the 1979 final but the team representing Blarney on Sunday will be a second choice squad. They were also finalists in 2015 however when they were defeated by Cloughduv so they are hoping to go one better on Sunday so they are not to be underestimated.

They gave solid performances in their encounters with Ballincollig, Éire Óg and Donoughmore twice so they are well prepared for Sunday’s final. Ballinora are one of the better Junior Hurling sides in Muskerry over the last few years however and they were involved in two very exciting semi-final encounters with eventual winners Cloughduv last season and they lost narrowly on their second day out.

They made amends this season when they recently secured a two points victory over the reigning champions and they performed impressively on occasions during the course of that encounter.

Players like Tomás McGrath, Patrick Cronin, Aidan O’Shea, Pat Fitton, Michael Murphy, Darragh Holmes and David Howard will be to the forefront of their quest for victory on Sunday.

Blarney have an excellent goal-keeper in Richard O’Shea and Daniel Cronin, Donal O’Neill, Anthony O’Shea, Eugene McCarthy, Mark Cremin and Kevin Cremen are others who should figure prominently for them.

There will be sufficient talent in action in Sunday to ensure we have a good final with Ballinora favoured to capture a title that was last theirs in 1997. The Junior Football Championship in Muskerry is also at its concluding stages and the reigning champions Iveleary and Canovee will contest the first semi-final at Cill Na Martra on Sunday at 1.30.

Iveleary secured a resounding victory over Aghinagh in the quarter final last weekend so they are still a formidable combination so Canovee will have to be in top form to knock them from their perch. The latter are formidable championship contenders however, and they will ensure that Sunday’s semi-final is competitive. Canovee will expect players like Denis o’Sullivan, Eamon Lyons, Sean O’Connor, James Moynihan and Conor Hughes to figure prominently while the talented Cathal Vaughan will be a formidable figure for Iveleary and he will have good support from Barry Murphy, Finbarr McSweeney, Donal Cronin and Donal Cotter.