Busy weekend for county hurlers

FOR underage hurlers across the country, the last weekend in August is a major time in their careers as the various inter-county tournaments are staged.

The Forristal and Walsh Cups for U-14s will take place in Waterford, the U-15s will play in Cork, the U-16 competition will be hosted by the Tipperary Supporters Club, while the U-17 competition will be staged in Clarecastle.

Clare will have teams in all competitions and, given the huge hurling hype in the county at present, there is sure to be keen interest in the various teams representing the county this weekend.

U-14
SEAN Doyle, Michael Organ, John Culligan and Eleanor Walsh will take charge of the U-14 team for the Forristal Tournament in Waterford.

Clare have been drawn in group two with Waterford and Limerick and will play their games at Mount Sion grounds. They play the host county at 10.50am, followed by Limerick at 2.10pm.

The members of the panel are: Eamonn Foudy, Cian McInerney, Keith White, Eoin Fitzgerald, David Mescall, Ian Kerin (Inagh-Kilnamona); Ronan Cahill, Sean Crowley, Ronan Callinan, Conor Cahill (Kilmaley); Sean Murphy, Gary Cooney (O’Callaghan’s Mills); Ross Hayes (Crusheen); Gavin Cooney (Éire Óg); Conor Ferns, Evan O’Goman (Wolfe Tones); Colin Haugh, Eoin McMahon (Ruan); Alan Culligan (Clooney-Quin); Killian McDermott (Clarecastle); Cian Minogue (Bodyke); Darragh O’Shea, Scott Currid, Cathal Ruane (Doora-Barefield).

In the Sonny Walsh U-14 Competition, Clare will be in group one with Dublin, Galway and Waterford and will be based at De La Salle. They play Waterford at 10am, Galway at 1pm and Dublin at 3.20pm.

The team is managed by Kieran McDermott, Darren McGregor, Eugene Foudy and Chris Whitecombe. The panel comprises: Brian Daly (Meelick); Oisin McCarthy, Lee Brack, Mark Russell (Clarecastle); Oran Treacy, Oisin Slattery, Cathal Doyle (Bodyke); Peter Casey (Ballyea); David Meehan, Owen Shanahan, Fergal Kearney (Tulla); Liam McMahon (Éire Óg); Tom O’Rourke, Cathal Darcy (Kilmaley); Christopher Carey  Cillian Custy (Sixmilebridge);  Conor Kearns, Conor Tierney, Luke Carmody (Doora-Barefield); Mark Walsh (Ogonnelloe); Padraig Kelly (Ennistymon); Cian  O’Rourke, Dylan Frawley (Wolfe Tones); Fergus Madden (Scariff).

U-15
LIAM McCarthy Park in Ballygarvan, Cork is the venue for one section of the U-15 tournament, where Clare will play Tipperary at 10.30am and Waterford at 1.45pm.

The plate final between the third and fourth placed teams will be at 2.30pm on pitch two, with the final proper at 2.45pm for the Ted Hanley Cup on pitch one at 2.45pm.

Adrian Hogan, Fergus Kennedy, Michael Noonan and Andrew Monaghan will be in charge of the Clare squad which comprises: Eddie Burke (Smith O’Brien’s); Sean Costelloe, Dean Devanney, Brian O’Connor (Wolfe Tones); Hayden Starr, Adam Cassidy, Stephen Barry (Clarecastle); Diarmuid Whelan (Broadford); Damien and Conor O’Loughlin (Corofin); Michael Danagher, Ciaran O’Connor (Cratloe); Sean and Aidan Kennedy (Kilmaley); Ian Murray (Bodyke); Shane Corry (Scariff); Cathal Noonan (Feakle-Killanena); Kieran Galvin, David Firzgerald, Cian Moriarty (Clonlara); Conor Aspel (Whitegate); Conor Lynch (Ballyea); Gavin O’Brien (Crusheen); Greg Collins (Newmarket).

Six teams will compete in two groups at Clarecastle. Clare, Waterford and Kerry will be in group one, with Cork, Tipperary and Limerick in group two. This Clare team will be managed by Peter Casey and Paul Corbett. They play Waterford at 11am and Kerry at 12.10pm.  The cup and shield finals will be at 2.30pm.
The Clare panel includes: Cillian Nugent (O’Callaghan’s Mills); Peter Collins, Darragh Duggan (Doora-Barefield); Cian Donnelly (Clarecastle); Tadhg Connellan (Éire Óg); Oisin Fitzpatrick, Cian Hogan (Sixmilebridge); Conor Moloney (Scariff); Dean Minogue, Sean Meaney, Mark Crowe (Ballyea); Dara McNamara (Feakle-Killanena); Pauric Campbell (Clonlara); Mark Corry (Ruan); Billy Connors, Aaron Costigan (Cratloe); Jamie Divilly (Wolfe Tones); Joseph Marrinan, Colin Shannon (Inagh-Kilnamona); Aidan Griffey, Eanna McMahon (Kilmaley); Liam O’Donnell (Broadford);  Paul Burke (Whitegate).

U-16
IN the U-16 A tournament, Clare have been grouped with Waterford (10.30am), Dublin (12.15pm) and Cork (2pm) at Cahir.

The panel comprises: Jason Loughnane, Cathaoir Agnew, Cathal Lynch (Sixmilebridge); Paraic O’Loughlin (Clonlara); Declan Power, Mikey O’Shea (Smith O’Brien’s); Kevin Justice, Jack Cunningham, Aaron Shanaher (Wolfe Tones); Diarmuid McNamara (Scariff); Nathan fox (Parteen); Malachy Lynch, Pearse Lillis (Ballyea); Pat Hennessy (Doora-Barefield); Michael Lyons (Ruan); Martin Daly, Stephen Conway (Feakle); Sean Phelan, Darren Chaplin (Broadford); Jason McCarthy (Inagh-Kilnamona); Padraic McNamara (Kilmaley); Ronan Monaghan (Tubber); Conor O’Halloran (Éire Óg);  Brian Fahy (Tulla).

The U-16 B team will play at Ballylooby in Tipperary and they take on Tipperary at 10.30, Kerry at 12 noon and Kilkenny at 1.30pm.

The panel includes: Jack Kearney, Josh Kelly, Paul Dolan, Evan Wiley (Clarecastle); David Lynch, Sean Malone, Joe Carmody (Kilmaley); Colin Guilfoyle, Liam O’Connor,  Gordon Collins, Cathal Finnucane and Cathal Hayes (Newmarket); Kevin Conlon (Tulla); David McNamara, Enda O’Connor (Éire Óg), John Faule (Tubber); Stephen Burke (Corofin); Thomas Quirke (Whitegate); Eoin Patterson (Whitegate); Darragh McMahon (Wolfe Tones); Sean Cotter, Jamie Keane (O’Callaghan’s Mills); Ryan Mulligan (Doora-Barefield);  Diarmuid O’Brien (Broadford).

The U-16 mentors are Pat Barry, Paddy Smith, Ronan Keane and Tomas Ryan.

U-17
AIDAN Moroney, Niall O’Connor, Tomas Kelly, Francie O’Halloran and Brian Quinn will take charge of the U-17s, who will be in action in the Eugene Carey Memorial tournament at Mallow. The draw had not been made at the time of writing.