Easing of restrictions
Hello! It’s the morning of Thursday, April 15 now four days into the initial what can be called gradual easing of restrictions from this third, yet seemingly endless lockdown. Schools are open and now we’re allowed to drive around our great and beloved county. You can go to a neighbouring county. But remember to remain twenty kilometres from base. Last week’s blueprint release of what the inter-county season will look like, allied to the introduction of non-contact training from U18 down at the end of the month puts the focus more on upcoming activity. Looking around the parish and there was some recent commendable success around the racetracks. Look out for championship draws coming your way shortly. Also bringing you the latest lotto results. That’s it in a nutshell. Off you go.
RESUMPTION OF INTERCOUNTY ACTIVITY
Key dates through early last week were the naming of April 19 as seeing the resumption of collective senior intercounty training, with one week later - April 26 the plan for juvenile training (non-contact and confined to groups of fifteen) to come back. A bit more forthcoming from the powers that be on Thursday evening last. Now we know the national hurling league can resume on May 8/9 with the equivalent football competition kick starting into action one week later and scheduled to start on the week ending May 15/16. There will be no league final in the hurling barring the two teams meeting in the championship. Football league semi-finals and finals are in the mix for mid-June. Then right at the end of the month in both codes provincial championships are down to start. All-Ireland finals to be played mid and end of August.
Now watch out for the draws of both Sam and Liam coming your way sometime in the next week or so. Munster is in the pipeline for airing on the Morning Ireland programme on RTE Radio One on April 19.
Now Cork were crowned Munster U20 hurling champions just pre-Christmas. While the Leinster version involving Dublin and Galway is still outstanding. All teams named were also the last three from U17 level in 2017. Who says young fellows don’t retain their form? Still no dates being mentioned for that or when we will see this year’s competition starting. Vaccine rollout still a key and central issue.
Starting in early September and running right through to mid-November is reserved for club action while the provinces come into play after that. That’s the plan. You must start somewhere of course it all hinges on those Covid figures. We live in hope.
LATEST LOTTO RESULTS
Most recent weekly lotto draw went ahead on Monday night last, April 12. Numbers drawn were: 5, 8, 17 and 24 and the jackpot of €10,200 wasn’t won. While the consolation winners were Siobhan Hayes c/o HOC, Susan Murphy, online, Irene Flynn, Carrigeen Hall – online, Esther Power, Ballynoe and Anne O’Gorman, Cois na hAbhainn – online. We’re back on Monday night, April 19 with the jackpot now standing at €10,400.
HORSE RACING SUCCESS
Just right now with the way things are, you know yourself with Covid, and horizons must be broadened. Especially now that there’s no action on the playing fields of Ireland. At least horse racing continues to get the green flag. Recently the Spillane’s up in Kilavorilla, which is close to the venue of Ballynoe Point to Points, enjoyed a double. Goulan Chosen and Wrong Direction ridden by local man, Johnny Hurley winning their respective outings at Cork track on bank holiday Monday last. Meeting rounded off with another local trainer. Sean Aherne and the Paul and Dave O’Connell owned Cobblers Dream taking the €10,000 added Pegus Horse Feed Point to Point flat race.
Later the same evening Billy O’Connell goes to Youghal and Jovial Dash wins the opening 525 race. When your luck is in! Jokingly retorted to him on the phone on Tuesday morning after both successes – “Billy you might be the new Paul Hennessy!” All last week Cloth Cap was the horse on everyone’s lips. Bred by Joe Pratt and the Spillane brothers Mossie and Mark. After some impressive performances at Newbury and Kelso was braced off the board down to outright favouritism for last Saturday’s Grand National at Aintree. Don’t really know what happened towards the end. But for twenty seven fences it just seemed to be going almost perfectly. Subsequently witnessing history. Rachel Blackmore and Minella Times winning the sport’s most famous race. Henry De Bromhead - now every day he goes out nearly creates some sort of unique record. If winning isn’t enough you must throw in second as well. One/two at Aintree one/two in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Throw in a champion chase champion hurdle and champion two and a half Millie Hurdle for good measure. It really is the stuff of dreams.
Sharp Tipperary pundit Kevin Blake questioned on Saturday morning quoted 50/1 on Irish horses filling the first five places at Liverpool’s big race as being the bet of the day. Mark Chapman from his studio chair clearly replied declaring for him to relax. It ain’t going to happen. Leading UK finisher was Black Lio who was actually race favourite four years ago. The year Lucinda Russell won with One For Arthur. Ten of the first eleven home were Irish. They smash records again, again and again! But Matt can be like that sometimes. He talks down to people.
Since Christmas it’s been magic. From Leopardstown and Limerick onto champions weekend in early February. Then it’s Cheltenham and Aintree with Punchestown to come. One question for the real horsey people and having witnessed what appreciate it and Bob Olinger achieved well then how good is Ferny Hollow? Of course all this goes in cycles. Shortly we will be moving from the national hunt to the flat. Coming up soon will be the classics. Slick jumping gives way to raw power and pace. Newmarket, the Curragh and Ascot will be the centre of attention. New stars will emerge as the bacon, cabbage and Guinness brigade make way for champagne, strawberries and cream!
MINOR HURLING CHAMPIONSHIP CAMPAIGN 1993
We more or less tried to create the origin of the team when we were last with you. Where did they come from? What was the expectancy level like? But first things first and before a ball could be struck there was the Munster minor hurling championship.
A Cork team featuring club players Johnny Sheehan and Kieran Morrison in its line out. They started off with a six point win (2-12 to 0-12) over reigning holders Waterford at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in early April. Before annihilating Kerry in a mismatch of a semi-final at Kilbrin three weeks later on April 28. On the other side Tipperary played three matches. Easily disposing of Limerick then getting the better of Clare in a replay. Thus setting up our final which was played at Páirc Na nGael, Limerick on Sunday, July 4. American Independence Day, Hallelujah brother! But there was no reason to celebrate here! Victory for the blue and gold (1-12 to1-09). Initiating a double for the home of hurling preceding a resounding success over the banner county in the subsequent senior final.
Overall though that minor form didn’t hold up that well. Tipperary were well beaten by Galway who themselves lost out to Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final later in the year. Also on that Cork minor team were Michael Ryan from the Barrs, Seanie McGrath and Eoin Coleman of Youghal now a proficient referee for both the East Cork board and Rebel Óg. That puts an end to the setbacks for now as in goes the sliotar and the East Cork minor A hurling championship of 1993 is under way. Facing Bride Rovers in the first match at Castlelyons on Tuesday evening, July 13. Catherines holding down a three point lead at 0-04 to 0-01 after quarter of an hour. Before back to back Brian Cotter points sixty seconds apart from the twentieth minute marginally extended it at 0-06 to 0-01 to the interval. But two Rovers goals in a six minute spell between the 39th and 45th minutes were retaining that competitive feel to matters. They would come perilously close to a third. When the game’s defining score materialised. Saints’ goal booted home by David O’Connell as a late Richie Hegarty point rounded off the scoring with the saints advancing on an end 1-12 to 2-02 scoreline.
A litany of opening half points with then U16 player Paddy Lane among the contributors meant the Saints were able to absorb the enforced departure through injury of Johnny Sheehan after ten minutes in building up a half time lead of 0-08 to 0-02 in the semi-final. Third quarter goals, two of the soft variety with Michael Hegarty, David O’Connell and Jim Lane. The scorers effectively put this one sides championship to bed. Only second half score conceded was a goal from a free against a disappointing yet fancied Cloyne fifteen who had beaten Fr O’Neills in the previous round, Can’t really pin down the exact date of when this match went ahead. You see U16 and football were also floating around, But it was wither Thursday, 22 or Thursday, July 29. Make up your own mind. Castlemartyr was definitely the venue where it finished up at St Catherines 3-11 Cloyne 1-02. They may have been Cloyne Rovers because of the Russell Rovers connection.
Subsequently recording a surprisingly easy victory over Watergrasshill in the eventual divisional final. Let there be no doubt it was played on the evening of Tuesday, August 3. Dominating right from the outset and were ahead at 0-11 to 0-3 to the twenty five minute mark. Half-time scoreline in the Saints’ favour standing at 0-12 to 1-03. Early points on the change of ends from the sticks of Dave O’Connell, Richie Hegarty and Paddy Lane extending that well-earned advantage that bit further.
Catherines absorbing the implications of conceding a second goal with a goal of their own. Probably the match defining score finished off by Michael Hegarty on forty nine minutes. On the night contributing a tally of 1-04. All from play. Final score St Catherines 1-22 Watergrasshill 2-05. To Dan Kearney, then vice chairman of the board and himself a proud ‘Hill man the honour of presenting the winning trophy to Dave O’Connell captain of the successful St Catherines, team referee was the now sadly departed Georgie Crowe (Cobh), match played on a pristine Lisgoold surface.
Seem to recall or it’s somewhere in the mind of heading to the Big Tree afterwards for tea and sandwiches. For the players, certainly a representation of the panel anyway we met just a day later up and around Páirc Uí Chaoimh for the Oasis concert. So the spiral is still an upward curve. Yet delays would be expected now for the county rounds of the competition. Still there would be the equivalent football championship to be going on with. While you can well appreciate a number of these players would be involved at U21 level as well. As it was it would be all of fifty four days elapsing before St Catherines would face Glen Rovers in a sometimes fiery county semi-final. Match played in Watergrasshill on Sunday morning, September 26. So be patient, we will list full panel next week, for now ‘don’t look back in anger’!
ST CATHERINES GAA CLUB SPONSORS
T&A Building and Civil Engineering Contractors are club sponsors. Mulcahy Steel are juvenile club sponsors