Limerick face potential re-match with Tipp

LIMERICK face a potential re-match with Tipperary in next summer’s Munster hurling championship - following the draw made in Croke Park on Thursday night (October 22) Cork were drawn against Tipperary in a quarter-final while the Shannonsiders will await the winner of that game in a Munster semi-final. On the opposite side of the draw Clare will play Waterford with a place in the 2010 Munster hurling final up for grabs.
Justin McCarthy’s Limerick men lost heavily to Tipperary in last August’s disappointing All-Ireland semi-final at Croke Park while the Shannonsiders last faced Cork in a 2006 All-Ireland quarter-final which the Rebels won 0-19 to 0-18.


The Limerick footballers will be thrilled with their draw for the 2010 Munster championship. The Shannonsiders have been drawn in a semi-final and await the winners of the Clare v Waterford first round clash. Kerry will play Tipperary on the other side of the draw with Cork awaiting the winners of that game at the semi-final stage.
Limerick will be favoured strongly by the bookies to qualify for the provincial final.
The dates, times and venues for all the provincial games will be confirmed by the Munster Council in due course.
Meanwhile the Leinster hurling championship draw will see Carlow take on Laois in the preliminary round. The winner of that game will face Dublin in a quarter-final with the respective winner of that game taking on Kilkenny in the semi-finals.
On the opposite side of the draw Wexford will take on Galway while Antrim face Offaly - the winners of those games will constitute a second Leinster semi-final.
Three other provincial football draws also took place in Croke Park.
In the Connacht semi-finals New York or Galway will face Sligo or Mayo while the second semi-final will see London or Roscommon take on Leitrim.
Derry will take on Armagh in the first round of the Ulster championship while the quarter-final line-up reads as follows: Antrim v Tyrone, Donegal v Down, Cavan v Fermanagh and Monaghan v the winner of the Derry-Armagh clash.
Finally the Leinster championship quarter-finals will see Kildare take on the winner of a Louth-Longford clash, Westmeath will face the winner of Wicklow-Carlow, Laois the winner of Meath-Offaly while the final quarter-final will see Wexford take on Dublin.

Brian McDonnell