Kilkenny, Sutton and Temple set to challenge school's hierarchy

Tightly contested early stages of the Leinster schoolboy’s senior league suggest that while St Andrew’s and Wesley are still the teams to beat, they will be pushed all the way by the chasing trio of Kilkenny, Sutton Park and Mount Temple.

Sutton have already nicked a draw from Andrew’s and held All-Ireland champions Wesley – who swept all before them in Belfast recently – to 3-0 in the opening half of the campaign. Kilkenny’s 7-0 win, though, over Mount Temple means they could be the team to watch when it comes to the newly inaugurated Development Cup in January.

At Junior level, results have been similarly tight with Wesley needing two late Andrew Malcolm goals against Mount Temple to convert a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 win in one of the games of the season to date.

Former Ireland U-16 captain Mark Ryan was central to the Temple assault. Wesley held much of the possession, creating numerous chances but found Senan O’Mahony in inspired form between the posts.

Their high-pressing game, though, left wide open spaces at the back and Ryan’s ability to deliver 60-metre overheads found Nathan Northcutt in space to open the deadlock midway through the first half. And Matthew Owen doubled that lead from a penalty corner rebound early in the second half to raise hopes of an incredible upset.

But Wesley continued to plug away and got in with a shout when Ian Stewart – one of a number of players moving straight up from last year’s U-14 team – showed his predatory instincts to net. And the side kept coming forward and broke the Clontarf school’s resolve in the 64th minute when Malcolm popped up to equalise before the same player snatched the winner with the last touch of the game.

Elsewhere, the Cats nabbed a 3-3 draw against St Andrew’s while St Columba’s won a thriller against Temple with the odd goal in nine.

Senior A: Wesley 3 Sutton Park 0; Sutton Park 3 Mount Temple 2; St Andrew 2 Sutton Park 2; St Andrews 3 Sutton Park 1; St Andrews 4 Kilkenny College 0; Kilkenny College 7 Mount Temple 0
Senior B: Wesley B 6 St Andrew’s B 1
Junior A: St Andrews 3 Kilkenny 3; St Andrews 3 St Columbas 2; Mount Temple 4 St Columbas 5; Wesley 10 St Columbas 1; Wesley 3 Mount Temple 2
Junior B: St Killians 5 Mount Temple 0
Junior C: Wesley C 0 High School 6
Minor A: St Andrews 6 St Columbas 0; Wesley 3 Sutton Park 1; Sutton Park 5 St Columbas 2; Newpark 2 St Columbas 1; St Andrews 7 St Columbas 0; Wesley 2 St Columbas 0; Mt Temple 3 Newpark 1
Minor B: Kilkenny 1 Drogheda 1; Kilkenny 1 St Andrew’s 1
Under 13 A: St Andrews 5 Sutton Park 0; St Andrews 4 Sutton Park 0; St Andrews 1 Wesley 0; Wesley 1 King’s Hospital 0
U-13 B League: Mount Temple 5 Newpark 0; Mount Temple 0 St Killians 0; Wesley B 0 King’s Hospital 0
U-13 C League: Wesley C 1 King’s Hospital B 1

* If you have any information, updates or stories from any of the schoolboy leagues, please let me know by emailing stevie_findlats@yahoo.com