Offaly's Brian Gavin will referee his first All-Ireland SHC final when Kilkenny and reigning champions Tipperary meet at Croke Park on Sunday, September 4.

Kilkenny's Henry Shefflin has paid tribute to former county colleague Martin Comerford who announced his retirement from inter-county hurling yesterday.

Clarinbridge 2-18 O'Loughlin Gaels 0-12

Crossmaglen’s Oisin McConville today picked up an historic fifth AIB Provincial Player Award as the outstanding performers of the 2010 provincial campaign were today recognised

To lose a county final, at any level, is a huge blow, especially when your club has been in the doldrums for a while; to lose two, devastating, surely. To lose six, then, and to lose those six in succession, how must that feel? How do you come back from that?

ANTRIM:

The GAA's Leinster Council has announced new dates for the Leinster Senior Club Football and Hurling Championship finals, after the recent cold spell of weather forced their postponement.

O'Loughlin Gaels (Kilkenny) 1-21 Ballyboden St. Enda's (Dublin) 3-11, Nowlan Park (after extra-time)

Kilkenny's O'Loughlin Gaels and Raharney of Westmeath earned AIB Leinster SHC quarter-finals wins this afternoon, while in Munster, the hurlers of Kilmallock also claimed a semi-final berth.

This afternoon saw Ballyboden St. Enda's and Thurles Sarsfields claim Senior Hurling Championship titles in Dublin and Tipperary respectively, while Loughrea and Clarinbridge will have to meet again following their drawn Galway decider at Pearse Stadium.

CORK All-Ireland winning defender John Miskella suffered a dislocated elbow while lining out for his club Ballincollig in last Sunday’s Cork SFC 4th round replay win over Castlehaven yet could still figure in next weekend’s quarter-final tie against St Finbarr’s.

Kilkenny defender Brian Hogan will miss Sunday's week's All-Ireland SHC final against Tipperary due to a broken finger.

The GAA ban on collective intercounty training means many of the country's top stars are enjoying their festive break and downtime ahead of the recommencement of action in the New Year.

Brian Hogan will make his first appearance of this year's All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship when he lines out for Kilkenny in tomorrow's semi-final clash with Waterford (Croke Park, throw-in 4pm).

Kilkenny Senior Hurling manager Brian Cody has been dealt a major blow with the news that defender Brian Hogan will not play any part in this years GAA Leinster Senior Hurling Championship due to injury.

The sole disappointment emanating from the Kilkenny dressing room after last Sunday's GAA All-Ireland SHC victory over Waterford was the injury sustained by Martin Comerford, which may leave him on the sidelines for more than two months.

The fixing of the Dalkia All-Ireland Handball championship finals for O'Loughlin Gaels in Kilkenny this weekend has led to anger among Ulster Council handball officials and players.

JJ Delaney will make his first competitive appearance for Kilkenny since last August when the Cats take on Dublin in the National Hurling League tomorrow (Parnell Park, throw-in 2.30pm).

CHAMPIONS St. Kieran’s, Kilkenny and pretenders St. Flannan’s, Ennis are missing key players for today’s All-Ireland Colleges S‘A’HC semi-final at The Ragg (2pm).

IT was two years ago in Ballinasloe that Kilkenny manager Brian Cody first unveiled some of the talent that would go on to help Kilkenny to back-to-back All-Ireland titles.

IT was tougher, tighter and didn't have the pretty hurling of the drawn game, but at Semple Stadium on Saturday, Newtownshandrum finally ended the dogged challenge of O'Loughlin Gaels of Kilkenny in the All-Ireland club hurling championship semi-final.

Newtownshandrum 0-14, O'Loughlin Gaels 1-8

Newtownshandrum 0-14 O'Loughlin Gaels 1-8

Newtownshandrum 0-8 O'Loughlin Gaels 1-7

ON the field there was a marked contrast in styles between Newtownshandrum and O'Loughlin Gaels in their exciting drawn All-Ireland hurling club championship semi-final on Sunday.

Newtownshandrum 1-16 O'Loughlin Gaels 0-19

All-Ireland club hurling hopefuls Newtownshandrum have received a major boost with the news Ben O'Connor will be back in their ranks on Sunday.

All-Ireland winning Kilkenny boss Brian Cody has named three new faces in his squad for the upcoming National League and championship campaign.

All-Ireland club hurling semi-finalists O'Loughlin Gaels and Newtownshandrum are counting the cost of a serious injuries ahead of Sunday's Thurles tussle.

THE cream of the country’s football talent may be travelling to the Caribbean next year if the GAA accept an offer to bring the 2003 and 2004 Vodafone GAA Allstar football teams to the Cayman Islands.

Former All-Ireland winning hurling skipper Andy Comerford is set to regain his captain's armband, according to speculation in Kilkenny.

SEMPLE Stadium in Thurles is the probable venue for next months’s AIB All-Ireland club semi-finals involving the Munster and Leinster champions.

DECEMBER 2003, the end of yet another highly-successful season for the hurlers of Kilkenny.

All’s well that ends well was the reaction of Newtownshandrum manager Patsy Morrissey to this weekend’s All-Ireland club hurling quarter-final win over London’s Fr Murphy’s, in Ruislip.

Kilkenny duo Andy and Martin Comerford admitted that winning a Leinster club title with O'Loughlin Gaels eclipsed anything they've done with the county.

MARTIN COMERFORD has enjoyed many glorious days of hurling, days which have garnered him championship medals and Allstars in the service of Kilkenny.

THE closely-knit group of Birr players so successfully managed by the flamboyant Pat Joe Whelahan, have been getting accustomed to organising their working and social lives around their hurling.

Johnny Pilkington will return from work commitments in France in time for Birr's Leinster club final with O'Loughlin Gaels on Sunday.

BEFORE we go any further here, congratulations are in order. If Ireland had won the rugby World Cup, England and the English would have been delighted for us.

The AIB club championships hot up next Sunday as five provincial finals are due to be played in four provinces.

All-Ireland club hurling champions Birr want Sunday week's Leinster final with O'Loughlin Gaels postponed because of a spate of injuries and withdrawals.

Wexford champs Rathnure will wait until the 11th hour to rule Paul Codd in or out of Sunday's Leinster club showdown with O'Loughlin Gaels.