Oulart-Ballagh 1-11 Ballyhale Shamrocks 1-10

It was a winter of loss for Ballyhale Shamrocks and Oulart-the-Ballagh in 2011.

“I’m gone to stud,” is how James ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick put it when asked might he like to return to the Kilkenny panel.

Ballyhale Shamrocks 0-16 Dicksboro 0-12

It was coming.

Ballyhale Shamrocks 1-17 O’Loughlin Gaels 2-10

Eoin Larkin inspired James Stephens to victory over gritty Graigue-Ballycallan in an exciting Kilkenny SHC quarter-final in Freshford yesterday.

Kilkenny legend Eddie Brennan fears that James ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick may be the one player the All-Ireland champions simply cannot do without.

Kilkenny midfielder Michael Fennelly suspects retired stars James ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick and John Dalton will return to inter-county hurling in the future.

Michael Kavanagh, the winner of eight All-Ireland medals with Kilkenny, has ended what has been a glittering inter-county hurling career.

JAMES ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick was the first to walk before Christmas, Eddie Brennan followed him soon after and PJ Ryan handed in his notice just two weeks into the New Year.

GOALKEEPER PJ Ryan last night became the third Kilkenny star to retire from intercounty hurling in recent weeks.

KILKENNY defender JJ Delaney has insisted the door will never be closed to James ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick should the midfielder reverse last week’s decision to retire from inter-county hurling.

Kilkenny hurling legend Henry Shefflin is facing the prospect of six months on the sideline recovering from shoulder surgery, it emerged yesterday.

KILKENNY hurling legend Henry Shefflin is facing the prospect of six months on the sideline recovering from shoulder surgery, it emerged yesterday.

KILKENNY’S three-time All Star James ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick has surprisingly ended his inter-county career at the age of 26.

BALLYHALE Shamrocks qualified for the Kilkenny SHC final yesterday with a hugely impressive win over last year’s champions O’Loughlin Gaels.

BALLYHALE Shamrocks had to give free expression to all their multiple talents when beating neighbours and fierce rivals, Carrickshock, in the replay of the Kilkenny SHC quarter-final in Nowlan Park yesterday.

FORMER Cork hurling boss John Allen has emerged as a candidate for the vacant Limerick post.

IT was something of a phoney war in that both sides were keeping a little in reserve for the championship, but Ballyhale Shamrocks picked up their first title of the year when winning the senior hurling league final against James Stephens on Saturday.

IT WAS a bad weekend for the 2010 county finalists as both O’Loughlin Gaels and Carrickshock suffered defeat in the fourth round of the Kilkenny senior hurling league.

Kilkenny 1-27 Offaly 1-19

KILKENNY hurling selector Martin Fogarty has described criticism of his side’s performances as “crazy”, given the Cats are missing several first-choice players, including three former Hurlers of the Year, through injury.

Kilkenny 0-14 Cork 1-10

THIS game was decided between the 41st and 43rd minutes in the second half.

The Kilkenny team to face Cork in Sunday’s All-Ireland SHC semi-final shows two changes from the side selected to play Galway in the Leinster final.

Kilkenny have chosen a strong side to face Waterford in a Senior Hurling game to mark the opening of Mooncoin GAA Club’s new complex on Sunday.

Kilkenny make a number of changes in personnel and positions to their team from the side which defeated Limerick, for the final League game against Waterford.

KILKENNY midfielder James ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick has described experienced defender Noel Hickey’s return to intercounty hurling as ‘a big boost’ after the Dunamaggin defender played his first competitive game since the 2008 All-Ireland SHC final in Sunday’s NHL Division 1 win over Limerick.

KILKENNY welcome back James ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick and TJ Reid from the All-Ireland Club champions Ballyhale Shamrocks for the Allianz NHL Division One clash with Galway at Nowlan Park tomorrow.

Kilkenny welcome back James ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick and T.J. Reid from the All Ireland winning Ballyhale Shamrocks side in time for this weekend's clash with Galway.

Ballyhale Shamrocks (Kilkenny) 2-20 Oulart-the-Ballagh (Wexford) 1-21, Wexford Park (aet)

Kilkenny manager Brian Cody and his Galway counterpart John McIntyre have revealed their starting line-ups, ahead of Saturday evening's historic Leinster Senior Hurling semi-final at O'Connor Park, Tullamore.

KILLIAN YOUNG makes a return, Darragh O Sé gets a starting place at midfield and Tommy Walsh is fit to play in the full-forward position as a new-look Kerry team prepare to take on Cork in the Munster SFC semi-final replay at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday.

RITCHIE HOGAN comes into the Kilkenny team at right half forward for tomorrow’s Allianz NHL final against Tipperary at Semple Stadium, Thurles.

TIPPERARY duo Eoin and Paul Kelly are both ruled out of Sunday’s Allianz NHL final clash with Kilkenny.

THE all-conquering Portumna hurlers could be back in action for Galway as early as next Sunday when John McIntyre’s men take on Limerick badly in need of league points.

LAST March they produced, by common consent, a sublime classic, and in Limerick this afternoon Limerick IT and Waterford IT renew Fitzgibbon Cup battle once more.

JAMES ‘CHA’ FITZPATRICK has emerged as a doubt for Ballyhale’s All-Ireland Club hurling semi-final clash with Portumna next month.

MANAGER Maurice Aylward believes Ballyhale Shamrocks’ progression to the Leinster club SHC final on Saturday represented a victory on two fronts.

Eoin Larkin of Kilkenny and Tyrone's Seán Cavanagh have been announced as the Opel Gaelic Players of the Year for hurling and football for 2008 by the Gaelic Players Association.

The official Opel Gaelic Team of the Year for Hurling for 2008 has been announced today by the Gaelic Players Association (GPA), with Kilkenny receiving nine spots on the team.

The 2008 Vodafone Hurling All-Stars have been confirmed at a star-studded ceremony in the Citywest Hotel in Dublin tonight.

UNLIKE coach Brian Cody, Kilkenny captain James ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick admitted that winning three All-Ireland titles in-a-row was a huge motivating factor for him and his colleagues.