Cork Masters hurling team chase silverware in showdown with Limerick

Thu, 23 Jul, 2026 - 11:27

Denis Hurley

The Cork Masters hurling team will look to claim a first piece of silverware when they contest Saturday’s Challenge Cup final.

Limerick are the opposition in Athenry (1pm) for the second-tier decider, which precedes the overall final between Galway and Tipperary.

Cork are managed by Ross Cashman, a Waterford native living in Youghal. A long-time involvement in Cork camogie led to him being asked to coach the Masters team last year before stepping up to the manager’s role, with Ballincollig’s Danny Dwyer now the coach.

“When I came into it, I was very blind to it,” he says. “It's marketed as an over-40s hurling competition and you kind of think that they're ould lads going around having a puck, but it's only when you get involved in it, you actually see the level of hurling that's in it.

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“We have lads still playing senior club hurling in Cork and 20 of them could have intermediate All-Irelands, minor All-Irelands, two of them played senior hurling for Cork and several of them were on training panels.

Balancing act

“What you have to be mindful of is that so many are still playing for their clubs, so you can only go to the well so many times and you're trying to be fair to the clubs, so we train one night a week.”

As well as Dwyer, Cashman is joined in the backroom team by selectors Pat Fitzgerald (Erin’s Own), Alan Barry (Bride Rovers), Colum Buckley (Banteer) and Robert Oldham (Uibh Laoire) while Cliona Cotter of Watergrasshill is the physio.

It might sound like a contradiction in terms to say that Cork have a ‘young team’, but relative youth has been a factor in what has been a very encouraging campaign.

“The sweet spot is 39 turning 40,” Cashman says.

We have a good host of them this year at that age and that's probably why we've done so well.

“Diarmuid Lynch from Ballygiblin, he's called The Machine and for good reason, he’s 52 and he’s actually playing dual Masters!”

Having opened with a win over Wexford, Cork faced a tough challenge in travelling to face the reigning champions, a Tipp team stacked with former inter-county stars.

While it ended in defeat, it was a game that helped Cork to believe.

“We were down maybe two or three who injured,” Cashman says, “but we were actually winning for a lot of that game and we just got picked by I think two points for a finish.

“That was a Sunday and we had a five-day turnaround to Limerick on the Friday in Kilworth and we beat them.”

While there was defeat against a strong Galway side – “We reckoned that they would give a Senior A club team a game,” Cashman says – Cork beat London well to finish on six points, level in third place with Limerick and Dublin.

It meant a play-off, with Cork and Dublin drawn together to see who would face Limerick. Cashel was the venue as Cork triumphed. Now, Cashman hopes they can take the next step.

Cork Masters hurling manager Ross Cashman (second from left) at the launch of the 2025 season with Robert Oldham, Davy Callaghan and Rob Stuart. Picture: David Creedon

“We’ve actually played the most games of any team,” he says.

“It's just a great opportunity for fellas. We have driven things on a lot this year, so it would be nice to see them get their reward at the end of it.

“We met in February from the AGM and it started the night after that recruiting players. You have to make a lot of phone calls, put a lot of effort in – probably tell a couple of white lies! – but once they come in, they kind of know what it's about.

There are guys flying home for some of these matches, it’s unbelievable.

"It has been very well run this year and there hasn't been a stone left unturned. I think we have got every ounce out of them that we could.”

Cork Masters hurling squad:

Kieran Walsh (Kilworth),

Liam Ó Riain (Inniscarra),

Conor Kinsella (Ballincollig),

Declan Tobin (Kilworth),

Mark White (Brian Dillon’s),

Tadhg Healy (Buttevant),

Rory O’Doherty (Ballincollig),

Jonathon Ormond (Youghal),

Barry Dwyer (Belgooly),