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. 

Champions Thurles Sarsfields set down a marker for those aspiring to take their title from them when they romped to a 5-32 to 0-7 win over Carrick Swans in their opening game in defence of the Tipperary senior hurling title at Cashel.

Dr Harty Cup final

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

Drom-Inch and Loughmore-Castleiney progressed to the Mid Tipp SHC final with comfortable wins over Holycross-Ballycahill and Moycarkey-Borris at Boherlahan.

What do you do when your mentality is questioned? When the stain of losing tarnishes your reputation? Perhaps you call Jim McGuinness, or, in Newcastle West’s case, his brother-in-law.

Match of the day in a busy weekend of divisional senior hurling championship games was the Mid Tipp clash of county champions, Thurles Sarsfields and divisional title-holders, Drom-Inch at Holycross yesterday.

Tipperary senior hurling champions, Loughmore-Castleiney suffered a shock defeat in the Mid Division’s SHC semi-final, losing to Upperchurch -Drombane 2-19 to 1-21 after extra-time at Templemore yesterday.

1. THE VENUE:

Feohanagh-Castlemahon (Limerick) 2-10 Drom-Inch (Tipperary) 3-6

There’s been a lot of talk about the drawn Limerick SFC final when a Dromcollogher-Broadford supporter entered the fray and got involved in an altercation with Newcastlewest player James Kelly.

A suspension totalling 96 weeks has been proposed for the Dromcollogher-Broadford supporter who was involved in an incident on the pitch during last Sunday's Limerick SFC final.

Dromcollogher-Broadford 0-13 Newcastle West 2-07

There’s a perception abroad that the powerbase of Limerick football is towards the west.

Thurles Sarsfields 1-21 Drom & Inch 2-15

Dromcollogher-Broadford 1-10 Fr. Caseys 0-9

Éire Óg Annacarty sprung a major surprise at Cashel in the Tipperary SHC when they beat a hotly fancied Borris-Ileigh 1-17 to 0-17 thanks to an injury-time goal from sub Michael McGrath.

County man Pa Bourke hit a whopping six goals as Thurles Sarsfields blitzed holders Loughmore-Castleiney in a disappointingly one-sided Mid Tipperary senior hurling final at Templemore.

The clash of the champions in the Mid Tipperary senior hurling championship semi-final ended in stalemate at Templetuohy yesterday as county champions Drom-Inch, courtesy of a pointed free by Johnny Ryan with the last puck of extra-time, forced a 2-21 each draw with Loughmore-Castleiney, the divisional champions, in a thrilling contest.

Two All-Ireland winners patrol the sidelines fortomorrow’s Bord Gáis Energy Ladies NFL Division Fourfinal at O’Connor Park,Tullamore.

Killimor’s grip on the All-Ireland senior club camogie championship is no more, as Drom/Inch dominated the Galwegians at MacDonagh Park in Nenagh to book a place in this year’s final against Oulart-the-Ballagh.

TRY, try and try again goes the legend of Robert the Bruce, the persistence of a spider in his hideout cave at Rathlin Island persuading the Scottish lord to go back and have one last lash at gaining the throne, which of course he succeeded in doing.

DROM & Inch goalkeeper Damien Young said the final whistle in last Sunday’s Tipperary SHC final had brought a “pure release of energy” from the team and supporters.

DROM & Inch manager Teddy Kennedy was understandably jubilant at the final whistle – he’d just seen his charges collect a first Tipperary senior hurling title, but he wasn’t forgetting the niceties, paying tribute to the defeated finalists.

JOY unconfined for Drom & Inch yesterday in Semple Stadium as they won their first Tipperary senior hurling title, edging out Clonoulty Rossmore by two points to get their hands on the Dan Breen Cup.

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.

NEWCASTLE WEST are the first side to book a spot in the semi-finals of the Limerick SFC.

IF those who set the odds are to be believed – and these guys speak with their wallets – there’s going to be a convincing winner of tomorrow’s Harty Cup final between Árd Scoil Rís (Limerick) and Charleville CBS.

THERE IS a growing public perception that this season’s AIB Munster Club Football Championship is destined to climax in a Crokes v Nemo Rangers face-off, but both clubs still have some work to do before that glamour pairing becomes a reality.

THE Limerick SFC reign of Dromcollogher-Broadford is over as they crashed out at the semi-final stage at the hands of Monaleen.

FOR the second successive year, Sean Buckley dons the captain’s armband on Munster senior football final day.

Kilmurry-Ibrickane (Clare) 0-11 Drom-Broadford (Limerick) 0-5

IT was a monkey on their backs for decades. Up to the early 1970’s, Thurles Sarsfields were a powerhouse in Tipperary hurling. In 1974 they won the championship for 28th time and the good times looked set to roll on.

HE IS sick and tired of losing, is James Woodlock, sick of waiting around on the field and watching the winners already well into their celebrations as they accept the cup, tired of the feeling that evening, the next day, the next week, the feeling that just eats and gnaws its way into your marrow.

IT’S A long way from Balbriggan to Thurles, longer still if, like Michael Gleeson, you lived in one but pined for the other.

STILL standing – that’s Mid-Tipp division champions Drom & Inch after this second Tipperary SHC semi-final in Semple Stadium yesterday.

AWESOME. If ever there was a sporting equivalent to that meteorological phenomenon known as the perfect storm then this was it. Drom/Broadford just happened to be the poor souls caught squarely in its path.

Drom-Broadford (Limerick) 0-6 Kilmurry/Ibrickane 0-5 (Clare)