PREMIER INTERMEDIATE HURLING CHAMPIONSHIP: We would appreciate as much support as possible for our first game in the Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship. It is our first time playing at this grade and we are out to build on last year's great success. Throw-in in Claughaun next Saturday evening, 21 April, is at 6.45pm as we take on a side who were senior last year, Bruff. We would hope to see our supporters come out in their droves as they did last year, and drive us on to victory.
MINOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: Kildimo/Pallaskenry 2-14 Knockainey 2-9. A superb second half performance from our minor footballers saw them overcome a 7-point deficit to run out 5-point winners in their first game of the City/South Minor Football Championship. It really was a great way to kickstart the season, showing great character and spirit to overcame a significant deficit! There are plenty more matches in both codes coming up thick and fast; best of luck to the players and the management team of John Barry, Brian Barry, Brian Butler and Liam Hayes for the season ahead.
LOTTO RESULTS 26 MARCH: JACKPOT: €10,800; Winning Numbers: 6, 22, 24, 27. There was no winner of the overall jackpot.
Lucky Dip Winners: 1. T O'Connell; 2. Stephen Sheehan; 3. B Gloster; 4. P Hickey
Next draw Monday 16 April 2018. Next Week's Jackpot is €10,900. For anyone who would like to join the club lotto, please contact any club committee member, any of our lotto committee or email [email protected]. An annual subscription is €100 and weekly tickets are on sale locally in shops and pubs across the parish.
PREMIER INTERMEDIATE HURLING CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW: It's hard to believe that we're just one week out from Championship! Almost six months on from a famous county title victory in Kilmallock, and now we face into Championship hurling at the Premier Intermediate grade for the very first time. The time has flown since then but this is a whole new experience and where we want to be. It will certainly be a big step-up from Intermediate hurling; it is a real cut-throat competition with every single one of the eight teams fancying their chances of promotion, but also being in danger of relegation. They say that it is the most entertaining competition in the county due to its competitiveness, and you could even argue that is the most competitive in the country. We are the new kids on the block, having not played at this grade before and will face seven excellent sides but it is a challenge that our team are absolutely relishing.
We will play Bruff on the first day out next Saturday at 6.45pm in Claughaun, and it will be a tough start. They are the team who came down from senior last year, having spent three years in the top tier after winning the Premier Intermediate Championship in 2014. They will be eager to make an immediate return to senior, and have a lot of experience throughout their ranks. They have household names among their ranks in the form of current Limerick senior hurlers Paul Browne and Sean Finn, while they also have a former Limerick senior footballer in the shape of Bobby O'Brien. Brian Finn and James O'Riordan were members of the U-21 All-Ireland winning panel of 2015 which also featured Barry O'Connell. Kyle Dillon is a lively forward, who would have played county minor hurling alongside our own Kyle Hayes and Darren O'Connell; while Paul O'Riordan, Kevin Bonar and David Browne all played minor for Limerick last year alongside Liam Griffin. They have plenty of other players with intercounty pedigree and Shane Bulfin has been one of the most consistent freetakers in Limerick over past number of years.
The week after we face Bruff, we will travel to Caherconlish to face Garryspillane. Last year, they were only denied promotion after a replay in the county final and will be eager to go one better in 2018. They are sure to be a very formidable side, as they can now bolster their ranks with members of a Premier Minor Hurling title-winning team from 2017. They have stalwarts in the form of Dave Ryan in defence, and former Limerick star, Donie Ryan in attack, who has consistently racked up massive tallies in club hurling over the past number of seasons. Last year's Limerick senior hurling captain, James Ryan, is another key player as is Colin Ryan, the son of former Limerick senior hurling manager, TJ. Dylan O'Shea, Ryan Tobin and Eoin Sheehan were all part of the Limerick minor panel last year and that blend of youth and experience will make them a force to be reckoned with.
Neighbours Mungret are set to be the side we face after that, and a lot of the players on both sides would be quite familiar with each other. Pa Begley won an U-21 Munster medal alongside Cian Hayes and Barry O'Connell in 2011, and is now a member of the Limerick senior football panel alongside Peter Nash and Tony McCarthy. Brendan Giltenane is another who played underage for Limerick alongside Barry, while they also have a host of underage talent as they also featured in last year's Premier minor hurling final. Also on last year's Limerick minor team were Paul O'Brien, Conor Helewell, Rory Duff and Conor Flahive.
The only side from the West in the division are Feohanagh; a side we beat at Intermediate level in 2015 but they went on to be promoted that year and have more than held their own at this level since, making the semi-final last year. Current Limerick senior hurler Seamus Flanagan is an important player for them and his brother, Sean, and Jamie Butler both won All-Ireland medals at U-21 level in 2015, alongside our own Barry O'Connell. Barry Lynch and Mike Fitzgibbon are others who have featured on the intercounty scene in both hurling and football in recent seasons.
Pallasgreen are side who caused us severe heartbreak in 2016, when they defeated us after a replay to win promotion to this grade. It was a gutwrenching defeat at the time, but it is one that we learned from and came back all the stronger from. Colin Ryan is a current Limerick senior hurler, and won All-Ireland U-21 medals alongside Barry O'Connell in 2015 and Kyle Hayes in 2017. Darragh Fanning was also on that 2017 team, while Brian Fanning is a current Limerick senior footballer alongside Peter Nash and Tony McCarthy. Lorcan O'Dwyer was a member of the 2010 Limerick senior hurling panel, which also featured our own Cian Hayes and Richie McKeogh, and he is also a former Limerick senior footballer. They are the only side from the East division at this grade, and a side that we have some really ferocious battles with in recent years, and will surely to do so again this year.
Bruree are the home club of our manager, Chris Sexton, and they are another powerful side who have a lot of experience at this level. They have a former Limerick senior hurling captain in James O'Brien and Kieran O'Rourke is another who has played at senior intercounty level. Both of those featured when they won the Limerick Senior Hurling Championship in 2006, as did the likes of Shane Mullane and Mike Lane so they do have real experience and pedigree at the highest level of club hurling. Kieran O'Dea has also been another to rack up massive points tallies over the past number of seasons, and is a very dangerous forward from both placed balls and open play.
Our last match is set to be against Blackrock, the fourth club from the South division. Prominent players from the Kilfinane/Ardpatrick side are Richie McCarthy, a former All-Star and current Limerick senior hurler. David Moloney is another with senior intercounty experience, while Dylan Dawson was previously part of underage setups for the county. Paudie Leahy is a deadly accurate freetaker and they still have a number of players who won a Junior All-Ireland title in 2010. They have been very solid at this level since its inception, semi-finalists twice; a very tough task in our last fixture.
There are some fine teams in this division, of which we are one but we will need the support of all the parish, like last October. This is a cut-throat division with very little between the sides, and we need every advantage we can get!
CLUB SHOP: Our online club shop have a number of new items including the new team jerseys, as well as a wide range of training gear. Please see the club website, Facebook page or Team App for the link to the online shop.
CLOTHES RECYCLING: We are now open to taking in all your old clothes for our 2018 recycling drive of cash for clobber. If you have bags ready, please contact any committee member and we can facilitate delivery or collection. Please share amongst your family and friends. This is a very valuable source of income for the club. Many thanks.
CLUB LIMERICK DRAW: The first CLUB Limerick Draw of the year took place last Saturday, March 31 and the club had a winner with John Joe Staff winning €500. There are nine further draws to take place this year, with a subscription costing €10 per month. The CLUB Limerick Draw is a vital factor in the success of our county teams, it raises much needed funds for all our clubs to the tune of €400,000.
Kildimo Pallaskenry GAA are very fortunate to have a great number of young and senior players represent our club on the intercounty scene. The CLUB Limerick Draw will also help the development of the Gaelic Grounds and Mick Neville Park, to make it a centre of excellence with four full-size pitches including synthetic pitch, flood lighting & ball alley.
Remember each month there will be 30 Guaranteed Cash Prizes with a top prize of €12,000 & a star car prize in December worth €25,000. You can play online http://limerickgaa.ie/club-limerick-draw-signup/, or contact any club member or call/e-mail Siobhan in the Limerick GAA Office 061-335516 / [email protected].
If you would like to take part, follow the links above or pay monthly to any club members: Trish O'Dowd, Tom O'Connell, Tony O'Brien, Sean Cuddihy or Niall Kelly
Tweet