SAHC: Bride Rovers hope for 'Darby day' success against Castlelyons' men in black

While the stands will be festooned with green, gold and white objects at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh next Saturday evening, the action for the Co-op SuperStores SAHC final will see the competing sides in unfamiliar rig-outs.

East Cork sides Bride Rovers and Castlelyons will battle it out for a place in the top flight of Cork hurling. However, as the neighbouring clubs have similar strips – Castlelyons in a Kerry-like green with a gold hoop and Bride Rovers in an Offaly-style green, white and gold tricolour – alternative kits will be in use.

Last year, when they met in the group stage, Castlelyons lost the toss for colours and wore an all-black outfit, which they will once again wear for Saturday’s game, which has a 7.30pm throw-in.

In recent years, Bride Rovers have appeared in blue when a clash has arisen but this year they had taken receipt of a new back-up set. Sponsored by Rathcormac Tyres, it is not unlike the design used by Offaly when Séamus Darby’s late goal denied Kerry five All-Irelands in a row in 1982 (and also worn, less memorably in the defeat to Kingdom in 1981) and it will make its debut in the final.

Friday’s Premier JHC decider between Glen Rovers and Kilbrittain will also see a change kit in use. Cork County Board determined that there was a clash between the green, black and gold hoops of the Glen the black and amber stripes of their Carbery opponents – however, as both teams have all-black second kits, a coin-toss was mandated.

The Glen won that toss and so they will be in their usual jerseys, with their white shorts also helping to create distinction against Kilbrittain’s all-black – this was also the kit match-up when the sides met at the quarter-final stage in 2023. The Blackpool outfit won that after a penalty shootout.

An all-black kit will be on show too in the Premier SHC final on Sunday, but this is not because of a colour-clash: Midleton have been using their alternative jerseys throughout the championship as a tribute to the late Darragh McCarthy as that kit was used during the successful 2024 U21 campaign, of which he was a part. The number 10 that he wore as they achieved county glory has also been stood down, with 30 used instead.

Coincidentally, their opponents on Sunday, Sarsfields, have experience of winning a county title in a black kit being worn for reasons other than colour-differentiation.

In 2008, the Riverstown club were drawn with Ballinhassig in the first round of the championship and had to change from their usual blue and white to black jerseys and shorts while the south-east side – nicknamed the Blues – went with white tops and blue shorts, the reverse of their usual look.

Having come through that game, Sars opted to stick with black for superstitious purposes and they saw off Cloyne, Newtownshandrum, Glen Rovers and Bride Rovers in the county final to win the Seán Óg Murphy Cup for the first time since 1957.

The black jerseys were retained into 2009, all the way to another final appearance, but their hopes of retaining the title were ended by Newtown. Thereafter, they reverted to the usual blue jerseys with white hoops – but the black shorts remained and continue to be the first-choice option.