Five teams remain in the race for Duhallow U-21 football championship honours
A STOP start Central Stores, Kanturk Duhallow U21 Football Championship is down to five teams with the outlook growing ever remote of a return to playing activity in the near future owing to the growing surge in Covid 19.
The GAA landscape has changed dramatically during the past week, pushed to the background as health takes precedence along with social and economic considerations sure to become an added burden.
When the initial draws were made to the U21FC, Duhallow Board organisers had hoped to finish the prestigious competition in Mid March, all in good time to send teams into the county championship.
However inclement weather influenced a series of cancellations during February and early March, to a lesser degree, the involvement of Coláiste Treasa in the Munster and All Ireland Colleges Senior
Hurling Championship impacted on the U21FC progress.
Some headway has been made, Duarigle Gaels are through to the penultimate by virtue of back to back victories over St. Peters and Kanturk. The Cullen and Millstreet combination are striving for a hat trick of outright victories having overcome Boherbue and Knocknagree in the previous deciders
Semi-final opponents are Sliabh Luachra Gaels who left it late before seeing off the challenge of Knocknagree in a titanic opening round. Despite low scores and winter showers, both sides warmed up the proceedings in a stirring contest of committed football before the tenacity of the Ballydesmond and Kiskeam combination shone thanks to a late converted free by Thomas Casey to swing a delicately balanced contest.
Were Sliabh Luachra to take the outright spoils, they would write a new name into the roll of honour though Ballydesmond
landed a championship title in 2002 with Kiskeam sampling glory four years later.
On the opposite side, a gritty St. Peters ended the hopes of Knocknagree in round 2, clearly the Rockchapel and Freemount combination learned a lesson from an opening hurdle defeat to Duarigle Gaels by a single point after extra time. On this occasion, victory was well deserved for St. Peters, producing the energy and purpose in addition to coping much better with the poor weather conditions.
St. Peters did land a championship title in the second tier grade two years ago as they face up to Robert Emmets in a quarter final. Interestingly, the Newmarket and Lismire pairing have yet to play a game in the competition but they are equipped to create an impression in a bid to add to their lone title from 2015.
Whoever emerges between St. Peters and Emmets square up to Boherbue in a semi final. The latter produced a barnstorming recovery to snatch a dramatic victory over Kanturk in a thrilling opening round tussle.
Much of the excitement was packed into the closing minutes, a terrific goal from Cathal Ducey determined a memorable encounter to allow Boherbue shade matters by the minimum of margins.
With plenty to enthuse supporters to date in the campaign, fingers are crossed that the current state of uncertainty will pass over and let the games return.