Frewen Cup U/16 ½ A Football Final – P.S. Chorca Dhuibhne 0-8 Clonmel CBS 0-7

Corca Dhuibhne hold on and close in on clean sweep

Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne 0-8 CBS Clonmel (Tipperary) 0-7

By Kieran McCarthy for the Irish Examiner newspaper

Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne moved one step closer to an unprecedented clean sweep of Munster and Kerry colleges’ football titles yesterday. The West Kerry school added the Frewen Cup (Munster colleges U16½ A FC) to the four other titles already won this season after surviving a late CBS Clonmel fight-back in yesterday’s final in Mallow. With Tom Ó Suilleabháin and Cathal Ó Bambaire providing the spark up front, Barra Ó Suilleabháin a strong presence in midfield and Maitiú Ó Flatharta commanding an impressive reargued display, Corca Dhuibhne had the edge on the Tipperary school, who relied heavily on Waterford minor Conor Gleeson in attack.

After a four-point scoring burst in seven second-half minutes pushed Corca Dhuibhne 0-8 to 0-4 clear midway through the half, the impressive Gleeson kicked the last three scores of the game to set-up a grandstand finish. Corca Dhuibhne manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice admitted: “Clonmel really put it up to us. We just barely hung on in the end. If there was another minute or two in the end they would definitely have got level. They were totally in the ascendancy.”

With this Corca Dhuibhne team completing their own double, adding the Frewen Cup to the Dunloe Cup won in Kerry, as well as the senior side winning both the Corn Uí Mhuirí (Munster) and O’Sullivan Cup (Kerry), the school (U15½ team) has also won the Moran Cup (Munster) and are in a replay of the Russell Cup (Kerry) where they play Tarbert Comprehensive. It’s a staggering haul of silverware with Fitzmaurice explained: “We know there is a great crop of players there. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing really, when a group like this comes along you have to make the most of it. It’s been a fantastic season.”

But Corca Dhuibhne were made work very hard for their first Frewen Cup title since 1936. Despite playing against the wind in the first half, the Kerry school moved 0-3 to 0-1 clear after 20 minutes following a pair of Seamus Ó Muircheartaigh frees and a Cathal Ó Bambaire effort but Clonmel had pulled level by the break (0-3 apiece) thanks to late points from Gleeson and Gearóid Aherne. After swapping early second half points, Corca Dhuibhne — who had 10 of the panel who won this season’s Corn Uí Mhuirí — surged four points clear (0-8 to 0-4) through Tom Ó Suilleabháin (2), Tomás Ó Sé and Cathal Ó Bambaire. A heavy hailstone shower announced the start of Clonmel’s comeback but as well as missing the suspended Ian Fahey they left it too late, as Corca Dhuibhne held on to keep their grand slam dreams alive, with the Munster treble already in the bag.

Scorers for Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne: T Ó Suilleabháin, C Ó Bambaire, S Ó Muircheartaigh (2fs) 0-2 each, T Ó Sé, B Ó Suilleabháin 0-1 each.

Scorers for CBS Clonmel: C Gleeson (3fs) 0-6, G Aherne 0-1.

POBALSCOIL CHORCA DHUIBHNE: L de Bhaulís; B Ó Beaglaoich, C Ó Suilleabháin, C Ó Murchú; C Ó Gairbhia, M Ó Flathartha, M Ó Conchúir; B Ó Suilleabháin, Colm Ó Beaglaoich; B Ó Raoill, T Ó Sé, Caoihghin Ó Beaglaoich; T Ó Suilleabháin, C Ó Bambaire, S Ó Muircheartaigh.

Subs: S Ó Bambaire for S Ó Muircheartaigh (45), S Ó Muircheartaigh for C Ó Gairbhia (55).

CBS CLONMEL: J McDonald; R Lyons, T Cooney, R Dennehy; P Maher, S Nagle, K Guiry; D Ryan, L Boland; R Gunne, S Lonergan, P White; G Aherne, C Gleeson, R Peters.

Sub: S Kelly for R Lyons (42).

Referee: Conor Lane (Cork)