Dungarvan Colleges and Thurles CBS do battle in Dr Harty Cup semi final

This Saturday afternoon promises to be a big one for students attending Saint Augustine’s College in Abbeyside and Dungarvan CBS as they combine under the name of Dungarvan Colleges, and play Thurles CBS in the semi finals of this years Dr Harty Cup at Fermoy.

Dungarvan Colleges or Colaiste na Déise as they were known since five colleges in from County Waterford combined in 2002 till 2012 when just two of the five sides in the grouping remained, have defended the trophy they won for the first time last February for the first time when they beat Nenagh CBS at Cashel as well as anybody could have asked.

However, they will know only too well, that this latest test is set to be their toughest in this year’s competition to date.

Thurles CBS are a team of unquestionable ability. They have played four games in the competition to date, winning all four games.

They began with a 1-16 to 1-9 victory over fellow Tipperary College side Nenagh CBS. Next up was a 0-13 to 2-3 win over Midleton CBS and rounded off their league section of the competition with a comprehensive 3-26 to 0-11 victory over Hamilton High School from Bandon.

In the Quarter finals they had another comfortable 2-23 to 2-12 win this time over Castletroy Community School.

The quality they process within their panel cannot be questioned. Six member of a forty-one man panel have won All-Ireland minor hurling medals, Paul Maher, Ronan Maher, Stephen Cahill, Conor Lanigan, Sean Ryan and Sean Nally will be hoping to add a Dr Harty Cup medal collection in the coming weeks.

Of the six, Paul Maher, Ronan Maher, Stephen Cahill and Sean Nally are expected to fill positions down the spine of the team, namely Goalkeeper, centre back, centre field and centre forward respectfully while Sean Ryan and Conor Lanigan are expected to fill positions where they will be more than capable of causing problems for the Dungarvan Colleges defence.

Dungarvan Colleges in reaching this stage of the competition have performed remarkably well.

They began with a 3-13 to 1-13 win over Doon CBS at Cahir. The Limerick side are the current Munster ‘B’ Colleges Champions having beaten Dungarvan CBS in the final last spring.

Next up for Dungarvan Colleges was a trip to Dr Morris Park in Thurles for a meeting with Saint Flannan’s from Ennis.

The County Clare side have won this competition more times than anybody else and every year are regarded as one of the favourites to lift the trophy.

Twelve months ago, it was the West Waterford side that came out on top when they two sides clashed at the quarter final stages of the competition at Tipperary town, but in the most recent clash between the two it was the Ennis side that came out on top on a 0-16 to 2-9 scoreline.

The Dungarvan side got back to winning ways when they beat Saint Caimin’s from Shannon at Tipperary Town on a 3-12 to 0-11 scoreline and secured their passage in the knockout stages of the competition when they beat Gael Choláiste Mhuire from Cork City in Castlemartyer on a 5-18 to 2-8 scoreline.

Last time out in the quarter finals Dungarvan Colleges had a 0-14 to 0-10 win over Blackwater Community School from Lismore.

Dungarvan Colleges have within their panel a number of players who were involved in last year’s campaign.

Their half back line of Tadhg Bourke, Kevin Daly and Tom Devine who is this year’s captain is vital to the team. Last time out especially in the second half they were outstanding and if they can replicate the form they showed in that game, then Dungarvan Colleges have to have a very good chance of reaching a second final in twelve months.

In the middle of the field, the ability of Colin Dunford and Cormac Curran will be known to most.

Michael Harney has been named at centre forward but it would not be a surprise to see him switch possibly to the middle of the field. Christy Breathnach last time out was a late change to the named team and he put in a solid hours work against the Lismore college side and retains his place from the start this time around.

Darragh Lyons and Patrick Curran of Dungarvan are players of the highest quality and will cause all sorts of trouble in the Thurles half of the field if fed with quality ball from further out the field, while Seamus Keating at full forward with his height is more than capable of causing trouble if the right ball is sent in to him.

Last time out Ryan Donnelly missed the game through injury. The ability of the young Dungarvan forward that was instrumental to helping the Old Boro Club win a first county minor final since 1984 last year and in helping the club reach a first county senior final since 1951 is well documented.

Against Blackwater Community School his absence was felt but it was balanced out with Stephen Bennett been unable to line out for the Lismore College side.

It’s reported that he will play no part in this game either and if this proves to be correct then it will hamper the Dungarvan Colleges chances.

However ever cloud has a silver lining and if Ryan Donnelly is not fit to play any part in the game it gives someone else the chance to show exactly what he can do.

When Colaiste na nDéise had their numbers cut before the games with Saint Flannan’s and De La Salle in last years competition, the rest of the players rely upped their performance. Those that came in to replace suspended players in the following games also put in a solid performance and no doubt if Donnelly cannot line out in the white and blue shirt, who ever does come in to replace him will up their performance as the players did twelve months ago.

Little is likely to separate the sides in the eyes of the bookies, but they are likely to make the challengers the favourites.

It must be a like a well worn record coming from me, but Waterford sides often revel on been the underdog and they will do so again in this game if the bookies do not see them as the team that will advance.

As pointed out last time out, Dungarvan Colleges centre half back line was outstanding when questions were asked of them and if they can put in a similar hours work, then they are a long way towards securing their passage to the next phase of the competition. However, they will need the likes of Colin Dunford, Darragh Lyons and Patrick Curran who all impressed as well last time out to be equally as good and better this time around and will need others who are capable of putting in a better hours work than what they did against Blackwater Community School to up their games.

Last year on-route to winning the competition, the Dungarvan CBS and Saint Augustine’s combination received some fantastic support.

While most would have preferred the Dungarvan Colleges and Thurles CBS to be played in someplace like Clonmel, Fermoy to many is but a short trip up the road for most in West Waterford, so hopefully the defending champions will not lack in support on the day.

 

Published Teams:

 

Dungarvan Colleges:

 

 

                                                              Laurence Power

 Kealan Looby                                       Brian Looby                             Michael Cronin

 Tadhg Bourke                                      Kevin Daly                               Tom Devine

                            
                             Colin Dunford                                      Cormac Curran

Eamon Crotty                                      Michael Harney                      Christy Breathnach

 Darragh Lyons                                     Seamus Keating                      Patrick Curran

 Thurles CBS:

                                                                  Paul Maher

Rory O’Regan                                      Kieran O’Dwyer                      Robert Larkin

Jack Lineen                                          Ronan Maher                          Brian Troy

                             Stephen Cahill                                     Eoin Moriarty

Sean Ryan                                           Sean Nally                               Kevin Dunne

Conor Lanigan                                     Paraic Russell                          Caley Maher

Referee: Colm Lyons (Cork)

(The second semi final between Our Lady’s from Templemore and Ard Scoil Rís from Limerick will take place in Nenagh on Sunday).

 

 

 

Fitzgibbon Cup gets underway

10 of the 13 competing teams in this years Fitzgibbon Cup will be action on Thursday afternoon at venues up and down the country.

Current holders of the trophy first played for 101 years ago UCC are unsurprisingly the favourites to lift the trophy again in March, and are been quoted just ahead of UCD and then Cork IT and UL.

This year’s competition promises to be one of the best ever.

The current economic climate has helped play a roll in this as many of the countries leading hurlers who have found themselves out of work in recent times have gone back to college in an attempt to regain a place in the working place and have decided to make themselves available to play in this years competition.

However, as the competition progresses and draws near its conclusion in early March with the National Hurling League having started it will be interested to see how many will play with the college side have played all their games, especially if they find themselves eliminated from it at an early stage.

The competition is once again to be played out for with four groups, one of four teams and the remaining three groups containing three teams each, from which two teams from each group will advance to the quarter finals of the competition.

Group one is made up of four sides, GMIT, UCC, NUIG and Mary Immaculate College.

The two Munster Colleges are the favourites to emerge from this group.

The final of this year’s competition will be hosted by GMIT and they will be very anxious to reach the last four of the competition.

Will they however is the big question? They did not contain the big name players that many of the other sides have. The management of the Galway – Mayo Institute of Technology team have a massive pool of players to choose from, mostly from Galway and Offaly, with six players from Clare, two from Mayo and one each from Limerick and Tipperary.

UCC have a formidable panel to choose from and it’s easy to see why they are the favourites to retain the trophy.

Conor Lehane from the Midleton Club is with some time now spoken off as one of the leading bright lights of the game. Throw in the likes of Lismore’s Padraig Prendergast, Killian Murphy from the Erin’s Own Club in Cork, William Egan from Kilbrin in Cork, Darragh Fives from Tourin and Waterford, Stephen Maher from Thurles Sarsfields and Brian O’Sullivan from Waterford club Ballygunner and its easy to see why the bookies fancy them again in 2012.

NUI Galway may not be the most fancied side with the bookies, but their chances cannot be ruled out too lightly.

They reached the Division 1 league quarter finals earlier in this academic year where they were beaten by DIT. They competed in the Leinster Provincial Board’s Walsh Cup recently, bowing out at the quarter final stages to a developmental Kilkenny side by two points.

They have a number of quality players including the likes of Joseph Cooney and Niall Burke who were part of the Galway panel that won the Leinster Final in 2012 against Kilkenny and who went on to contest the All-Ireland Final against the same opposition but lost out at the second attempt. Their leading player however could prove to be Limerick’s Kevin Downes.

Mary Immaculate College from Limerick may be the most fancied sides according to the bookies, but they could well be the side that could pull off what some might called a surprize or two along the way.

They have Eamon Cregan over the team so we can expect him to be shrude on the line if needs be, and he will be ably assisted by Timmy Hammersley and Gavin O’Mahony who played in this competition in recent years and will be able to impart their knowledge and experience to their charges. 

The Limerick College side have some excellent hurlers.  Conor Cooney was part of the Galway Panel that won last years Leinster Final and went so close to winning an All-Ireland final later in the year. Brian O’Halloran made his inter county debut under Davy Fitzgerald but suffered from Injuries afterwards which restricted somewhat the amount of time he got to play, but he has re-joined the Waterford panel this year and the Clashmore Club man is expected to make an impact and will be one of a number of players that could come in and take John Mullane’s shirt after his recent retirement.

The ability of Declan Hannon from the Adare club in Limerick is well noted with some time now as is that of Midleton’s Luke O’Farrell.

Group B, contains IT Carlow, Waterford IT and Cork IT. Anything other than seeing the two Munster sides advance to the knockout stages of the competition would be regarded as a shock.

While IT Carlow, are expected to test the two rivals, and could well include a number of players with some Inter county experience, they are not expected to advance.

WIT is expected to be very strong this year even if the bookies are not expecting them to reach the last four.

Former Wexford manager Colm Bonner is in charge of the Déise Students again this year and under his guidance in the past they have done well and no doubt he will be hoping his impressive run with them in the past will happen again.

He however will have to plan without two important players. Eoin Ryan from Offaly recently had surgery to correct a problem with his knee, while Pauric Mahony is not expected to feature till the quarter final stages of the competition at the earliest.

However, even with out them there is still plenty of ability within the squad. Stephen O’Keeffe is likely to start between the posts; Liam Lawlor is expected to line out in front of him as could Wayne Hutchinson. Others to line out with different Waterford teams in the recent past including Cormac Heffernan, Eoin Madigan, Gavin O’Brien, Jake Dillon Martin O’Neill and Noel Connors are expected to win places in the starting line up. Others to look out for on this years WIT panel include Eoin Murphy from Kilkenny, Wexford’s Harry Kehoe and Ciarán Haugh from Tipperary.

Cork IT reached the final last year where they lost out to fellow ‘Rebel City’ side UCC. What to expect from them this year is hard to know.

They are sure to include several members of last years panel but whether will challenge this year remains to be seen.

They failed to reach the latter stages of the league before Christmas. Like Carlow IT they may not have the household names that other colleges have but in the likes of Stephen Daniels and Ray Barry, they are sure to be there or there about come the last eight.

Group C should be pretty straight forward. DCU are jointed by fellow Dublin side UCD and Limerick side LIT, but it’s hard to see any outcome other than to see the latter two advance.

DCU are playing in the highest grade of third level education hurling for the third year. In the league before Christmas they did well to avoid relegation.

Since then however they have put in a lot of work, having received some training by former Tipperary manager Liam Sheedy and at the Curragh Army camp.

They have taken part in the Kehoe Cup recently where they beat Fingal having ten points to spare in the opening round of games but last weekend suffered a very heavy 3-17 to 1-3 defeat to Wicklow.

DCU are picking from players in counties, Dublin, Wexford, Tipperary, Kilkenny, Carlow, Louth, Wicklow, Laois, Galway, Roscommon and Waterford.

Sean McGrath (Dublin), Padraig Breheny (Galway) and Donie Breathnach (Waterford) are all currently involved with Inter county senior set up, while Pat O’Carroll and Aidan Moran have been involved with under 21 teams in Kilkenny while JJ Lennon could feature for Fingal in the up coming National Hurling League.

UCD are the second favourites for this years competition and with Nicky English in their Management Team its easy to see why.

In Noel McGrath (Tipperary) the have a gem who should feature very heavily on the score board for them throughout the campaign.

In Kilkenny’s Cillian Buckley and Walter Murphy who was Man of the Match in last years replayed All-Ireland Final UCD have players that could prove to be match winners on the day as could Conor Allis from Limerick.

LIT may the fifth favourites to lift the famous trophy but have to be considered serious contenders.

Manager Davy Fitzgerald has guided the college to victory in the past and with former Galway manager Cyril Farrell and former Waterford Selector Pat Bennett involved in the selection team the Limerick college side will have a lot of know how on the line.

The panel whose better players include Clare’s Ronan Taffe and Tipperary’s Seamus Callanan are reported to be training and playing at least twice a week with some time and have shown to have a very committed group of players.

The main aim for the Limerick College is reported to be to get out of the group, which they should achieve with some considerable ease, and after this anything is possible.

In group D UL, St Pats/Mater Dei and DIT do battle.

The Limerick side should have enough in them to come out of this group with very little expected to separate the other two sides.

The Limerick side took part in the Waterford Crystal Cup recently and recorded a five point win over Waterford in the opening round of games at the WIT Campus outside Waterford City.

However since then they have gone out of the competition at the hands of Clare. The students held a slender lead at the break and for much of the second half were in contention, but a late surge in which the Banner men hit a brace of goals was enough to see them through.

Within the panel they have some considerable quality. Darach Honan (Clare), David Butler (Tipperary) Eamon Murphy (Waterford), Jonathan Glynn (Galway), Kieran Morris (Tipperary), Paddy Stapleton (Tipperary), Paul Kelly (Tipperary), Podge Collins (Clare), Seada Morey (Clare) and Shane Golden (Clare) are also expected to play vital parts for their side in this competition.

St Pat’s/Mater Dei at 50/1 are hardly expected to feature in the final shake up in this year’s competition.

They took part in the league competition before Christmas and found the going tough, often finding it difficult to put out its best fifteen due to club commitments and injuries.

However, since then some considerable amount of work has been done and expectations within the group has rose and will be hoping to make the last eight of the competition.

DIT has within their panel a considerable amount of players who have played underage hurling with Dublin in recent years. While Dublin may be best known as a football county, in the past few years considerable progress has been made in hurling with clubs from the capital doing well at Féile na nGael, and this has carried forward and Dublin have in recent years have won both the Dr Croke Cup (Secondary School’s ‘A’ All-Ireland Final) and have done well at Minor level in inter county hurling.

Liam Rushe (Dublin) will be their best known player, whom they may over rely on to see them through, especially if they get to the knockout stages of the championship.

The Dublin Students are hoping to be a competitive side in this year’s competition and will know if they can come out of the group, that on any given day, anything is possible.

 

Irish Daily Mail Fitzgibbon Cup Roll of Honor

College	Wins	Last Win
University College Cork	41	2012
University College Dublin	30	2001
National University of Galway	10	2010
Waterford Institute of Technology	8	2008
University of Limerick	4	2011
National University of Ireland Maynooth	2	1974
Limerick Institute of Technology	2	2007
Queens University Belfast	1	1953

  

County and Divisional Draws take place.

The draws for this years County Senior hurling and football championships have taken place, and some entreating pairings have been thrown up.

No doubt the most attention will once again focus on the county senior hurling championship.

As in previous years the two teams that contested the previous county final have been kept apart and place in opposite groups with the side they beat in the semi finals going into the opposite group.

In Group one, De La Salle are paired with Fourmilewater, Tallow, Lismore, Ballyduff and An Rinn who have come up from the intermediate ranks.

The champions have been paired with Ballyduff in the opening round of fixtures, while last years Intermediate champions An Rinn, going on last years forum have been given what could be described as a nice draw against Tallow. In the other group one game, possibly the biggest game in the group in round one Fourmilewater will play Lismore.

Dungarvan are in group two are paired with Mount Sion, Abbeyside, Ballygunner, Roanmore and Passage.

In the opening round of games Dungarvan will play Roanmore, Abbeyside will play Passage and Mount Sion will play Ballygunner which is possibly the pick of the games in round one.

In the senior football championship, county champions Stradbally are in group one along with Clashmore, Kilrossanty, Ardmore, Gaultier and Saint Saviours.

The Cove men will get their defence of the championship underway with a game against Gaultier. Kilrossanty will play Saint Saviours in the opening round of fixtures while the local derby clash between Clashmore and Ardmore is expected to attract considerable attention, most likely to Fraher Field.

Two of the ‘Big Three’ are in group two of the football championship. The Nire and Ballinacourty are paired together. They will meet in round three of the championship. When the sides clashed last year it was The Nire that came out on top who had a considerable margin to spare on the day so no doubt the 2011 champions will be looking for revenge this time around.

The Nire and Ballinacourty are joined in group two by Rathgormack, An Rinn, Brickeys and Ballinameela who have come back up to senior after a year back in the intermediate ranks.

In the opening round of games The Brickeys will play The Nire, Ballinacourty will play An Rinn in possibly the pick of the games in the opening round of games in this group and Rathgormack take on Ballinameela.

Meanwhile, the two divisional boards also conducted their draws for the Intermediate and Junior Championships for the year ahead recently.

In the Western Intermediate Football Championship there is one group of seven teams. Ballinacourty who were beaten in last years final will surely be the early favourites to win this years title, but they could well be pushed all the way by Dungarvan who have dropped down from playing in the senior ranks after just one year. However they both should be well pushed by Clashmore and The Nire whose second string teams play in this grade as well as The Geraldines, Sliabh gCua and Ballyduff Upper.

In the Eastern end of the county, the championship is split into two groups. Group ‘A’ is made up of Rathgormack’s second string team, Dunhill, Kilmacthomas who have moved up from the Junior ranks, De La Salle, Tramore and Bunmahon. Group ‘B’ is made up of Gaultier’s second string team, Portlaw, Saint Mollerans, Newtown and John Mitchells.

This could well prove to be a very close championship with a number of teams expected to feature.

De La Salle who were beaten in last years County Final are expected to be serious contenders once more in 2013, but they could well be pushed all the way by a number of teams with Tramore and John Mitchells expected to be their main rivals.

In the Junior Football Championship seven teams will fight it out. Old Parish, Modeligo, Affane and Colligan would be expected to be the main contenders but the chances of Kilgobnet, Tallow and Shamrocks cannot be written off lightly.

In the east, Mount Sion have reached the Divisional Final with the past number of years, but have yet to taste success in a county final. The Monastery men should be serious contenders again in 2013, but like in the west, the chances of Ballyduff Lower, Butlerstown, Erins’s Own, Ferrybank, Fenor and Naomh Pol who have attracted a number of players into the club for the year ahead cannot be ruled out of contention.

In the Junior second string competitions, there is two separate competitions in the west of the county and just one in the east.

In the West, five clubs whose first team are playing in the senior grade are playing in one group, meaning Brickeys, An Rinn, Kilrossanty, Stradbally and Ballinameela will play off against each other with three teams advancing to the knockout stages of the competition. In the second Junior attached competition in the west of the county, Dungarvan, Melleray (their first team) and Geraldines play off against each other.

In the East, the second string teams from Saint Saviours, De La Salle, Kilmacthomas, Portlaw, Tramore and Bunmahon do battle against each other.

In the Intermediate hurling championship, the championship is split into two groups at either end of the county.

In the west, Cappoquin, Fourmilewater’s second string team, Ardmore, Stradbally and Tourin will play in group one, while Clashmore, Abbeyside’s second string team, Ballinameela, Shamrocks and Brickeys play in group two.

Group one looks on paper to be the stronger of the two groups, with Cappoquin, Ardmore, Stradbally and Tourin all likely to be the stronger of the sides while ion group two, Clashmore appear to the strongest side in the group.

The eastern championship includes a number of second string teams which means that things once more could well be very interesting again this year.

De La Salle, Ballygunner, Butlerstown who have come up from the junior ranks, Ferrybank, Ballyduff Lower and Saint Mollerans are in group one, while group two contains, Mount Sion, Portlaw, Clonea, Erins Own, Dunhill and Saint Saviours.

Clonea and Portlaw look to be somewhat stronger this year compared to last year having added some quality players to their panel over the past few weeks, while Dunhill’s experience playing in the senior ranks last year has to stand to them and all three are likely to be in the final shake up as to who will contest this years county final.

This year’s Western Junior Hurling Championship should be very interesting with a number of local derby’s been fought out. Saint Mary’s Colligan, Ballysaggart, Modeligo, Geraldines and Kilgobnet all do battle against each other. Very little is expected to separate the sides with Ballysaggart expected to start as the favourites.

In the East of the County, Bunmahon, Fenor, Kill, Ballydurn, Naomh Pol and Tramore all do battle against each other. Ballydurn will be the warmest of favourites this year no just to win the eastern final but to lift the county title after attracting into the club a considerable amount of players in recent weeks. Whether they will or not remains to be seen as questions have been asked in some quarters what damage attracting so many players into the club in one year from other clubs will do if any within their own catchment area here-to-now.

Both divisions have two separate second string competitions. Ion the west, Tallow, Lismore, Ballyduff, An Rinn and Dungarvan who all also contesting senior championship will be play in one group. Winners of this competition will play one from Ballygunner, De La Salle, Mount Sion, Passage, Roanmore or Clonea in the county final.

In the second western competition at junior level, Ballysaggart, Cappoquin, Geraldines, Glen Rovers (first team), Clashmore, Shamrocks, Brickeys and Abbeyside (third string selection) while in the east, the completion includes Dunhill, Erins Own, Saint Mollerans, Portlaw, Tramore, Butlerstown, Ferrybank, Saint Saviours and Ballyduff Lower.