Kanturk still holding their own in the AIL
With each passing season Kanturk RFC is looking more and more at home in the All-Ireland League. Diarmuid Sheehan profiles the north Cork club that is taking on - and beating - the best in amateur rugby
A FEW years ago it would have been unimaginable for Kanturk’s rugby players and officials that they would be spending weekends out of state in a team format, but that is exactly what has been happening in the last three years as North Cork’s top rugby club continue to battle hard in Division 2C of the AIL.
Senior rugby was always going to be a challenge for the men in green as the club was always going to be playing catch-up when it came to resources such as money and playing numbers. That said, Kanturk has managed to comfortably stay in the AIL for the last two years thanks to dedication, resilience and no shortage of talent.
Magherafelt in county Derry is where the club found themselves the weekend before last taking on one of the most impressive sides in AIL rugby as Rainey RFC filled the post of hosts at Hatrick Park. Playing top quality northern sides is always going to help bring a little club from Cork along however long journeys, overnight stays and the drudgery of having to travel huge distances back home after suffering a defeat brings home to all players the highs and lows of the amateur sporting life they have chosen for themselves.
Kanturk may be at the wrong end of the division right now however a few wins over the busy Christmas period will see their fortunes change dramatically for the better.
Away from the on-field side of things Kanturk, like most clubs these days has managed to bring their facilities up to an impressive standard which not just helps make the experience of visiting the club more enjoyable for fans and players but also helps to attract local kids when they are looking for a sport and a club to get involved with.
Kanturk RFC have at their disposal an all-weather pitch, two