Magpies and Carrig ready to rumble

IT HAS not been hard to detect the sense of feverish anticipation around Midleton and Carrigtwohill this week.

Contesting the semi-finals of the SHC at Páirc Uí Chaoimh tomorrow (4pm) is a milestone for both clubs and to be colliding with your local rivals adds spice.

“The interest in it has been absolutely huge,” admitted Midleton selector Terence McCarthy. “It’s all anybody around here is talking about, really. Two years we played each other in a relegation battle and those two games were fantastic occasions. The venue added to it as it was a real cauldron down in Castlemartyr. But this is far more significant.

“When Carrigtwohill lost that game and left that day, they were not relegated. They had another chance to stay up which they took. This is different as it’s a knockout encounter and we’re both playing for a huge prize, which is to reach a county senior final.”

Both teams are well acquainted with each other and well versed on each other’s capabilities.

“There’s huge familiarity there,” revealed McCarthy.

“A very good example would be Luke O’Farrell’s mother is from Carrigtwohill and his grandfather Johnny would have played for Carrigtwohill. He’d be a first cousin of Seamie and Seanie O’Farrell, who’d be well known players with Carrigtwohill.

“But a lot of the lads would know each other from school as well, having gone to either Midleton CBS or St Colman’s College. They’d have played hurling there together as well with the Midleton CBS team that won the Harty Cup in 2006 having several players from both clubs involved.”

There has been suggestions that this match would have drawn a bigger crowd by being fixed for an East Cork venue but McCarthy can understand the reasoning in playing it in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

“Certainly it was a fantastic occasion in Castlemartyr two years ago. It’d be nice for a place like that or Killeagh to have a game like that as it’d draw a massive crowd. But for both sets of players, you’d want to be playing in a big stadium on a good pitch. Distance isn’t going to be an issue for either club, you’ll get a great atmosphere at this game and it’ll draw a very good crowd.”