8 to become 4 in Dr Harty Cup

The quarter finals of this year Munster Senior ‘A’ Colleges Hurling Championship for the Dr Harty Cup take place on Wednesday and Thursday of this week which are likely to attract some considerable attention.

The game between Dungarvan Colleges who are the holders of the trophy and Blackwater Community School from Lismore at Fraher Field in Dungarvan is likely to attract some considerable attention from clubs from mid Waterford into North-East Cork with almost every club in between represented on one side or the other.

Dungarvan Colleges qualified for the last eight of the competition after topping group four of the group stages of the competition. They along with Doon CBS and Saint Flannan’s from Ennis finished on six points from their four games but top the group having had the better scoring difference of the three sides.

Blackwater Community School also reached the last eight of the competition winning three of their four games. They had reached the knockout stages of the competition ahead of their last game in the league stages of the competition which they lost to Our Lady’s from Templemore.

The holders will go into this game as the favourites. The Lismore College lost the County Senior Hurling semi final before Christmas against Dungarvan CBS. With Saint Augustine’s College added to their selection for this game they should be somewhat stronger.

Blackwater Community School are reported to be without Stephen Bennett for this game. If it proves true, then it will be a major blow to their chances, but who ever would come into the side instead of him and the rest of the team will be anxious to prove that they are a not a one man team and will look to cause a shock as some would see it, something that they are more than capable of doing.

The winner of the Dungarvan Colleges and Blackwater Community School will have to wait twenty four hours to see who they will play, as the clash between Thurles CBS and Castletroy College has been deferred by twenty four hours and will not take place at Sean Treacy Park in Tipperary Town on Thursday at 1-30pm.

Many will see but one outcome to this game. Thurles CBS are often seen as one of the stronger sides not just in Tipperary but also in Munster.

In the group stages of the competition, they won all four of their games in the league section of the competition with wins against Midleton CBS, Nenagh CBS, Hamilton High School from Bandon and Colaiste Chriost Rí.

However, they would be very foolish to under-estimate their opponents in this game.

Castletroy Colleges in their last league game beat De La Salle to knock the Waterford City side out of the competition. This win will give them confidence going into this game as De La Salle in the eyes of many were one of the most fancied sides to do best in this years competition.

Our Lady’s from Templemore and Midleton CBS clash at Cahir.

The Templemore College side topped group two of the league section of the competition thanks to a win over Blackwater Community School in their final game in the group stages.

Midleton CBS needed to avoid a defeat against last years Runners up Nenagh CBS to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition.

Last year they were fancied by many to go further than they did, bowing out of the competition to De La Salle at Cappoquin.

They will have many of that team still available to them for selection and of the teams that qualified for the knockout stages of the competition havening finished in second place in their group, have possibly the best chance of reaching the next phase of the competition.

The last two teams out of the hat when the quarter final draws were maid paired Ard Scoil Rís who won the competition in 2010 and 2011 against Doon CBS at Bruff.

The Limerick City side will go into the game as the favourites, drawing players from the city area and its hinterland as well as possibly pockets of County Clare.

They will go into this game as the favourites but like many of the other sides carrying the mantle into this weeks games they will have to be warned against compliancy.

Doon CBS won the Munster ‘B’ Senior Hurling Championship in 2012, beating Dungarvan CBS in the final, and in this season’s ‘A’ competition they have performed remarkably well complementing last time out with a big win over Saint Flannan’s from Ennis which dumped them out of the competition on scoring averages.

Dungarvan Colleges, Thurles CBS, Midleton CBS and Ard Scoil Rís are the teams that most will fancy to advance to the next phase of the competition, but under no circumstances should the chances of Blackwater Community School, Castletroy College, Midleton CBS and Doon CBS should be written off.

Meanwhile, three of the Munster Senior ‘B’ quarter finals are down for decision this Wednesday. Kilmallock take on Rochestown College from Cork in Mallow, St Jospeh’s from Tulla take on Borrisoleigh at the Na Piarsaigh Club Grounds in Limerick and Pobal Scoil na Tríonóide from Youghal take on the Patrician Academy from Mallow in Waterglasshill. All three games as in the case of the Dr Harty Cup have a 1-30pm start.

The fourth quarter final between Dungarvan CBS and Colaiste an Rísigh from Ennis play at Leahy Park in Cashel on January 23. This game is put back one week owing to Dungarvan CBS involvement with Dungarvan Colleges in the Dr Harty Cup.