A History of the Cork Business League in the Oscar Traynor Trophy

PROGRESSIVE league secretary Mick Mooney viewed the potential in teams like his own Postal Workers, CIE, Lunhams and Fords and impressed upon the committee to seek entry to the competition for the first time ahead of the 1966/67 season, writes Finbarr Buckley.

There could not have been a more difficult start than a home draw against the reigning champions, the Cork AUL at Turner’s Cross on Sunday, November 20th 1966. Under the stewardship of former Blackburn Rovers, Cork Hibernians and Aer Lingus centre-back, Patsy Dorgan, courageous captain, Lunhams’ Denis Coleman led his charges into the unknown on what would prove to be a memorable opening fixture for the fledging league. St. Mary’s’ Liam Hawkins opened the scoring for the AUL in the 18th minute only for live wire Fords’ striker Barry Terry to level six minutes later. A Michael O’Mahony penalty and a second from Terry gave BL a 3-1 half-time lead. After Noel Hawkins deduced the deficit in the 56th minute, Fords’ Joe Drennan put daylight between the teams again with a fourth with twelve minutes remaining to seal a historic win.

The second round draw on January 29th 1967 pitted the CBL against the Galway District League in Salthill. There was to be no fairytale ending on this occasion as goals from Billy Delargey (3), Timmy Killen and Pat Griffin outscored the efforts of Terry and Denis O’Leary in a 5-2 defeat for the visitors.
The encouraging performance of the team the previous season was enough to sek enter in 1967/68 and a home draw at Marina against the Tipperary District League on Sunday, January 25th 1968 produced a stunning 4-1 win. Round Two took the team to St. James’s Gate, (alas, not the home ground of the famed Newcastle United), but the Kilkenny venue for the tie against the county’s representative eleven on Sunday, February 2nd 1968 .Once again, the visitors romped to an impressive 4-1 win with Barry Terry and Bobby Donovan both scoring twice before Fogarty netted a consolation for the hosts.
Another away tie beckoned in round three with a trip to Dublin to face the Leinster Senior League. Goals from Donovan and CIE’s Tommy Murphy helped secure a 2-1win, (Crowe scoring for the hosts), and a passage to the heady heights of the semi-final for the first time where a strong Limerick District League awaited at Turner’s Cross on Sunday, May 31st 1968.

The visitors displayed their full potential and outclassed the hosts on the day with Eddie Donovan (2), Mick O’Donnelly and a Michael Joyce penalty securing a 4-1 win. Aer Lingus’ inspirational centre-half Patsy Dorgan, the from Blackburn Rovers and Cork Hibernians’ star, headed a consolation for the hosts late on.

The league didn’t seek entry again until 1974/75 with a new generation of players from the established clubs as well as a club who would make a huge impact on the domestic scene, Youghal Carpets Yarns. Former Cork Hibernians full-back, now plying his trade with Aer Lingus, Jerry Lane, was selected as player-manager. Heavy rain forced the abandonment of the first round tie against the Tipperary DL at the Showgrounds on Sunday, January 26th 1975 before the teams met again a month later on Sunday, February 24th at the Fords’ venue. After John Good gave the BL a 25th minute half-time lead, a Dave Barrett own goal got the visitors back on level terms. Postal’s Derry Hartnett restored the hosts lead lead and after Good scored his second and his teams third in the 75th minute, Mark O’Sullivan poached a second for the visitors with five minutes remaining.

A solitary Hartnett strike in the 70th minute was enough to eliminate the Wexford League in Enniscorty in round two on Sunday, March 9th before the Galway DL would once again crush hopes of advancing to a second semi-final on Sunday, April 20th 1975 at the Showgrounds.First-half goals from John O’Leary, penalty, and Michael McLoughlin gave the BL a mountain to climb. Youghal’s Seanie Hosford did manage to set up a frantic finish when he scored with twenty minutes remaining, but the visitors held on for the win.

A 3-1 defeat to the Limerick DL followed in 1977/78 before entry was sought again after a gap of thirteen years. On Sunday, November 24th 1991 the squad travelled to Tipperary Town to face South Tipperary League. Despite Apple’s Liam O’Callaghan reducing the deficit to 2-1 in the 62nd minute, the hosts added a late third to advance.

A year later, 1992/93, almost to the date, the BL faced Cork opposition for only the second time in the form of the Munster Junior League at Turner’s Cross on Sunday, November 29th 1992 under coach Jerry Browne. It was to be a red letter day as the BL romped to a splendid 5-1 win. After Our Lady’s’ Dave O’Donoghue opened the scoring in the 10th minute, Glashen’s Dan Murray equalized two minutes later. Liam O’Callaghan edged the BL again in the 35th minute before second-half goals from Youghal’s Alex O’Regan, Liebert’s John O’Neill and a superb fourth from Cork Examiner’s Don Bevan with ten minutes remaining sealed a memorable win.

However, a narrow one-nil defeat to South Tipperary League in Thurles following in round two on January 17th 1993. Irish amateur international Michael Grace netted the only goal in the 27th minute.

The South Tipperary League provided the opposition again in 1993/94 but it took two extra-time goals to overcome a gallant BL eleven after a goalless ninety minutes. The Cork AUL gained revenge for the defeat back in 1967 by winning one-nil in 1994/95.

The Kerry DL made the long journey to Pfizer Park on Sunday, November 26th 1995 ahead of the 1995/96 competition’s first round ties. In a cracking contest Alan O’Sullivan gave the visitors a 9th minute before Smurfits’ Wayne Searls’ equalized from the penalty-spot in the 27th minute. Tony Naughton swooped to regain the lead for Kerry on the stroke of half-time. A resurgent BL game out for the second 45 with all guns blazing and netted through Searls and John O’Neill only for John Hegarty to take the tie to extra-time with a 92nd minute equalizer. O’Neill scored the decisive winner in extra-time.

The Limerick DL would once again prove too strong in round two after a goal in each half from Fairview’s John White in the 25th minute and Jimmy Sheehan a minute into the second-half separated the teams at the finish.

The Limerick Desmond League were taken to extra-time at Pfizer Park on Sunday, October 26th in 1997/98 competition after trailing twice to goals from Rathkeale’s Paul Ruttle and Abbeyfeale’s Chris McGill. Ian McLean of Novartis had netted the CBL’s first equalizer before Wilton Centre’s Ivan Swan made it 2-2 midway through the second-half. However, Ruttle and Paul Lynch sealed the visitor’s passage to the second round in the added twenty minutes.

A year later and another head to head with the Limerick DL awaited the home side at Pfizer Park on Sunday, December 8th 1998. The CBL held their fancied opponents till five minutes before half-time when James Sheehan finally beat heroic Aer Lingus goalkeeper Aidan Holland. The superior fitness and football ability of the visitors told in the second 45 when Gerard Costello, Joseph Hannon and Sheehan again got among the goals for the winners.

After a break of five seasons, MCM manager Ken O’Callaghan and CBL committee member were tasked with team selection and training ahead of the upcoming fixtures against the Kerry DL and Cork AUL. On a cold Saturday night, October 4th 2003 at Turner’s Cross current DHL Grangevale centre-back Alan Buckley, eight years old at the time, led out the hosts alongside captain Nigel Thornhillo of MCM. In a contest of little chances the teams played out a goalless before the away tie, also at Turner’s Cross, against the Cork AUL took place on Wednesday, October 12th.

In a high scoring affair, Roches Stores’ Padraig O’Connell fired the visitors into a 35th minute lead before Passage’s James O’Leary equalized five minutes later. Wilton United’s William Harris’ 55th minute penalty was cancelled out by MCM’s Shane Donoghue four minutes later for 2-2. Villa United’s Keith Shaw restored the AUL’s lead in the 65th minute only for Donoghue to level with his second of the night with six minutes remaining. With the tie on a knife edge, Garry Platt broke through to grab the winner for the hosts with two minutes left on the clock.

There were mixed fortunes in 2004/05 after a credible opening round scoreless with the holders Clare DL at Turner’s Cross on Sunday, October 31st 2004. The hosts were best served by the MCM quartet of, in defence, Adrian Evans, in the middle, current Marlboro Trust boss, Tom Frawley, and up front, Shane Donoghue and Jerry O’Reilly. A month later the AUL triumphed again at Casement Park, 3-1, on Sunday, November 21st 2004. In early December a visit to Terryland Park ended in a five-nil defeat to the Galway DL.

It would be five seasons before entry would be sought again with the nucleus of the 2004 team going into battle again with the Limerick Desmond League and the Clare DL. Turner’s Cross was once again the venue for the visit of Limerick on Sunday November 8th 2009. The visitors were undone by a goal in each half from the Marlboro pair of Joe Monaghan and Eric Montgomery. A daunting journey to Ennis awaited on Sunday, December 8th but in a cracker which went to extra-time, Bunratty’s Con Collins decided who’d progress after Monaghan and Stuart Howard had goals cancelled out by Stephen Hickey and Richie Lillis.
The Limerick Desmond League were next up on Saturday, January 8th 2011 at Pfizer Park in the 2010/11 tournament. The visitors led one-nil at half-time courtesy of Broadford United’s Ray Lynch 42nd minute before further goals from Lynch, Newcastle West’s Tony Quaid and Rathkeale’s Mick Lyons sealed a comprehensive win and sweet revenge for the defeat the previous season. An own goal four minutes from time registered the CBL’s sole response.

In would take twelve years for the present CBL committee to take the bold step to enter the competition again. On Wednesday, October 25th the newly appointed management team of James Corcoran, Ross O’Sullivan and Don Howey took their charges into action at Mayfield Park in the away tie against the Munster Senior League. Despite only been one down at half-time on a bitterly cold night, the fledging panel played with great heart but couldn’t prevent the hosts from running 5-1 winners.

The strong Waterford DL squad came to Mayfield for the home tie on Sunday, November 19th with the nucleus of the squad made up for the Villa United club. The visitors were a formidable force and displayed all their goalscoring prowess to win 9-1 with Herlio Inter Cork’s Gabriel Cerini scoring for home team.

The following season both teams inflicted defeats again on the CBL who went down by the odd goal in three to the MSL on Wednesday, November 6th 2024, Swyft’s Ian Kent on target for the hosts. Injuries and late withdrawals proved costly in the away 12-3 defeat to Waterford DL on Sunday, November 24th. The highlight for the visitors was the performance of Helio’s classy playmaker Juan De Villa who scored twice in the tie.

And so, under the management of the DHF Grangevale trio of head coach Diarmuid O’Neill, assistant John O’Connell and goalkeeping coach Jamie O’Sullivan, our squad will attempt to overturn the MSL for the first time in thirty-three years in a winner takes all tie. Jamie would have played between the posts against the MSL and Waterford in 2023 and will be of invaluable assistance in preparing the squad on what to expect for oppositions going forward.

The squad has prepared well with a number of training sessions and impressive friendly victories and with confidence high the tie against a very strong visiting eleven is eagerly awaited. Best of luck to our management team and talented squad.