U14 and U16 Championships Reach Knock out Phase.

The U14 and U16 Championships group phases have almost concluded. Our U14s have a nervous wait on Sunday's game between Turloughmore and Meelick Eyrecourt in Clonfert. A win for Turloughmore will mean a play-off with Meelick Eyrecourt in Baile Doite for the last semi-final spot. Any other result will see Mágh Cuilinn go into the Shield competition as the top seeds. While Turloughmore have already secured a semifinal place, a win would see them face Kinvara rather than Killimordaly. This is the first year that Mágh Cuilinn have competed at this level since 1999, when Mark Lydon, Vinnie Faherty, Eric Fox and Robert Molloy were all competing.

Oddly enough, a draw snatched in Carnmore was enough for the U16 team to have that extra point to secure qualification before their final game against Michael Cusack's. They can look forward to a semi-final against Mullagh, a repeat of the 2013 B1 semi-final, in which some of the current players competed. Now as then, Mágh Cuilinn won the group game between the sides but the semi-final in Athenry was a humdinger. We will have to wait until exam season is over to see if the 2015 version lives up to it.