Cashel looking to make up for lost time in Harty last-four clash

The Tipperary side will bridge a 21-year gap to their last Harty semi-final

SCALP: Cashel Community School's players in celebration after defeating CBC Cork in the Harty Cup played in Ballyagran, Limerick. Pic: Brian Arthur

It’s been a busy week of Munster semi-final action for the high achievers at Cashel Community School.

On Tuesday, the school’s camogie team overcame Coachford College, after extra-time, to keep alive their bid for back-to-back Munster Senior A titles.

On Thursday, it was the turn of the school’s ladies footballers. Having lost last year’s decider to Midleton, they too were chasing back-to-back Munster Senior A final appearances. Alas, it was not to be, John the Baptist Community School Hospital edging their semi-final clash.

Early on Saturday afternoon at Kilmallock, it is the school’s Harty hurlers who will step up to the semi-final plate.

Unlike their camogie and ladies football classmates, the hurlers are not chasing a second successive final appearance. What they are chasing is a historic first Harty Cup final involvement.

Indeed, Cashel's infrequency at this stage of Munster’s premier schools hurling competition is captured in the fact that Saturday’s game against Ardscoil Rís (Kilmallock, 12.30pm) is only the school’s second-ever Harty semi-final appearance. The first was back in 2002 when they fell to St Colman’s Fermoy.

“We have a very big and talented group of sixth year students this year,” said Cashel’s Harty manager Brendan Ryan of the three teams reaching the last four of their respective competitions.

That Cashel CS are bridging a 21-year gap to their last Harty semi-final makes them the outlier of the penultimate round quartet. Far from the poor relation, they are instead the relation that hasn’t been seen around these parts in over two decades.

Cashel’s semi-final opponents, who happen to be the reigning All-Ireland champions and have a handful of survivors from that All-Ireland winning side, are appearing in a 10th semi-final in 13 seasons. Six of those 10 semi-finals went Ardscoil’s way.

In Saturday’s other last four clash, you have Midleton appearing in a fifth semi-final in six seasons. Thurles CBS, meanwhile, are back within an hour of the final for a third time across the last four runnings of the Harty.

While Ardscoil Rís, Midleton, and Thurles CBS were busy racking up semi-final and final appearances across the last decade, Cashel were slowly building a culture in the B grade.

In 2018, they lost to Mitchelstown CBS in the decider. In 2019, they came a cropper at the semi-final juncture. 2020 was the year they got over the line, and they had gone on to qualify for the All-Ireland Senior B final only for Covid to hit.

Last season was Cashel's first back at the top table in quite some time. It was a learning experience more than anything else, even if they did make the last eight.

“The feeder clubs have given us great support the last five, six years. It has benefited both the school and the clubs,” said Ryan.

“The buzz that Harty brings on match week and match days has been incredible. You just don’t get that at the B level. There is a big awareness of it around the school. In fairness to the lads, they have risen to the challenge as best they can.”