Old rivals spark fond memories

Tonight’s SHC fourth round clash between Midleton and St Finbarr’s in Páirc Uí Rinn (7.45pm) is just the clubs’ second meeting since 2005, but for older spectators it is sure to recall memories of an epic rivalry in the 1980s.

Midleton won the county IHC in 1978 and, seeking to break the triopoly of Blackrock, Glen Rovers and St Finbarr’s, lost at the semi-final stage to the Barrs in each of the next four years.

When they made it to the ’83 final, the Togher outfit were again the opposition but the Magpies finally broke through the glass ceiling. Former Cork captain Ger Fitzgerald, who had just broken onto the Midleton team, recalls how much of a psychological barrier it had been. “It was a big thing really for Midleton to get over the Barrs,” he says.