Extra pressure on Castletroy to deliver

Casteltroy go into today’s AIG Junior Cup semi-finals at Carton House knowing there is extra pressure to succeed for the first time since 1972.

Watching the Limerick men and Munster champions in the five singles matches against Connacht pennant winners Athenry on the O’Meara course this morning will be GUI president and Castletroy clubman Liam Martin.

“With Liam serving as GUI president this year, the lads know there’s a weight on their shoulders,” Castletroy general manager Louis Keegan said. “It would be a fabulous year to win it and crown the year.”

Martin, who touched down from Japan and the World Amateur Team Championships only yesterday has told the Irish Examiner he will be a neutral observer as proceedings get under way at Carton for the 2014 AIG Cups and Shields national finals but Keegan joked: “He may be wearing a club jersey under that GUI blazer.”

Castletroy won the Barton Shield in 1984 and the Senior Cup in 1993 but missed out on breaking their Junior Cup barren spell two years ago in Kinsale when they lost their semi-final to Ulster champions Donaghadee.

Two players from that panel remain, one, Colm Geary, in the line-up for today’s five semi-final matches against Athenry, seeking a Barton-Junior Cup double this year in Maynooth.

“We could go with expectation but ,look, it’s a team of five, it’s on the day,” Keegan said. “The lads have been working hard and putting the hours in and doing their practice so there’s always hope. We’re not over-confident but they’ve a good manager, Johnny McDonnell, who’s put a lot of work in with the team, and they’ll have good support as a lot of people are pooling cars.”

Keegan also sees a Castletroy team with plenty of resolve.

“It was quite a difficult campaign to get out of Munster. We had to beat Adare Manor, Charleville and then Nenagh to get to the area final, where we beat East Clare for the North Munster. The Munster semi-final was a very tough match against Muskerry and then we beat West Waterford in the final. It was hard graft all the way for them but it always is in Junior Cup.”

AIG Junior Cup: Castle v Warrenpoint (11.10am); Castletroy v Athenry (12pm)

Thursday: AIG Junior Cup Final (10.20am).