BANTRY Basketball Club had plenty to celebrate following a fantastic day at the Inter Area Tournament in the University of Limerick, with 13 players and four coaches proudly representing Cork across U14 and U17 teams.
The Cork U14 girls’ team delivered an outstanding performance, winning all three of their pool games before sealing the title with a dominant victory over Kerry in the final. Bantry was superbly represented by Emily Conlon (team captain), Emily O’Neill, Kacey Cotter, Kate O’Sullivan, and Katie Cronin, all of whom played key roles in the team's success. A special mention goes to Aoife Crowne, who served as assistant coach and helped steer the team to an unbeaten campaign.
The success continued with the U17 girls, who also topped their group before going on to defeat North Munster in a composed and confident final display. Bantry’s Abbie O’Sullivan and Norah Cronin were central to the team’s victory, backed by the experienced coaching of Niamh O’Neill and Lorraine O’Connor, both flying the Bantry flag on the sideline.
In the U14 boys competition, Bantry was once again strongly represented, with Charlie Downey, Conor O’Mahony and Michael Hayden togging out for Cork 1, while Eoin McCarthy, Harry Curran and Donnacha Cronin Murphy lined out for Cork 2. Cork 1 failed to progress out of the group, however Cork 2 reached the final against a strong Kerry team. Despite missing out on the silverware in the end, both teams produced determined performances and competed strongly throughout the tournament. Coach Pa Curran together with the coaching team provided great support throughout the day.
The club is incredibly proud of all players and coaches involved. Their skill, commitment, and sportsmanship were clear for all to see — proof that the future of basketball in Bantry and Cork is in safe hands.
