*James Hegarty. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
Team captain James Hegarty (Inagh-Kilnamona) is battling to be fit to lead St Flannans College into Wednesday’s (January 8) Dr. Harty Cup (Munster Colleges senior A hurling) quarter final against Midleton CBS.
The defender is receiving treatment for a knee injury ahead of the eagerly awaited tie which throws in at 13:30 at Ballyagran.
Definitely ruled out of the tie are Hegarty’s Inagh/Kilnamona’s team mates Jack Mescall and Gearoid Barry, both of whom are sidelined with long term injuries.
St. Flannan’s won a quarter final place when topping their group with victory over Tralee CBS having drawn their opening tie in the campaign against Thurles CBS. In a preliminary quarter final they accounted for John the Baptist of Hospital.
Joe Casey (Kilmaley) Sean McNamara (Clooney/Quin), James Cullinan (Ruan) and Robert Loftus (Éire Óg) have been regulars in defence in this campaign in front of goalkeeper Micheal O’Coilean (Doora/Barefield).
Dara Kennedy (Ballyea) is expected to be at midfield while likely to be in the forward line are Ronan Kilroy (Banner) plus Clarecastle duo Harry Doherty and Conor Ralph.
Midleton last won this title in 2019, a year before St. Flannan’s won the last of their twenty two titles.
On their way to the quarter final the Cork school came through a group which included last year’s winners Nenagh CBS and De La Salle from Waterford.
Jamesie O’Connor, Tony Kelly and Michael Donnellan, all teachers in St. Flannan’s are in charge of the Clare side.
Clare involvement with Ard Scoil Rís
There is also huge Clare interest in the quarter final meeting of Ard Scoil Rís, Limerick and Thurles CBS as the Limerick school panel includes a number of players from Clare clubs.
These include Sean Arthur (Newmarket-on-Fergus), Michael Collins, Eoin Begley and Jack Hickey (Clonlara) and Ian O’Brien (Cratloe) to mention some.
Ard Scoil topped Group 3 winning their three games against Our Lady’s Templemore, Castletroy College and Colaiste Choilm from Ballincollig in Cork.
Ardscoil have won this title on five occasions, the first being as recently as 2010 with further wins in 2011, 2014, 2016 and 2018 with strong Clare involvement in all of those successes
Scariff CC facing a stern test:
Meanwhile, on the same afternoon Scariff Community school will take on Carrick on Suir in a quarter final tie in the Munster senior B hurling championship, a game that will throw in at 12.30p.m at a venue yet to be confirmed.
Coached by Whitegate’s Andrew Fahey, the East Clare school draws its players from surrounding clubs, Scariff, Broadford, Whitegate, Ogonnelloe and Bodyke.
Beaten semi-finalists last year, Scariff defeated Youghal and Borris-Ileigh on the way to Wednesday’s quarter final.
The team is captained by Eoghan Gunning from Broadford and the starting line-up is also expected to include Michael Bogenberger (Whitegate), Michael Vaughan (Scariff) and Sean Óg Kilkenny from Bodyke.
Carrick on Suir are expected to include a number of players who were in their side last year when they competed in the Harty cup before dropping down to the B competition this year.
They will carry the favourites tag but it is expected that it will be a closely contested affair.
