50 years of St Mary’s Basketball Blitz

EVERY year of the St Mary’s Basketball Blitz is a standout one but this year is particularly special as the club celebrates the 50th anniversary of the famous Christmas Blitz. The popular event that is now known nationwide started in 1970 as a two day event and over the years grew considerably.

The 2019 Blitz runs from December 26 until December 30. Tournament director Donal ‘Duke’ O’Connor has been involved since the first year and he attributes the success of the event to the many people who have helped down through the years and the fantastic sponsors that continue to support the tournament.

Preparations for the event have been underway for months and St Mary’s Club Chairman Eamon Egan is satisfied that the many spectators who attend each year will not be disappointed with this year’s line-up.

“We have a strong Premier Men’s section, as well as teams from Cork and Limerick. We will have the local super league and national league teams. The local rivalry is always guaranteed to create a buzz, while we also have a competitive Senior Ladies section this year. We are expecting teams from Waterford and Cork as well as our own ‘Team Tom McCarthy’s’ so the standard will be high” Eamon said.

Eamon extended his praise to the club committee for the work that has gone into preparing for the event. The Blitz has four main sponsors: Munster Joinery, Garvey’s Supervalu, Denjoes Restaurants and Educate.ie. A host of other sponsors are equally involved and the club is indebted to the generosity of all its sponsors.

To celebrate the Golden Jubilee, St Mary’s will host a social in The River Island Hotel on December 6. They are also producing a book which looks back at some of the memorable moments of the event as recalled by the founding members and former chairpersons. Both the book and the Blitz programme will be launched at the social. Tickets for this can be obtained by contacting 087 3984884 or 087 6253497.