John Horgan on hurling: With four adult teams, Killeagh are a model for Cork clubs

THERE’S NOT too much activity these days on the hurling front.

It’s understandable, of course, as the Cork County Board has successfully completed almost all of their championships.

The county Junior B championship is down to the last two after Killeagh’s defeat of Douglas on the 4G pitch at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. They’ll take on Fermoy in the final in their bid to win that competition for the first time.

The standard in the game was quite high with the East Cork side running out deserving winners in a game that contained some fine scores from both sides. Killeagh is a small club and this was their third team. 

They also competed at Junior C level, a fairly remarkable achievement, four teams competing at adult level.

Down through the years, Killeagh has been blessed to have had some great hurlers in its ranks, the club graduating from junior to senior status and while they may not be sitting at the top table of the Premier Senior grade at the moment, it may not be long before they are up there again.

Making that prediction is based on their success at minor level in recent times and the number of promising, young players that appear likely to climb the ladder. There’s a huge number of players participating in the club right now and, while there are no guarantees, things seem to be very much on an upward trajectory.

SUCCESS

There has to be a mention in this column on the success of Castlelyons and St Catherine’s in reaching the Munster Intermediate and Junior club finals respectively. In stark contrast to senior level, Cork’s record in both competitions has been very good over the years and there’s every chance now that may continue.

Catherine’s have a great hurling man, one of their own Denis Walsh, guiding matters from the sideline and their achievement is all the more meritorious after their shattering loss in the Cork final. In a lot of instances teams that lose in the final of their own championship might sort of down tools for the season, but the manner of how Catherine’s have reinvented themselves has to be given credit it deserves.

Castlelyons, under the excellent direction of Noel Furlong, are going great guns too and they exhibited considerable character in getting past the Kerry senior champions, Crotta O’Neill’s after extra-time. 

Catherine’s and Castlelyons are located just a few miles apart and their hurling season has now been extended into December.

For this observer, last Sunday afternoon was spent in front of the TV looking at the two Munster senior club semi-finals. In both instances, Clonlara from Clare and Kildangan from Tipperary and Ballygunner against Na Piarsaigh we got exciting and fairly dramatic finishes.

Much was expected from the collision of Ballygunner and Na Piarsaigh. In fact, it was being touted as potentially the game of the club year, all the more so given their recent history when only a point or two divided them. This time, though, it was not the cracker we anticipated with Ballygunner again proving that they are one of the great teams that have participated in this championship since its beginning.

They restricted the Limerick champions to just 1-2 from play over the hour, a remarkable feat given the quality contained in their opponents’ attack. They might have been under severe pressure in the game’s dying embers, having to survive against a serious aerial bombardment from Na Piarsaigh but they defended heroically with goalkeeper, Stephen O’Keeffe, Barry Coughlan, and Philip O’Mahony excelling.

ELITE

This is a real quality Ballygunner team as our own Sarsfields found out and to be able to maintain the standard they have set themselves over the past 10 years, both at home and on the provincial stage is staggering.

Now, Clare’s Clonlara stand between them and a three-in-a-row of Munster club titles.

The Clare champions had to survive a nervous ending to their game too and in early stoppage they looked to be heading out against 13-man Kildangan.

Losing to a team with just 13 players on the field would have made for an uncomfortable Christmas, but they gathered themselves for a last-gasp onslaught and three unanswered points deep into stoppage time got them over the line.

The standout player in this game was John Conlon, one of the great Clare hurlers of the modern era and only one of four players to have won an All-Star award as a defender and an attacker, something that he achieved last Friday night.

Brian Corcoran achieved that feat too in his glorious innings in the red jersey and that marked him out as one of the greatest Cork hurlers of all time, the greatest that it was my privilege to witness in action.

Back to Conlon, he was superb for Clonlara and his haul of four points from his centre-forward berth was a joy to behold.

And when Kildangan sought to level or win the game in the final play of the hour he was back in his own full-back line, taking the ball out of the sky to clear as the final whistle sounded.

This was certainly the more enjoyable game of the two and it was well refereed by Cork’s Ciarán O’Regan who was very sensible in his handling of the game and his consultation with his officials. Now it’s a Waterford-Clare final on Sunday week and carrying a fairly large underdog tag will suit Clonlara very nicely.

They were outsiders in the Clare championship too but they answered the big questions up there. For every opposition, Ballygunner are a different story now, a team that just keeps on going and thriving with every passing year.

Whatever one’s thoughts are on the standard of the championship in Waterford, to win it 10 times on the trot is an absolutely phenomenal achievement.

They are a team that you just have to admire and their team boss, Darragh O’Sullivan too who, along with his selectors, is masterminding this story of so much glory.

Finally, the game of the weekend seemed to be the Ulster club semi-final between Cushendall and Portaferry which was won by the Antrim champions on a scoreline of 4-28 to 3-19, a thriller from reading the reports.