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This weekend sees Kilkenny run out at Croke Park seeking a record breaking fifth All Ireland Senior Hurling title in a row when they face Tipperary in the 2010 Final. Miracle man Henry Shefflin even seems likely to play a part after somehow recovering from a cruciate knee ligament injury in less than a month!!! It promises to be a memorable occasion.
But it's not just Kilkenny and Tipperary that will be looking forward to playing hurling this weekend!
Look no further than the main pitch in Erin's Isle for proves to be a thrilling set of games. Starting us of is the Senior Camogie team who make their maiden voyage in the Senior Camogie Championship for 2010 with a home game against Raheny at 3pm on Saturday 4th September. This proves to be a very tough encounter for the girls and Raheny have always posed a big challenge for the girls in recent years. They will be buoyed by recent good form in their league and massive strides have been taken in 12 months. This time last year, it was looking likely that the girls may face relegation to Senior B League and had already bowed out of the A championship. However, 2010 has seen a seismic change in direction. With new management of PJ Donoghue at the helm and the return in great numbers of many of the squad from the 2003 success, the girls reached the Summer Cup Final earlier in the year and were only narrowly defeated by Ballyboden after a replay. They have also taken some notable scalps in the league including county champions Naomh Mearnog and tomorrow's opponents Raheny. That said, all in the camp know that championship is a very different game, and they would very much like your support in big numbers tomorrow.
Following our Senior girls, our Senior Hurling team resume their championship campaign for 2010 with a clash against Ballyboden at 6pm. The lads have played 3 and won 3 so far in their round robin group and along with their opponents, are they only clubs in Dublin already through to the quarter finals of the Senior Championship. This is the big one though and it should ultimately decide who tops the group! With the format, first in Group A plays fourth in Group B and so on, so it's a hugely significant game and one both teams will be going hell for leather to win. Again, we would urge everyone to support the lads too!
Finally, as the curtain raiser to Croke Park as it were, our Junior Hurlers face Sylvesters in a league promotion play off at 10.15am on Sunday morning 5th September. Along with the Senior Camogie and Senior Hurling teams, our Junior hurlers have really turned things around big style in 2010. They too are already through to the Championship Quarter Finals where they will face a very good Parnells team in the weeks to come, but their league form has been exceptional. Very similar to the Senior Camogie team, the squad has been inflated greatly this year by returning players, some from many years ago. Sunday's clash with Syls is a really important one and would signify a return to Division 6 hurling after being last year automatically relegated for conceding two walkovers in the league. In order to keep the momentum going and allowing a group to build for years to come, it is crucial that promotion is achieved and this is why I for one will be down to cheer the lads on this Sunday.
All in all, it really is a mouth watering weekend for the hurling enthusiast! Whichever match you can support (all if you can of course) remember to wear your club colours with pride and bring nothing else but loads of encouragement! |
