THIRD time proved lucky for Grace Cronin and Coláiste Pobail Bheanntraí.

The Bantry school endured its share of heartbreak on the pitch, but that added to the euphoria after they won the Munster Schools Girls Junior Cup final for the first time in April.

Coláiste Pobail Bheanntraí had lost the previous two finals against Sacred Heart Clonakilty, so dethroning the champions this year made victory even sweeter.

Three finals. Two heartbreaks. One momentous breakthrough.

‘I’m so proud of the team and the girls,’ Grace beamed, as she was presented with a Paudie Palmer West Cork Sports Star Youth award at the Celtic Ross Hotel in Rosscarbery.

Surrounded by family, friends and coaches, Grace had another opportunity to celebrate a breakthrough moment for girls’ rugby in the Bantry school.

Grace Cronin with her parents Melissa and David. (Photo: Martin Walsh)

‘It’s been a long journey for us. We've been to the final three years in a row and faced Clon each year. They've got great depth in all positions and are just an overall very strong team. 

‘It’s been a journey for us to keep building every year, and we got the job done this year, which is great.’

Libby Hicks scored two tries for Coláiste Pobail Bheanntraí in a 15-12 triumph at Virgin Media Park in April, with her older sister Zoe scoring a penalty and a conversion.

Led by player of the match Grace, Bantry held off a Sacred Heart comeback to get their hands on the trophy they really wanted.

‘It was amazing. Honest to God, the best feeling in the world. All our training, all our hard work and all the sessions after school had paid off,’ Grace says. 

‘I’m just so proud of the girls. Every one of them gave it their best. It was such a team performance. And our coaches too.

‘It was just the best feeling – relief and joy – when the ref blew the final whistle. The job was done. We’d finally done it. We made history as a school as well, which was a great feeling.’

Grace Cronin and her Coláiste Pobail Bheanntraí celebrate their win.

This feels like an important moment for girls’ rugby in Coláiste Pobail Bheanntraí. The school now has its first Munster girls’ cup in the trophy cabinet. With the senior girls’ team also reaching their own final – losing to three-in-a-row winners Sacred Heart – the junior cup success is a huge boost.

‘Hopefully all the first years coming in now will be encouraged to give rugby a try if they haven’t played before, or keep going if they already do,’ says Grace, who sat her Junior Cert exams this summer.

‘The senior girls laid a great foundation for us by reaching the senior cup final against Clonakilty this year. Hopefully we can keep building, the junior girls can keep building too, and we can keep going on this road.’

To captain her school to an historic success, be named the player of the match and now add a West Cork Sports Star award to her growing collection, these are days she won’t forget.

‘I started playing rugby with Bantry Bay when I was seven years old,’ she says.

‘I got into it because a few of my friends were playing and I wanted to give it a go. For the first few years we didn’t have enough girls, so we played with the lads. I think that was a great experience because it taught us to hold our own. 

‘At U14 we amalgamated with Dunmanway RFC. That was a great season and we won the Munster league and cup double. It was a very memorable year for us. The following year we amalgamated with Skibbereen RFC as well, and it’s been going well since. We have a great team and great numbers now, which is really positive. More and more girls are joining all the time, which is great.’