North Cork seek Celtic Challenge hurling title
IT’S all systems for a North Cork Rebel Óg hurling team on Saturday next on contesting the Bank of Ireland U-17 Celtic Challenge against Antrim in Carlow IT.
The competition is targeted at 16 and 17-year old hurlers not sitting State examinations over recent weeks. A total of 47 teams from all 32 counties particapated across eight groups in the preliminary series determined on a geographical and developmental basis featuring county and regional teams.
North Cork secured a passage to the decider after a dramatic semi final victory over North Tipperary last Saturday. The battling traits of both sides surfaced to a contest that held quality and excitement in abundance to the Golden staging.
And from a game awash with twists and turns, on three occasions during the latter stages, North Tipp enjoyed a single point advantage. However, the outcome swung dramatically in the last phase of action, Dylan O’Connor from Castletownroche performed the super sub role to bag the winning goal.
North Cork’s Jim O’Sullivan is part of the team management and explained the tournament provides terrific competition.
“The Celtic Challenge offers players and coaches a chance to develop because each team plays a minimum of six games on pre-scheduled date.
“In this regard the competition has been a phenomenal success,” said Jim.
“After an initial round robin group phase of matches, teams were graded on their performance and assigned to one of six divisions for the preliminaries and the play-offs where again they competed against teams of a similar level of ability. That’s was definitely the case against North Tipp and no doubt Antrim’s county team will be just as formidable,” he said.
In total there were 21 county teams and 26 sides representing regions from within counties involved featuring 1,400 players in 155 matches. Cork players on the inter county minor hurling panel were not eligible to participate in this competition, this ruling applied to the traditional strong hurling counties.
The cups have been named after six of the victims from among the 14 people shot and killed on Bloody Sunday at Croke Park on November 21st, 1920.
Just one Cork team have progressed to the finals, North Cork and Antrim contest the Group 2 decider, vying for the John William Scott Memorial Cup that remembers a fourteen-year killed in the atrocity.
The North Cork panel comprises Luke Philpott (Banteer); Josh Shanahan, James Molloy, Jack Scannell, Sean McCarthy (Fermoy); Adam Barrett, Tomas Foley, Jamie Copps (Ballyhea); Bill Curtin, Kieran Twomey (Kilshannig); Daniel O’Connell (Kanturk); Eddie Cotter, Eoin Buckley (Killavullen); Paddy Hartnett, Kevin Noonan (Kildorrery); Eoin Carey (Kilworth); Cian Crowle, Paddy Browne (Newmarket); Conor Buckley, Jake Madigan (Charleville); Tomas Howard (Dromtariffe); Kieran O’Sullivan (Shandrum): Trevor Doyle (Mallow); Ben O’Connor (Clyda Rovers). Dylan O’Connor (Castletownroche).
Team Management: Jim O’Sullivan, Noel Crowley, Joe Daly.
The action from Carlow will be streamed live on www.gaa.ie