Sport

UCD favourites for Colours clash

Tomorrow sees the annual GAA Colours matches take place at UCD's campus at Belfield

By SEAN MORAN
Wed Dec 02 1998 - 00:00

Tomorrow sees the annual GAA Colours matches take place at UCD's campus at Belfield. Starting times are staggered so that anyone hardy enough to be so-minded could watch three and a half of the four matches.

Last year, UCD won all the clashes except in hurling which was unusually won by Trinity in a deluge in Santry. The home college will be favoured at least to repeat that level of success and have named a strong team for the men's football match.

Galway centre back and club chairman John Divilly is still injured but two of his All-Ireland winning colleagues, right corner forward Derek Savage and Declan Meehan, brother of the county's right corner back Tomas, are selected.

Meehan is a welcome recruit from UCG with whom he was an influential performer in Sigerson competition. Named centre back Joe Coyle won an All-Ireland B medal with Monaghan 10 days ago but is slightly doubtful with an injury. One definite absentee is Kilmacud Croke's corner forward Mick O'Keeffe who is rested in advance of Sunday's Leinster club final.

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After a year out to concentrate on his finals Ciaran McManus, now a post-graduate student, returns to the team having in the meantime won a NFL medal last May.

Head of GAA activity in UCD is Dave Billings the former 1970s St Vincent's and Dublin player. More recently in the news for picking up a 12-month suspension for a pitch incursion in the infamous Dublin-Offaly under-21 match last year, Billings is a sports enthusiast in the happy position of being able to indulge his interest. A principal in the stockbroking firm Gandon Securities, Billings continues to do "a bit of consultancy work" and when the opportunity to become UCD's GAA Development Officer arose, he felt: "If I don't do this now, I'll never do it".

Colours Programme (UCD v TCD at Belfield): Camogie, 11.00; Hurling, 1.00; Women's football, 1.30; Men's football, 2.30.

UCD (probable v TCD): G McGill (Donegal); D Breen (Wexford), I Clarke (Dublin), P Andrews (Dublin); B O hAnnaigh (Wicklow), J Coyle (Monaghan), N Maguire (Sligo); C McManus (Offaly), D Hanniffy (Longford); D Meehan (Galway), N Crawford (Meath), D Courtney (Cavan); D Savage (Galway), J Lynch (Kerry), D O'Donoghue (Carlow).