by Mark Woods
Evening Echo
Thursday, October 2rd 2003

Its population has risen to nearly 800 and another 48 houses are being built. Newtownshandrum, it seems, is taking off.

How the hell, then does it still manage to produce a senior hurling team which is more than capable of mixing it with the very best?

They won the Cork Senior Hurling Championship title in 2000, reached the final last season and are knocking on the door once more this time around.

A semi-final replay against Sarsfields awaits at Pairc Ui Chaoimh on Sunday after the sides finished level following an exciting draw last weekend.

They operate from a 23-man panel. Four are well known Cork players, twin Ben and Jerry O'Connor, Pat Mulcahy and Paul Morrissey. The latter was Donal Og Cusack's understudy this year.

Newtown train at Buttevant GAA grounds in preparation for the
SHC County Senior semi-final replay at Pairc Ui Chaoimh on Sunday.

Another quartet are minors, the backbone of the club's U18 team which meet neighbours Ballyhea in the county section final of the county championship. A quick glimpse at the senior hurling league table shows up one glaring statistic.

Newtown's name is there in the middle of the 15-team league, showing that they have played just seven league games all year. It's half of what Sars and other semi-finalist Cloyne have played.

"We simply didn't have the numbers to make up a team," declared coach Ger Cunningham. The 31 year old University of Limerick sports manager has given up laughing at the stock joke of being deliberately mistaken for the St. Finbarr's and Cork goalkeeper of the same name.

"When you take our Cork palyers and our minor contingent out of the equation we just couldn't get 15 players together to complete a team."

That makes Newtown's achievements all the more remarkable, when you compare them to the ever-increasing sizes of the satelitte towns circling Cork city.