THIS afternoon is another big and significant occasion on the schools' calendar, nowhere more so than at the Sportsground, Galway. Top of a double bill is the replay of the Connacht Senior Cup final between St Joseph's, Garbally and Sligo Grammar School (2.30). That game will be preceeded at 1.0 by the junior final which brings together St Muiredach's, Ballina and Portumna Community College.
The biggest crowd of the day is likely to be at Lansdowne Road (4.15), for the final of the Leinster Junior Cup between Terenure and St Mary's, while at Thomond Park (3.0), Crescent and Rockwell meet in the final of the Munster Junior Cup.
Garb ally, the Connacht Senior Cup specialists, will be seeking their 41st title this afternoon against Sligo Grammar, who last won the trophy 17 years ago. They have had to endure the disappointment of losing the last three finals. A few weeks ago it looked odds-on they were going to lose another, but they staged a magnificent recovery to get a draw, coming.back from 15-3 in the closing stages.
Having captured the Senior Cup on Monday, Terenure will be seeking the double when they take on St Mary's this afternoon. While Terenure went into the senior final unburdened by the mantle of being favourites, they are strongly favoured to win today. St Mary's, beaten in the final last season, last won the trophy in 1992, while Terenure's most recent success was in 1989.
Terenure have travelled the harder road to the decider and their 20-3 quarter-final win over Blackrock was a tremendous performance. Against Clongowes in the semi-final, they produced a magnificent second half to erase an interval deficit. St Mary's will be contesting the final for the fourth time since 1992, but have lost on their last two appearances, last season and in 1993. That should sharpen their resolve this afternoon. A great penalty goal by Cathal Connolly gave St Mary's victory in the semi-final over the holders Belvedere in a fine contest. The entertainment value should be considerable today, but it will be a surprise if Terenure do not complete the double.
The Munster Junior Cup has been a Cork preserve for the last three seasons with PBC and CBC winning the trophy. Both were eliminated this season, PBC going down to Rockwell in the semi-final. Crescent last won this title in 1991 while Rockwell's most recent success was attained 15 years ago. They have won the trophy on 18 occasions, but recent years have seen lean times for the Tipperary college. Old glories beckon again today, but Crescent, who have captured the title on four occasions, are favoured to win.
