Four teams are left in the running for the Junior Championship and that will be reduce to just two come Sunday evening.
An Port Mor v Middletown – Sat 4 Oct – 4pm – BOX-IT Athletic Grounds
These two sides clashed at the exact same juncture last season and played out a titanic tussle. In the end, it was An Port Mor who got over the line but it took all of extra time to separate the two teams.
Marty Maguire put in a heroic display around the middle of the field for the men in black and white. Unfortunately for Middletown, they are currently operating without him but they’ve done enough to reach the last four.
Fionnan O’Braonain has been the leading man for Middletown in terms of the Junior Championship hot shots list. He is the third highest scorer in the competition and has recorded 3-23.
Division 3A league champions An Port Mor have won all four of their championship outings to date. Their quarter-final against Ballyhegan went right down to the wire but An Port Mor just did enough to get through.
Ryan Gorman, last year’s Junior Championship top scorer, is second on the leader board this season. He has nailed 2-28 to date and his accuracy in front of the posts, mostly from the dead ball, is crucial for his side.
Clonmore v Thomas Davis – Sun 5 Oct – 3pm – BOX-IT Athletic Grounds
This time two years ago, these two teams competed in the semi-finals of the Junior Championship. Neither side lined out on county final day however, with Clonmore falling to Ballyhegan and Thomas Davis losing out to eventual winners Clann Eireann IIs.
Two years on and it’s guaranteed that one of the clubs will appear in the decider. Clonmore have been one of the frontrunners for the Sean Quinn Cup before the championship even got up and running.
They were really impressive during the group stages, hammering Clady, Killean and St Peter’s IIs. St Michael’s offered stiffer opposition in the quarter-final, but Clonmore got over the line with three to spare.
Thomas Davis are perhaps the surprise package of the final four but they are in the semi-finals on merit. They lost their last group game to Cross IIs but outside of that, have won four championship games.
They needed a last minute score from star man Adam Loughran to overcome Redmond O’Hanlon’s the last day out. They will look to the likes of Loughran, Jordan King and David Murphy to really carry the fight on Sunday.