WITH holders Diarmuid Ó Mathúnas and Newcestown’s second string already through to the RCM Tarmacadam Carbery Junior A Hurling Championship semi-finals, the remaining last-four spots will be filled this weekend.
Both quarter-finals take place this Sunday, with Kilbree facing Dohenys and Ballinascarthy clashing with Randal Óg. Let the battles commence.
At 2.30pm, league champions Kilbree will look to make a semi-final, with Dohenys standing in their way in Enniskeane. The Super Blues are unbeaten in the championship with two wins, and a draw against Ballinascarthy (0-11 apiece). Wins over 2023 champions Clonakilty (1-15 to 0-15) and Kilbrittain (2-20 to 1-11) emphasised their credentials as genuine contenders for the Flyer Nyhan. Their top marksmen so far have been Darragh Coakley (1-12), Cillian Twohig (1-9), Jim Shanahan (0-11) and Joseph O’Donovan (1-6). Their last title win was pretty recent (2018), in a period where they reached three finals in four years. They will be desperate to get to that stage again.
Dohenys impressed, too, and made it out of their group in second place. A loss against Diarmuid Ó Mathúnas (1-16 to 0-13) was sandwiched by wins against St Mary’s (0-18 to 0-15) and St Oliver Plunkett’s (2-14 to 0-11), earning themselves a knockout place. Bill Murphy is the leading marksman for the Dunmanway club thus far, striking 0-17. Fionn Herlihy (0-7) and Mark Buckley (0-6) are serious threats too. They haven’t won the junior A crown since 2013 but did bring eventual champions Ballinascarthy all the way to penalties in the 2022 semi-final.
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The 5pm quarter-final sees usual competitors Ballinascarthy face up-and-coming Randal Óg in Clonakilty. Bal won the two-in-a-row in 2021 and ’22 but would have been disappointed with defeats to Clon and Mathúnas at the latter stages in recent years.
Playing in the county league Division 6 this year, Bal went,upbeat through their JAHC group, seeing off both Kilbrittain (0-17 to 1-11) and Clonakilty (2-21 to 2-11) before a draw against Kilbree meant they had to settle for a quarter-final spot. Brian O’Donovan (0-14), Jeremy Ryan (0-11) and Connall Cullinane (2-5) offer serious firepower. If they fire, Bal could be onto a winner.
Randals, meanwhile, picked up an impressive five points from a possible six in the group stage. They drew with table-toppers Newcestown (1-18 to 2-15) before defeating St James (0-25 to 2-14) and St Colum’s (2-17 to 0-15). In the Colum’s match, they were 0-9 to 0-8 down at half-time but rallied, largely down to a brace of goals from Jimmy O’Sullivan. The latter can hit the net but out the field they have Séadhna Crowley (0-19) who has been very accurate from frees, while Peter Collins and former Cork underage player Seán Daly (0-10 each) are also players to keep an eye on.
Bal and Randals met at the same stage last year with Bal winning out 5-19 to 2-15. Many would expect it to follow similar lines but the Ballinacarriga boys should never be written off.
