Clare prepared for feast of minor hurling finals

The Minor Hurling Championship Finals dominate the underage landscape, with five Under 17 deciders taking place this weekend, writes Eoin Brennan.

Unquestionably, the eagerly-awaited Minor A decider between Inagh-Kilnamona and Clooney-Quin in Clareabbey on Sunday morning (11.45am) will capture the bulk of the attention as these sides have been earmarked as clear favourites from the outset.

Inagh-Kilnamona in fact secured the spoils in their group meeting at the beginning of October by 2-17 to 1-15 which was originally postponed. However, with both sides not at full strength, it can only be viewed as a phoney war ahead of the ultimate rematch this Sunday.

Backed by the wave of momentum surrounding the club at the moment as they prepare for a first ever county senior hurling final, Inagh-Kilnamona will be favoured to prevail for a first Willie
Chaplin Cup in four years but certainly won’t have it all their own way as Clooney-Quin look to bridge a 15 year gap to their last Minor A crown.

Much like last year’s Minor A decider, four clubs will be involved when Scariff-Ogonnelloe face off against neighbours O’Callaghan’s Mills/Bodyke for the Under 17B Championship honours in Meelick on Sunday afternoon (2pm).

The Under 17C silverware will be between Tulla and Newmarket-on-Fergus in Broadford at high noon on Saturday while the feast of minor finals begins at 10.30am on Saturday morning when Kilmaley and Éire Óg lock horns for the Under 17A Shield in Ballyea, with the C version taking place 24 hours later when the Banner host Ennistymon (10am).