Avondhu and Seandún get hurling championship underway

It’s only about five miles from Páirc na Brían Diolúnaigh to SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh but the northside venue marks the beginning of a long journey tonight.

The home of Brian Dillon’s hosts the opening game in the unseeded divisional section of the Co-op SuperStores Divisions/Colleges Hurling Championship as Avondhu take on Seandún with a 7.30pm throw-in.

It’s a return to the competition for Seandún for the first time since 2021, when they beat Muskerry and then reached the final of the section, losing to Imokilly – that was the first season where the city division had participated since 2010.

Now under the management of Whitechurch’s John O’Callaghan, Seandún hope that ‘home advantage’ can help to negate the shortfall in divisional experience compared to their north Cork opponents.

Avondhu have gelled well over time thanks to a strong collective buy-in and they have gone closer than most in trying to loosen Imokilly’s tight grip on the Denis O’Riordan Cup over the past few years. This was seen most notably in 2023, when they lost the divisions/colleges final by just five points.

Last year, Avondhu beat Carbery and Duhallow in the unseeded first phase of the competition to progress to the second stage, but there they lost out to Imokilly in a semi-final, having summered a similar fate in 2024.

Muskerry had been due to play Duhallow tonight but the latter have withdrawn from the competition and so Muskerry are gone through to the semi-finals.

The winners of tonight’s game will face Carbery next Tuesday, with the winner of that taking on Muskerry at the same time as Imokilly face UCC. The two winners will then contest the final for the dual prizes of the Denis O’Riordan Cup and a place in the quarter-finals of the county Premier SHC.