This year’s Branagan Cup approaches its conclusion, with Elm Mount surprisingly winning easily against a much higher-rated Rathmines team in the first semi-final (so no double for Rathmines this year).
The new mixed league/knockout system this year seems to have generated a slightly higher entry than in the past few years. But nothing like the first Branagan Cup back in 1973! Here is the draw from the first ever Branagan Cup round (source: Irish Times, 14th February 1973):
U.C.D. “B” v. Rathmines “A”
Phibsboro “A” v. Rathmines “B”
Four Knights v. Consultants “B”
Dublin “A” v. Rathmines “F”
U.C.D. “D” v. Portmarnock “A”
E.S.B. v. U.C.D. “C”
Naas v. Rathmines “E”
Arklow “X” v. Irish Life “B”
Phibsboro “C” v. Phibsboro “B”
Irish Life “A” v. Phibsboro “D”
Dublin “B” v. Dublin “C”
U.C.D. “A” v. Rathmines “C”
Portmarnock “B” v. Kevin Barry
Phibsboro “D” v. Sandymount
Arklow “Y” a bye.
First-named teams were at home and the matches had to be completed by March 10th.
That’s 29 teams of 6 players each: quite a turnout.
Records are scarce thereafter, and all I can find is a report from February 26th 1974 reporting that the “long-deferred” semi-final of the Branagan Cup between U.C.D. and Kevin Barry had resulted in a 4-2 win for U.C.D., who would go on to face Phibsboro in the final. Could these fixtures have been part of the event that started in February 1973? I don’t see how a semi-final in February would have been “long-deferred” otherwise.
New information: David McAlister has sent a clipping from the Irish Press, 14th July 1973, that seems to confirm that the competition that began in 1973 didn’t finish until May 1974:
We had previously found out that the final between UCD and Phibsboro, probably played early May 1974, had been finely poised at 2.5-2.5 each with one game adjourned. We also had evidence that UCD had finally prevailed, we just didn’t know exactly how.
Now I have finally located the final act in the first Branagan Cup. On the 18th July 1974 the Irish Press reported that Tony Duffy, the Phibsboro Board 1, had missed a vital win against Bernard Kernan just before the adjournment but on resumption the game was drawn, with the university team winning on board count.