The Girls:
Girls A: there were 7 schools in A with recent dominant schools of the last 10 years dominant the top 4 and the biggest surprise being 3rd in the league Brigids Loughrea beating 2nd -all time top cadette school Marys Naas in the semi-final. (the other top school of the last 10 years Holy Family Newbridge duly won cadette B after relegation last year). Colaiste Mhuire Ennis did not feature in the Junior final of 2 years ago but repeated their win over St. Brigids of last year. Could they be in line for 3 in a row next year after winning the 2023 Junior A?
In either case they now move to all time 7th in the winners roll after Naas 9, Raphaels 8, Pres Thurles 5, Callan , Claremorris, Newbridge all 4, with 3 wins. Ennis is the only Clare school ever to have won the cadette A girls. It was another great achievement for Brigids to reach their 6th final. No other non-winning school comes near that achievement. All the winners, since Brigids first reached the final in 2003, have bigger enrolments, but what consistency by their evergreen coach Mary Barrett.
18 schools contested the knockout stages of cadette B – a record for that grade? Only 3 had ever won the title before -Leos Carlow, Presentation Kilkenny and most recently in 2015, Fethard, which show the huge number of aspiring schools at the middle grade. The winners and possible favourites Holy family Newbridge had never won it although their B team did contest the final 4 years ago. None of the former winners reached the last 7 and, it was a huge achievement for Nord Anglia Leopardstown to bring it to the third set against the very experienced Newbridge after only joining volleyball 2 seasons ago.
Well over 40 teams and 37 schools contested the schools’ biggest competition cadette C girls. There were only 3 former winners Kiltimagh 2012, Elphin 2010 and Tramore back in 2004. And 2, Drumshanbo in 98 and 09 and Strokestown, as recently as 19 and 23 had been runners up. Drumshanbo were the only one of those finalists to contest the top 5 and, 2 almost brand new schools contested the Cadette C finals, Assumpta Walkinstown Dublin and champions Our Ladys Bower Athlone.
Last year Coláiste Chiarán Athlone became the first Westmeath school ever to win a cadette title boys or girls and now Bower have followed them.
The boys:
With 2 relegated and Brigids winning the B and already in A, only Mountrath were promoted and with Carrickmacross PHS not entering, the teams reduced from 8 to 6. Salthill’s Muire Máthair, like Carrickmacross PHS, only in their 3rd year of schools’ volleyball, surprised all by topping the league table, winning all their matches. Portlaoise, the holders and the hot favourites after winning the last 2 Junior As were in 2nd and the ever rising and hopeful Sutton Park Dublin in 3rd. But the semi-finals produced huge shocks. Sutton who were Junior A finalists 2 years, ago, their first ever A final, shocked holders Portlaoise and the perennially successful St. Brigids Loughrea turned the tables on Salthill to set up an intriguing final. The veteran school Brigids nearly made it but in the end yet another new school Sutton was added to the boys A list, the 4th in 5 years. It must be a great sensation for their manager Niamh O Hare as it has been a slow slow climb up for Sutton, every year for the past 6 or 7 years slowly making new milestones until finally the gold. Well done.
The change in cadette A boys has been remarkable. For 9 out of 11 years 2010-2020 the Loughrea schools and Drumshanbo won the title. Now all change. Although there were historically always much more girls than boys’ schools, more schools have won the boys A title since it started in 1987, than the girls. Sutton is the 18th new winner in boys compared to 12 girls A winners in the same 37 seasons.
And more change may still be coming as Vincents Castleknock cruised to victory over 9 times A winners Drumshanbo in the Cadette B final. At least 16 school contested this competition with only 2 of those being the B teams of A teams. Most of the new schools appeared on Castleknock’s side of the draw with Grange looking one for the future. Drumshanbo came through some very close matches particularly against Portlaoise CBS, Kiltimagh and Dungarvan but Castleknock really set a mark when they downed Brigids B in the last 6. Brigids B had won 11 of the previous 13 titles and lost one, a remarkable run.
18 Schools competed in the very new Cadette C boys with only 3 of them being 2nd teams of B schools. Only 4 (including the 2 “2nd” teams) had ever participated in a schools championship pre COVID. So there was a good chance that the 2 finalists were appearing in their first final. Ardee became the first Louth school to win an All Ireland cadette final and the first Louth school to win any All Ireland of any age or grade since St. Olivers Drogheda in 92/93. Presentation Athenry have entered the girls on and off for many years and it’s amazing that it’s the boys who have got medals in the end. Elphin school, entering schools since around 2002, participated in both B and C grades and said the standard at both these levels has exploded!
Volleyball Ireland continue to thank John for his assistance each year. His expert analysis and understanding of schools volleyball is unmatched and very welcomed by the school volleyball and larger community.
