IN 2020 we had the inaugural year of the Bons Secours Senior A Football Championship. The old adage ‘you have to lose one to win one’ seems to ring true in this highly-competitive second tier competition.
In 2020 Éire Óg defeated Mallow to reach the top grade. In 2021 Mallow fought their way back to the final to get the better of St Michaels. In 2022 the Blackrock club followed the pattern to overpower John Fintan Daly’s Knocknagree. See the pattern?
Powered by Cork footballers Daniel O’Mahony, Eoghan McSweeney and Patrick Doyle, it will be interesting to see if the Duhallow club can continue the trend? Or can the quartet of West Cork clubs return to the top table?
Last year Bandon lost out to Newmarket in the relegation play-off and will ply their trade at premier intermediate level this year while Newcestown fell at the hands of Éire Óg from the top grade to keep the number of West Cork clubs in the Senior A grade at four.
The draw for the 2023 Senior A followed much the same pattern as the premier senior draw with three of the four clubs in Group C together, forming another ‘West Cork Group of Death’. Newcestown, as top seeds, are joined by Dohenys and Ilen Rovers with Bishopstown offering a city twist.
O’Donovan Rossa, who were defeated at the semi-final stage of last year's competition by eventual winners St Michael’s, have found themselves in a really difficult group with last year's runners-up Knocknagree and premier intermediate champions Kanturk. Fermoy occupy the fourth spot in Group A.
Newcestown will be seething having lost their premier senior status last year. They found themselves in a very challenging group with Castlehaven, eventual champions Nemo Rangers and 2021 finalists Clonakilty. Their draw with Clonakilty in the final group game in Bandon at one stage looked to be enough to keep them out of the relegation play-off but permutations in other groups went against them. They have rebounded to an extent this season, showing good league form in Division 2 where they won six out of nine games to reach the final and gain promotion back to Division 1. The next six weeks will be hectic for them as they battle on both the football and hurling fronts with more or less the same players. If they can keep their key players fit they will have a big say in the overall outcome of this championship.
Their adversaries in round one, the Dohenys, have also been showing form and signs of progress albeit at a division lower in the league. They won seven out of their nine games to gain promotion and reach the final where they defeated last year’s finalists at this grade, Knocknagree, after extra time. Sean Daly, Eoin Lavers, Fionn Herlihy and Mark Buckley backbone a young Dohenys outfit with the question being will they be able to match Newcestown’s physicality and experience of playing at a higher level?
Ilen Rovers are the third West Cork team in this group and the downward spiral seems to be continuing for the Baltimore/Church Cross outfit having been relegated to Division 4 of the county league already this season after winning just two games. However, one of those two wins happened to come against eventual league winners Dohenys which will give them hope. They will play Bishopstown in their Group 1 opener, and they lost out on a Division 3 league final spot on score difference. The meeting of Newcestown and Dohenys in round one on Saturday evening will decide who occupies the first and second spots in this group. Ilen Rovers' game with Bishopstown could be season-defining for them; a victory could be the spark they need.
O’Donovan Rossa were well over the Dohenys in their quarter-final meeting last year but will have been disappointed with their showing in the semi-final where they were outclassed by St Michael’s. They finished fifth in Division 2 of the county league, defeating Newcestown away along the way this year. They play Knocknagree in their opening game this Saturday afternoon, and that will go a long way towards showing us if they have made the necessary improvements to go a step further this year. Kevin Davis top scored with 0-31 in the championship last season and his fitness along with that of Donal Óg Hodnett, David Shannon and Paudie Crowley will be key but they need their young guns to take the next step. My gut is telling me Knocknagree and Kanturk will take the top two spots in Group A.
Group B is North Cork-dominated with Clyda Rovers as top seeds joined by Mid Cork club Ballingeary, Newmarket and Kiskeam. Kiskeam were relegated from Division 1 this year while Newmarket avoided championship relegation in the final game last year. Clyda, inspired by a now fully-fit Conor Corbett, along with Kiskeam will come through here. So, a feast of football to come this weekend with the picks from the bunch being Newcestown v Dohenys, Nemo Rangers v Ballincollig and Castlehaven v Carbery Rangers.
The opening round of games in the 2023 Bon Secours Senior A FC is: FRIDAY, JULY 28TH – 8pm, Kanturk v Fermoy in Killavullen.
SATURDAY, JULY 29TH – 3pm, Knocknagree v O'Donovan Rossa in Macroom; 5pm, Newcestown v Dohenys in Rossmore; 7pm, Clyda Rovers v Béal Ath an Ghaorthaidh in Coachford; 7pm, Newmarket v Kiskeam in Kanturk.
SUNDAY, JULY 30TH – 7.30pm, Bishopstown v Ilen Rovers in Clonakilty.
