As he takes the call in the office of his Toyota dealership in Clonmel, John Kennedy looks at the framed photograph of Clonoulty-Rossmore’s 1997 senior county-winning team. The win, over Mullinahone, doubled the two-time All-Ireland SHC winner’s county senior medal haul, following the 1989 success against Holycross-Ballycahill.

From Tony Brennan to Declan Ryan, Clonoulty-Rossmore has produced players who made indelible impressions on Tipperary hurling.

Two goals in the opening quarter were decisive as Nenagh Éire Óg ended the SHC challenge of Loughmore-Castleiney with a 2-17 to 0-18 win at Dolla yesterday.

Cork’s side for tonight’s Munster U21HC semi-final against Waterford in Páirc Uí Chaoimh (7.30pm) will feature five players who have played in this year’s provincial senior championship while none of the Déise side saw action.

UCC 1-19 - CORK IT 0-12: UCC’s class was always going to be the telling factor. And so it proved, even if it took a little longer than expected to boil to the surface.

This Limerick U21 team carries shades of last year’s Waterford class.

Two goals down after four minutes, county champions Thurles Sarsfields recovered well to see off Kilruane MacDonaghs in the Tipperary senior hurling championship second round at Templemore yesterday. 

Gabriel Rangers (Cork) 1-13 Clonoulty-Rossmore (Tipperary) 1-4: Cork champions Gabriel Rangers defied treacherous conditions to reach their first Munster Club JFC final at a bitterly cold Clonakilty on Saturday.

Thurles, Kiladangan, Killenaule and Clonoulty-Rossmore advance to semis after two Semple Stadium double-headers.

Brian Horgan hopes to be celebrating on the double tomorrow evening.

The gates of Cusack Park could be reopened later this month to stage the third round of Clare SHC games.

After 33 years in the senior grade, Boherlahan-Dualla are relegated to intermediate for next year, following their 3-20 to 1-12 defeat by Moyne-Templetuohy in the relegation play-off at Holycross.

Thurles CBS 0-18 St Peter’s College 1-12:

Dr Harty Cup quarter-final

Tipperary SHC: Champions Loughmore-Castleiney defeated Clonoulty-Rossmore 0-17 to 2-10 in a nail-biting finish to this quarter-final at Semple Stadium on Saturday.

A huge weekend of senior hurling activity saw the Tipperary SHC championship reduced to the last eight, and while there were no major upsets, there were some very significant results, not least the victory of Thurles Sarsfields over Drom-Inch.

Limerick begin the defence of their Munster MHC title at the Gaelic Grounds tonight (7pm) against Tipperary, the county they beat in last year’s semi-final (1-17 to 0-17) en-route to claiming a first minor provincial crown since 1984.

Clonoulty-Rossmore 1-11 Kildangan 0-14

Loughmore-Castleiney and Éire Óg Nenagh, as expected, qualified for the Tipperary SHC quarter-finals with comfortable round four wins over Roscrea and Silvermines respectively on Saturday evening.

Toomevara conjured up a dramatic late rally to pip outsiders Templederry 0-24 to 2-17 in a thrilling SHC round three tie at Nenagh.

DONACH O’Donnell began coaching while a student in WIT, and while teaching in Rockwell College he maintained his interest in preparing teams.

Of the two teams in tomorrow’s Munster club final the club most hurling people would be most aware of is Thurles Sarsfields.

THE departure of champions Thurles Sarsfields at the semi-final stage of the Tipperary senior hurling championship has left Drom & Inch and Clonoulty-Rossmore in tomorrow’s decider, and each will fancy their chances.

THURLES SARSFIELDS stayed on course for a third successive Tipperary SHC title, seeing off the challenge of Loughmore-Castleiney by 3-17 to 2-16 in a thrilling quarter-final at Semple Stadium on Saturday.

COUNTY star Seamus Callanan capped a sensational display with the winning score from a 90m injury time free to give Drom-Inch a 2-16 to 1-18 over Burgess in Saturday’s Tipperary SHC fourth round tie at Templemore.

TIMMY HAMMERSLEY scored 0-13 for Clonoulty-Rossmore yesterday in their facile West Tipperary SHC final victory against Cappawhite at Dundrum.

SPENDING on Tipperary’s various inter-county teams has hit an all-time high, coming in at over €1.2m this year.

TIPPERARY defender Declan Fanning last night announced his retirement from intercounty hurling.

THURLES SARS retained their Tipperary senior hurling title in dull and damp Semple Stadium yesterday, capping off a superb year for their four Tipperary All-Ireland-winning stars, but only after a testing final few minutes against a young Clonoulty-Rossmore side that will surely come again.

SOMEWHERE in their clan history, Michael and Conor Gleeson have a common ancestor, are still brothers in blood; this Sunday, however, in the Tipperary senior hurling final, they will be on opposite sides, generals in opposing camps.

ON the Clonoulty-Rossmore team facing Thurles Sarsfields in Sunday’s Tipperary SHC final in Semple Stadium you have Tom Butler, and then you have Big Tommy Butler.

CLONOULTY-ROSSMORE claimed the spoils in this Tipperary SHC semi-final in Thurles yesterday despite having played second fiddle for long spells to a Kildangan team that has come a long way in a short time.

CLONOULTY-Rossmore captured the Tipperary Co-op Supervalu West Tipperary senior hurling championship for a fourth successive year with a comfortable nine-point victory over Éire Óg Annacarty at Seán Treacy Park yesterday.

Tipperary senior hurling manager Liam Sheedy has added four new players to his squad ahead of the 2010 season.

Both Cork and Tipperary managements have announced their sides ahead of tomorrow's Munster Minor Hurling Championship semi-final replay at Semple Stadium, Thurles.

Toomevara 0-17 Loughmore-Castleiney 0-13

Clonoulty-Rossmore 0-17 Thurles Sarsfields 1-14

THE Cork team for Sunday’s All-Ireland SHC quarter-final against Clare shows one change from the side that defeated Galway last Saturday night.