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Championship draws made


LISSYCASEY and Kilmaley have been handed difficult tasks in the opening rounds of the 2011 senior football and hurling championships. They will face the defending champions, Doonbeg and Crusheen, respectively.
The draws for the senior, intermediate and junior A hurling and football championships, all of which are run on a league system, were made at Tuesday’s March meeting of Clare County Board and they have thrown up a number of interesting groupings.
In hurling, the semi-finalists from last year were seeded, which resulted in Clonlara, Cratloe, Sixmilebridge and Crusheen avoiding each other in the group stage.
An open draw applied in football where, as per last year, the format for the knock-out stage is already known. The teams qualifying from group one will play group four, with group two and group three qualifiers meeting. This will also apply for senior B with the teams that finish third in their groups meeting and it will also be the system for the relegation play-off, with the teams finishing bottom of group one and group four clashing.
Among the interesting opening-round ties are the clashes of Liscannor and Ennistymon at senior level and Corofin and Clondegad in the intermediate championship, while first-round ties in the hurling competition include the meeting of Sixmilebridge and Clarecastle, Cratloe and Tubber, Crusheen and Kilmaley and Tulla with O’Callaghan’s Mills.
Newly promoted Killanena will take on Smith O’Brien’s in their opening senior championship tie, while last year’s intermediate football winners, St Breckan’s will be up against Éire Óg in the opening round.
Cooraclare will have two teams in the race for the junior A football title. They have been drawn in separate groups and will be required to furnish separate panels in advance of the competition.
There is a change of format for the intermediate hurling championship. With Wolfe Tones and Clooney-Quin no longer in the competition, the number of teams is down to 12, which has resulted in two groups of six from which the top two will emerge from each for the semi-finals.
In the four-team groups, the order of games will be 1 v 2 and 3 v 4 in round one, 1 v 3 and 2 v 4 in round two and 1 v 4 and 2 v 3 in round three. In the five-team groups, the order of play will be as follows: round one, 1 v 5, 2 v 4 and 3 a bye; round two, 2 v 5, 1 v 3 and 4 a bye; round three, 1 v 2 and 3 v 4 with 5 a bye; round four, 1 v 4, 3 v 5 and 2 a bye and round five, 2 v 3 and 4 v 5 with 1 a bye.
The draws for the junior B football and the junior B and C hurling championships will be made at the April meeting of the board.

CHAMPIONSHIP DRAWS

Senior football:
Group one: Lissycasey, Doonbeg, Liscannor and Ennistymon.
Group two: St Breckan’s, Éire Óg, St Senan’s and Cooraclare.
Group three: Kilmihil, Kilmurry-Ibrickane, Wolfe Tones and Kilrush.
Group four: Cratloe, Shannon Gaels, St Joseph’s and Miltown.
Intermediate football:
Group one: Kilfenora, Kildysart, O’Callaghan’s Mills and Kilmurry-Ibrickane.
Group two: Corofin, Clondegad, Ballyvaughan and O’Curry’s.
Junior A football:
Group one: Naomh Eoin, Clarecastle, Coolmeen, Cooraclare B and Clooney-Quin.
Group two: St Joseph’s, Meelick, Lissycasey and Kilmihil.
Group three: Doonbeg, Michael Cusack’s, Wolfe Tones, Kilrush.
Group four: Miltown, Éire Óg, Ennistymon, Cooraclare A.

Senior hurling:
Group one: Clonlara, Killanena, Broadford, Smith O’Brien’s, St Joseph’s.
Group two: Cratloe, Whitegate, Scariff, Inagh-Kilnamona, Tubber.
Group three: Sixmilebridge, Tulla, Wolfe Tones, O’Callaghan’s Mills, Clarecastle.
Group four: Crusheen, Newmarket, Clooney-Quin, Ballyea, Kilmaley.
Intermediate hurling:
Group one: Parteen, Sixmilebridge, Crusheen, Clarecastle, Bodyke, Ruan.
Group two: Éire Óg, Ogonnelloe, Meelick, Feakle, Ennistymon, Corofin.
Junior A hurling:
Group one: Sixmilebridge, Kilmaley, Éire Óg, O’Callaghan’s Mills, Corofin, Cratloe.
Group two: Whitegate, Inagh-Kilnamona, St Joseph’s, Newmarket, Clooney-Quin.

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