The DCU camogie team will play NUI Galway to determine which side competes in the Ashbourne Cup for the 2012-13 season, The College View has learned.
The play-off encounter has been provisionally fixed for the end of November and DCU, for unknown reasons, will have to travel to Galway for the game.
Although the eligibility ruling to participate in the Ashbourne Cup states that the previous year’s defeated Ashbourne Shield finalists must play the previous year’s Purcell Cup winners, DCU’s stickwomen were hopeful that they would be automatically promoted.
To this regard, a meeting of Comhairle Chamógaíochta Ard-Oideachas (CCAO) took place on Friday, October 19th to finalise the championship structure. A motion was put forward at the meeting to extend the number of teams competing at Ashbourne level from six to eight, but as CCAO President Shane D’Arcy explains, it was not passed.
“At the meeting it was voted 19 to nine to retain the current structure which sees DCU take on NUI Galway in a playoff, the winner of which will play Ashbourne camogie and the loser will play in the Purcell Cup.”
Prior to the meeting, DCU Camogie Club had put forth a motion proposing they be promoted automatically, but this was withdrawn on the day.
Away from the uncertainty of Ashbourne camogie, the college’s stickwomen are just one win away from a place in the Division 1 league semifinals. Despite falling heavily to UCD in their opening game (7-4 to 0-7), the team, under the guidance of Brian Lawlor and Sean Flynn, bounced back with a hugely impressive 3-12 to 3-02 victory over UUJ.
Their final group fixture against Queen’s University Belfast takes place today, Wednesday October 31st at St. Clare’s. The two sides are well accustomed having clashed in the last two Purcell Cup finals. The Northerners emerged on top in the 2011 decider, but DCU exacted sweet revenge last February when claiming a 4-7 to 0-7 win.
Eoghan Cormican
Image Credit: Sportsfile
Leave a Reply