Clare face Waterford and Limerick in Munster championship

Waterford and Limerick will provide the opposition for Clare in the opening rounds of the 2016 Munster senior hurling and football championships.

The hurlers of Clare and Waterford will meet in a Provincial semi-final game while the football clash of Shannonside neighbours Clare and Limerick will be a quarter final tie with the prize for the winners a Provincial semi-final date with the defending Munster champions Kerry. The winners of the Clare v Waterford hurling game will be through to the provincial final and also in the the All-Ireland quarter finals.

Dates and venues for the games will be set at a meeting of the Munster council in the coming weeks but as the footballers had home advantage last year when they played Limerick, this year’s meeting will be at a Limerick venue. Should Clare win this game they will also be away to Kerry as the last time these sides met, it was played in Cusack Park.

The opening game in the Provincial hurling championship will see great rivals Cork and Tipperary, the title holders, in opposition and the winners of this game will face |Limerick in the semi-final.

The full draw is

Hurling—Cork v Tipperary with winners to play Limerick; Waterford v Clare

Football; Clare v Limerick with winners to play Kerry; Tipperary v Waterford with winners to play Cork.

Meanwhile All-Ireland hurling champions Kilkenny will begin the defence of the title with a Leinster semi-final date against Dublin or Wexford. Galway will be on the other side of the draw where they will play the winners of the round robin section involving Offaly, Westmeath, Carlow and Kerry.

By Seamus Hayes