Ben Cunningham has had the best sporting year of his life

IT has been an incredible eight months for Ben Cunningham. 

The 19 year-old was a key cog in the St Finbarr’s machine that won the Co-Op SuperStores Cork Premier SHC title last October and three weeks ago the forward played a significant role in Cork winning the oneills.com All-Ireland U20HC final against Offaly. 

A third title in four years for the Rebels at that grade.

For Cunningham, whose father Ger is a Cork hurling legend, the U20 season was one to remember. 

The forward was only too happy to reflect on a marvellous season for the young Rebels. 

The Togher native hit 2-54 across the six U20 games this season, five points behind top scorer Adam Screeney from Offaly.

“A few weeks on from the final it has sunk in now alright,” Ben says.

“An outstanding achievement to win the Munster and All-Ireland titles. I can’t speak highly enough of manager Ben O’Connor and his selectors, they have been brilliant. 

"The game that really stands out this season is the last Munster group-stage game away to Limerick. We were already through to the Munster final, but in the build up to the match we trained as hard as we ever did. 

"It would have been easy to have taken it easy in that game, try out different things, but the management have set such high standards that a drop in levels was never going to happen. 

"That performance and win against Limerick meant a lot to us and gave us huge confidence going into the Munster decider against Clare and thankfully we came out on the right side in the final.” 

Cunningham, who is studying Arts in UCC, has huge praise for the way Cork senior boss Pat Ryan and U20 manager Ben O’Connor handled him in the early stages of this campaign. 

Cunningham featured for the senior team in the Co-Op SuperStores Munster Hurling League and started in the Allianz Hurling League encounter against Westmeath before focusing on the U20s.

“I have huge respect for Pat Ryan and Ben O’Connor in general anyway, but the way they managed the U20 players who were with the seniors was fantastic. 

"We were never overtrained with communication between both management teams superb. It was then decided it was best for my development to just focus on the U20s. 

"It didn’t bother me, it was best for all parties and hopefully in the years to come I’ll have plenty of chances to play for the senior team.” Now the dust has settled on the 2023 inter-county season for the Cork hurlers, the focus now for Cunningham is St Finbarr’s. 

The Togher club will head into the championship season in an unusual scenario as defending champions. 

The Blues ended 29 years of hurt when they beat Blackrock in the premier SHC decider last October.

“There will be that added bit of pressure obviously because we are the reigning champions. 

"To be honest with you we are not even thinking of retaining our title and all of that talk. We are just focused on getting out of the group, that’s the first objective. 

"Over the last few years we haven’t had a great record of getting out of the group stages so it would be silly to look too far down the road. It will be a very difficult group, we have Newtownshandrum, Sarsfields and Kanturk. 

"We’ll take it game by game.” 

Cunningham’s father Ger is in his second season as boss of the Barrs. 

The first championship campaign couldn’t have gone any better, but what’s it like having the father as the main man on the sideline?

“Everyone thinks when your dad is manager of a team, no matter what age group, that it will be a problem, it’s actually not. 

"It’s not like I am at home with dad and he’s telling me the team, tactics and so on for an upcoming game, quite the opposite actually. "When dad got offered the Barrs job he actually came to me and asked me would I be alright with him taking it. I was over the moon and wanted him to accept the offer and thankfully he did.” 

The photo of Cunningham and his father at the end of last year’s county final was magical. A magnificent photo taken by INPHO’S Ken Sutton.

“My mother framed the photo straightaway. It’s up in the living room, a special photo, just an incredible moment that was.”