Well done Ballygiblin

County champions at junior A level for the first time and now Munster champions - truly it’s The Fairytale of Ballygiblin. Sometimes fairytales aren’t true but there’s no denying that Ballygiblin are worthy Munster junior hurling champions.

At Mallow on Sunday last in a real local derby, a next door neighbour type clash, the North Cork champions captured the provincial crown after a thriller of a game. Plaudits too to Skeheenarinky from Tipperary for contributing so much to a brilliant occasion. Well done to all the Ballygiblin players, management and club officers led by a proud chairman Liam O’Doherty. Next up in two weeks’ time is a novel clash with All-England Champions Fullen Gaels of Manchester. In Bermingham last Sunday Fullen Gaels and Armagh and Ulster champions Craobh Rua finished level after extra time on a scoreline of 2 17 each before the English side won on penalties.

Their goalie is Darren Cusack from Killeagh, related to the Cloyne Cusack family. The Fullen Gaels captain also has local connections. He is Kevin Fennelly also of Killeagh, son of JJ and the late Shelley (nee Spillane), a grandson of Sheila Spillane, well known in camogie and greyhound circles. Kevin is a cousin of the Castlelyons Spillane brothers. The All-Ireland junior semi-finals are down for decision on the weekend of January 22nd/23rd. Knocknacarra/ Salthill of Galway face Mooncoin of Kilkenny in the second semi-final. This scribe is already looking forward to seeing Ballygiblin and perhaps Mooncoin in the final in Croke Park of a Saturday evening in the next month or so.

FIRST LOTTO DRAW OF THE NEW YEAR

Our lotto draw for a jackpot of €16,600 took place on Tuesday night, January 4th. It was the first lotto draw for 2022 and the four numbers drawn on the night were 9, 14, 22 and 27 - there was no winner. The lucky dip winners of €30 each were Mgt Fitzgerald, Fermoy; John O’Connor, Bartlemy; Jack and Tadhg Johnson, Bartlemy; Oisín Roche, Rathcormac and Nicola Barry, Rathcormac. The second draw for 2022 was on Tuesday last, Jan 11 for a jackpot of €16,800. The New Year is a time for new year resolutions - a good one might be to get an annual Bride Rovers GAA Club lotto ticket for yourself, a family member or a friend. The annual ticket costs just €90, details from club members.

BRIDE ROVERS CLUB 100 FOR 2022

The Club 100 Scheme brings in much needed finance for ongoing club development work. We are at present seeking additional members for the scheme. Basically those who join the Club 100 commit to making a monthly donation to the Bride Rovers Club on an ongoing basis. There are three distinct Packages - Gold, Silver and Bronze and the monthly contributions are €40, €30 and €20. For this financial contribution Club 100 members can avail of club membership, family club membership, yearly club lotto ticket (tickets) and Rebels’ Bounty Draw ticket - the level of benefits varies with the type of Club 100 membership. If you would like to join the Bride Rovers Club 100 simply contact any Club Executive member.

HURLING ALL-STARS

As mentioned in last week’s notes the 2021 Hurling All-Star team was dominated by two-in-arow winners Limerick with Cork the All-Ireland runners up having no All-Star. I forgot to mention that Waterford’s Conor Prunty, who deservedly got an award, has strong local connections. His grandparents were Tom Cotter of Kilworth and his wife Peggy Woods of Bartlemy. Peggy’s first cousin Con Murphy (later a chemist in Tallow) was on the Cork team that won the 1946 All-Ireland hurling final v Kilkenny. Con scored two goals in the Rebels 7-5 to 3-8 win over Kilkenny.

COUNTY U19 COMPETITIONS FOR 2022 AND 2023

County U19 league and championship competitions will be organised by the Cork County Board in 2022 and 2023, based on the Rebel Óg structures and regions and matches will be played midweek to avoid adult and minor fixtures at the weekend. League groups of four will start on Wednesday, March 30 and clubs will be asked to play these league games without county minor and U20 players. All teams will play a cup or a plate semi-final giving a minimum of four leagues games in each code. A knockout championship will begin on July 13th and run on a weekly basis until the end of August, to finish before the return of players to Schools and Colleges.

Draft calendar as follows: 1 Wed, March 30th Club U19 Football League Round 1 2 Wed, April 6th Club U19 Hurling League Round 1 3 Wed, April 13th Club U19 Football League Round 2 4 Wed, April 20th Club U19 Hurling

League Round 2 5 Wed, April 27th Club U19 Football League Round 3 6 Wed, May 4th Club U19 Hurling League Round 3 7 Wed, June 29th Club U19 Football League Semi-finals 8 Wed, July 6th Club U19 Hurling League Semi-finals 9 Wed, July 13th Club U19 Football Cship Quarter-finals 10 Wed, July 20th Club U19 Hurling Cship Quarter-finals 11 Wed, July 27th Club U19 Football Cship Semi-finals 12 Wed, Aug 3rd Club U19 Hurling Cship Semi-finals 13 Wed, Aug 10th Club U19 Football Cship Finals 14 Wed, Aug 17th Club U19 Hurling Cship Finals 15 Wed, Aug 24th Club U19 County play-offs from Regions 16 Wed, Aug 31st Club U19 County play-offs from Regions September U19 Football and Hurling League Finals.

COUNTY SENIOR A HURLING CHAMPIONSHIP FOR 2022

The 2022 senior A hurling championship will have 12 teams, 3 games each so 3 groups of 4 teams, each with an A seed, a B seed and two C/D seeds included. The 2022 seedings were finalised recently; the losing finalist from 2021, the team relegated from the grade above, along with the top ranked semi-finalist (based on the group stages) will be designated

as A seeds.

The remaining three teams to emerge from the group stages (in 2021) will be designated as B seeds. All remaining teams will be designated as C/D seeds in no particular order.

Seeding for 2022 SAHC is as follows;

A Fr. O’Neill’s, Carrigtwohill, Newcestown. B Bride Rovers, Blarney, Mallow. C / D Ballyhea, Ballymartle, Cloyne, Courcey Rovers, Fermoy, Killeagh. So in each group will be an A Seed team, a B seed team and two from the C/D Seed group. Two teams will progress from each group of four to the play-off stages. This will result in six teams qualifying, with the two top group winners qualifying for the semi-finals and the remaining group winner and the three second -placed teams qualifying for the quarter-final. Repeat pairings in semi-finals will be avoided, with pairings being adjusted where necessary.

RELEGATION IN 2022

The relegation final will be a straight play-off between the two lowest ranked teams (in terms of points won and scoring difference) amongst the three bottom placed teams from the groups. The proposed starting dates for this championship is round 1 on the weekend of July 2th-31st with round 2 the following week. The third round games are scheduled for August 26th to 28th.

BALLYGUNNER WIN BILLY O’NEILL CUP

The Billy O’Neill (Sarsfields) Cup, silver symbol of senior club hurling in Munster is back in Ballygunner in Waterford City for the third time. At Páirc Uí Chaoimh last Sunday the Tony Considine trained Kilmallock had simply no answer to the Déise heroes. They played superb hurling on the day and were easy winners. Ian Kenny formerly of Castlelyons was corner back whilst wing forward Peter Hogan who scored two points has strong Fermoy roots. Ballygunner face Derry’s Slaughtneil in the semi-final.

REBELS’ BOUNTY GAA DRAW 2022

Well it’s time to be thinking of the Rebels’ Bounty Draw once more. Tickets for the draw can now be purchased from club members for the 2022/23 series of draws. The special ‘Early Bird’ offer of free entry into a draw for All-Ireland hurling and football tickets for all tickets purchased online has been extended until Monday, January 24 at 6pm. Please contact any Club Executive member for full details.

GAA GRASSROOTS

A beautiful book entitled ‘GAA

Grassroots, Stories From The Heart Of The GAA’ was launched in Croke Park in early December. Compiled by sports journalist PJ Cunningham the book is a collection of stories and anecdotes relating to the GAA. The President of the Association Larry McCarthy describes the publication as a ‘pure gem’ and goes on to declare “The GAA has always been about more than just games. This book captures that essence and I believe it will provide many hours of happy reading for those who engage with it. I have just finished reading the 400 page book and though I may be biased I also think it’s a magnificent volume. My probable bias comes from the fact that I contributed a few stories to PJ like ‘losing’ the sliotar in Castlemartyr, the 1741 Cork v Tipperary game, Moving the Goalposts in the 1920’s and Dick Doocey refereeing a match with a stopped stopwatch!. Nevertheless I can say this book will be a delight for GAA fans young and old. Mike Monaghan from Kildorrery tells how hurling and politics mixed in the 1930’s while Eilis Uí Bhriain has a lovely scéal as Gaeilge about family rivalry before and after Cork hurlers met Waterford in 2004. There are stories from former inter county players and managers about All-Ireland finals and the like but it’s mainly about ‘the plain people of the GAA’clubs struggling to field teams, local characters and points and goals and ‘wides’ that were given and disallowed! Already PJ has commenced collecting more material for ‘GAA Grassroots, Volume 2’. The book is now on sale in bookshops.

SYMPATHY

The Bride Rovers Club extends sincere sympathy to the O’Brien family of Terramount on the death last week of Eddie’s brother Michael, we also send condolences to the Fenton family of Deerpark, Castlelyons on the death of Alma, a native of Ballysaggart in West Waterford.

THANKS

Thanks to our three main club sponsors Rathcormac Tyres, Fermoy Print and Design and Veolia - we deeply appreciate the financial contributions you have made to our club. Also to the many other individuals, families, shops and firms that have helped during the year - your assistance is valued and we look forward to your continued assistance in 2022. Those firms that have taken advertising space in our grounds are all businesses that support us in Bride Rovers so we urge our members to support them.

BRIDE ROVERS CLUB SPONSORS

Rathcormac Tyres, Fermoy Print and Design, Veolia.