Cork schools set to reprise 2010 classic

Ashton will discover how well they handle the favourites tag when they meet Midleton College in tomorrow’s Munster Senior Schoolboys Cup final at Garryduff (3pm).

The Cork City school are defending champions and can boast a squad where nearly everyone has interprovincial experience with Munster, while Simon Wolfe (U16s) and Gary Wilkinson and Richard Lynch (U18s) are current members of the Irish underage setups. Richard Sweetnam is the side’s heartbeat and he dictates Ashton’s tempo from centre-back, bringing all the experience he has accrued since becoming a starting member of Cork Church of Ireland’s firsts this season, where he was named Young Player of the Year. He is also one of two survivors of the 2010 final – Wilkinson the other – in which Midleton stunned Ashton 3-2 to end a two-decade drought at this level, which the canaries will surely be keen on exacting some revenge for. Midleton are missing the kind of star names that dotted their side during that epic campaign, but can also boast an older panel with Colton twins Andrew and Adam, Greg Chambers, Alex Simonin, Stuart O’Sullivan and Ned Hodson all back for a last crack at schools glory having won two season ago. All but Hodson have interpro experience under their belts too. They also have an Ireland U16 midfielder running the show in Alex Burns, while C of I pair Owen Chambers and Rob Johnston are among the younger leading lights. Ashton had the tougher task in the last four, seeing off Bandon Grammar 5-3 after a couple of scares, while Midleton dispatched Limerick’s Villiers in the other last four tie. The final is being played at an unusually late date due to a bereavement in Ashton which cause the postponement of the original fixture in March.