Old rivals set to turn on the style for a worthy cause
Mossie Whelan, who was a regular on the Waterford senior hurling team between 1971 and 1982, has been struck down by the motor neuron disease, and club colleagues and friends have come together to raise funds to meet the costly medical expenses his illness is incurring.
In a glittering career Mossie won five Waterford senior hurling championships in the blue and gold of his beloved Portlaw. He won an incredible 12 league (Sargent Cup) medals, earned Railway Cup recognition with Munster, and was an All-Star replacement in 1978.
Although the major honours eluded him in his intercounty career, he still rates as one of the finest exponents of the game the Decies has thrown up in a generation. A member of a renowned hurling family, his three brothers, Jackie, Frankie, and Peter, also played regularly for club and county for many years.
Mossie, 56 and the father of four children, has had his life tragically turned upside down. However, friends are rallying to the cause, and with both Waterford and Kilkenny committed to fielding as near to full strength teams as possible on Sunday evening, the fund is expected to benefit substantially.
For Waterford it will be a final outing before their June 4 Munster championship semi-final against Limerick or Tipperary. With John Mullane and Ken McGrath injured, and Eoin Kelly serving a 12-week ban, Sunday’s game may give an inkling as to how Justin McCarthy replace the All-Star trio.
On the domestic front two hugely attractive games are down for decision tomorrow evening in the county senior hurling championship.
Pride of place unquestionably goes to the Cappoquin local derby between neighbours Lismore and Tallow, whose rivalry over the years has always been intense.
Dungarvan’s Fraher Field also hosts a game of significant appeal, with Mount Sion taking on an Ardmore outfit that has made spectacular progress since winning promotion from intermediate ranks just a few short years ago.
Lismore against Tallow is the ‘big one’ and should attract a bumper attendance to Cappoquin. Lismore made a flying start to the campaign last weekend when scoring a six-point victory over Abbeyside, and another win would all but guarantee them their place in the quarter-final stage of the title race.
They came through the Abbeyside game physically unscathed, and with Dan Shanahan, Dave and Eoin Bennett, Sean Daly, William Cunningham, James O’Connor, Brendan Landers, David O’Gorman, John Heneghan, and Michael O’Sullivan leading the charge, they’ll be extremely difficult to beat.
For Tallow this game marks their championship debut, but rest assured they’ll have prepared well for it. James Murray will be their ace in defence and in Paul and Aidan Kearney they have other very fine hurling talents.
While Lismore are justifiably favourites, they’ll have to work hard to justify the tag.
Mount Sion go into their game against Ardmore without two of their most influential and experienced players, the injured Ken McGrath and the suspended Eoin Kelly. There’s still a fair reservoir of talent to call on, but the absent duo unquestionably make ’Sion less formidable.
Ardmore have no such problems and will look to their trio of county men, Seamas and Declan Prendergast, and goalkeeper Clinton Hennessy, to provide inspiration. They ran Mount Sion to a point in the championship two years ago in a game they definitely should have won, and with no Kelly or McGrath to contend with this time they’ll quietly fancy their chances.
It should be lively and entertaining with not too many scores separating them at hour’s end. The vote goes to Mount Sion — but without real conviction.
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