Munster Express Online

Bausch & Lomb Wildcats travel to Little Island, Cork this Saturday for the semi final of the Super League against the old sporting enemy Glanmire. Home advantage will be a big factor for the Cork side who Wildcats have yet to beat this season having already met four times. Three of those encounters were in the League while the one that most Wildcats supporters will remember is the one point overtime defeat in the National Cup Final. It took the Wildcats players some time to get over that huge disappointment as they hardly did themselves justice in two League games shortly afterwards, going down to D.C.U. and Glanmire by 20 plus points. More recently Wildcats have been getting it together with excellent victories away to University of Limerick and Dublin Meteors.

The form book points to a Glanmire win but like in the Cup Final, the Cork outfit will expect a massive effort from the Bausch & Lomb side. Wildcats had two weeks free due to the university playoffs and finals and in that time a number of the players who were suffering with injuries had time to repair those ailments. Also while Glanmire are on home court the large crowd expected could prove to be mainly Wildcats supporters, as the Club’s primary school programme is in Cork that day for friendly games and then they go on to the Super League semi final. There are also Wildcats underage teams playing in the Munster League in Cork that afternoon and these too will make their way to the big game, as will a great number of regular supporters who will make their own way to cheer on their favourites.

With such guaranteed support the Super League team will want to do them proud as they did for the most part this season. Whatever the outcome Glanmire will know they were in one tremendous battle for the right to take part in the Super League Final on Sunday week in University of Limerick. The other semi final between hosts D.C.U. and U.L. takes place this Sunday in the Dublin side’s arena. Last weekend D.C.U. travelled to Glanmire and came away with a 10 point victory, the first time the Cork side lost all season. D.C.U. did come with a similar determined run last season at this time and went on to take the Super league Title for the first time in their club’s history. However, that is all in the past and history will stand for nothing come these Super League semi finals.

Wildcats last game of the regular season at home last Saturday night proved to be most disappointing going down 64 – 70 to the youngest team in the league Dart-Killester from Dublin. Wildcats had not played a competitive game for two weeks and it showed as they were awful as a unit and but for occasional bursts of scores, the Dubliners would have won with ease. Over the years visiting teams have found it difficult to get a result in Waterford as they home support is awesome , but the packed house on Saturday last got little to shout about as Killester who trailed by 6 at the break came out for the second half and bossed their more senior Wildcats to an embarrassing extent, leading by 14 points with the final quarter to play. The home support tried their damnedest to try and lift their favourites but to little avail as Killester ran out comfortable winners 64 – 70. The scoreline should flatter the Wildcats outfit as had they not make a couple of late three pointers the deficit would have been much greater.

Now Wildcats have a few training sessions to pick themselves up and get their act together if they are to have any chance against Glanmire this Saturday. Their faithful supporters will travel to Cork with high expectations in spite of last Saturday’s no show and are sure to lift the Bausch & Lomb outfit for what will ‘hopefully’ be another classic between two of Basketball Ireland’s top teams. Tip off in Little Island is 7p.m.

Prior to tip off last Saturday Wildcats paid tribute to Ireland’s top player with a standing ovation as the Player of the Season Award was presented to Michelle Aspel by Basketball Ireland.

Before the game last Saturday, the full house had a minute silence for one of their former greats, Maria Frisby, a young mother of three children who passed away last week and everyone in the Bausch & Lomb Wildcats were totally saddened by her loss. Our love and support to her husband and three children also to her Mam Mary and Dad Bernard and her brothers and sister.