Intermediate A and Premier Junior hurling: Ballygiblin look to maintain momentum 

Since the advent of the new championship system, Castlemartyr and Lisgoold have managed to achieve back-to-back hurling titles.

A ‘threepeat’ proved beyond both – Castlemartyr desperately unlucky in that they lost to Inniscarra after a replay in the Premier IHC final last year – but such a dream remains alive for Ballygiblin.

The North Cork club were junior A champions in 2021 and followed that with victory in the Premier JHC last year, going all the way to Munster and All-Ireland glory. While the two long years – they also made it to Croke Park after the 2021 win, the last before Cork’s Munster representation changed from JAHC to PJHC – have taken a toll, they will no doubt be energised by the challenge of intermediate A.

First up in Group C are Douglas’s second team on Sunday at 2pm, with Lisgoold the venue, while that group also sees Midleton and last year’s beaten finalists Cloughduv do battle an hour earlier in Páirc Uí Rinn.

Group A opens with an East Cork derby between Youghal and Lisgoold in Castlemartyr at 7.30pm tonight. While Lisgoold have gone up two grades since 2020, Youghal are just down from premier intermediate and will be keen to bounce back strongly.

In Group B, Sarsfields – finalists in 2021 against Castlemartyr – face Kildorrery at 2pm on Sunday in Glanworth. Sars made the semis last year, beaten by the eventual champions Dungourney. The other two teams in the group are Aghada and Aghabullogue. Neither club got out of their group last year so both will be targeting a positive start when they clash at 3pm on Sunday in Páirc Uí Rinn.

The fifth tier, premier junior, consists of three different clubs that achieved promotion in the recently finished league campaign. In the new streamlined seven-division system, Russell Rovers were in Division 5 and finished top of the table before beating IAHC side Cloughduv in the final.

In Division 6, Tracton and Ballygarvan were the top sides, Ballygarvan finishing with a perfect record of seven wins from seven, just two points ahead of Tracton, who had three to spare on third-placed Sarsfields. Ballygarvan then kept up their good form with a win over their south-east neighbours in the final.

This grade is quirky in that, in the admittedly small sample of three years since the change, no beaten finalists have come back to win it the next year, meaning Russell Rovers, Kilbrittain and Tracton are all still in situ.

Tracton, beaten by Ballygiblin last year, open against Argideen Rangers at 2pm on Sunday in Ballinspittle in Group A, with Erin’s Own facing Glen Rovers at the same time in Ballincollig.

In Group B, both games are Saturday – Ballygarvan face Barryroe at 4pm in Bandon while Kilbrittain and Milford are in action at 7.30pm in Banteer, The two Group C games are both on Sunday, with Russell Rovers clashing with Meelin at 2pm in Castletownroche and St Finbarr’s and St Catherine’s tussling in Cobh at the same time.