County Intermediate Champions 1953
Back row: Tom Dunworth, Jack Morrissey, Owen Reidy, Tom Galvin, Den Lyons, Mick Morrissey, Mick Hickey, Ned Morrissey. Front row: Paddy Morrissey, Donal Leahy, Paddy Delea, Jack Lyons, Richard Troy, Dave Geary. Kneeling: Bob Troy, Tom Mahony.

Operating at Intermediate level in 1953 is where Newtown really made a name for themselves, reaching the County Final against a highly fancied Glen Rovers outfit. However this did not bother the men from the village as they went on to record a memorable win over the men from the city. This was the first Intermediate Championship won by the club and one that is still very fondly remembered by the older generation of the village.

Great names to play for that team included the Lyons', Morrisseys' and Troys, names that are still very much prominent in the club.

Newtown and Glen Rovers standing to attention for the National Anthem before the start of the 1953 County Final.

The Sixties

1960

The early sixties turned out to be a fruitless spell for the men in Green and Gold with Newtown Losing the First round of the Intermediate Championship to Midleton in a hard fought game played in Fermoy.

Score Midleton 2-5 0-6 Newtownshandrum

The following year Newtownshandrum dropped down to the Junior ranks after seven years at the Intermediate grade. In 1961 Newtown were beaten by Kilworth at Doneraile on the score Kilworth 4-8 : 5-3 Newtown. Defeats in subsequent years by Kilworth, Ballyhea and Kilworth again left the club in dire need for a trophy coming into 1968.

1960

What was to happen in 1968 was the backbone to the clubs current status as one of the premier clubs in Cork. Newtown defeated arch rivals Ballyhea in the semi-final of the North Cork Junior Championship by four points in a game played with all the tension and ferocity one expects from games of this nature.

Newtownshandrum 5-09 : 4-08 Ballyhea

Next it was Kildorrery in the North Cork Final, played before a huge attendance at Buttevant. Newtown ran out deserving winners against a youthful Kildorrery outfit. Stars on the day included centre back Phil Noonan, Tim McAuliffe on the wing, full-back Jimmy Sheehan, the midfielders together with experienced Paddy Morrissey the top danger man in the front line.

Newtownshandrum 2-11 3-05 Kildorrery

Newtown defeated Brian Dillons in the County Junior Hurling championship played in Bishop Casey Memorial park , Mallow to set up a County Final date with mid-cork champions Iniscarra at Fitzgerald Memorial Park, Fermoy.

Newtownshandrum 4-02 2-04 Brian Dillons

1968 Cork County Junior Championship Final

Newtownshandrum 1-09 2-04 Iniscarra

The Cork County Junior Championship will rest in the village on Newtownshandrum for the coming year after a titanic battle with worthy mid-cork champions Inniscarra at Fermoy. The game was certainly a memorable one in many ways. For those who came along expecting to see a lot of fancy hurling were disappointed because in this game there was no room for any such tactics. It was fast, first time hurling with no quarter being asked or given, but for all that the exchanges were at all times clean and sporting.

One of the most memorable aspects of this game was the unerring accuracy of the Newtown free taker Anton Noonan. He notched up seven points in total from frees, not missing one, a man with nerves of steel. Others to shine on a day the whole team performed heroics were, Paddy Morrissey, Chris Morrissey Davy Keating and Jimmy Reidy.

Afterwards club Chairman Jack Madden summed up the feeling of the whole parish when saying "You can sum up the whole thing in one word - Determination". And when he revealed how the players had trained every night in darkness, rain and wind for three weeks prior to the match you got a sense of the spirit of this team. "We are very happy in Newtown tonight, it was a very sporting game and Inniscarra were very worthy losers", he said.

The Seventies

This was the decade which saw the emergency of Newtown as a team to be reckoned with in the county. Having moved up to the intermediate ranks in 1969 following Junior Championship success in 1968 much was expected of this team given the success at underage level through the late sixties and early seventies.

1973

The Newtownshandrum team who defeated Glen Rovers in the Cork County Under-21 Hurling Championship at Buttevant. A feature of this team is that of two sets of brothers names, the four Herlihys and two Coughlans.

This was to come to fruition in 1973 when Newtown won the first ever County U-21 Hurling Championship final, defeating Glen Rovers by five points on a score Newtown 2-09 1-07 Glen Rovers.

This County Championship however will be remembered for all the wrong reasons due to a series of objections, counter objections and disqualifications. It all started when Newtown met Bandon in the First Round of the county, having defeated Castletownroche in the North Cork Final. The game finished in a draw and Bandon lodged an objection to the County Board. This objection resulted in Newtown being disqualified from the competition and two of their players receiving three-month suspensions.

At this point Newtown lodged a counter objection to the County board, regarding the legality of a Bandon player who happened to be a son of the co. Registrar, which was rejected. After many weeks of hard work by the Newtown club they took their objection to the Munster council and the findings here were that Newtown were wrongfully dismissed from the championship and they should be allowed back into it. Furthermore the requested that the Co. registrar should resign.

In the meantime Eire Og defeated Bandon in the semi-final and Glen Rovers in turn beat Eire Og in the County Final, but as a result of the findings of the Munster Council Glen Rovers were ordered to play Newtown in the County Final, and the rest is history.

On that day the team was: Pat Noonan, Joe Herlihy, Gerard Noonan, Pat Coughlan, Dick Morrissey, John Buckley, Simon Morrissey, Donal & Pat Herlihy, Denis Fehin, Mario Murphy, P.J. Greensmith, Liam Bowles, Kevin Herlihy, Denis Coughlan.

Frank Murphy presenting the U-21 County Cup to Simon Morrissey (Captain).

Newtown were to go to have tremendous success at minor and U-21 level for the next few years, winning four North Cork U-21 titles in a row from 1973 - 1976 and also taking a Minor tile in 1973.

1976

Simon Morrissey holds off a Passage forward while Donagh Noonan comes off his line.

Newtownshandrum 2-10 1-12 Passage

Scenes of tremendous jubilation were witnessed at the splendidly prepared Castletownroche pitch last Sunday where for the first time since 1953 the Co. Intermediate hurling championship title returned to Newtown.

The long awaited triumph was the product of a great third quarter of confident, determined and accurate hurling from the Auondhu outfit who trailed on the score 0-11 to 1-01 at half time having faced a strong breeze. Newtown goal coming from the evergreen Chris Morrissey following good work from John Buckley.

In contrast to the first half, which seemed full of nervous tension for the Newtown lads, the team came out after the resumption to reveal itself as a confident blend, primed with the eagerness to succeed. Points from the Inspirations Donal Herlihy (2) , John Buckley, Chris Morrissey , Pat Herlihy and P.J. Greensmith narrowed the gap after 45 mins to 0-11 to 1-7.

A further Newtown assault spearheaded by Donal Herlihy and John Buckley made the opening for a splendidly taken goal from 'Barney' Bowles to put Newtown ahead 2-07 to 0-11 for the first time in the game. Three further points form John Buckley killed off he challenge of Passage, despite a consolation goal with 5 minutes to go.

Those to excel over the hour included Donagh and Phil Noonan in defence, Mossy Leahy and John Buckley in midfield, while up front Chris Morrissey, Donal Herlihy and Mattie Thompson put in a great second half.

This was a victory which bore all the hallmarks one associates with hurling in Newtown, that "Never say die" mentality that men wearing the green and gold never seem to loose.

Champions again after 23 years - the Newtownshandrum team who defeated Passage by one point, 2-10 to 1-12 to capture the Cork County Intermediate Hurling Championship after a lapse of 23 years in the final at Castletownroche.