Harty Cup Preview: St Flannan's looking to stop Thurles CBS winning run 

Over in Bansha, coming together is a Christians side with very few of their nine lives left and a Nenagh school bidding to reach the last four for the first time in seven years.

HARTY CUP: Mathew Fitzgerald, Castletroy College under pressure from Ian Williams, St Flannan's in the Comhairle Larbhunscoileanna na Mumhan TUS Corn an Artaigh in Meelick

The new school semester is only three days old. But for Harty Cup pupils from four of Munster’s finest hurling nurseries, they’ll find themselves thrown out of their favourite class by final bell this afternoon.

Bansha, Kilmallock, Mallow, and Meelick are the venues for Wednesday's Harty Cup quarter-final ties.

Let’s start with the last of those four for it has the potential to be the pick of the four. Thurles CBS, beaten finalists last year, were untouchable in the group phase. Three wins from three. A +28 score difference.

Five points was as close as any school came of them, and on the afternoon they took Fermoy by 1-15 to 0-13, they were without a host of key players owing to club commitments. Standing across from them in Meelick Wednesday will be St Flannan’s. The Ennis side’s sole blemish this season is to lose their opening outing to another of the Harty favourites, Ardscoil Rís.

Since then, Flannan’s, who have Jamesie O’Connor, Tony Kelly, and Jack Browne on the sideline, have picked off Coláiste Choilm Ballincollig, De La Salle Waterford, and Castletroy. The latter they picked off by an eye-watering 19 points in the preliminary quarter-final.

In short, Flannan’s have grown and gathered momentum since their opening day defeat. Their panel is home to a host of All-Ireland minor winners. There’s James and Fred Hegarty, Jack Mescall, Ronan Kilroy, Harry Doherty and Evan Price. And that’s only scratching the surface.

Thurles’ panel is home to only three starters - Pádraig O’Dwyer, Evan Morris, and Robbie Ryan - from last year’s team to reach the decider. The newcomers have thus far proven themselves. They’ve more proving to do this afternoon.

In Bansha, coming together is a Christians side with very few of their nine lives left and a Nenagh school bidding to reach the last four for the first time in seven years. CBC’s campaign has been one long, entertaining episode of chasing and successful catches at the latest hour possible. They did it against Doon, Rice College Ennis, and St Colman’s Fermoy. And they almost produced similar come-from-behind heroics against Midleton from a position of 12 in arrears.

Diarmuid Wall will throw over frees and threaten green flags. Joe Cronin, Peter Lehane, and Peter O’Shea will chip in too. But for once, the Christians management will be asking, ‘could we not spend the afternoon chasing?’ Can they, for once, dictate?

Nenagh’s unbeaten status gives only half the picture. They were drawn in a three-team group. They come into this quarter-final having played only two games - two less than their opponents - and having not played at all since October. There’s clear disadvantages in all that.

Darragh McCarthy and Danny Quinn are the sharp end of their spear. McCarthy has 1-19 from two outings, Quinn 2-3.

The all-Cork clash at Mallow sees Midleton CBS chasing a sixth Harty semi-final appearance across the last seven editions. CBS Charleville, meanwhile, are enjoying an extended run during their first stint back at the top table in seven years.

Along with Thurles and Ardscoil Rís, Midleton were the other outright favourite to confidently stick out their collective chest during the group phase.

Carthaigh Cronin, Sean O’Callaghan, Daniel Murnane, Cillian O’Callaghan, James O’Brien, Ben Walsh, Colm Leahy, and Patrick Walsh are the students who endured last season’s 16-point semi-final hammering to Thurles. This eight want to at least return to the penultimate post so as to have a shot at seeking redemption.

Charleville will enter with no inhibitions. They dumped out reigning champions Cashel Community School the other side of the Christmas break. They’ll enter seeking another scalp.

Rounding out the quarter-final action is the all-Limerick meeting of Ardscoil Rís and Hospital’s John the Baptist Community School. The latter arrive in Kilmallock off the back of an impressive preliminary quarter-final victory where they put 3-21 on Our Lady's, Templemore. The challenge this afternoon, though, will be on a whole different scale.

All quarter-finals have a 1pm start.

Harty Cup semi-final draw: Nenagh CBS/CBC Cork v Midleton CBS/CBS Charleville; Thurles CBS/St Flannan’s v Ardscoil Rís/JTBCS Hospital