It’s Friday, the weekend is getting ready to land and we’re looking forward to a couple of heavy hitters on the live sporting front as well. Let’s take a look at some of the headlines starting off the day…
Beginning with Gaelic games and it’s shaping up to be a busy weekend for team KCLR as we count Croke Park and Chadwicks Wexford Park among the stops for live games across Saturday and Sunday. We’ll be at GAA headquarters tomorrow for the final of the Joe McDonagh Cup as Carlow take on Offaly. By virtue of being in the final, Carlow are already assured of a preliminary quarter-final spot in the All-Ireland senior hurling championship and whoever wins can look forward to playing in the Leinster senior championship next season.
Our live coverage of that game begins from 4.15pm on Saturday with thanks to Teach Dolmain and Ray Whelan Ltd.
The Glen Dimplex All-Ireland camogie series also gets underway tomorrow with Kilkenny and Carlow involved in the opening rounds of the intermediate championship. At 3pm, Carlow are up north to face Antrim in St. Mary’s Ahoghill. Then at five, Seamus Kelly’s Kilkenny side have had a change of venue – they’ll now head to Blanchardstown to take on Dublin for their opening fixture. Kilkenny and Carlow are in separate groups but having already met in this year’s Leinster final, there’s every chance they could meet again should they reach the knockout stages.
Get a full breakdown of this weekend’s championship action on the latest Camán Caint podcast.
We’re also on the way to Wexford Park on Sunday where Kilkenny take on Wexford with lots at stake for both sides. A win for Kilkenny and they’re into next month’s Leinster senior hurling final. Defeat for Wexford coupled with Antrim beating Westmeath and it’s bye-bye Wexford from Leinster. That game is live from 1.30pm with thanks to Laharts & Gerry Comerford Drilling.
Bolger Cup Success
Last night saw the final of the Bolger Cup in Carlow with some club silverware at steak ahead of the main championship this summer. It was a repeat of last year’s decider between St. Mullins and Bagenalstown Gaels, now led by former Blacks & Whites junior county winning manager Eddie Scally.
And wouldn’t you know it, he’s brought the winning touch to Carlow this season with Bagenalstown running out 3-13 to 1-17 winners – that’s a 2-point margin in old money.
There’s plenty of football action in Carlow tonight too including the meeting of St. Patrick’s and Fenagh in Division 1 of the football league while the knockout stages of Division 3 see Rathvilly and O’Hanrahans square off while Ballon take on Leighlinbridge, both of those games in the training centre in Fenagh from 7.30pm.
In Kilkenny, among the games tonight are a couple of the Senior Intermediate Hurling League matchups with Clara hosting Dicksboro at 7.30pm while O’Loughlins take on Rower Inistioge from the earlier time of 7pm.
United back at the big table
Something is rotten in the state of Chelsea. It’s the first time all season I’ve been banking on a Chelsea win in the hope that they could push the final Champions League place down to the last day of the season, but it wasn’t to be.
A 4-1 win for United at Old Trafford last night means the red side of Manchester joined Man City, Arsenal and Newcastle in Europe’s top club competition next season.
Liverpool will finish fifth, Brighton sixth, meaning the only thing we’ve got to look forward to really on Sunday for the last day of the Premier League is who’s going down with Everton, Leicester and Leeds all staring at the drop. If Everton win, both Leeds and Leicester say goodbye and if they can pull off the win it will be one of the greatest escapes, again, even for Everton.
We’ll have more to discuss as the day goes on.
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