Last week this column brought you the news of CBS Roscommon’s golf success in the Connacht Senior Schools U-19 Championship. The team is directed by physics and maths teacher, Mark Hodgins, and overcame The Bish (Galway) and Summerhill College (Sligo) respectively in last Tuesday’s semi-final and final at Ballinrobe.
The team which claimed the Tony Kearney Memorial Cup included Thomas Higgins, whose father has also won a Connacht title with CBS; Simon Walker, Cian O’Connor, Fionn Hoare and Alan Connaughton, whose father Michael played under Tony Kearney and was team captain last Tuesday. Irish international Allan Hill was unavailable as he was competing for the Peter McEvoy trophy in England.
CBS Golf coordinator Mark Hodgins was thrilled with the students’ success and what it meant for local golf.
“They seem to be out playing most nights of the week anyway – I don’t know how they get their homework done! But they love it.
“They’re a tight-knit group of lads too, you’ll see them hanging around together in school and if I go looking for one of them the others are usually close by!
“Their success is all down to them and their parents. They don’t need much more coaching because it’s down to their hard work and expertise. It’s great for the school to win a trophy and especially one it has such strong links to”.
The Tony Kearney Memorial Cup was named in the late 1980s after a former CBS teacher and golf coach. Mr Kearney would have taught some of the parents of those involved in last week’s success during the 1970s.
Team captain and a former student and golfer of Tony’s, Michael Connaughton, received the trophy from Connacht Golf Honorary Secretary Jimmy Duggan and Ballinrobe Lady Captain Phyllis Lee.
“I would have been on the very first CBS team along with my brother Eddie around 1974. Tony was instrumental in setting up that team having played golf himself, so last Tuesday was a very poignant moment for me.
“He was also a close family friend and as well as teaching he was the course convenor in Roscommon for many years, where my father worked as green keeper,” he said.
Looking ahead to next Tuesday’s All-Ireland Semi-Final against St. Kieran’s, Kilkenny at Monkstown Golf Club in Co. Cork, Michael has every faith in the Connacht champions.
“They’re very capable of going all the way and they’ll have Allan Hill back too. Alan is a scratch player and we have Thomas Higgins who plays off two or three. It’s a very good team.
“On paper they are capable but as you know it’s match play so it all comes down to what happens on the day. I would say that the team we have going down will be as good as any team we meet,” he said.
So, after bringing the Tony Kearney Memorial Cup back home, the talented young golfers of Roscommon CBS will attempt to create an even bigger piece of history next Tuesday when they take on the very best Leinster has to offer. With confidence high following convincing wins in Connacht and the return of Irish international Allan Hill, Roscommon and Connacht will be well represented on the national stage.
