Clare players in the hunt for Harty Cup glory

While there isn’t a Clare school involved, there is still huge Clare interest in the Dr Harty Cup, Munster Colleges Senior A hurling final, at Nenagh this Sunday.
Five Clare players are members of the Ard Scoil Rís panel as the Limerick school contest the final for the first time. They take on champions Thurles CBS in what promises to be a lively contest.
In addition to the five players, Ard Scoil have Clonlara’s Jimmy Browne as one of their backroom team, which is headed up by manager Derek Larkin.
The Limerick side is unbeaten in this year’s championship. They started the campaign with a draw against Midleton CBS and followed up with wins over St Colman’s and Cashel to take top spot.
In the quarter-final they had to work hard for a four-point win over Our Lady’s Templemore before reversing last year’s semi-final result when accounting for St Caimin’s from Shannon at Meelick. In this game, Clare’s Cathal McInerney, joint captain of the side with Seán O’Brien, and Parteen’s Martin Moroney, excelled in defence while Sixmilebridge’s Jamie Shanahan came into the attack during the second half. Seán O’Connor from Meelick and Shane Crehan from O’Callaghan’s Mills are also part of the Ard Scoil Rís panel.
Speaking after their semi-final success, manager Larkin agreed that his charges face a big test in the final.
“Thurles are the All-Ireland champions and it will be a different challenge. Tipperary hurling is on a high at the moment. We are in our first final but we will give it a fair lash,” he promised.
The title holders had to pull out all the stops to get past St Flannan’s in a cracking quarter-final played in Claughaun. They scored 17 points to win by one against a St Flannan’s outfit that shot 15 wides. One of the champions’ top scorers  on the day was free-taker Aidan McCormack, who will miss Sunday’s final, having been sent off in their semi-final win over Nenagh CBS.
This fixture certainly has the ingredients of a thrilling contest and while Thurles will carry the favourites’ tag, Ard Scoil Rís have a panel capable of making history and bringing this title to their school for the first time.
Should this happen, it would complete a memorable 12 months for skipper McInerney, who was outstanding in Cratloe’s successes in football and hurling in 2009.