It’s Quarter Final Time in Waterford Senior Hurling Championship

Last weekend there was a dozen teams involved in this years County Senior Hurling Championship. At the end of this weekend, baring any draws that will happen, there should be only four left and we should also know which side will be back playing intermediate again in 2017.

Three of this weekends quarter finals are down for decision at Fraher Field with the other game as well as the relegation play off game between Portlaw and Cappoquin taking place at Walsh Park.

Ballygunner coasted to this stage of the championship with four wins and a draw from their five games played in the group stages of the championship.

Abbeyside on the other hand made hard work of reaching this stage of the competition, making it by the skin of their teeth, winning their first two games of the competition and loosing their last three.

They looked for a while last Sunday as if they were going to end that loosing steak leading a fancied Fourmilewater side for a while, but in the end had to settle for second best going under by seven points in Cappoquin.

The only game that Ballygunner did not win to date was their first game in the competition a 0-15 each draw with De La Salle at Walsh Park.

Since then they have recorded four wins and have looked very impressive at times, recording some good wins even with understrength teams at times

Mark Ferncombe was very impressive for Abbeyside in the earlier stages of the competition but he picked up an injury recently that could well force him to miss the remainder of the year and that will be a blow to his sides hopes.

There is some that feel that 2015 could well be a good year for Ballygunner and many expect them to go a long way in the championship and in the Munster Championship which follows.

They have had some injuries of late, but with the back up they have in reserve, even if they are short in this game or should they decide to hold some of their big guns for another day, they should have enough to win here.

De La Salle are a side that have promised so much in the last decade or so and even though they won three News and Star Cups, there is some that feel that on the bigger picture they have under achieved.

Within their set up they have some fantastic players in the likes of John Mullane, Kevin Moran, Stephen Daniels, Jack Fagan, Jake Dillon and Brian Phelan, players who are well used of playing on the big day and players who can help dig out a big performance when it is most needed.

They have recorded some good results this year, winning against Dungarvan, Ballyduff and Portlaw and drew with Ballygunner with their only defeat coming in a 1-18 to 1-14 loss against Passage at the end of last month.

Mount Sion are a side that have seen lots of changes in recent times. While the big names that we have come to know and love in recent years are no longer involved, there is still plenty of talent available to them in the likes of Ian O’Regan, Evan Curran, Stephen Roche, Own Whelan, Ian Galgey, John Dee Martin O’Neill and of course Austin Gleeson.

This is a game that could well go to the wire, with both feeling that they can win, but only one can.

De La Salle will go into the game as favourites based on coming through the tougher group and recording some very good results. They played a relegation play off twelve months ago but expect them to be involved in a championship semi final this year.

This could well prove to be a very entertaining clash between two good sides.

Many are fancying the Old Boro Club to be Ballygunner’s biggest challengers in this years championship but first they have to get over this game.

There can be no disputing that there is plenty of talent in the Dungarvan Club and are able to call on the Curran brothers, Ryan Donnelly, Gavin Crotty, Darragh Lyons, Michael Kiely, Kieran Power and Jamie Nagle amongst others.

Roanmore have made great inroads in the last two or three years backed up by the fact they have reached this stage of the competition for the second year in a row after struggling somewhat to avoid relegation for a number of years after coming up from the Intermediate ranks.

While they were not impressive last Sunday in their win over Roanmore, they still won and that is all that matters at this time of the year. Winning by what ever means is more important than the performance.

In the likes of Eoin Madigan, Billy, Shane and Brian Nolan, Frank McGrath, David Barrett, Emmett O’Toole , Gavin O’Brien etc. they have a group of players who always give it their all and are very hard to beat.

On paper Dungarvan have the stronger team here and should advance but expect Roanmore to push them all the way.

This clash could well prove to be the tie of the round.

Fourmilewater topped Group B and had qualified for this stage of the competition ahead of last weekends game with Abbeyside at Cappoquin.

For a while it looked as if they were going to loose top spot in the group as they trailed for part of the first half, but in they end they pulled out all the stops and in the end were full value for their five point win.

They have some quality hurlers in their ranks. Players like Brian Wall, Shane Walsh, Liam Lawlor, Jamie Barron, Conor Gleeson and Dermot Ryan have all played for the county at different levels and can help pull off a big performance.

Passage recently won the Sargent Cup and Senior Hurling League in an impressive manner and went into the game with Ballygunner knowing that if they could beat their neighbours on a ground that they pulled off their biggest ever win three years ago, that they would have jumped above them in the league table and finish as table toppers.

Like Fourmilewater, they have some quality players in the likes of Eddie Lynch, Pa Walsh, Killian Fitzgerald, Noel Connors, Eoin Kelly and Pat Flynn who has impressed of late.

Who wins here is very hard to predict. Both sides are good. Having seen Fourmilewater more often I give them a hesitant vote to advance to the semi finals, but would not be shocked if Passage were to upset this prediction.

The relegation play off between Portlaw and Cappoquin is a clash of the Intermediate Champions with the past two years.

In most years in the past decade the intermediate champions went back down after just one season in the top grade. Cappoquin did well to avoid relegation last year and if Portlaw win this one, they too will have done well this year’s achieving what is the main thing each club coming up should be trying to achieve.

The Senior Hurling championship in Waterford is a fairly competitive one, but it is not without its flaws. The fact so many clubs that have come up to the intermediate grade have gone back down so quickly suggests that there is a big gap between Intermediate and senior grades in the county and maybe we should relook at our championships with less teams playing senior with the teams loosing out plus the stronger intermediate sides playing in a Senior B or Premier Intermediate Competition.

Going on last weekends results, Portlaw should win this one. They put it up to Ballyduff in the first half but in the end they had to give second best to a Ballyduff Side that has lots of experience in it who also had a strong wind at their backs for the second half.

Portlaw were somewhat unlucky not to have got something out of other games against Dungarvan and Passage and will feel that if they can repeat the performance they served up in that game they are in with a very good shout here.

Cappoquin’s best result was a double score win over Tallow in the first series of games. They also impressed in a very entertaining game against Abbeyside at Colligan, but last weekend they looked very flat against Roanmore.

Cappoquin have some experienced heads on the field and even more experienced heads on the line. They are often very difficult to beat in the bigger games and they don’t get any bigger than this one for them in 2016.

Last weekend Portlaw looked to be the better of the two sides and playing on a surface that they are used to at Walsh Park they get a tentative vote to win, but Cappoquin will make it difficult for them.