BY GER McCARTHY
THE draws for the Schoolgirls Cup competitions has provided some explosive match-ups across the region’s U12, U13, U14 and U16 age-grades.
Dunmanway Town and Beara United kicked off the WCSSL U12 Schoolgirls Cup competition at Dunmanway rugby club’s grounds last weekend. A preliminary round tie ended 4-2 to Dunmanway and secured the winners a home quarter-final tie against Sullane. The U12 Schoolgirls Championship League club’s scorers were Emily Hayes (2), Amelie McCarthy and Lucy McCarthy. Emily Hayes, Faye Barry and Ruby White were the pick of Dunmanway’s best performers.
The remainder of the U12 Schoolgirls Cup competition will see Drinagh Rangers and Bay Rovers meet in a preliminary round clash at Canon Crowley Park. Whoever emerges from that will travel to Clonakilty AFC in the last eight. Lyre Rovers take on Castlelack and Inter Clonakilty host Riverside Athletic in the remaining U12 Schoolgirls Cup quarter-finals.
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The U13 Schoolgirls Cup semi-finals sees Riverside Athletic hosting Castlelack and Dunmanway Town welcoming Beara United. Annabella McCarthy, Amelia Horgan, Mia Horgan, Katelyn Buttimer and Madeline Forbes will be hoping to inspire Riverside to victory and a U13 Schoolgirls Cup final appearance. The same is true of Castlelack’s Elka Heaney, Ella O’Leary, Lily Mae Keohane and Sophia Buckley.
Dunmanway Town will begin their last four clash at home to Beara as favourites having already claimed the U13 Premier League trophy. Expect Kiera Kelly, Lucy McCarthy, Theresa Crowley, Saoirse Duggan and Cadhla McCarthy to feature for an in-form Town. Keelin O’Sullivan, Dina Eshetu Demisie, Nancy Sheehan and Feile O’Sullivan will be hoping to help Beara United cause an upset.
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Sullane and Clonakilty AFC will get things up and running in this year’s U14 Schoolgirls Cup. A preliminary round tie in Ballyvourney will decide who gets to host Lyre Rovers in the semi-finals. U14 Schoolgirls Premier champions Drinagh Rangers take on Bay Rovers in the other last four encounter.
There is a plethora of attacking players taking part in this season’s prestigious knockout cup competition. Expect Nell Kinsella (Drinagh), Aisling Kelleher (Sullane), Michaela O’Sullivan (Bay), Grace Forristal (Clonakilty AFC) and Katelyn Ponton (Lyre) to test their opposing defences.
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Drinagh Rangers will begin their quest for an U16 Schoolgirls Premier League and Cup double at home to Bay Rovers in the cup semi-finals at Canon Crowley Park.
Castlelack and Skibbereen meet in a preliminary tie, the outcome of which will decide who travels to Lyre Rovers in the penultimate round. Unsurprisingly, Rangers will be favourites to pick up their second trophy of the campaign thanks to Carmel Coakley, Katie Collins, Áine Collins, Muireann Campbell and Rosie O’Donovan’s combined scoring threat.
