A Royal rumble for Minor hurlers
WICKLOW Minor hurling manager Owen Doyle says that he is delighted that his young side are getting a competitive game in Leinster when they take on Meath on October 24 at a Wicklow venue.
While accepting that the Royals will start the game as hot favourites given that it would be their second team that Wicklow have face in Celtic Challenge competitions, there should still be plenty of reason for drive and desire given that a victory in the first game would see them into a final against either Down or Louth.
Owen Doyle, Philip Campion, and Colm Ffrench are the mentors over the Wicklow Minors while Ferns native Eddie Cullen who worked with the Wexford
Minors for the past three or four years had been involved with the team prior to lockdown.
Owen Doyle says that Cullen, who has strong Carnew connections, was someone they brought in to boost the coaching side of things and to show them what was needed at that level.
The team had been progressing well with S&C in Ballinakill and Kiltegan in the early part of the year and had enjoyed a few field sessions but the lockdown brought an end to that.
The fact that the club Minor hurling championship has been brought back will be a boost as it gives them extra time to prepare for the Meath challenge. Added to that the fact that they will be playing competitive hurling in that club championship will also be a boost ahead of the Leinster ‘B’ clash.
COISTE NA NÓG Chairman Pat Dunne and his team at Coiste na nÓg have revised their club Minor championships, in both hurling and football, in lieu of the recent Leinster CCC Minor championship draws which were held last Wednesday afternoon.
Wicklow’s Coiste na nÓg launched their Return to Play 2020 fixtures programme back in early June, this was scheduled to kick-off on the August Bank holiday weekend. However, after the Leinster Minor football dates were confirmed, the Wicklow planners had to revisit their internal Minor fixture dates.
‘Paddy Dalton and his team should be happy enough with drawing Longford in the opening round, with the winners progressing to play Offaly in a Leinster