Beamish Cup draw throws up mouth-watering derby days in Clonakilty and Skibbereen

BY KIERAN McCARTHY

BRAGGING rights and a place in the second round are the two prizes up for grabs in Skibbereen and Clonakilty following the draw for this season’s Beamish Cup.

Premier Division pace-setters Clonakilty Soccer Club will face Championship outfit Clonakilty United in an all-Clon round-one clash in early January, while a round-two pairing will see Championship strugglers Skibbereen Celtic host Premier Division team Skibbereen AFC in an all-Skibb battle.

There is also the possibility of an all-Sullane round-two derby, but Sullane B will need to dethrone reigning champions Dunmanway Town in the opening round. Dunmanway are also the cup specialists, having won the Beamish Cup three times in the last four seasons; their latest triumph was a 2-1 win against Bunratty United at Turner’s Cross. In 2021 and ’21, Dunmanway beat Clonakilty Soccer Club on both occasions.

2023 defeated finalists Bunratty have been handed a daunting trip to league champions Drinagh Rangers in another stand-out first-round game – the winner here will face either Aultagh Celtic or Beara United in the second round.

The draw for the opening rounds, with games to be played on January 7th, is:

ROUND 1: Drinagh Rangers B v Castlelack, Aultagh Celtic v Beara United, Clonakilty Soccer Club v Clonakilty United, Togher Celtic v Ardfield, Drinagh Rangers v Bunratty United, Dunmanway Town v Sullane B. 

ROUND 2: Skibbereen Celtic v Skibbereen AFC, Spartak Mossgrove v Aultagh Celtic B, Drinagh Rangers B or Castlelack v Clonakilty Soccer Club or Clonakilty United, Sullane v Dunmanway Town or Sullane B, Togher Celtic or Ardfield v Kilgoban Celtic, Baltimore v Lyre Rovers, Castletown Celtic v Mizen Hob, Drinagh Rangers or Bunratty United v Aultagh Celtic or Beara United.