IT WAS THE START OF THE TUS DR HARTY CUP U19A COMPETITION FOR MUNSTER SECONDARY SCHOOLS HURLING THIS WEEK.
It was the start of the TUS Dr Harty Cup U19A competition for Munster secondary schools hurling this week.
Three Limerick schools were in action on the opening weekend of the competition with John the Baptist Community School in Hospital and Castletroy College coming up against each other while Ardscoil Ris faced Clare school St Flannans.
Scoil na Trionoide of Doon were due to play too but their game with Christian Brothers College, Cork was postponed due to an unplayable pitch.
John the Baptist Community School 2-14 Castletroy College 1-10
The school from Hospital came out on top in this Group E Limerick schools derby in the UL North Campus Grounds.
Limerick underage star Owen Meany was in red hot form for the victors, hitting 1-8 overall.
Castletroy led at half time by 1-8 to 0-7 but couldn’t keep up their momentum.
The Hospital school were reduced to 14 men early in the second half due to a Shane Ryan red card on 43 minutes, but that didn’t stop their gallop.
They outscored Castletroy by 2-7 to 0-2 in the second spell and thoroughly deserved their victory.
Hugh Murnane (1-1) and Meany got the deciding goals which swung the match the favour of the Hospital outfit.
Diarmuid Hurley got 0-3 on the day while Griffin McCaffrey and Barry Callinan also scored.
Dara Ferland managed 1-7 of Castletroy’s scores as Matthew Fitzgerald, David Carr and Luke Ryan completed their scoring.
Both sides will now look to their next match against CBS Secondary School Carrick on Suir from Tipperary in this three-team group.
JTBCS Hospital: Lorcan Costelloe, Niall McNamara, Shane Treacy, Niall Connaughton, Declan Heavy, Sean Casey, Fionnan Leahy, Owen Meany, Michael Leo, Griffin McCaffrey (Charlie Cronin ’60), Hugh Flanagan, Barry Callinan (Scott Ryan 59’), Diarmuid Hurley, Shane Ryan, Hugh Murnane.
Castletroy College: Robbie Widger; Marcus Southern, Paul Canny, Denis Blackwell, Tom McCarthy, Cian Scully, Tom D’arcy (Cillian Clifford 57’); Matthew Fitzgerald, Robert O’Farrell, David Carr, Dara Ferland, Luke Ryan (Barry Griffin 56’); Darragh Humphries (Harry McDermott 29’), Cathal O’Mara, Mark Field.
Ardscoil Ris 0-14 St Flannans 0-8
Ardscoil Ris produced a winning performance in Sixmilebridge as they saw off St Flannans of Clare in this Dr Harty Cup Group C game.
Ris have won the Harty five times, the second most from any Limerick team, and are aiming to win their first title since 2018 this academic year.
This was a match played in dreadful weather conditions, difficult for any player never mind secondary school students.
The conditions didn’t effect Diarmuid Stritch of Ardscoil though, as he scored two opening half points.
It was the Limerick school who held a 0-9 to 0-5 lead at the break, but a crucial moment in the opening half saw Ardscoil goalkeeper Fionn O’Brien produce a fabulous save to deny Flannans’ Luca Cleary.
Ardscoil won the second half too, but they had to work really hard to fend off a stubborn Flannans.
Fintan Fitzgerald (0-6) and Danny Chaplin (0-3) got the bulk of Ardscoil’s scores but it was defender Jamie Moylan who received the majority of the plaudits as he played the free man role brilliantly.
Two subs in Marc O’Brien and Matthew O’Halloran got insurance scores to seal a comfortable six-point win.
Ardscoil face Coláiste Choilm Ballincollig from Cork next.
ARDSCOIL RÍS: Fionn O’Brien, John O’Keeffe, Sean McMahon, Sean Morrissey (Eoin Carey 36’), James Finn (James Coughlan 58’), Jamie Moylan, Daniel Scully, Riain McNamara, Matthew O’Halloran, Diarmuid Stritch, Fintan Fitzgerald, Michael Collins, Danny Chaplin (Sean Duff 60’), Daire Neville (Marc O’Brien 36’), Eoin Begley (Darragh Gleeson 48’).
ST FLANNAN’S: Cian Howard, Joe Casey, Fiachra O’Braoin, Paddy Nagle, Frankie Meaney, James Hegarty, Evan Price, Ian Williams (Mark O’Connor 47’), Ronan Kilroy, Tadgh Boddy, Fred Hegarty, Jack Mescall, Kieran McDonnell (Robert Loftus 38’), Luca Cleary (Gearoid Barry 54’), Harry Doherty.
OTHER DR HARTY CUP RESULTS
Group A: CBS Midleton 1-17 Rice College Ennis 0-14
Group B: St Josephs Tulla 0-17 Pobalscoil na Trionoide 2-6, Thurles CBS 1-15 St Colmans College Fermoy 0-13
Group C: Colaiste Choilm Ballincollig 1-13 De La Salle Waterford 1-13
Group D: Nenagh CBS 1-12 Chaleville CBS 1-8
Group F: Gaelcholaiste Mhuire an Mhaunistir Thuaidh 1-18 Cashel Community School 0-20