CBL Opening Weekend 2024 / 2025 Preview
THE CORK BUSINESS LEAGUE gets underway this weekend with the opening round of fixtures in the Shield competition, writes Finbarr Buckley.
Despite the withdrawals of last season’s quadruple winners Doolan’s Cow, First Division winners SCS Crookstown Utd. and Mick Mooney Cup runners-up for the last two seasons, UCC United, the league has added nine new clubs. A total of thirty will make up three divisions which is twelve more than the eighteen which competed as recently as 2018. Secretary Peter Travers’ exhaustive recruitment during the close season has borne rich dividends. ‘ We had another memorable campaign last season’, he said, ‘but you’d never know who was going to come back again this year.’ ‘We got early vibes that Doolan’s had come to the end after sealing an unprecedented fourth quadruple.’ ‘Crookstown manager Tim Irwin had been the guiding force behind his team’s first division league success.’ ‘His departure, after single handedly running the club since their entry in 2018, was always likely to send the club in a different direction’
‘On the upside, I’m delighted with the number of new clubs to have come in who have the potential to be successful for many years. Dennehy’s Grangevale are an established club who, co-incidentally have been in football for the same time as the BL has been in existence.’ ‘ They play an attractive style of football which is exciting to watch.’ ‘Present Oscar Traynor Trophy manager James Corcoran is the key man behind another team to look out for, ISF Ballyphehane Celtic while the largely Brazilian outfit, Sabor Brazil Giants as well as Ukrainian Alex Landscapes offer contrasting styles of football from the plains of Europe and beyond.’
Pfizer make a welcome return after an absence of twenty years having come into the league in the early 70’s. The club has a fine legacy to look up to having enjoyed moderate success over their tenure in the league. They won the second division title in 1984/85, 1997/98 and 2003/04 and finished runners-up in the Frank Linehan Cup in 1998/99 and 1999/2000. A second string team, Pfizer United, won the second division league and cup double in 2001/02. The club’s finest hour came at the tail end of 1989/90 with the then Penn Cup, now Jackie O’Driscoll Premier Cup, success over Aer Lingus. Prolific striker Dermot McAuliffe was among the goals in a stunning 5-0 win at the ESB Grounds on Tuesday, May 16th 1989. The victory owed as much to the sterling defensive play of Tom Power and Billy Fitzgerald as it did to the excellence of Mark Desmond and Mick O’Brien in the centre of the park. After O’Brien opened the scoring in the `10th minute with a fine finish, McAulliffe doubled the lead on the half hour courtesy of a brilliant individual goal. O’Brien added a third on the hour from a free-kick before Desmond finished off a sparkling solo run before firing to the back of the net. Finbarr Delaney, father of former Republic of Ireland international Damien, completed the scoring with ten minutes remaining. The club’s superb former pitches at the plant in Ringaskiddy were made available to the league for many years and hosted many finals including shield and divisional deciders.
There are a number of tasty fixtures to look forward to on our opening weekend. On Friday night at Mayfield Park in Group A last season’s premier division runners-up Andy Sull’s Hair entertain last season’s runaway second division league and cup winners Swift. Both teams have plenty of fire power up front so don’t be surprised if the game doesn’t produce plenty of goals and could well be decided in a shoot-out.
On Saturday afternoon, again at Mayfield Park, the all premier clash in group F between Jay Bazz and Healy’s catches the eye. The Barbers look to have the legs over their opponents but Healy’s have proven time and time again to be a dogged opponent capable of taking the tie to penalties and winning out.
On Sunday morning fancied Helio Inter Cork take on newcomers DHF Grangevale in what could prove to be a cracking encounter. Helio have already beaten their opponents in a pre season friendly and must fancy the tight surrounds of Mayfield Community School. However, Grangevale are no strangers to the cut and trust of knockout football and have the potential to raise their game when needed.
FOOT-NOTE : The League offers its condolences to former OLH Utd. star Brian Henry, his mother Eileen, sisters Caroline and Annmarie, brother Kieran and extended family, on the recent passing of his father, Tom, who himself played with Fords’ first double winning team of 1954/55. Ar Dheis Dé go raibh a anam!
