Masita All-Ireland Post Primary Schools’ Paddy Buggy Cup final: Saturday, 2pm in Inniskeen
St Patrick’s, Maghera v Coláiste Choilm, Tullamore
A dozen years ago St Patrick’s, Maghera broke the mould as Mageean Cup champions going on to win an All-Ireland title by beating Bagnalstown from Carlow to collect the O’Keefe Cup.
That was the first Ulster side in 35 years to win the title and it started a run of successes for Ulster schools with Cross and Passion Ballycastle (2), Maghera and St Mary’s, Belfast all stepping up for more titles before the competition was re-vamped in 2014 as the Paddy Buggy Cup.
The Mageean Cup champions have reached all the deciders since, but only Ballycastle in 2015 have collected the Cup.
Maghera’s 2-15 to 1-9 win over CBS Mitchelstown at the start of March suggests that the Derry school could again break the losing sequence.
However opponents and Leinster champions Coláiste Choilm, Tullamore are coming through as a result of considerable underage success for the clubs in the school’s catchment area.
Ciarán Burke, Jack O’Brien, Ross Ravenhill, Kevin McDermott, Brian Duignan and Billy Fogarty are back to back Minor A winners with Ballinamere-Durrow in 2016 and 2017, while Conor Brophill, Seán Beatty and Cathal Brady were part of Na Fianna’s Minor A winning side of 2015.
Since the start of the year Tullamore have defeated Coláiste Mhuire, Johnstown and St Mary’s CBS Enniscorthy in the Leinster knock-out stages before in the final taking on Coláiste Eóin, a Dublin school that has competed at A grade in recent years.
The Tullamore school however held them scoreless for the last 20 minutes, coming from four points down to win by four with a key goal from Mark Dillon.
They then defeated Portumna Community School in the All-Ireland semi-final, by 1-10 to 1-9, with a pressure 65 from Brian Duignan in injury-time. Duignan incidentally is the son of former Offaly All-Ireland medallist Michael, who helps train the team.
Maghera impressed in the Mageean Cup but needed to step up a level against Mitcheltown, four months after their last competitive game. The dismissal of one of the Cork players midway through the first half helped, but there was still a lot of good hurling done with Richie Mullan, Fionntan Bradley and Tiernan McHugh causing plenty of problems up front.
The Maghera management toyed with the idea of playing Richie Mullan at half-back in the Mageean quarter and semi-final before placing Niall McNicholl, Tiarnan Walsh and captain Feaerghal Ó Caiside along the half-back line behind the Quinn brothers at midfield and this seems to have provided the engine-room for the team’s success.
It is difficult gauging the strength of the respective sides, but a Portumna supporter who watched the Maghera semi-final, felt that the Connacht champions would have fancied their chances in the final.
Unfortunately the westerners lost out in a tight finish to Tullamore. Does that mean that the Leinster champions are favourites?
Maghera manager Paul Hughes has been working on the assumption that his side needed to show improvement on the semi-final whatever the opposition.
If they manage that, they shouldn’t be too far off becoming only the second Ulster winner of this Buggy Cup – but it could well be a very tight finish.
In the All-Ireland PPS A SH final St Kieran's, Kilkenny face Presentation College, Athenry.
