Glen Rovers/St Nick's puc fada to honour club great Vincey Twomey

GLEN Rovers/ St Nicholas underage sections recently announced that their Puc Fada is back and will go ahead on St Stephens’s Day and this year teams will be playing for the Vincey Twomey Shield.

In launching the event recently at the club where they announced details of the event underage chairman Des Cullinane explained that all categories will be catered for with hurlers and camogie players invited to participate as well as their families and friends in what the club hope will be a great club event out in the open air.

“This year for the first year ever the club will honour one of our former greats when the overall winning team will be presented with the Vincey Twomey Shield and we are excited to have Puc Fada back”.

The name Vincey Twomey is revered in Glen Rovers and Cork hurling folklore, fondly known as “the Man with the Cap” he lined out at centre back for the Cork senior team where he was renowned as a teak-tough defender who dominated the area he patrolled and always wearing his trademark perked cap.

He first arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of seventeen when he was picked on the Cork minor team before later joining the junior side.

He joined the Cork senior panel during the 1950 championship and went on to play a key role during a golden era for Cork hurling winning three All-Ireland medals in a row - 1952, 1953 and 1954.

He also won four Munster medals and one National Hurling League title.

He lined out with Munster inter-provincial teams on a number of occasions and also won a Railway Cup medal. National Hurling Leagues, All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship and Munster Senior and Junior Hurling Championship are amongst the s vast collection of honours won in glittering inter-county career.

At club level with Glen Rovers/ St Nicks he was a multiple championship medallist with Glen Rovers in both codes winning senior county hurling championship medals in 1950, 1953, 1954, 1958 and a senior football championship with St Nick’s in 1954 when the club achieves a county double.

He retired from inter-county hurling following the conclusion of the 1957 championship.

For Cullinane the event is a special one as well as being underage chairman he is the son-in-law of the legendary Vincey Twomey and the event is one which he and his committee are looking forward to.

“This year for the first year ever we will have the winning team overall presented with the Vincey Twomey shield and we hope to see plenty of teams participating, the family are delighted to support the event and to present the shield to the club to honour Vincey’s memory.“

Entries for the event will be taken in the club on Sunday, December 26 (St Stephen’s Day) at 10am. It’s €30 per team of three adults players and €20 per team of juvenile players and of course teams can be mixed with adults or juveniles and the club are hoping as always to see both male and female participants.

Des explained: “Every year we have a great mix taking part and hopefully this year will be no exception it’s been two years since we were out on the road and it will be a great day out. We will be ensuring all covid protocols are in force and we will ensure everybody is safe.

“We would love to see all our underage and adult hurlers and camogie players out on the road enjoying the event.

“There will be prizes in both adult and juvenile categories and prizes will be presented in the club at 4pm. The event as well as being a big social day out for all is also a fundraiser for the club and all money raised will be used to buy gym and training equipment so we are urging everybody to come along and support the event.”