Fenor seek to continue Waterford’s recent good run in the Munster Club Junior Hurling Championship

After recent successes by Ballysaggart and Modeligo in the Munster Junior Club Hurling Championship in the last two years, this years County Champions Fenor will be hoping to keep Waterford’s excellent run of recent results in tact on Saturday afternoon when they take on Clare side Ennistymon in Walsh Park.

The recently crowned champions won their first county title five weeks ago when they beat Saint Mary’s are without a competitive game since then.

However the five week lay off allowed them the chance to celebrate that first county title in style and since then they have got things to settle down once more and have played challenge games against the Clonea under 21 team and Tourin who are involved in a Intermediate Relegation play off in the west of the county against Ballinameela at Fraher Field while Fenor will be playing at Walsh Park.

This is a game that Fenor will feel that they can win as they will be playing a side that failed to reach let alone win a county final in Clare.

In the Banner County three of the sides that reached the semi finals of the junior championship were second string teams and as Ennistymon who are a predominantly a football club were the Clare nominations to represent the county in Munster.

While playing second string sides in  Junior and Intermediate championships has its merits as it will help players develop more than they would if they were playing against all second string sides, the wisdom of playing them in these competitions would have to be questioned if one of them were to go on and win the competition as they cannot compete in the Munster Championships which devalues the Munster Championship a little when the best side in each county on a given year is not involved.

By strange coincidence Ennistymon have had to play a quarter final in order to play at Walsh Park this weekend and in that game they played Tipperary side Ballylooby Castlegrace and just like Ennistymon they bowed out of the championship in the Premier County at the semi final stages as two second string sides went on to compete in the county final.

Ennistymon on-route to this weekends game drew 3-12 to 2-15 in the first round of the Championship against Bodyke, and had two clear goals to spare in round two where they played Meelick. The West Clare outfit beat Eire Óg Ennis 2-9 to 0-13 in round three and after receiving a bye in the fourth series of games, they drew 3-7 each draw with O’Callaghan Mills in the last game in the group section of the competition.

Topping group two they played Sixmilebridge in the semi finals but bowed out to the bridge side on the day.  

Fenor go into Saturday’s game an unbeaten side which is always something nice to report when a side are involved in a competition at this time of the year, winning nine of the eleven games that they have played up to now and drawing the other two.

Wins over Ballydurn, Ballyduff Lower and Clonea were recorded in the first three rounds of the competition in the East of the county before drawing 1-14 to 0-17 with Passage in Walsh Park in round four of the competition.

Fenor however got back to winning ways in round five beating Roanmore, Mount Sion in round six and Bonmahon in Round seven before finishing the league section of the competition with a 3-12 to 1-18 draw against Ballygunner.

Their prize for topping the group was a bye to the semi finals where at the second time of asking in a few weeks they got the better of Ballygunner beating them 2-13 to 1-11 at Walsh Park in the semi finals which set up a final against Passage a game they won 1-12 to 0-13.

After beating the two sides that they drew with in the group stages of the championship after it went knockout, Saint Mary’s were next up for Fenor.

Many made the western champions favourites to win a third title at this grade of hurling but it was Fenor that collected the laurels winning the competition for the first time in the clubs history.

Sean Cheasty proved to be the side’s hero on the day as he won a late free to draw the sides level deep in stoppage time and in added time at the end of the two minutes announced he put over the winner. Interesting he did not start the game, coming on for William Cullinane at half time and will be hoping that he did enough in those thirty plus minutes to earn a place in the team from the start this time around.

Fenor playing on a ground that they are more than used to have what it takes to advance to a third Munster Final in a row for Waterford clubs, but maybe they may have to up their performance from their county final win if it is to happen.

Dungourney or Dromcollogher-Broadford await the winners at Walsh Park in the Munster Final on December 6 in Mallow on the same ticket as the Munster Junior Football Final.