After a dramatic weekend’s provincial hurling semi-finals, the hurling season is taking shape with the two tracks now emerging. Firstly, provincial finals are scheduled for the weekend after next with the Leinster meeting of champions Kilkenny and Dublin on Saturday July 17th at Croke Park at 7.30.
The next day, July 18th, in Cork’s Páirc Uí Chaoimh, champions Limerick meet Tipperary with a 4.15 throw-in. It is the first Munster hurling final at the venue since 2014 when Cork defeated Limerick in the last match played before the ground was redeveloped.
The All-Ireland hurling qualifiers are looking like a minefield. The counties involved are now finalised: the winners of next weekend’s preliminary round between Antrim and Laois, Galway and Wexford plus Clare, Cork and Waterford from Munster.
Antrim or Laois will be drawn against one of the Munster teams, which must include Waterford as a defeated quarter-finalist. Either Galway or Wexford will be drawn against Clare or Cork. The two teams left over, which will be from the group Galway, Wexford, Clare and Cork, will get a bye to the second round.
Round one will be on the weekend of July 17th/18th and round two a week after that.
The All-Ireland quarter-finals between the winners of round two of the qualifiers and the defeated provincial finalists will take place on the weekend of July 31st/August 1st.
