THIS has been a year to remember for Hamilton High School. From winning their first-ever Simcox Cup title to swelling their trophy collection with more county titles at U14 level, the Bandon school enjoyed a memorable GAA season.
In March the Hammies beat Skibbereen Community School 0-11 to 1-6 to win the Simcox Cup (senior A football) for the first time, while the Bandon school was the only Cork team to reach the Corn Uí Mhuirí semi-finals.
Their U14A and B footballers won the Dr Herlihy Cup competitions in May and the hurling county B title in the same month. What’s more, Hammies students Ben Coffey, Donagh Flynn, Eoin Maguire and Hugh Flanagan are all on the Cork minor football panel. The success keeps coming.
‘To be fair, I think the school has always held high standards in this regard, even going back to the 1970s. I think we are getting a good profile lately,’ the school’s U14 hurling manager Paul Bouchier told The Star Sport Podcast.
‘We’ve had some good victories and I think a lot of that actually comes back to the ethos in the school. I played hurling and football myself with the Hammies in the 1980s and in lots of ways, I know things have changed, but a lot of things have stayed quite the same. In school here, (students) work hard and aim high. Help each other out. Never give up. That transcends to the GAA as well.’
Hamilton High School's Luke Casey gets away from Skibbereen Community School's Luke O'Sullivan during the Simcox Cup final at Páirc Uí Rinn. (Photo: Paddy Feen)Hurling and football have always been central to life in Hamilton High. The school is proud of its GAA tradition, and students buy-in to this. Enjoying a season like they just have highlights the talent within the school, and it’s a platform to build on again.
‘One first year said to me recently after I asked him why he comes to school “sir, it’s the dream.” It’s one of a few schools that you could possibly win a double in football and hurling and he wanted it. People come to school specifically for that,’ Bouchier explained.
‘I think it’s great to have dreams like that. Playing hurling up and down, football and down. Hurley constantly in their hands. You’d be giving out about them sometimes but it’s great to see.’
Paddy Lordan is the Hammies senior football manager who led them to Simcox success. He’s not surprised by the success this band of brothers has achieved.
‘They were a very talented group. Paul (Bouchier) was with me when we won an U16 county. They wouldn’t be on the age technically until next year but we knew they were a right good crop. There were a couple of lads older, who are very talented as well,’ Lordan explained.
‘I’m not going to say that we knew we’d win the Simcox Cup or anything but we were definitely confident in being very competitive in both (Simcox Cup and Corn Uí Mhuirí).
‘As soon as the draw came out in both competitions, we knew they were tough but we were still quietly confident that if we looked after ourselves and everything went right for ourselves, we’d be well able to compete. That’s what we are trying to do year on year.’
Hamilton HS captain Shane Casey raises the Dr Michael Herlihy Cup. (Photo: Paddy Feen)Reaching the last four in the Munster colleges’ Corn Uí Mhuirí was a great feat, being the highest ranked Cork school in the competition before falling to a very strong Mercy Mounthawk Tralee. After that run, winning their inaugural Simcox was the big objective for players and management.
‘In other years, we would have done really well in Corn Uí Mhuirí but the Simcox would have just fell off a cliff and the attitude would have changed. That’s something that we really focussed on this year,’ Lordan said.
‘We obviously did well in Corn Uí Mhuirí to a point but then we all know what happened in the semi-final. Just trying to pick the lads back up from that, to be honest, it wasn’t even that difficult of a job because they were such a motivated group. They knew that there was more to do. The Simcox was our target. To get that reward for them at the end of the year was brilliant because of the effort they have put in since August,’ Lordan added.
For U14 football manager Sarah Hayes, a well-known Rosscarbery Ladies footballer, this is her second year teaching in the school. Above everything, it’s the commitment and hard work that pleased her most.
‘Before we go out, and it transcends into their schoolwork as well, we’d always say hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work. Of course they are a talented group of lads but they are really hard working as well. There might be times when skill would get the better of them from the other team, but they really grind it out through all their games this year,’ Hayes said.
‘They didn’t take their talent for granted either. Just because they were the star players in their club didn’t mean that they didn’t need to train with the school. We had a huge array as well. You had some lads who hadn’t played football before or would only be on the B team with their club and they still came to every session. It was getting that mix. Getting them altogether and getting them to go to games was a great thing to see.’
The conveyor belt of talent in Hamilton High is on a roll right now, and the hope in the Hammies is they can build on this success when the school returns after the summer holidays.
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Check out the Star Sport Podcast for the full chat with Paddy Lordan, Sarah Hayes and Paul Bouchier.
