Cork's best snooker teams ready for Munster showdown in the Gleneagle Hotel

The countdown is on for the 2025 Munster Snooker Championships, which will begin on Thursday, January 23.

It’s always a special event in the Gleneagle Hotel in Killarney and it promises to be another wonderful occasion.

Cork teams have enjoyed great success in Killarney over the last number of years and as always, the Crucible Club from Cork will start as leading fancies.

Ryan Cronin (Crucible) has been in tremendous form, winning both national ranking tournaments this season. In the opening event, Cronin delivered several fantastic winning performances.

In the semi-finals, he easily brushed aside fellow Cork player Leone Crowley, winning by four frames to nil, before beating Nenagh’s Noel Gleeson 4-1 in the decider.

Cronin followed up that big win when making it back-to-back national ranking events, without dropping a frame en route to the final. In the decider, he beat Brendan O’Donoghue (Nenagh), one of Ireland’s finest amateurs over the last decade or so, 4-2.

Cronin will be hoping to lead the Crucible to further success in Killarney, and going on recent form he will be hard to beat.

Youghal CYMS have enjoyed a couple of wonderful years, winning the Munster Championships two years ago, before a run to the semi-finals last year and then that exciting All-Ireland final a week later when they lost narrowly to Blackstaff from Northern Ireland.

The Seasiders always put on a good show in Killarney and they will be looking for another big run.

In the A section, all eyes will be on the big four, the Crucible, the Cue Club from Killarney, Nenagh (defending champions), and Youghal.

DEEP

The B section has attracted a massive entry, with around 29 teams expected to line up.

It will feature a large number of Cork teams and it’s always a massive opportunity for the lesser teams to enjoy big the occasion.

Connie O’Sullivan recently made the draw at the Wagon Tavern, Fermoy, with a big crowd in attendance. Excitement is certainly building.

In other news, young Crucible player Jamie McCarthy is enjoying a fine season to date.

McCarthy has shown his class in both U18 national ranking tournaments this season, winning both, making it a fantastic double for the Cork man.

In the opening event, he got the better of Lorcán Ó Curraoin, winning 3-0 and more recently, he beat the same opponent in the decider, by the same scoreline.

The Douglas Roofing Intermediate 12-man play-off decider will take place at Youghal CYMS, on January 11 and 12.

It promises to be a fantastic weekend of snooker with a couple of fine Cork players involved. Ray Phelan (Youghal CYMS) ranked number two, then we have Adam Bulman (Youghal CYMS), Trevor Deady (AOH), Josh O’Connor (Crucible), Ger Kelly, and Sean Fitzgerald (Crucible).