Championship draws throw up interesting pairings

THERE will be a repeat of last year’s senior hurling championship semi-final meeting between Sixmilebridge and their neighbours, Cratloe in the opening round of the 2012 title race.
That was just one of a number of interesting pairings thrown up when the draws for the 2012 championships were made last Friday.
Title holders, Crusheen, who are chasing a third success in-a-row, have been grouped with Broadford, Tulla and Newmarket.
The senior football championship has undergone a noticeable change in format this year. Instead of four groups of four, as has been the case for the past decade, the event is now organised on an open draw format with first-round losers getting a second chance to get back into the competition.
Previously, there was no seeding involved and all 16 teams were in the hat when the draw for the eight first-round games was made. In the past couple of seasons, current champions Kilmurry-Ibrickane have struggled to account for Cratloe so when the draw paired them together in the 2012 first round, interest was aroused straight away.
Doonbeg, always in the shortlist of potential winners, will face Lissycasey, a side they only managed to beat by two points in the opening round last year.
Newly promoted Clondegad will come up against the team, which beat them in the intermediate final two years ago, St Breckan’s. Liscannor, beaten finalists in 2010, will have Wolfe Tones as their first-round opponents while last year’s finalists St Joseph’s will face Cooraclare.
The eight first-round losers will then play-off against each other with the four winners getting back into the championship race.
The group format still exists in the senior hurling title race but there is a change in that two groups of four will battle it out for the B title with three groups of four in the A competition. The winners of each of the B groups will qualify for the championship quarter-finals and also for the B final, while the top two in each of the three A groups will get through to the quarter-finals.
Three teams were seeded here with Kilmaley winning the toss over Cratloe, last year’s beaten semi-finalists, to see who would join Crusheen and Sixmilebridge as the seeds.
Having returned to senior status after a number of years at intermediate level, Éire Óg will be in the senior B groupings. Winners of the senior title back in 2006, Wolfe Tones now find themselves in the B division but with the return of Brian O’Connell, John Coen and Jamie Roughan after a spell overseas, should strengthen their team.
There is also a slight change in how the intermediate hurling championship will be run this year. It is now in three groups of four rather than two groups of six which operated last year. The top team in each group will qualify for the semi-final with the three runners-up playing off for the fourth semi-final spot.
Killanena are back in this championship having been relegated last year after just one year in the top grade.
The format for the Junior A Championships is unchanged.

Senior football
Ennistymon v Miltown; St Joseph’s v Cooraclare; Liscannor v Wolfe Tones; Clondegad v St Breckan’s; Kilmurry-Ibrickane v Cratloe; Doonbeg v Lissycasey; Shannon Gaels v St Senan’s; Kilrush v Éire Óg.
Intermediate football
Group 1: O’Callaghan’s Mills, Kilmurry-Ibrickane, Kilfenora, Meelick. Group 2: Kilmihil, O’Currys, Corofin, Kildysart.
Junior A football
Group 1: Michael Cusacks, Coolmeen, Naomh Eoin, Cooraclare, Kilrush. Group 2: Clooney-Quin, St Joseph’s, Ennistymon, Lissycasey. Group 3: Éire Óg, Clondegad, Clarecastle, Miltown. Group 4: Doonbeg, Ballyvaughan, Kilmihil, Clonlara.
Senior hurling
Group 1: Kilmaley, Clarecastle, Clooney-Quin, Inagh-Kilnamona. Group 2: Crusheen, Broadford, Tulla, Newmarket. Group 3: Sixmilebridge, Cratloe, Clonlara, St Joseph’s.
Senior B hurling
Group 1: O’Callaghan’s Mills, Ballyea, Whitegate, Éire Óg. Group 2: Wolfe Tones, Scariff, Tubber, Smith O’Brien’s.
Intermediate hurling
Group 1: Meelick, Ennistymon, Feakle, Parteen. Group 2: Corofin, Killanena, Crusheen, Sixmilebridge. Group 3: Newmarket, Ogonnelloe, Bodyke, Ruan.
Junior A hurling
Group 1: Clarecastle, St Joseph’s, O’Callaghan’s Mills, Inagh-Kilnamona, Corofin, Clonlara. Group 2: Cratloe, Sixmilebridge, Éire Óg, Kilmaley, Clooney-Quin.