Tag Archives: Munster senior hurling championship

Following a perfect start, Clare are now focused on reaching a Munster Final as they prepare to welcome Limerick and Waterford to fortress Cusack Park over the next fortnight. That’s the view of back-to-back All-Star Tony Kelly who on Sunday became Clare’s highest ever championship scorer with 9-240 in just 45 appearances after raiding for ten points against Cork to surpass Niall Gilligan’s previous record of 21-197 (in 56 championship matches). “We’ve our eyes on the Munster Championship like every team in it so we’re not going to get away with this win. It was a great result and we’ll enjoy it but we’re fortunate to have a week to regroup and prepare for Limerick in two week’s time. “It’s in our own hands now where we want to go in the Munster Championship and it’s all about replicating those performances so far and even bringing them up a notch or two.” Having been last of the 11 counties into …

Eoin Brennan previews Clare’s crunch encounter with Cork in the Munster Senior Hurling Championship Round 2 at FBD Semple Stadium There was a major brainstorming session going on in the Ó Riain Stand between Cork’s management team of Kieran Kingston, Diarmuid O’Sullivan, Noel Furlong and Pat Mulcahy at half-time in last Sunday’s Clare and Tipperary in Semple Stadium. It’s unlikely that they were discussing Ed Sheeran’s back catalogue, it’s much more likely by their animated gestures that their focus was on Clare who at that point had laid waste to their hosts Tipperary to lead by 13 points. Having witnessed Tipperary’s rousing display against Waterford, Kingston and Co. probably came to Semple Stadium to further analyse Colm Bonnar’s side but they left early with only the Banner in their thoughts. The thing is that Cork, particularly under Kingston, have invariably had the Indian sign over Clare in recent seasons. After all, following Clare’s 2013 All-Ireland triumph, the Rebels have edged …

Eoin Brennan previews this afternoon’s Munster Senior Hurling Championship Round 2 between Clare and Tipperary at FBD Semple Stadium Thurles JUST as Tipperary’s sense of injustice motivated an uprising against recently crowned National League champions Waterford last weekend, Clare will be targeting a similar assault this Sunday as they look to hit the ground running in this year’s provincial championship. With both sides justifiably irked at being largely discounted in the conversation for the top three in Munster, Tipperary’s backlash landed but ultimately failed to knock down their opponents which leaves them with no room for error as they scramble for points this Sunday. Being Clare’s competitive bow, they obviously have a little more wriggle room but realistically if the Banner are to make an impression in the provincial series, a win is almost a prerequisite in Thurles. Easier said than done, after Clare took 90 years to previously make that breakthrough back in 2018 on their way to knocking …

Although Ken Ralph has more than earned his Banner citizenship, an intriguing sub plot to this weekend’s clash with Tipperary is the selector trying to defeat his county of origin. Ralph represented Tipperary at minor and U-21 level before he was offered a job at De Beers (now Element Six). After initially living in Limerick, he migrated to Clarecastle as he helped the Magpies enjoy some of the greatest days in their history, when winning county titles in 1997 and 2003. Although the two time county champion with Clarecastle admits that he does hold a soft spot for Tipperary, there is no doubting his determination to inflict a second straight loss on Colm Bonnar’s charges. “Coming up against Tipp is something I’ve dealt with years ago. I’m in Clare longer than I was in Tipp. I do have a soft spot for Tipp but my kids were born in Clare. I’d nearly be forgiven for rooting for Clare. When Clare …

WHEN Shane Meehan answered the phone to The Clare Champion the 19-year-old was almost drowned out by the cheers and excitement of the children hurling behind him. That morning and afternoon, Meehan was down at his own club, Banner, helping the club run their Easter camp. With over 100 kids attending the camp, hopes are high within Banner that they can continue their recent upward trend across all codes. The evening prior Meehan and the Clare U-20 hurlers saw their Championship campaign come to an end after falling to an agonising two point against Cork. For the second game on the spin, Clare let a winning hand slip as Meehan’s final year at the U-20 grade came to a close. Despite the disappointment, the Mary Immaculate student, headed down to coach the young players coming through the ranks. When Meehan spoke to The Champion after the camp, he reiterated the point that heading down to his club helped him deal …

For someone with the mercurial touch of Tony Kelly, it’s intriguing to hear the Ballyea man discuss improving upon and refining his artillery for Championship combat. After requiring ankle surgery last October, Kelly was forced to watch from the sidelines as Ballyea showed remarkable grit to eventually emerge triumphant and lift the Canon Hamilton. The 28-year-old was part of the St. Flannan’s management team when the Ennis school lifted the Dean Ryan Cup in November, three days after Ballyea were crowned county champions for the third time in the club’s history. The teacher believes he can take lessons from watching his clubmates and the students he coaches between the white lines. “It gives me a different perspective when I’m watching games on the sideline. Something I enjoy doing is coaching the younger players. No matter what age you are you can pick up a thing or two watching other players. You can learn a lot from different players.” After a …

Munster Senior Hurling Championship Quarter-Final Clare 1-22 Waterford 0-21 A FIRST Munster victory under Brian Lohan as Clare hit the ground running in this year’s championship to stun Waterford into submission in Semple Stadium, Thurles on Sunday afternoon, reports Eoin Brennan. Leading from start to finish, Clare should have eased to a much more convincing triumph after having almost 50 shots at the posts in a dominant display. However, digging out the result by whatever means possible was the most important aspect for a new-look Banner who got revenge for being knocked out of the All-Ireland series by the same opponents last September. As with every championship match in 2020, Clare kept their opponents defence on their toes with regards to the positioning of talisman Tony Kelly, with Lohan and Co. making the brave call of placing the current All-Star at the edge of the square for the entire 70 minutes. Without the target of Shane O’Donnell, it would prove …

Munster Senior Hurling Championship Quarter-Final (Extra-Time if Necessary) Clare v Waterford @ Semple Stadium Thurles, Sunday 3.30pm (Colm Lyons, Cork) With a full hand to choose from, Clare would undoubtedly be heading to Thurles on Sunday in confident mood of turning over last year’s All-Ireland Quarter-Final result. Traditionally, Clare wouldn’t have the same innate hang-ups about Waterford as they would to a Tipperary or Cork or in more recent times Limerick. Of course, that’s the same for Waterford who will view this match-up as the best of a bad lot in an ultra-competitive Munster Championship. However, there was the growing sense that things seemed to be falling into place for Brian Lohan and his side at the perfect time to peak for championship. That is overtly seen through their improving performances and results as the National League developed but even positionally, there were less and less question marks over personnel. Captain John Conlon’s switch to centre-back certainly raised some initial …