Fr O’Neills praying to go all the way

THE littler All-Ireland, you could call it. The Cork county junior hurling title is widely regarded as one of the toughest GAA championships to win, and they know all about that around Ladysbridge and Ballymacoda in east Cork.

Local club Fr O’Neills have come close to the title twice in recent years. They were edged out by Argideen Rangers in the 1996 decider, while Ballinhassig pipped them in 2002. Another club would see heads drop. Not Fr O’Neills.

“You always live in hope,” says club chairman Tom Wall. “We decided to build a new team. We lost six or seven players in the last couple of years - some retired, they’d held on as long as they could, but they had to go - while others have emigrated.”