Midleton set sights on further success

The hurlers of Midleton CBS bid to continue an excellent few weeks for the East Cork school when they take on Coláiste Eoin Stillorgan in today’s All-Ireland post-primary SHC quarter-final (Nowlan Park, 2pm).

Having ended the school’s 13-year wait for Harty Cup honours in the middle of last month, Midleton CBS completed a unique double on Monday when capturing the Munster Schools’ (football) Senior Cup following a 1-0 extra-time victory over Presentation Brothers College, Cork.

Joe Stack, who supplied the game-changing goal in the Harty decider, was midfield on Monday and so pocketed his second Munster medal of the spring, while Arthur Nganou, a used sub in the hurling final, was between the sticks for the school’s footballers.

Midleton CBS wound up in the All-Ireland quarter-final as Munster runners-up last year, coming off second best to Kilkenny CBS on a scoreline of 0-16 to 2-9.

Dylan Hogan, Stack, Darragh Moran, and Cathal Hickey started that quarter-final reversal, while Kian Farmer, Ross O’Regan, and Jason Hankard were introduced as subs; these seven will be crucial to Midleton’s bid to go at least one step further on this occasion.

Not since St Colman’s Fermoy in 2003 has a Cork school reached the All-Ireland (Croke Cup) final.

Meanwhile, Christian Brothers College’s Croke Cup semi-final against Leinster champions St Kieran’s College, Kilkenny, fixed for Monday, March 18, is likely to be put back until Wednesday, March 20, as three members of the St Kieran’s team — Dean Mason, Eoin Cody and Darragh Corcoran — are involved with the Ballyhale Shamrocks panel who are on All-Ireland club final duty on Sunday, March 17.

Mason is between the sticks for both St Kieran’s and Ballyhale, while Cody, a sixth-year student at the Kilkenny college, top-scored with 1-4 from play on the afternoon of Ballyhale’s All-Ireland semi-final win over Ballygunner.

The Croke Cup final is pencilled in for Saturday, March 30. Elsewhere, the club transfer of 2017 ladies footballer of the year Noelle Healy from Castleknock side St Brigid’s to All-Ireland champions Mourneabbey was narrowly approved at Monday night’s meeting of the Cork ladies football board.

An anaesthetist by trade, Dublin ladies footballer Healy has relocated to Cork for work and sought to throw her lot in with Mourneabbey. The transfer wasn’t straightforward, however, as it was queried at Monday’s meeting whether the four-time All-Star is actually living in Mourneabbey and was, therefore, eligible to line out for the club. Her transfer was put to a vote and narrowly passed with 23 in favour to 18 against.

The addition of Healy significantly bolsters Mournabbey’s chances of retaining their Cork, Munster and All-Ireland crowns. Mourneabbey avenged three previous final defeats when overcoming Foxrock-Cabinteely in December’s All-Ireland club final. They are chasing a sixth consecutive Cork and Munster title in 2019.