Clare might have made an underwhelming fist of defending their All-Ireland title but 2014 has still been a very special year for Conor McGrath, confirming the 23-year-old’s status as one of the country’s leading hurlers.

Cratloe 2-12 Éire Óg 0-11

It was the summer of 2005, when Cratloe’s footballers first announced themselves on the local scene.

Jody O’Connor was the first speaker on stage at last January’s GAA Games Development Conference.

Clare SFC: Champions Cratloe are through to the Clare SFC semi-finals following a 0-16 to 1-9 win over O’Curry’s at Lissycasey on Saturday.

CLARE

Clare 2-28 University College Cork 1-04

The GAA does not want the difficulty of dual players clashing with its fixture schedules, according to Ollie Baker.

Cratloe 0-10 Doonbeg 0-7

Glenswilly and Ballinderry Shamrocks booked their places in the AIB Ulster Senior Club Football Final following today's Senior club football action.

Upwards of 30,000 people descended on Ennis tonight for the homecoming of the Clare Senior and Under 21 All-Ireland-winning teams.

Clare will line out with an unchanged team when they take on Munster rivals Cork in tomorrow's All-Ireland SHC final at Croke Park.

Pádraig Chaplin is fine-tuning the wiring in Setrights tavern.

Clare 1-32 Laois 0-15

Both Clare and Waterford deserve massive credit for the effort and commitment on display in Thurles on Sunday.

Kilkenny 1-20 Clare 0-14

There was irony aplenty at O’Connor Park, Tullamore yesterday as Aaron Cunningham, son of Offaly coach Alan, landed the decisive 70th minute winning point as Clare maintained their 100% record in Division 1B of the Allianz NHL.

Offaly 0-19 Clare 2-14

Clare booked their place in the NHL Division 1B final after their fourth consecutive win of the campaign at Cusack Park, Ennis yesterday.

Clare 3-16 Wexford 0-18

CLARE hurling boss Davy Fitzgerald has been praised for his open-minded approach which will see senior attacker Cathal McInerney available to line out for the Banner U21 footballers next Wednesday night in the Gaelic Grounds as they face a Munster quarter-final against Limerick.

JASON SMYTH will have the qualifying standard for next year’s Olympic Games on his mind when he lines up for the 100m at tonight’s Classic meeting in Lucerne.

Clare will field a team containing three Championship newcomers when they clash with Tipperary in Sunday's Munster SHC semi-final at the Gaelic Grounds (throw-in 4pm).

CONOR O’MAHONY returns to the Tipperary lineup for Sunday’s Munster SHC semi-final against Clare in the Gaelic Grounds in the only change from the side that defeated Cork last month. O’Mahony is named at centre-back with Padraic Maher moving to half-back and John O’Keeffe to the full-back line in place of Paddy Stapleton.

Clare boss Ger O’Loughlin has several injury worries to contend with ahead of next Sunday’s Munster SHC semi-final against Tipperary in the Gaelic Grounds, the Irish Examiner has reported.

CLARE boss Ger O’Loughlin has several injury worries to contend with ahead of next Sunday’s Munster SHC semi-final against Tipperary in the Gaelic Grounds.

Limerick 4-12 Clare 2-13

THE winners of the senior men’s and senior women’s titles at Saturday’s Woodies DIY national inter-clubs cross-country championships at Santry Demesne are not interested in going to the world cross-country championships in Punta Unbria, Spain, on March 20.

DEFENDING champion, Patrick Maher (Leevale AC) will be among the stars in action at the Woodies DIY AAI national junior indoor championships in Nenagh tomorrow.

CLARE boss Ger O’Loughlin has described the loss of last year’s team captain Brian O’Connell who has emigrated to Australia, as a massive blow ahead of their 2011 campaign.

THE winning momentum generated by their senior side’s pulsating success last Sunday was maintained by the Tipperary U21 hurlers in Semple Stadium last night as they swept to victory over last year’s All-Ireland champions Clare in the Bord Gáis Energy Munster U21HC final.

THEIR senior hurling fortunes may reside at a low ebb after the All-Ireland senior qualifier mauling at the hands of Dublin, but Clare U-21 star John Conlon has pleaded with the Banner supporters to be patient with the streams of underage talent that the county are producing.

FOR the majority of last night’s Cadbury’s Munster U21FC quarter-final in Cooraclare, Limerick full-forward Cormac Joyce-Power’s role entailed aiding his colleagues out the field.

AFTER years of service to Limerick football on the field, Michéal Reidy tonight slips into a different role outside the white lines.

ALL-IRELAND winner Niall Gilligan has turned down an initial approach to link up with the Clare senior hurling panel for the 2010 campaign.

CRATLOE, competing in the Munster Club SHC for the first time, bowed out at the semi-final stage yesterday, losing a tight, tense, game to Ballygunner at Walsh Park.

Clare SHC Final: Clonlara 1-9 Cratloe 3-5

Clare manager John Minogue has made two changes to the side which claimed the Banner's first Munster Under-21 title for tomorrow's Bord Gais Energy All-Ireland U-21 Hurling Championship semi-final against Galway at Semple Stadium (throw-in 2.30pm).

LAOIS duo Colm Parkinson and Darren Rooney played a telling role in Parnells 0-12 to 0-11 win over St Mark’s Tallaght in round three of the Dublin SFC in O’Toole Park last night.

Clare cantered through to the Bord Gáis Energy Munster Under-21 Hurling final with a superb display against Limerick in tonight's semi-final at Cusack Park.

THE 2009 Munster Under-21FC starts off on a unique note in West Clare tonight, with Clare and Limerick squaring off under floodlights in Cooraclare.

NICHOLAS MURPHY is likely to be fit to play with Cork in Saturday’s Allianz NFL clash with Laois at O’Moore Park, Portlaoise. The All Star damaged a tendon against Fermanagh last week and was replaced by John Hayes.

MICHAEL CARMODY (Castletroy College, Limerick) led all the way to win the senior boys title at the Munster Schools Cross-Country Championships at Tramore Racecourse yesterday, when the lack of teacher cover due to the cutbacks was reflected in much smaller entries.

TIPPERARY put their Munster minor hurling championship title on the line tonight when they entertain Clare in the semi-final at Semple Stadium (7.30pm).