Mayo Under 15 hurlers reach Hibernia Cup finals weekend
The GAA’s new national Under 15 Hibernia Cup hurling tournament is highly regarded and this coming weekend Mayo will have a team heading to the national finals for the first time ever.
Last April, Mayo GAA games promotion officer Adrian Hession set the bar high when the current crop of young Mayo hurlers assembled at the Ballyvary Community Pitch, just outside of Castlebar. Hession is well aware of the growing interest in the small ball game in the county with over 60 national schools now availing of his expert hurling coaching during the school year. Twenty-five hurlers were expected to gather that spring evening but when over 40 togged, Hession knew the tide was turning.
Five months on and that panel of enthusiastic young Mayo hurlers is now heading to the Hibernia Cup national finals for the first time ever this coming weekend.
Mayo have reached the latter stages of the competition undefeated after five outstanding wins in the group stages. The quality in this Mayo side was further embellished with stellar performances in two challenge matches against development squads from both Galway and Offaly in preparation for the national finals.
Backboned by players from Claremorris and Castlebar Mitchels, the team also features rising hurling stars from Westport, Caiseal Gaels, Ballina Stephenites, Tooreen and Ballyhaunis.
It is expected that Mayo will face Donegal, Armagh and Longford at the national finals this coming weekend, with two semi-finals and the final taking place on Saturday (August 27). The winners of the Hibernia Cup final will be presented with the Peter O’Keefe Cup. O’Keefe was a tireless promoter of underage hurling in Donegal and Ulster.
The Mayo team is managed by Adrian Hession, Sean Heneghan, Piaras Ó Raghallaigh, Richie Crinnigan, Michael Bolger and Lucian Brooks. The team is jointly captained by Niall Peoples from Ballina Stephenites and Matthew Delaney from Tooreen. The venue for the national finals will be confirmed by Croke Park this coming week, with the Donegal Centre of Excellence in Convoy likely to host the games.