In under a year the St Declans Hurling team have gone from an idea among friends to challenging for a national title.

Tomorrow St Declans, who are based at Oxhey Park, will take on Wolfe Tones of Liverpool in the All Britain Junior Shield Final; a competition set up to develop emerging clubs.

Hurling is a Gaelic sport where two teams of 15 players hit a small, hard ball with wooden sticks through posts, which are similar to those in rugby.

If the ball is hit over the bar then the side receive a point but if they score in the net under the crossbar then a goal is awarded, which is equivalent to three points.

Hertfordshire have several Gaelic football teams but St Declans is the only hurling side in the region and is made up of players based in the surrounding areas of Watford, Luton and Oxford.

The club, which is affiliated to Glen Rovers Gaelic football team, train at Oxhey Park but the lack of hurling sides in the area means they play their matches in Solihull and compete in the Warwickshire league.

St Declans’ debut campaign has already proved to be a huge success, with the side claiming the Mick Houlihan Cup in September – a competition for Warwickshire-based clubs.

Ian Caulfield, a committee member and player, said: “We are very happy with how our first year has gone and the young, positive and committed players we have.

“This weekend’s match will be a hard game but we are more than capable of beating them.”

He continued: “This time last year, when the idea of creating a team came up, we couldn’t have thought we would go this far.

“Winning the Mick Houlihan Cup was a great achievement but this is on a completely different level.

“Reaching the final is a testament to the lads and the hard work they put in.”

A large proportion of the team’s players are based in Watford and the club’s success is partly down to the dedicated work of founding members Diarmaid Walsh, Padraic McGee, Joe Russell and Will Lohan.

Declans’ route to the final started in May along with teams from Birmingham, Nottingham, Leeds, Coventry and Liverpool. The format included six teams in a group and they all played each other in a round-robin format. Declans won two, lost two and drew one to finish third.

This set up a semi-final with Yorkshire Emeralds, a team who had got the better of Declans in the group, but the Watford-based club were victorious when it mattered. A dominant and emphatic display resulted in a 4 (goals).12 (points) to 2.9 win to set up the final.

This weekend’s opponents, Wolfe Tones, have more experience in their side but the group game was all square so a tight encounter is expected at the Pairc Na hEireann ground in Solihull (match starts at 1.30pm).

Those interested in joining St Declans can call Caulfield on 07563 156125 or contact the club via their Facebook page called St Declans Hurling Hertfordshire.