Lowney on the road to recovery for Clon Corn Uí Mhuirí clash

BY KIERAN McCARTHY

A FAMILIAR face stands in Clonakilty Community College’s path to a second successive Corn Uí Mhuirí semi-final.

The only West Cork representative in the last eight of the Munster colleges’ senior A football championship has been paired against St Francis College, Rochestown, in a quarter-final to be played on Wednesday, January 20th.

Clonakilty finished as runners-up in Group D, behind Coláiste Choilm Ballincollig, while Rochestown topped Group A on scoring difference from HS Clonmel and Tralee CBS.

The schools met in round one of the Simcox Cup in November, a game Clonakilty CC won 1-9 to 1-5, but manager Micheál O’Sullivan is adamant that game will have no bearing on the upcoming Corn Uí Mhuirí clash.

‘We played them already and beat them in the Simcox Cup but they were missing a couple of lads that day and they had played hurling the Wednesday before so they weren’t at their strongest. That game will have no relevance when we meet. They are different competitions and both teams have improved since then,’ O’Sullivan explained, before reflecting on the Corn Uí Mhuirí draw.

‘We were going to get one of the winners from the other three groups and the only advantage for us is that we would know Rochestown better than we would know the Kerry teams.

‘No matter who we drew, it’s going to be a very tough game, and Rochestown are one of the favourites to win it out this year. They won the Frewen Cup two years ago and those players are coming through now.’

Clonakilty CC defeated both St Fachtna’s of Skibbereen and Mercy Mounthawk Tralee before losing their final group game – and top spot – to Coláiste Choilm.

Missing that day was dual Cork minor, and newly announced Celtic Ross West Cork Youth Sports Star of the Year David Lowney, as he was out with a hamstring injury. He is on course to be fit for the quarter-final, as O’Sullivan added: ‘David is only coming back. He is around 75, 80 per cent there. We have to wait and see.’

The semi-final permutations are also known and if Clonakilty CC get past Rochestown, then they will face the winners of the last-eight tie between Coláiste Cholim Ballincollig and HS Clonmel. The three Kerry schools are on the other side of the draw.  

Fixture A: PS SL Rathmore v St Flannans College 

Fixture B: St Brendans v PS Chorca Dhuibhne  

Fixture C: St Francis College, Rochestown v Clonakilty CC

Fixture D: Coláiste Cholim Ballincollig v HS Clonmel  

The semi-finals see Winner A v Winner B, and Winner C v Winner D.

Dr Harty Cup

Meanwhile, the pairings for the Dr Harty Cup quarter-finals – to be played on January 13th – are as follows:

Fixture A: Ard Scoil Rís v St Francis College, Rochestown   

Fixture B: CBC Cork v St Colman’s Fermoy  

Fixture C: Our Lady’s Templemore v Castletroy CC   

Fixture D: Nenagh CBS v DLS Waterford

The winner of A plays the winner of B in one semi-final, with the winner of C taking on the winner of D in the other semi-final.