St Kieran's in pursuit of a lucky thirteenth

IT may seem strange that at a time when some of the country's top hurlers are making tracks for Nowlan Park on Sunday, there will actually be a mass exodus of hurling followers out of Kilkenny.

However, St Kieran's involvement in the All Ireland Colleges Senior Hurling Championship final - where they will be seeking their 13th Hogan Cup title - is a mighty strong excuse for a cavalcade of buses and trains to head to Croke Park instead.

For St Kieran's manager Denis Philpott, the occasion will have an even richer significance as the much heralded St Colman's, Fermoy, provide the opposition - Philpott is a native of Cork and won an All Ireland minor medal with the county back in 1961.

However, in more modern times, Philpott's hurling commitment has been to Kilkenny - "it's special to be facing a Cork team, but I have been in Kilkenny so long now that my heart lies here," he says - and, on Sunday, he'll be seeking to guide St Kieran's to their fourth All Ireland senior title of the 90s.

"Hurling is part and parcel of the whole ethos of St Kieran's," says Philpott. "When you consider the likes of Eddie Keher, Ted Carroll and, more recently, DJ Carey all passed through these corridors, you get an idea of the importance of hurling to the school."

St Kieran's have won the All Ireland title on 12 occasions and the Leinster title a phenomenal 43 times (Philpott has guided them to one All Ireland and two provincial crowns in his stint in charge) and will be looking to the likes of centre back and captain David Carroll, Michael Kavanagh and Tomas O'Dowd, all Kilkenny minors last year, to help them increase the collection.

St Colman's, however, make the trip to GAA headquarters with a considerable reputation. The team is based around the Munster Junior Championship (Dean Ryan) winning sides of 1993, 94 and 95 and includes three members of the Cork side that won the All Ireland minor title last year. Considering the manner of their semi final win over Loughrea, they will probably start as favourites.

Meanwhile, the All Ireland Colleges Senior Football final will feature the unique pairing of 15 Killorglin and St Patrick's, Maghera. The Kerry school is chasing its first Croke Cup, but have fitness worries surrounding Frank Russell and Fergal O'Brien, who were both squad members of Laune Rangers, who captured the All Ireland club title last month.