Quilty kick-off for Cusack Cup

ROUND 1 of the 2010, nine-team Cusack Cup League  will throw in this Friday evening, at 8pm, in Quilty.

Miltown Malbay, who reached the semi-final last year, play Éire Óg in a fixture which will be under lights.
Miltown are managed this year by Michael Neylon, who has served the club for more than 20 years on the field, while Doonbeg man Joe Joe Whelan is back in charge of Éire Óg. The former Naomh Eoin and Lissycasey manager worked with the Ennis club’s senior team earlier this decade.
Miltown have been working hard in pre-season training in recent weeks and should be well capable of winning their opening fixture. What makes all first-round games even more significant is the fact that three teams will be relegated at the end of the Cusack Cup. Therefore, all clubs will be keen to avoid losing their first game.
Cooraclare will stage two games on Saturday. The home club play Kilkee at 3pm and will be keen to get their Cusack Cup campaign off to a winning start. Aidan Moloney’s team won the Cusack Cup in 2009, defeating Kilmurry-Ibrickane in the final. Beaten county finalists, Kilkee, are not renowned for hitting the ground running early in the year, therefore, Cooraclare are likely to pick up an opening win.
At 7pm on Saturday evening, again in Cooraclare, Doonbeg meet Liscannor who maintained their division one status following an appeal to Munster Council. The provincial authority upheld Liscannor’s assertion that scoring averages should have been applied to the Clare leagues at all levels.
If this rule had been applied for 2009, Shannon Gaels, who finished tied on four points with Liscannor, would have been relegated along with Kilrush. However, clubs were not informed in writing prior to the commencement of the Cusack Cup last year that scoring differences would apply. Instead, a play-off was fixed between the clubs, although the tie wasn’t played.
Liscannor will be very keen to make a good start to the new campaign under new manager, Martin Guerin, who has succeeded Tommy Curtin. Therefore, they should be well up for this game but that said, so will Doonbeg, who are guided this year by Kieran O’Mahony.
Earlier on Saturday, at 3pm in Ballynacally, Clondegad will play Cusack Cup football for the first time in living memory. The home club play host to Shannon Gaels who will be determined to considerably improve on their 2009 performances in both league and championship.
Kilmurry-Ibrickane’s Dermot Coughlan is again in charge of Clondegad while Peter O’Connell holds the same post with Shannon Gaels.
The home club will be all out to win their opening game, having won promotion from the Garry Cup, while the Gaels will want to start the new year with a good display. 
Round 2 of the Cusack Cup will be played the following weekend, when Kilmurry-Ibrickane enter the equation. They are down to play Doonbeg in their first Cusack Cup game.