Fitzgerald facing a very busy weekend

Clare senior hurling manager Davy Fitzgerald faces one of his busiest-ever sporting weekends.

 

A keen golfer playing off a handicap of one, he is due to play in the first round of the South of Ireland Amateur Championship at Lahinch on Saturday.

Playing out of Dromoland, the Sixmilebridge man has been drawn to play Kieran Cunnane from Woodstock at 2.30pm. A win here would certainly pose a major problem for Fitzgerald.

The winner of Saturday’s game is scheduled to play round two at the same time on Sunday against Gary Collins from Rosslare.

On Sunday, Fitzgerald will be in Thurles with the Clare hurlers for their All-Ireland senior hurling quarter-final clash with Galway, a game that throws-in at 4pm.
For the first time since 1962 the name of Ennis man Noel Pyne does not appear on the draw sheet for the championship, which gets underway in Lahinch this Saturday morning at 7am.

The former Ennis and Lahinch captain and president made history 12 months ago when he competed in the prestigious championship for the 50th consecutive year.
He is the only golfer to have played in 50 Souths, a remarkable feat considering he had to maintain a sufficiently low handicap to qualify each year for the event, which is taking place for the 112th occasion in 2013.

Eight Clare players have made it into the draw for this year’s event, which gets underway at 7am on Saturday, when Evan Farrell from Ardee will play Stuart Bleakley from Shandon Park.
The first Clareman into action will be Thomas Neenan from Lahinch, who faces Eoin O’Sullivan from the Island at 8.03 on  Saturday.
Paul O’Neill from Shannon will tee off at 9.24 against Michael Brett from Portmarnock.

Spanish Point’s Eoghan O’Loughlin, manager of the newly crowned Munster Pirerce Purcell champions, will face Jason Rackard from Bunclody at 10.09am immediately after Enda Cradock from Gort begins his match against Adam Doran from Ardee.
Ed Hickey from Shannon faces Tom Griffin from Crews Hill Golf Club at 12.33 and his Shannon clubmate, Daniel Brennan, will tee off at 1pm against Jamie Rothwell from the Curragh.

Ennis man Stephen Loftus will begin his challenge at 2.12pm against Harry Coyne from Carton House, with the only all-Clare clash between Cunnane and Fitzgerald set for 2.30p.m.
Tony Cleary from Dromoland is the only Clare player to have received a bye into round two, where he will play either ­Colin Cunningham from Carton House or Barry Reddan from County Louth at 11.57am.

Title holder Pat Murray from Limerick will begin the defence of the title at 2.03pm on Sunday against either Sean Cannon from Loughrea or Jack Walsh (Castle).
Murray won the title for the first time last season.

Last year’s beaten finalist, Stephen Healy from ­Claremoris, will be the last of this year’s entrants to tee off, when he plays in match 64 on Sunday at 4.27pm against either David Reddan from Nenagh or Alan Lowry from Esker Hills/NUIM.
The championship continues daily next Wednesday, when the final is set to begin at 2pm.

South of Ireland Championship First-Round Draw
1 (07:00) Evan Farrell (Ardee) v Stuart Bleakley (Shandon Park); (Bye) Eddie McCormack (Galway).
2 (07:09) Cian Geraghty (Laytown & Bettystown) v Dean McMahon (Castletroy); (Bye) Ryan McKinstry (Cairndhu).
3 (07:18) Keith Mackenzie (Bruntsfield links golfing society) v Sean Alley (County Tipperary); (Bye) Shaun O’Connor (Luttrellstown Castle).
4 (07:27) Eanna Griffin (Waterford) v Joseph Timlin (Dungannon); (Bye) Ian Brennan (Greenore).
5 (07:36) Greg Mungovan (Headfort) v David Finn (Mallow); (Bye) Stuart Grehan (Tullamore).
6 (07:45) John Conroy (Bray) v Brian O’Reilly (Athenry); (Bye) Paul Cullen (Royal Tara).
7 (07:54) Gerard Dunne (County Louth) v Stephen Watts (Cairndhu); (Bye) Sean Ryan (The Royal Dublin).
8 (08:03) Eoin O’Sullivan (The Island) v Thomas Neenan (Lahinch); (Bye) Gavin McKenna (Fortwilliam).
9 (08:12) John Hayes (Limerick) v Barry Fennelly (The Royal Dublin); (Bye) Kelan McDonagh (Athlone).
10 (08:21) Tony O’Leary (Wexford) v Eoghan Long (Monkstown); (Bye) Emmet Leahy (Thurles).
11 (08:30) Chris Carroll (Shandon Park) v David Kelleher (Portmarnock); (Bye) Ben Best (Rathmore).
12 (08:39) Joe Lyons (Galway) v Bryan Ronan (County Louth); (Bye) Ben Robinson (The Vale).
13 (08:48) Liam Hutchinson (The Royal Dublin) v Ewan Smith (Youghal); (Bye) Eugene Smith (Ardee).
14 (08:57) Gary McGrane (The Royal Dublin) v Gavin Young (Birr); (Bye) Roy Connolly (Rathsallagh).
15 (09:06) Billy McGarry (Birr) v Mark MacGrath (Limerick); (Bye) Ross Kenny (Naas).
16 (09:15) Brian Attridge (Mallow) v Chris Tormey (Mullingar); (Bye) Brian Casey (Headfort).
17 (09:24) Michael Brett (Portmarnock) v Paul O’Neill (Shannon); (Bye) Robbie Cannon (Balbriggan).      
18 (09:33) Sean Barry (Muskerry) v Richard Knightly (The Royal Dublin); (Bye) Paul McCarthy (Mallow).
19 (09:42) Paul O’Hara (Kilkenny) v Sean Cleary (Portumna); (Bye) Conor O’Rourke (Naas/NUIM).
20 (09:51) Brian McCormack (Castle Barna) v Ronan Mullarney (Galway); (Bye) Paul Reavey (Warrenpoint).
21 (10:00) Adam Doran (Ardee) v Enda Craddock (Gort); (Bye) Shane McGlynn (Carton House).
22 (10:09) Jason Rackard (Bunclody) v Eoghan O’Loughlin (Spanish Point); (Bye) Shaun Carter (Stackstown/NUIM).
23 (10:18) Ciaran McKenna (Mallow) v James Monaghan (The Royal Dublin) Stephen Coulter (Warrenpoint).
24 (10:27) Colm O’Sullivan (Fota Island) v Robert Pierse (Grange); (Bye) Colin Fairweather (Knock).
25 (10:36) Robert Farrell (New Ross) v Ronan Burke (Castle); (Bye) Alan Thomas (Dungarvan).
26 (10:45) Ian O’Flynn (Cork) v Greg O’Mahony (Lee Valley); (Bye) Mark Collins (Killeen Castle).
27 (10:54 Jamie Richardson (Royal Portrush) v Jonathan Grace (Saltford GC); (Bye) Stephen Walsh (Portmarnock).
28 (11:03 David McMahon (Tralee) v David Foy (Laytown & Bettystown); (Bye) Kieran Kennedy (Thurles).
29 (11:12) Sean Maloney (Dunmurry Springs) v Cian Daly (Castletroy); (Bye) Arthur Pierse (Tipperary).
30 (11:21) Ronan O’Reilly (Headfort) v Philip Spratt (West Waterford); (Bye) Jonny Yates (Naas).
31 (11:30) David Lally (Mullingar) v Colin Wilton (Castleblayney); (Bye) Stephen McCarthy (Killeen Castle/NUIM)
32 (11:39) Ronan Purcell (Clonmel) v Mark O’Rourke (Royal Tara); (Bye) Nicky Grant (Knock)
33 (11:48) Ted Collins (Dun Laoghaire) v Eoghan O’Donovan (Craddockstown); (Bye) Alex Gleeson (Castle).
34 (11:57) Colin Cunningham (Carton House) v Barry Reddan (County Louth); (Bye) Tony Cleary (Dromoland).      
35 (12:06) Edward O’Keeffe (Corrstown) v Jon Foran (Thurles); (Bye) Gareth Bohill (County Louth).
36 (12:15) Pat Lyons (Cork) v Declan Reidy (County. Sligo); (Bye) Michael Buggy (Castlecomer).
37 (12:24) Eddie Power (Kilkenny) v Daniel Hallissey (Muskerry); (Bye) Thomas O’Connor (Athlone).
38 (12:33) Ed Hickey (Shannon) v Tom Griffin (Crews HIll Golf Club); (Bye) Paul Flynn (Tramore).
39 (12:42) Michael O’Kelly (Limerick) v Niall Goulding (Portmarnock); (Bye) Jack Leacy (Dungarvan).
40 (12:51) Liam Ashby (Killerig) v Sean Poucher (Limerick); (Bye) Shane Hogan (Nenagh).
41 (13:00) Daniel Brennan (Shannon) v Jamie Rothwell (Curragh); (Bye) Matthew McAlpin (Royal Portrush).
42 (13:09) Matthew McClean (Balmoral) v Liam Doran (Ardee); (Bye) Ally Purdy (Ballyclare).
43 (13:18) James McLaughlin (Portumna) v Edwin Hannon (Lee Valley); (Bye)Jeff Hopkins (The Royal Dublin).
44 (13:27) Seamus Cullen (Slieve Russell) v Gavin O’Connor (Malahide); (Bye) Simon Bryan (Delgany).
45 (13:36) Bryan McSweeney (The Royal Dublin) v Robert Sheils (Birr); (Bye) Gavin Smyth (Clonmel).
46 (13:45) Kieran Lynch (Skibbereen/NUIM) v Alan Meskell (Tipperary); (Bye) Daniel Holland (Castle).
47 (13:54) Barry Daly (Edmondstown) v Paul Ross (Dunmurry); (Bye) William Hanna (Kilkeel/Warrenpoint).
48 (14:03) Jack Walsh (Castle) v Sean Cannon (Loughrea); (Bye) Pat Murray (Limerick).
49 (14:12) Harry Coyne (Carton House) v Stephen Loftus (Lahinch); (Bye) Simon Ward (County Louth).
50 (14:21) Cian Dullaghan (Greenore) v Niall Morrisson (Cahir Park); (Bye) Steffan O’Hara (County Sligo).
51 (14:30) Kieran Cunnane (Woodstock) v David Fitzgerald (Dromoland); (Bye) Gary Collins (Rosslare).
52 (14:39) Darragh Coughlan (Portmarnock) v Mark Richards (Roganstown); (Bye) Barry Anderson (The Royal Dublin).
53 (14:48) Matthew Kane (Whitehead) v Thomas Fay (Rush); (Bye) Gary O’Flaherty (Cork).
54 (14:57) Jamie Sutherland (Galgorm Castle) v David Murray (County Louth); (Bye) Conor Glynn (Carton House).        
55 (15:06) Padhraic O’Brien (County Louth) v Patrick Neville (Bearna); (Bye) Mark Mullen (Wexford).
56 (15:15) Eoin O’Connor (Elm Park) v Alan Harrington (Cork); (Bye) Niall Gorey (Muskerry).
57 (15:24) Kevin Nolan (Dun Laoghaire) v William Russell (Clandeboye); (Bye) John Greene (Portmarnock).
58 (15:33) Paul Coughlan (Moate) v Liam Mulligan (Stackstown); (Bye) Eamonn Haugh (Castletroy).
59 (15:42) Dave O’Donovan (Muskerry) v Conor Coyne (Youghal); (Bye) Stephen Moloney (Castletroy).
60 (15:51) Greg Carew (Edenderry) v Damien Coyne (Tuam); (Bye) Richard Bridges (Stackstown).
61 (16:00) Mark Ryan (Grange) v Eoin O’Brien (Dun Laoghaire); (Bye) Keith Egan (Carton House).
62 (16:09) Eoghan Murphy (Cork) v John Kavanagh (Castletroy); (Bye) Andrew Hogan (Newlands).
63 (16:18) Mark Morrissey (Mount Wolseley) v Peter Sheehan (Ballybunion); (Bye) Aidan Kelly (The Heritage).        
64 (16:27) Alan Lowry (Esker Hills/NUIM) v David Reddan (Nenagh); (Bye) Stephen Healy (Claremorris).