The hurlers of UCC and Cork face off this evening in the Canon O’Brien Cup, an annual clash in memory of the late coach, who had many fruitful years with both sides (7.30pm at the Mardyke).

A first tick on the new calendar. The Cork hurlers start 2017 this evening with the Canon O’Brien Cup against UCC (Mardyke, 7pm), but at this time of year, what are the likes of new selector John Meyler looking for?

Cork 1-26 UCC 2-12: The heavy rain and wind didn’t make for a great spectacle, but there were some bright spots for Cork manager Jimmy Barry-Murphy as his side retained the Canon O’Brien Cup by beating UCC at the Mardyke last night.