Cork GAA: Imokilly hurling and football draws for 2023 confirmed

The start of the new playing season is just 10 days away in East Cork with the opening weekend of the junior football leagues. 

The Imokilly division is also planning for the championship, as the most recent board meeting the draws were made for 2023.

As always the high points of the evening were the junior A grade competition draws with the battle to succeed Cobh as football champions and Erin's Own as hurling champions set to produce some fascinating games.

In hurling, there are three groups of three teams in the East Cork Oil-sponsored competition, but despite the relatively small number, it is expected to be intense. With the lineup being reduced to eight from next year onwards, two teams will drop down to junior 'B level for 2024, so there is a lot at stake in the summer ahead.

Top seeds for this year are Cobh, Carraig na bhFear and St Ita's. Cobh, drawn in Group 1, were on the scent of a double last season but came up short in the face of a very strong second-half show by future county champions Erin's Own when the sides clashed in the East Cork final. Their group games against Fr O'Neill's and Killeagh will present testing challenges. In Group 2, Carraig na bhFear will be fancied to justify their top ranking in games against Carrigtwohill and Midleton. Meantime, 2021 champions St Ita's will be chasing their second-ever title and their Group 3 challenges will be against Bride Rovers and Sarsfield's.

First-day fixtures in the round-robin format are Fr O'Neill's v Killeagh, Carrigtwohill v Midleton and Bride Rovers against Sarsfields. Two teams will progress from each group to the playoff stages, with the two top best group winners qualifying for the semi-finals and the remaining group winner and the three second-placed teams qualifying for the quarter-finals.

The format for the Michael O'Connor Motor Factors Junior A Football Championship remains the same as last season, with four groups of three teams and again six surviving to the knockout stages, with the best two group winners going straight to the penultimate round.

Last year's runners-up Castlemartyr were first out of the hat as top seeds in group 1, which looks to be full of uncertainty as opponents Bride Rovers, Midleton and Youghal will all have eyes on the big prize. 

Cloyne are top seeds in group 2 and face Aghada and Glenbower Rovers, who they also played last year, with Lisgoold also in this quartet. Group 3 has Carraig na bhFear seeded top with Fr O'Neill's (back in the top grade), Carrigtwohill and Erin's Own making it a difficult set of games to call.

The championship gets underway on June 18 with the following pairings first on the fixture list: Castlemartyr v Bride Rovers, Midleton v Youghal, Cloyne v Aghada, Lisgoold v Glenbower Rovers, Carraig na bhFear v Fr O'Neill's and Carrigtwohill v Erin's Own.

JUNIOR B

The draws were also made for the respective junior B championships. There are 11 teams in the hurling divided as follows.

Group 1: Aghada, Killeagh, Cloyne and Erin's Own. Group 2: Watergrasshill, Castlelyons, Youghal and Lisgoold. Group 3: Castlemartyr, St Catherine's and Sarsfield's.

There are also 11 teams contesting at C grade level. Group 1: Erin's Own, Carrigtwohill, Carraig na bhFear and Fr O'Neill's, Group 2: Dungourney, Russell Rovers, Midleton and Bride Rovers. Group 3: St Catherine's, Killeagh and Cobh.

Meantime in football there are two groups each with four teams in B grade as follows: Group 1: Glanmire, Glenville, Dungourney and Castlelyons.

Group 2: Erin's Own, St Catherine's, Cobh and Russell Rovers.

In the JCFC the draw resulted as follows: Group 1; St Catherine's, Glenville, Carraig na bhFear and Aghada. Group 2: Glanmire, Fr O'Neill's, Glenbower Rovers and Balinacurra. Group 3: Midleton, Lisgoold, Carrigtwohill and Bride Rovers.

Before all that championship action the hurling and football leagues should give some indications of form lines. Early silverware will be up for grabs on the opening weekend of both 2023 competitions as the remaining league finals from last year will double up as opening day fixtures in a number of games.

In football on Sunday week Cloyne meet Castlemartyr in the deferred Division 2 final. The same clubs meet in the Division 3 hurling final a week later, while in JHL 1 it's Cobh v Carraig na bhFear.