Struggles of Carbery football and hurling champions at county junior level is a worry

CARBERY’S outstanding performances in county board championships this season unfortunately hasn’t transferred to our junior divisional champions.

Plunkett’s double county junior B titles got the season off to a great start and when Newcestown added the senior A hurling, the momentum was growing. Castlehaven’s premier senior football triumph was the crowning glory and Bantry came so close in the premier intermediate football.

With Dohenys v Newcestown in senior A football guaranteeing another title for Carbery, we really had high hopes that our divisional junior winners would follow suit. Well, Goleen obliged by advancing in junior B football with a fine wine over Dungourney but our other three representatives – Barryroe, Clonakilty and Bantry Blues – all bit the dust in different ways. The fact that Carbery teams have brought home only two county junior A football titles in the past 20 years, and only a single junior A hurling title in 25 years is becoming a source of worry and must be discussed at the AGM on December 8th.

JUNIOR A FOOTBALL – Could Barryroe carry their momentum into the interdivisional series against Castlemagner in Macroom? We were amazed at the fine state of the Macroom pitch, following a lot of work last year. Unfortunately, the absence of both midfielders, Robbie Kiely and Jerome O’Brien, proved too great an obstacle, especially in the first half when Barryroe played with the breeze but conceded two goals. Both came on in the second half to change the game but it was too late and even though the Carbery champions reduced the margin to two points at the end, their campaign in Carbery, three extra-time games, had taken too much out of them.

JUNIOR A HURLING – Clonakilty’s hopes of a first-ever county junior hurling title were blown out of the water by a superb Ballinora side and clearly showed the gap between junior hurling in Carbery and other divisions at present. The absence of Sean White was huge for the Clon men but even he wouldn’t bridge a 15-point gap. Playing against the breeze in the first half, on their first-ever hurling trip to Páirc Uí Chaoimh, did Clon no favours and they were fighting a losing battle when trailing by 1-8 to nil after 20 minutes. Only for an outstanding display by goalkeeper Shane Collins, Clon would have sunk out of sight in this chastening defeat.

JUNIOR B HURLING – After their great win over Ballinascarthy in the Carbery final, we had high hopes that Bantry might bring a second junior B county title to Carbery this season, following on Plunketts’ confined county win but they were well out-hurled on the day by Inniscarra’s second string. Jack Sheedy again showed his class with eight points but there was a clear gap in standards between the two sides.

JUNIOR B FOOTBALL – We leave the best wine to the last, Goleen’s win over Dungourney. Having snatched the South West title from Plunkett’s with two late goals, Goleen showed all the confidence of champions as they took an early lead against the wind, led by three at half time and copperfastened a fine win with a Darren O’Donovan goal in the second half. Goleen will now take on neighbours Garnish this weekend in the county semi-final.

DOHENYS V NEWCESTOWN – The game all West Cork is waiting for is upon us and Páirc Uí Chaoimh is the place to be on Saturday when Dohenys and Newcestown face off in the county senior A football final, the excitement being increased by Newcestown going for an incredible senior A double. They will be encouraged by Aghabullogue achieving the double last weekend but they will be facing a Dohenys’ outfit that have been the form team in the grade all season. Will it be Newcestown’s first football title since 2010 or Dohenys’ first since 1995?

MUNSTER CLUB – Castlehaven will represent Carbery and Cork in the Munster senior championship this Sunday at a home venue when they take on Cratloe of Clare and we wish them the very best of luck.