The chance to

Diarmuid Sheehan looks forward to what should be a really exciting contest for this All-Ireland Club Intermediate hurling title

EXT Sunday at 3.45pm Kanturk’s hurlers will begin the biggest game in the club’s history.

The club’s intermediate/senior hurling side will square up to Kilkenny and Leinster Champions St Patrick’s Ballyragget for the right to be crowned All Ireland Intermediate Club Hurling Champions.

After a season of firsts the north Cork side will be the second Duhallow side into All Ireland final action next weekend after Knocknagree head into the Junior Football Final the day before.

Both sides will go with the support of their neighbours, their neighbouring parishes and the county as a whole behind them as they look to bring badly needed national honours back to the Rebel county. Sunday’s clash between Kanturk and Ballyragget of Kilkenny is one of those games that has classic written all over it.

For Kanturk, a brilliant County Championship, a hugely impressive provincial campaign and two comfortable wins in the national side of things means that any side preparing to line up against them would be wise to pay serious attention and pay them the utmost respect.

Kanturk go into this game with all the credentials to win. They battled through the toughest intermediate hurling division in the land.

They came through a real thriller in the Munster final and since that point looked comfortable without ever really shining. Kanturk go into Sunday’s clash with more in the tank – the perfect way to enter the biggest game of your life.

For the opposition, well the headlines have gone from respect to farcical this season but still the Kilkenny and Leinster Champions roll on.

Many would have expected this team to fall away after the ill-fated celebrations and the “scandal” that surrounded it but credit to this particular band of Kilkenny players they have done their talking on the pitch and look all the way worth their spot in the final.

Ballyragget have pedigree and lots of it. Most of this particular bunch of players won the All Ireland Junior title back in 2012 seeing off Kanturk’s neighbours Charleville in the final.

Kanturk can’t boast anything like that national success however their meteoric rise through the hurling grades of Cork which has seen them go from the lower grade of Cork intermediate to senior in just four years. Add to that this season’s heroics and it is clear that we are witnessing a golden time for Kanturk hurling right now.

The names for Kanturk roll off the tongue with the national stars Anthony Nash, Lorcán McLoughlin and Aidan Walsh being joined by Darren Browne who has already run out for Cork this season.

Others to show their worth on the way to this final have been John Browne, Ian and Ryan Walsh along with team captain and inspiration Lorcan O’Neill who genuinely is the leader both on and off the pitch for Kanturk.

The rear-guard of John McLoughlin, Paul Walsh and Eoghan O’Connor have also shown themselves to be well capable at this grade with forwards Alan O’Keeffe and James Fitzpatrick