It was no surprise that new Clare hurling boss, Brian Lohan, picked a player in his own likeness as captain for the year ahead. John Conlon may inhabit a different end of the field than the Banner legend did during his playing days, but the differences between the two end there.

Delegates to the Clare GAA Convention have given their unanimous support to long-standing secretary Pat Fitzgerald after it was revealed that the war between the top table of the county board and alleged online trolls is now the subject of a Garda investigation.

Before I led the Clarecastle team out at half-time of yesterday’s Clare county final, to collect our 25-year anniversary plaques, somebody handed me the 1994 county final programme. We beat a young St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield team that afternoon and, as I scanned the teams, Ger Hoey’s name jumped out at me.

For 12 years they didn’t speak to one another but for the sake of their club Tim Crowe and Davy Fitzgerald yesterday combined forces to guide Sixmilebridge to their fourth Clare SHC title in seven years.

Cathal Malone was in marvellous form as he helped guide Sixmilebridge to their fourth Clare SHC title this decade, their third in five seasons.

Fr Harry Bohan is 80 but you wouldn’t know it.

These days, Niall Gilligan and Eamonn Corcoran find themselves in similar social circles - Gilligan is an auctioneer in his native Sixmilebridge while Corcoran is Head of Bank of Ireland for Clare.

On my first year starting on the Clare team in 1990, our manager Tony Kelly dispatched Cyril Lyons, Alan Neville and myself to the Clare Inn to do a TV interview with Michael Lyster.

Donal Moloney has seen a lot of hurling in his time, but yesterday in Cusack Park represented something of a first for him.

I got a call from my old buddy, Niall Gilligan, on Tuesday morning. We were chatting about meeting Fr Harry Bohan for a quiet drink at some stage. 

After all the new money and massive entertainment on show this spring, the final now is an old-money showdown between Kilkenny and Tipp, writes Anthony Daly

Sixmilebridge were the popular favourites to pull in a third Clare county senior hurling title in five years, but Clooney-Quin didn’t read the script. The underdogs, in a first county senior final for three-quarters of a century, put it up to the ’Bridge that first day.

Sixmilebridge 1-20 Clooney-Quin 1-14: Twelve minutes into the second half of yesterday’s Clare senior hurling final, Clooney-Quin’s James Corry popped over what seemed a tidy but unremarkable point out — only there was something remarkable about it.

Sixmilebridge captured their 13th Clare senior hurling title on Sunday, emphatically beating Clooney-Quin in Sunday's replay.

Of the many great crimes that befell the last century, Ultravox’s Vienna being kept off the top of the UK single charts by Joe Dolce’s Shaddaup You Face in 1981 stands most unashamedly among them.

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more.

Na Piarsaigh (Limerick) 3-11 Sixmilebridge (Clare) 1-15: NA PIARSAIGH remain on course for a third Munster Club hurling title in five years after a blistering second-half performance saw them power past the home side at O’Garvey Park, Sixmilebridge yesterday.

Clare SHC final

Clare SHC quarter-finals. Champions Cratloe are out of the Clare SHC, defeated yesterday at Cusack Park by Sixmilebridge, 1-20 to 1-19.

On the way home from Dublin last week, Niall Gilligan stopped off to break the journey in Francis Loughnane’s old pub in Roscrea, which is now run by John Carroll.

I came on against UCC in the Waterford Crystal in January, and the last time I hit a free was against Kilkenny in the All-Ireland semi-final in August.

Arising from concerns about conversion rates, referees chief Pat McEnaney revealed there will be an analysis of how many goals are scored from penalties and 20-metre frees in the remainder of the hurling championship.

Goalkeeper: Eddie Lynch (Passage)

Timing is everything

So often in the last hectic couple of months, first in their run to a first Clare title in 11 years, then again in their win over Midleton in the Munster semi-final last week, Sixmilebridge have got their tactics spot on.

Na Piarsaigh (Limerick) 4-14 Sixmilebridge (Clare) 0-8

“Centre stage ...

Limerick's Na Piarsaigh and Castlebar Mitchels took AIB Munster Hurling and Connacht Football Senior provincial titles respectively, while Portlaoise and St. Vincent's advanced to the Leinster Club SFC Final today.

Sixmilebridge coach Brian Culbert had a choice when former team-mate John O’Meara was appointed manager of the club’s senior hurling team for the landmark 2013 campaign.

In the well-produced programme for the recent Clare county senior hurling final the date of birth for Niall Gilligan was given as 12/8/1986.

A near-perfect day for hurling at Páirc Uí Chaoimh yesterday for this Munster SHC semi-final, and a near-perfect game plan by Sixmilebridge.

Carlow's Mount Leinster Rangers and Oulart the Ballagh of Wexford will meet in the AIB Leinster Club SHC Final, while Sixmilebridge advanced to the Munster decider against Na Piarsaigh of Limerick, following today's action.

AIB MUNSTER CLUB SHC SEMI-FINAL:

Sixmilebridge 1-10 Newmarket-on-Fergus 0-11

I was in Cork last Sunday at their county final, Midleton beating holders Sarsfields; I was in Ennis then yesterday as Sixmilebridge took the title from Newmarket-on-Fergus in the Clare final. In both games the teams did their absolute best, but I have to say I’m really annoyed.

Limerick's Na Piarsaigh booked a place in their second AIB Munster SHC Final in three years today.

CLARE SHC FINAL:

CLARE SHC FINA:

Sixmilebridge 1-11 Clonlara 0-11

Last year’s beaten finalists, Cratloe, were knocked out of the Clare SHC on Saturday when their final group game against Crusheen finished in a 0-16 apiece draw.

Pádraic ‘Podge’ Collins is part of a new breed of hurler to have blossomed in recent times.