The 2017 Bord Gais Energy GAA Hurling U-21 All-Ireland Championships have launched with Kilkenny’s Liam Blanchfield among the ambassadors for this year.
The Bennettsbridge clubman joins Peter Casey (Limerick), Luke Meade (Cork), Patrick Curran (Waterford), Billy McCarthy (Tipperary), Aron Shanaghar (Clare), Shane Barrett (Dublin), Liam Blanchfield (Kilkenny), Aaron Maddock (Wexford), and Thomas Monaghan (Galway) as ambassadors for this year.
The competition will ramp up on Wednesday 31 May with four Leinster quarter finals played across the province.
Carlow will go to Newbridge to face Kildare while Kilkenny host Dublin. The competition itself starts on Wednesday night with the meeting of Meath and Westmeath in a preliminary round, the winners facing Laois next week.
Waterford claimed last year’s All-Ireland U-21 hurling title in style with a comprehensive 5-15 to 0-14 win over Galway in September. Waterford’s Stephen Bennett was named Player of the Year last time out, keeping team mates Austin Gleeson and Patrick Curran at bay.
