Munster will bid to build on the promise of recent years when they head north for the U18 and U16 boys interpros, starting tomorrow afternoon at Mossley HC.
Having seen their underage sides routinely filleted as they fell far behind Leinster and Ulster, amid coaching appointments coming far too late, some of the province’s promising young coaches took it upon themselves to rescue the situation.
Under Andy Gray, the U18s recorded their best finish in six seasons on home turf last November, coming second after going undefeated against Ulster and running Leinster close – a far cry from the 9-1 and 9-2 defeats to the boys in blue 12 months beforehand.
Gray has since stepped away having become Ireland U16 assistant coach, but John Hobbs takes the reins and knows many of the players well having helped Munster U16s also close the gap to the top two over the past few seasons.
He has two lethal drag-flickers in Julian Dale and David Cardy at his disposal, while Ireland U18 duo Alex Burns and Simon Wolfe are back for their second campaign at this level; Bandon’s classy defender Colin Kingston captains the side.
Leinster will nonetheless start as roaring favourites under the watchful eye of national senior coach Andrew Meredith; Wesley and St Andrew’s have contested the last two Irish Schoolboys finals, showing that the power base is very much in the east at the moment. Ulster – with influential defender Peter McKibben as skipper – will be keen to put things right after surprisingly failing to win a game in Cork last season.
There’s been some fascinating shifts in the dynamic of the Munster U16 side, who are under Peter Catchpole’s tutelage as he steps into a head coach role after a couple of seasons as an assistant with the U18s. He is joined by Stuart O’Grady, Fionn O’Leary and John Cudmore to make up an all-UCC management.
Firstly, the squad is dominated by Bandon players – 7 of the 16 players named are students at Bandon Grammar – with just two from Cork C of I included. By contrast, three seasons ago C of I provided 12 players and Bandon just two.
The other eyebrow-raising development is the naming of Newtown School’s dynamic midfielder Matthew Treacy as captain, a sign of the superb work being undertaken by Stuart Greene in the south-east as Waterford re-emerge as a force in Munster hockey. Another unusual element is the rare inclusion of a Kilkenny College student, James Thompson, in the panel.
Leinster’s panel has a very fresh look about it with Guy Sarratt’s broken finger meaning they have just one player with interpro experience, while Ulster did superbly to claim a first title since 2009 last year and won’t be giving up that crown easily.
Boys Interprovincials, Mossley HC, Newtownards
U16: Friday: Ulster v Munster, 1pm; Ulster v Leinster, 5pm; Saturday: Munster v Leinster, 9.30am; Munster v Ulster, 3pm; Sunday: Leinster v Munster, 9am; Leinster v Ulster, 1pm.
U18: Friday: Ulster v Munster, 3pm; Ulster v Leinster, 7pm; Saturday: Munster v Leinster, 11.30am; Munster v Ulster, 5pm; Sunday: Leinster v Munster, 11am; Leinster v Ulster, 3pm.
MUNSTER U16 boys squad: Calum Crowley (Bandon Grammar/Bandon), Matthew Jennings (Bandon Grammar/Bandon), Hugh Connell (GK, Bandon Grammar/Bandon), James Thompson (Kilkenny College), Ciaran McGregor (Midleton College/Midleton), Calum Morrow (Villiers/Limerick), Sean Nyhan (Bandon Grammar/Bandon), David Lynch (Ashton/C of I), Mark Gallagher (Ashton/C of I), Euan Stothers (Ashton/Ashton), Matthew Treacy (Newtown/Waterford), David Jennings (Bandon Grammar/Bandon), Andrew Tutty (Villiers/Limerick), Luke Cardy (Villiers/Limerick), Conor Robinson (GK, Bandon Grammar/Bandon), Matthew Lee (Bandon Grammar/Bandon). Coach: Peter Catchpole; Assistant Coaches: Stuart O’Grady, Fionn O’Leary; Manager: John Cudmore.
MUNSTER U18 boys squad: P Coulter (GK, Ashton/Cork C of I), Philip Brownlow (Ashton/Cork C of I), Alex Burns (Midleton College/Cork C of I), Clyde Buttimer (Ashton/Cork C of I), David Cardy (Villiers/Limerick), Julian Dale (Bandon Grammar/Cork Harlequins), Alex Deane (Midleton College/Cork C of I), Simon Dring (Ashton/Cork C of I), Julius Händel (Bandon Grammar/Bandon), Rob Johnston (Midleton College/Cork C of I), Ben Keoghan O’Keeffe (Bandon Grammar/Bandon), Colin Kingston (Bandon Grammar/Bandon, captain), Luke Kingston (Bandon Grammar/Cork C of I), Jack O’Mahony (PBC Cork/Cork C of I), Brian Stockil (Ashton/Ashton), Darren Wilkinson (Ashton/Cork C of I), Simon Wolfe (Ashton/Cork C of I, vice-captain), Rob Locke (GK, Ashton/Cork C of I). Coach: John Hobbs; Assistant Coach: Ed Gash; Manager: Will Bartley.
He has two lethal drag-flickers in Julian Dale and David Cardy at his disposal, while Ireland U18 duo Alex Burns and Simon Wolfe are back for their second campaign at this level; Bandon’s classy defender Colin Kingston captains the side.
Leinster will nonetheless start as roaring favourites under the watchful eye of national senior coach Andrew Meredith; Wesley and St Andrew’s have contested the last two Irish Schoolboys finals, showing that the power base is very much in the east at the moment. Ulster – with influential defender Peter McKibben as skipper – will be keen to put things right after surprisingly failing to win a game in Cork last season.
There’s been some fascinating shifts in the dynamic of the Munster U16 side, who are under Peter Catchpole’s tutelage as he steps into a head coach role after a couple of seasons as an assistant with the U18s. He is joined by Stuart O’Grady, Fionn O’Leary and John Cudmore to make up an all-UCC management.
Firstly, the squad is dominated by Bandon players – 7 of the 16 players named are students at Bandon Grammar – with just two from Cork C of I included. By contrast, three seasons ago C of I provided 12 players and Bandon just two.
The other eyebrow-raising development is the naming of Newtown School’s dynamic midfielder Matthew Treacy as captain, a sign of the superb work being undertaken by Stuart Greene in the south-east as Waterford re-emerge as a force in Munster hockey. Another unusual element is the rare inclusion of a Kilkenny College student, James Thompson, in the panel.
Leinster’s panel has a very fresh look about it with Guy Sarratt’s broken finger meaning they have just one player with interpro experience, while Ulster did superbly to claim a first title since 2009 last year and won’t be giving up that crown easily.
Boys Interprovincials, Mossley HC, Newtownards
U16: Friday: Ulster v Munster, 1pm; Ulster v Leinster, 5pm; Saturday: Munster v Leinster, 9.30am; Munster v Ulster, 3pm; Sunday: Leinster v Munster, 9am; Leinster v Ulster, 1pm.
U18: Friday: Ulster v Munster, 3pm; Ulster v Leinster, 7pm; Saturday: Munster v Leinster, 11.30am; Munster v Ulster, 5pm; Sunday: Leinster v Munster, 11am; Leinster v Ulster, 3pm.
MUNSTER U16 boys squad: Calum Crowley (Bandon Grammar/Bandon), Matthew Jennings (Bandon Grammar/Bandon), Hugh Connell (GK, Bandon Grammar/Bandon), James Thompson (Kilkenny College), Ciaran McGregor (Midleton College/Midleton), Calum Morrow (Villiers/Limerick), Sean Nyhan (Bandon Grammar/Bandon), David Lynch (Ashton/C of I), Mark Gallagher (Ashton/C of I), Euan Stothers (Ashton/Ashton), Matthew Treacy (Newtown/Waterford), David Jennings (Bandon Grammar/Bandon), Andrew Tutty (Villiers/Limerick), Luke Cardy (Villiers/Limerick), Conor Robinson (GK, Bandon Grammar/Bandon), Matthew Lee (Bandon Grammar/Bandon). Coach: Peter Catchpole; Assistant Coaches: Stuart O’Grady, Fionn O’Leary; Manager: John Cudmore.
MUNSTER U18 boys squad: P Coulter (GK, Ashton/Cork C of I), Philip Brownlow (Ashton/Cork C of I), Alex Burns (Midleton College/Cork C of I), Clyde Buttimer (Ashton/Cork C of I), David Cardy (Villiers/Limerick), Julian Dale (Bandon Grammar/Cork Harlequins), Alex Deane (Midleton College/Cork C of I), Simon Dring (Ashton/Cork C of I), Julius Händel (Bandon Grammar/Bandon), Rob Johnston (Midleton College/Cork C of I), Ben Keoghan O’Keeffe (Bandon Grammar/Bandon), Colin Kingston (Bandon Grammar/Bandon, captain), Luke Kingston (Bandon Grammar/Cork C of I), Jack O’Mahony (PBC Cork/Cork C of I), Brian Stockil (Ashton/Ashton), Darren Wilkinson (Ashton/Cork C of I), Simon Wolfe (Ashton/Cork C of I, vice-captain), Rob Locke (GK, Ashton/Cork C of I). Coach: John Hobbs; Assistant Coach: Ed Gash; Manager: Will Bartley.