With this weekends upcoming U16 National Matchplay Championships please see John Mannings' fantastic preview of this years event.  

Bagenalstown’s Jason Kelly will seek the quick double of National Juvenile Strokeplay and Matchplay successes. Buoyed by his Strokeplay win at Bagenalstown last month, Jason will seek to emulate Evan Carry (Castletown), who claimed both the All-Ireland Under-16 Matchplay and Strokeplay titles in 2018.

Conor Ronan (Fermoy) played splendidly at Bagenalstown to bag the All-Ireland Under-13 title in addition to combining with clubmates Leon Hogan, Cillian Corcoran and Benjamin Dunlea to help Cork to silver medals in the Inter-County championship.

Cillian Corcoran won the Cork Matchplay championship at Fermoy last season while Leon Hogan lifted the Leeside Under-13 Matchplay title at the same venue, defeating E.S.B.’s Aaron Corcoran in the decider. Benjamin Dunlea joined Leon Hogan, Cillian Corcoran and Conor Ronan on the Cork team that clinched the 2025 Munster inter-County championship at Crosshaven.

Ben Franklin (Hillview) was crowned 2023 Under-13 Munster Strokeplay champion, in an event at which his clubmate Alex Downey claimed third spot.

2024 runner-up Jack McShane (Gowran) is a three-time Leinster Matchplay champion in addition to his 2023 National Strokeplay triumph. Jack was in irresistible form earlier in the season when he claimed Leinster Strokeplay honours with a scintillating 92 at Rochfortbridge.

Charlie Taylor (Tipperary Hills) was a semi-finalist twelve months ago and is the reigning Munster Matchplay and Strokeplay champion.

Last year’s National Boys’ Matchplay Plate winner Eoghan Morrissey (Gowran) and the 2024 runner-up Sean Condron (Rochfortbridge) return for a tilt at the main title as do last season’s Plate semi-finalists, Enda Hayden (Portmarnock) and Cillian O’Reilly (Hillview). Sean Condron contested this year’s provincial Matchplay Plate final.

Eoghan Morrissey was also a National Plate semi-finalist two years ago, so clearly he enjoys the Matchplay format, whilst also displaying Strokeplay prowess in the Inter-County arena for Kilkenny.

Enda Hayden finished just a single stroke behind Jason Kelly in this year’s National Strokeplay championship at Bagenalstown.

Cillian O’Reilly helped Tipperary to a Munster Inter-County runners-up spot in 2024 having earlier featured on the C.B.S. High School Clonmel trio that placed third in the provincial Schools tournament at Fermoy.

Tommy Weir (Kilbeggan) will hope to build on his third place finish at Bagenalstown in the National Strokeplay championship.

Portmarnock’s Max Guyot, unluckily pipped in a nine hole play-off for the National Under-13 Strokeplay award at Bagenalstown, reached the recent Leinster Matchplay final.

2025 Munster Matchplay and Strokeplay runner-up Fionn McMonagle (Deerpark) is also in the field as is current Leinster Matchplay champion Shane Murphy (Glenville).

2024 Munster Strokeplay bronze medalist Aodhan O’Halloran (Deerpark) is drawn in the same Strokeplay group as 2024 National 10-13 Strokeplay winner and last year’s Leinster Juvenile Strokeplay champion Harry Concannon (Gowran) and James Keogh (Ryston), a 2022 Leinster Inter-County winner with Kildare at Seapoint and a 2023 Leinster Matchplay Plate finalist.

2023 Leinster Matchplay Plate semi-finalist Aidan O’Connell (Gowran) picked-up an All-Ireland Schools tournament silver medal for St. Kieran’s College, Kilkenny alongside Harry Concannon and Jack McShane back in May. Aidan has also shone in the KIlkenny county colours, capturing national silver and provincial bronze medals in 2024.

Bagenalstown trio Brad Meehan, Daniel Collins and Hugh O’Brien all shared in Carlow’s historic first-ever National Inter-County win a couple of weeks ago.

Brad is the current Leinster Matchplay Plate champ.

Daniel Collins picked-up provincial silver and national bronze in the 2024 Inter-County arena in addition to joining Jason Kelly on the De La Salle Bagenalstown team that was second in the 2025 Leinster Schools tournament.

Hugh O’Brien finished just a stroke outside the four-way play-off for the 2024 National Strokeplay title.

The last two Girls’ champions, holder Sarah Ryan (Tipperary Hills) and Molly O’Toole (Ryston), are sure to battle for the trophy again as is reigning National Strokeplay champion Pippa Cuffe (Kilbeggan).

A win for Pippa at Fermoy would see the Westmeath player join Lucan’s Eimear Ahern (2018) and Seapoint’s Sarah Cooney (2020) as Matchplay/ Strokeplay winners in the same year. Molly O’Toole has also completed that double but in different years.

The girls’ line-up is completed by Portmarnock pair, Gemma Hayden (the 2025 Dublin Strokeplay runner-up) and Summer Audah (the 2024 Leinster Strokeplay Under-13 champion), along with Crosshaven’s Gaye Duggan (the 2025 Munster Strokeplay runner-up).

Fermoy has never previously hosted the National Juvenile Matchplay championships. It has been the scene of the All-Ireland Under-16 Strokeplay tests on three occasions (in 1992, 2000 and 2018).

The National under-16 Matchplay championships have reached a milestone – Fermoy 2025 will mark the tenth staging.

The 18-hole Strokeplay qualifying round will determine the draw for the championships and Plate events.

Timesheet is in the download section of the website

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