Seven Tipperary schools in Munster schools hurling quarter-final action next week

The New Year will be fledgling by the time the school’s action gears up towards its provincial crescendo in the next two months, with the quarter-final stages of the A and B Munster U19 schools hurling competition coming into sharp focus next week.

Tipperary will have a heavy involvement yet again and the feel-good factor at the underage level in the county continues at pace with seven schools across the two grades in the reckoning for semi-final places.

Thurles CBS and Cashel Community School are the two Tipperary schools left flying the Premier flag in the Harty Cup with Ardscoil Rís of Limerick and Gaelcholáiste Mhuire AG of Cork as their respective opponents.

Thurles and Cashel are undefeated this year and have been in a confident mood in their campaigns but they will face stiff tests in the last eight games; particularly Thurles CBS who face into last year’s beaten finalists who have had impressive results in their campaign thus far.

Topping Group 2 after three games, Ardscoil put up some massive wins with ten and eight-point wins against Castletroy College and Our Ladys Templemore before they annihilated Colaiste Choilm Ballincollig by 31 points in a rout in Mallow to top off their group campaign.

In a confident mood, they have the personnel capable of going one better than their final defeat to Nenagh CBS last year. In Clare trio Michael Collins, Sean Arthur, and Ian O’Brien they have the firepower upfront to trouble any team in this competition.

Thurles CBS registered one win and a draw in their three team group, drawing the first day out against St. Flannan’s of Ennis, requiring a late scoring surge to salvage a draw before going on to get the better of Tralee CBS in round two to secure a preliminary quarter-final.

That set up an all-Tipperary knockout clash against Our Ladys Templemore. A much-improved performance saw the eight-time Harty champions to a facile 15-point win. On paper, Thurles have as good a team as any left at this stage with a flurry of Tipperary underage players between the minor and U20 squads, but they have yet to reach their top gear so far.

There is improvements to be made still, and they will feel that an eye-catching win against fellow challengers Ardscoil Rís would have them in fine stead for the rest of this competition. This will likely be the game of the round.

Recent winners Cashel Community School have gone about their business thus far with minimum fuss and while they would have comparatively fewer household names than Thurles, they have been more impressive in their campaign to date.

A confidence boosting first round win over Charleville CBS was followed with by a draw with St. Joseph’s of Tulla before rounding off the group stage with a commanding win over Blackwater College and that win saw the West school top their group and confirm a quarter final proper.

Cashel have also benefitted from a kinder draw by virtue of topping the group with Gaelcholáiste Mhuire AG standing between them and a semi-final spot.

The Cork school - led by former Cork hurler Séan Óg Ó Hailpin - clinched second in their three-team group with a win over Fermoy, before getting a fine win after extra time against Blackwater College in the preliminary.

They have quality but the Cashel players will go into this one as favourites and will rightly fancy their chances. Elsewhere, the Tipperary interest in the tier two competition - Thomais Mhic Choilm Cup - continues with five of the eight quarter-finalists from the Premier.

There are two All-Tipp clashes with Abbey CBS facing St. Joseph’s Borris-Ileigh, while Colaiste Mhuire Thurles clash with Clonmel High School. Finally, Carrick-on-Suir CBS will do battle against a strong Scarriff Community School.

All these games take place on Wednesday, January 8th with venues yet to be confirmed at the time of going to print.

Dr. Harty Cup quarter-finals (U19A)

• Thurles CBS vs Ardscoil Rís
• Cashel Community School vs Gaelcholaiste Mhuire AG

Thomais Mhic Choilm Cup quarter-finals (U19B)

• Abbey CBS vs St. Joseph's Borris-Ileigh
• Colaiste Mhuire Thurles vs Clonmel High School
• Carrick-on-Suir vs Scarriff Community School