Baker to lead Offaly senior hurlers

Ollie Baker is to manage the Offaly senior hurlers for the coming year and included in his backroom team will be another Clare man, Alan Cunningham from Shannon.
This will be Baker’s first appointment as an inter-county senior manager. In recent times, he served as a selector in Clare under Anthony Daly and under Mike McNamara while he was part of the Antrim backroom team last year under Dinny Cahill.
Speaking to The Clare Champion this week, the Tullamore-based garda sergeant said he was “looking forward to the challenge. I hope to continue the good work done over the past four years by Joe Dooley.”
An outstanding midfielder, he helped Clare to three Munster and two All-Ireland titles in the ’90s when he also played a leading role in helping his club St Joseph’s to Clare, Munster and All-Ireland club titles.
Baker confirmed this week that Alan Cunningham from Wolfe Tones will be part of his backroom team. The St Caimin’s Community school teacher was also a member of Anthony Daly and Mike McNamara’s back room teams in Clare and he led Wolfe Tones to their first Clare title back in 1996 when they also won the Munster crown and contested the All-Ireland final.
Offaly are included in the same division as Clare in the 2012 National Hurling League.