Ballymacarbry and Comeragh Rangers meet in Senior County Final

Following the county’s impressive win in the All Ireland Intermediate semi final on Saturday last, the attention returns to the club scene when the County Senior final and Junior finals take place on Saturday next 5th September in Fraher Field. First up will be the junior final which will involve Comeragh Rangers and Na Deise. This will be the curtain raiser to the main event when champion Ballymacarbry will do battle with Comeragh Rangers in a repeat of last year’s final. This game, being played for the Edith Kennedy Cup promises to be a thriller and if the game produces half the excitement of last year’s final the crowd will be in for something special.

Perennial champions Ballymacarbry now bidding for their 34^th title in a row will be looking to extend their amazing run for yet another year. Comeragh Rangers certainly give the champions a major fright last year before going down by six points 2-14 to 2-8 and will be well prepared and have another season’s experience under their belts. Both teams have many players who have inter- county experience at the highest level. The Ballymac team contains many well known names who have performed for the county including the Ryan sisters, Michelle Louise and Sinead, the Walls, Linda, Mairead and Aileen, the McGraths, Michelle and Karen as well as Tipperary inter county players Lauren Fitzpatrick, Treasa McGrath and Shauna Ryan. There is a nice mix of experience and youth in the Ballymac team with Lauren Guiry, Becky Desmond and Becky Hogan all ready to play their part for the girls from the Nire Valley.

Comeragh come into the final on the back of a good win against Stradbally and have many stars of their own. The Murray triplets have made their county intermediate debuts this season with tremendous success. The team is backboned by the four Dunphy’s Nora, Anne, Ciara and Shauna and well backed up by Kate and Aisling Hahessey. Geraldine, Mairead and Eibhlin Power bring a wealth of underage experience to the table as does Aoife Dunne. Comeragh are led by their captain and goalie Marian Hogan who will be anxious to make sure that the cup crosses the Comeragh’s for the first time. Both management teams are very astute, Joe Murray, Stephen Fitzgerald and Kevin Power are on the Comeragh bench while Ballymac’s management team of Mike Guiry, Catherine Ryan and Gerry McGrath will be doing their best to keep the title in Ballymac for another year.

It will be a close one to call, going on last year’s enthralling game and the match ups between the various inter-county players will be worth the entrance fee alone.