Holland aiming to fulfil dream in unlikely final

AT the beginning of the year Bride Rovers and Inniscarra would have been on few people’s lists to reach the Permanent tsb Cork IHC final.

Even the opening rounds of the championship gave little indication they would make its through, but through sheer grit and determination both clubs re-affirmed this grade is almost impossible to predict.

For Daire Holland it's a second chance to play in the county senior hurling championship before finally hanging up his boots. He and current goalkeeper Kevin Murphy are the sole survivors from the 1991 final when Tracton crushed the title aspirations of Inniscarra.

Of Blackrock stock - his father Jack hurled with the Rockies in the 1960s victory in the final would give Daire his cherished wish. It's hard to believe that Inniscarra have never won the intermediate title. They have been playing in the grade since 1976 after winning the junior title the previous year.

"The intermediate grade has become so competitive over the years that any one of a dozen teams can win it", said Daire: "You would have got fair odds at the start of the season on both ourselves and Bride Rovers making it to the final.

"It would be fair to say that we rode our luck in some of the earlier rounds, but there is a tremendous belief among the lads that this is our year."

In the not too distant past, Mid-Cork had six clubs competing in the intermediate grade with little success and there was a view that some of them should re-grade back to junior ranks.

Cloughduv eventually did but Inniscarra hung in there and through sheer hard work at under age level, are now just an hour away from senior ranks.

"If we had decided to go back, there is no knowing where we'd be today. I firmly believe that club success goes in cycles and if you have the patience and continue to work at it, your turn will come.

"Kilbrittain gave us a right trimming in the first round in 2000, but we regrouped and eventually went out at the quarter-final stage to Mallow by a late goal.

"The same year we were beaten in the county minor premier hurling final by Erins Own and out of that team, Pat Burke, Diarmuid O'Riordan and John Cleary are now playing with the intermediates.

"We have a team of youth and experience which firmly believes it can win on Sunday. We set out at the start of the year to take it one game at a time as this particular championship is something of a minefield.

"On the Wednesday before the All-Ireland hurling final we played Bride Rovers in a challenge game never dreaming that we would go on to meet in the championship final, but will could for nothing on Sunday.

"They are a very good side, and have been far more impressive in reaching the final than we have. However it will all come down to who plays best on the day.

"There is a huge buzz in the parish about Sunday. Hurling has always been played here, but football is not neglected. We enjoyed a good run in this year's divisional championship which has helped the hurlers.

"Once you are winning it complements both codes and gives everybody in the club a lift. We know we have to play well on Sunday if we are to win our first title. It's hard to believe that senior status is just an hour away now".

For Daire, Sunday represents possibly his last chance of a county hurling championship medal.

He has been part of the Inniscarra set up for longer than he cares to remember, but a win could persuade him to stay on, particularly if there was a chance of playing against his dad's club in the 2004 senior championship.