Ballygunner and Mount Sion do battle in Championship Finale

The ribbons to adorn the Waterford News and Star Cup have been purchased and come about 4-45pm on Sunday afternoon next, we should know if it is Red and Black or Blue and White ones which will be attached as the players from the winning team mount the steps in Walsh Park.

Over the past few months twelve teams slogged it out to see which two will win the right to compete in this weekend’s final and to take home with them the principal sporting trophy in Waterford.

Ballygunner as they did twelve months ago will go into the game with the mantle of favourites resting on their shoulders, and will be hoping to go joint second in the Roll of honour moving one closer in wins to Mount Sion’s current record 35 titles.

Just like in last years final, this is the second meeting of the two this year. When they last clashed back on August 7 at the same venue, it was Ballygunner that cam out on top on a 0-20 to 1-9 score line, one of two defeats that Mount Sion suffered in the group stages of the competition, a phase of which Ballygunner went through with a one hundred per cent winning record.

That win for Ballygunner will have no bearing on this latest game. It should be remembered that twelve months ago Ballygunner and Passage clashed in the final, and when they had met earlier in the group stages of the competition, Ballygunner won the game by almost double scores, but in the final, Passage with a late surge came from seven points down with seven minutes to play fought back to win by three.

This game promises to be the making of an intriguing battle.

Both sides know where the posts are and both sides are also strong at the back which suggests that if the forwards on both sides get on top we could have a high scoring game, but if it is the back that are on top, then the opposite could well be the case.

Pauric Mahony could once again prove to be Ballygunner’s top scorer on the day. The two times Dr Harty and Dr Croke Cups winner has an eye for the posts and over the past number of years, he has put some good tallies on the board.

Yes it could be argued that many of his scores come from placed balls, but the simple truth is that once the ball goes between the posts, be it under or over the cross bar, it does not matter if the ball was struck from play or a placed ball.

While Pauric Mahony may get a large chunk of his scores from placed balls, the Gunners have plenty of players who get their scores from play including Conor Power, the JJ Hutchinson, Barry and Brian O’Sullivan and Stephen Power.

At the other end of the field, Ballygunner are equally as strong, with Stephen O’Keeffe between the posts, one of the best net minders in the business, with the net minders namesake, Alan Kirwan, Shane Walsh, Philip Mahony, Wayne Hutchinson and Barry Coughlan all experienced defenders.

For the Monastery Men former Inter County player Eoin McGrath is one of their stand out players this year. But they are like Ballygunner by no means a one man team.

Ian O’Regan like Stephen O’Keeffe is a quality goalkeeper. He most consider himself very unlucky not to have played more than he has for the county, but has often found himself playing second fettle to other quality goalkeepers. If he was playing in many other counties he would surly be their number one.

Martin O’Neill has in the last few games notched up some impressive tallies and will be hoping to do so again in this game.

Like Pauric Mahony on the Ballygunner side, a great deal of his scores come from placed balls and the one which puts over the most on the day from the chances they have could be the one that is celebrating on Sunday evening.

Martin F O’Neill, Owen Whelan, Michael Gaffney, Richie and Stephen Roche, Ian Galgey and Christy Ryan are also other players that could play major rolls for Mount Sion.

However, the real big players for Mount Sion could well be two men who are at opposite ends of their careers. Tony Browne has been there and done it all. At 41 he still is a joy to watch. Many good hurlers have come along in the past 20 to 25 years but few if any of these same players are still playing, even at a lower level, but the Mount Sion man like the Duracell Bunny goes on and on.

The player is Austin Gleeson. At 19 he is at the age that Tony Browne began to make a name for himself on the national scene and this year the Mount Sion youngster began to do the same.

The teenager is a player that very much resembles another former Mount Sion great who was equally at home in attack as he was in defence. For what it is worth, I always preferred to see Ken McGrath play in defence even though he was a terrific attacker, and the same could well be said of Austin Gleeson.

Last year he played at centre back on the Waterford minor team that won the All-Ireland and I have no doubt if he was not at number six, Waterford quest might to win a first Minor All-Ireland since 1948 could be still on.

This could well prove to be a close game. Maybe, just maybe the county board might get a second day out in the championship. If they did I for one would not be too surprised.

All year long, I have felt that the championship would lie between Ballygunner and De La Salle, with the Gunner’s in my view the slightest of favourites to win.

Mount Sion having beaten De La Salle in the semi finals will have got people to sit up and take notice as there was some that were fancying the chances of the Gracedieu based outfit this year.

Having had a fancy for Mount Sion all year, I don’t think I will chance now. To me they will go level with Erin’s Own on 13 titles in the roll of honour when it comes to championship wins.

However, I am not ruling out the chances of a Mount Sion win too easily.

Before the quarter finals, I felt that if the selectors moved Austin Gleeson from attack to defence they would be a side to be reckoned with.

The selectors must be reading my mind or I reading theirs, as since they moved the teenager to defence they look a stronger team.

Of the two sides, Ballygunner’s attack looks to be the more dangerous of the two. Maybe, Mount Sion will make another bold decision now, and move Tony Browne who has impressed in attack this year back into the half back line where he has proven to be a vital cog in the wheel over the past number of years. If they do, his presence will make it more difficult for the Ballygunner players to score than they have all year.

 

Ballygunner’s last Championship success came in 2011 when they easily accounted for Tallow at Walsh Park. Mount Sion’s last success was in 2006 when they beat Ballygunner in the final.

Sunday’s final is the fourteenth time the two sides have clashed in the final since they first meet back in 1963.

In the head to heads between the two in final’s Mount Sion lead eight wins to five. There has been three draws between the two. In replays between the two, Mount Sion also lead two wins to one.

Mount Sion V Ballygunner in County Final’s

1963		Mount Sion	4	6	Ballygunner	3	4
1965		Mount Sion	3	2	Ballygunner	2	4
1966		Ballygunner	2	6	Mount Sion	2	3
1968		Ballygunner	2	10	Mount Sion	3	2
1988		Mount Sion	0	17	Ballygunner	3	8
1988	Replay	Mount Sion	2	15	Ballygunner	3	8
1992		Ballygunner	1	12	Mount Sion	2	7
1995		Ballygunner	1	8	Mount Sion	1	8
1995	Replay	Ballygunner	3	13	Mount Sion	1	17
1999		Ballygunner	1	18	Mount Sion	2	10
2000		Mount Sion	1	20	Ballygunner	0	9
2002		Mount Sion	1	19	Ballygunner	2	14
2003		Mount Sion	1	14	Ballygunner	2	11
2003	Replay	Mount Sion	1	14	Ballygunner	1	10
2004		Mount Sion	4	14	Ballygunner	4	7
2006		Mount Sion	2	12	Ballygunner	0	12

Ard Scoil Ris begin defence of Harty Cup with a win, Thurles CBS the big winners of the day, Dungarvan CBS also record impressive win

The 2014/2015 Dr Harty Cup competition got underway this afternoon with eight games taking place across the province.

With Limerick and Waterford having dominated the Munster Minor Hurling Championship and indeed this competition over the past few years, it was no surprise that a meeting of one side from each of the two counties when drawn in the same group got the billing as the big game of the round.

The Limerick College side were able to call upon a number of players that have won back to back Munster Minor Championships and also that were part of the team that won the Dr Harty Cup in the spring of this year to again assist them in this years competition including Ronan Lynch, Aaron Gillane, Peter Casey and Thomas Grimes plus Paraic O’Loughlin and Nathan Fox who have represented Clare at Minor level.

The Lismore side were also able to call on some experience players for this game including Shane Bennett and Colm Roche who were part of the Waterford Minor team that won the 2013 All-Ireland as well as David Prendergast who was part of the extended panel in 2013 and was in the team in 2014 while Jordan Henley was part of a Tallow senior hurling panel that ran De La Salle close in the County Senior Hurling Championship quarter finals a few weeks back.

It was the Limerick side that recorded a compressive victory. They inflicted much of the damage in the opening half of the game racing into a 1-3 to no score lead after just five minutes, the goal coming from Ronan Lynch.

At the end of the first quarter Ard Scoil Ris held a 1-8 to 0-1 lead, and at the break they still remained ten points to the good, going in 1-13 to 0-3 in front.

The second half proved to be an even enough affair but was one that the Limerick side again won outscoring Blackwater Community School 0-7 to 0-6.

The biggest winners in round one were Thurles CBS who recorded a thirty five point win over Ennis side Saint Flannan’s.

The Mid Tipperary side were always in control in this game apart from the first ten minutes of the game at the end of which they trailed 0-4 to 0-3.

However from here on in it was Thurles CBS all the way, going in at the break with a 1-13 to 0-5 advantage.

Thurles CBS continued to dominate the second half, restricting their opponents to just one white flag in the second thirty minutes, while by the end of the game, they had brought their own tally to 5-26.

In group two, four points separated the sides at the end of the hour in both games.

Playing against the breeze, the Limerick side played slightly better in the opening quarter of this game and just past the half way point in the opening half they held a 0-8 to 0-4 advantage.

The Fermoy College side in the second quarter upped their game considerably, striking five of the next six scores to send the sides in at the break locked at nine points each.

Saint Colman’s took the lead on forty minutes only for the Doon side to level matters once more at 11 points each soon afterwards. The North Cork side landed the next four scores to give them a four point advantage (0-15 to 0-11) with ten minutes to play.

The final ten minutes proved to be an even enough battle as both sides landed three further points each.

At the Ardmore venue in the second game of the day in the group, Gael Colaiste Mhuire from Cork City had a 1-14 to 1-10 win over De La Salle College who are looking for a first win in the competition since they won back to back titles in 2007 and 2008.

In group three there was a Cork double as Saint Francis College Rochestown and Pobail Scoil na Trionaide from Youghal overcame the challenges of Charleville CBS and Our Lady’s from Templemore respectfully.  

The Youghal college side got their campaign off to a good start when beating the North Tipperary outfit 2-15 to 2-13.

In Mallow, St Francis College from Rochestown and Charleville CBS fought out a very close first half at the end of which Charleville held an 0-8 to 0-7 advantage.

Goals win games we are told and Shane Kingston hit a brace for the Rochestown College side on thirty three and Thirty eight minutes, scores which proved to be the difference at the end of the game as the city side ran out 2-14 to 0-13 winners.

In group four, three points separated the sides 4-1 to 2-13 in Hamilton High School from Bandon’s favour over Nenagh CBS when the two sides met at Buttervant.

At Cappoquin, Dungarvan CBS had a 2-11 to 0-7 win over Clonmel High School.

The first half of this game proved to be an even enough affair at the end of which the West Waterford side held a 0-6 to 0-5 advantage.

Dungarvan CBS hit the first of their two goals on 40 minutes when a Darragh Lyons shot from distance was broken by Mikey Phelan and once the ball fell in the path of Glen Waters he made no mistake in putting it past Luke Delahunty in the Clonmel High School goal.

Two minutes later Dungarvan CBS struck a second goal and two of the players that were involved in the first goal were again involved, when Mikey Phelan finished a Darragh Lyons free to the net.

The South Tipperary College side finished the game with fourteen players after Danny Owens was ordered off six minutes from time after he collected a second yellow card. 

Dungarvan CBS finished the game strong as the Dungarvan pair of Aaron Donnelly and Darragh Lyons as well as Saint Mary’s Mike Kearns knocked over a series of points.

Dr Harty Cup: Group 1: Ard Scoil Ris 1-20 Blackwater CS 0-9: St Flannan’s 0-6 Thurles CBS 5-26

Dr Harty Cup; Group 2: Scoil Na Trionóide Naofa Doon 0-14 St Colmans College 0-18: Gael scoil Mhuire AG 1-14 De La Salle 1-10

Dr Harty Cup; Group 3:  St Francis Col Rochestown 2-14 Charleville CBS 0-13: Pobalscoil Na Trionoide 2-15 templemore 2-13

Dr Harty Cup; Group 4: Hamilton HS Bandon 4-10    Nenagh CBS 2-13: Group 4: Dungarvan CBS 2-11 HS Clonmel 0-7

League Tables:

Group 1:         Thurles CBS             1          1          0          0          +35     2

Ard Scoil Ris             1          1          0          0          +14     2

W. Limerick Colleges 0       0          0          0          0          0

                        Blackwater C.S.        1          0          0          1          -14      0

                        St Flannan’s             1          0          0          1          -35      0

 

Group 2:         St Colman’s              1          1          0          0          +4        2

                        Gael Scoil Mhuire    1          1          0          0          +4        2

                        Castletroy                  0          0          0          0          0          0

                        Scoil na Trionóide   1          0          0          1          -4         0

                        De La Salle               1          0          0          1          -4         0

 

Group 3:         Rochestown             1          1          0          0          +7        2

                        Youghal                     1          1          0          0          +2        2

                        St Caimin’s               0          0          0          0          0          0

                        Templemore              1          0          0          1          -2         0

                        Charleville CBS       1          0          0          1          -7         0

 

Group 4:         Dungarvan CBS      1          1          0          0          +10     2

                        Hamilton HS             1          1          0          0          +3        2

                        Midleton CBS           0          0          0          0          0          0

                        Nenagh CBS                        1          0          0          1          -3         0

                        Clonmel H.S.                        1          0          0          1          -10      0

 

Next Fixtures on October 15:  

Group 1;         Blackwater CS V St. Flannan’s

Group 1;         Thurles CBS V West Limerick Colleges

Group 2;         St Colmans Fermoy V Gaelcolaiste Mhuire AG

Groups 2;       De La Salle V Castletroy CC

Group 3;         Charleville CBS V Our Ladys Templemore

Group 3;         Youghal V St Caimins Shannon

Group 4          Nenagh CBS V Dungarvan CBS

Group 4;         High School Clonmel V Midleton CBS