Limerick posted a predictably straightforward victory in this Allianz Hurling League Division One quarter-final on Saturday evening.

Aaron Gillane pointed a free in the fifth minute of injury-time to snatch a draw for All-Ireland champions Limerick against the only team to beat them in last year’s championship.

A crowd of 3,224 is not what you expect for a first-round Munster SHL fixture on a cold and, at times, wet evening in mid-December. Then again, this wasn’t your run-of-the-mill pre-season blowout.

Bride Rovers were crowned Cork U21AHC champions at Páirc Uí Rinn today, adding to the Cork Premier 2 minor hurling championship and league titles already secured this season.

Cork’s side for tonight’s Munster U21HC semi-final against Waterford in Páirc Uí Chaoimh (7.30pm) will feature five players who have played in this year’s provincial senior championship while none of the Déise side saw action.

Mike Casey is named at full-back on the Limerick team for tomorrow’s Munster SHC clash with Cork, the sole change to the side which overcame Tipperary.

Limerick U21 manager Pat Donnelly was correct to say this performance won’t be sufficient to overcome Tipperary in the Munster semi-final on June 21.

Clare’s Jason McCarthy expects tonight’s Banner crowd “will be going mad” for the county’s U21 clash with All-Ireland champions Limerick in Cusack Park.

Kilkenny teenager Mark Power is gunning to become the youngest winner of the West of Ireland since Rory McIlroy in 2006 after he completed two impressive wins on the opening day of matchplay combat at Rosses Point.

Meanwhile, Tipperary hurling manager Michael Ryan has handed a first league start to corner-forward Cian Darcy.

Limerick remain on course for a winner take all final league game with Galway on March 4 after John Kiely’s side made it three from three with a comfortable win over Dublin at the Gaelic Grounds.

Limerick 1-26 Dublin 0-17: Limerick maintained their 100% record in the Allianz Hurling League Division 1B by comprehensively beating Dublin 1-26 to 0-17 at the Gaelic Grounds.

The Tipperary team to face Wexford in tomorrow’s Allianz Hurling League shows five changes from the side which overcame Waterford the weekend before last.

DIT 0-19 UCD 0-17: On the face of it this is a big boost for Dublin hurling as two colleges who have never reached the Fitzgibbon Cup final hammer it out in the semi-finals next week and the appearance of either DIT or DCU in the decider will be hailed in the capital.

Offaly’s devastating performance against Dublin at Croke Park in the first round of the Allianz Hurling League was a distant memory yesterday as they were swatted aside by Limerick at Bórd na Móna O’Connor Park.

UCD put one foot in the quarter-finals of the Fitzgibbon Cup thanks to this surprise win away to UCC.

Limerick 3-19 Kerry 1-15: For the second time in three years, Limerick and Clare will contest the final of the Munster Hurling League.

St Loman’s Mullingar 0-13 Simonstown Gaels 1-8: St Loman’s, Mullingar, came from seven points down to defeat Simonstown Gaels of Navan and reach their first ever Leinster Senior Club final at TEG Cusack Park, Mullingar, yesterday.

The dream week for Tipperary hurling, anything but for neighbours Limerick.

A dramatic 45 foot birdie putt on the 18th green at Fota Island last evening by Ulster’s Ben Best foiled Connacht of a famous victory on the second day of the Interprovincial Championship. The match ended 5½ points apiece, leaving Leinster, who defeated Munster 8-3, the favourites to retain the title when they take on Ulster in today’s decider.

Westmeath 1-9 Offaly 0-9: Westmeath maintained their Division 3 status for another week at least with this hard-earned three-point victory over Offaly in Cusack Park, Mullingar.

Westmeath 3-14 Limerick 0-7: Tom Cribbin wore the look of a man who just had his shoulders relieved of the heavy load which had sat there since the final Sunday in January. That was the afternoon Westmeath’s promotion plans were refused take off at Cusack Park with Kildare bagging maximum points behind enemy lines.

Kildare 1-11 Limerick 1-10: Kildare recorded their fourth successive win in Division 3 at St Conleths Park yesterday to put them firmly on course for an immediate return to Division 2, but manager Cian O’Neill was left deeply unimpressed by their performance.

Sligo 1-11 Westmeath 1-10: Teenager Kyle Cawley’s cool 54th-minute goal inspired Sligo to a one-point win over Westmeath to kick-start the county’s league campaign.

Nenagh CBS 4-18 Thurles CBS 0-14: Holders Thurles CBS crashed out of the Dr Harty Cup after their Tipperary rivals Nenagh CBS produced a devastating second-half performance in Templemore yesterday.

Ulster Bank All-Ireland League Division 1B<br>Dolphin 24 Buccaneers 23<br>An excellent penalty strike from Rory Scannell three minutes from the end of this absorbing Ulster Bank League Division 1B tie gave Dolphin a priceless victory at Musgrave Park on Saturday.

Brian Herlihy has been appointed as the Cork minor football manager and his backroom team will feature a strong influence from the county’s 2010 All-Ireland-winning team.

Galway 1-14 Limerick 0-13: Galway boss Jeffrey Lynskey is relishing the prospect of locking horns with Kilkenny in the Electric Ireland All-Ireland minor hurling semi-final on August 16.

One change for one Cork team and two for the other as the pair put the final preparations to their do-or-die championship clashes at the weekend.

Tipperary 0-20 Limerick 0-17: A rousing finish from Tipperary – in which Liam Cahill’s charges hit four unanswered points in the final four minutes of action – put paid to Limerick’s Munster minor hurling three-in-a-row bid.

The absence of Shane Kingston is a major blow to Cork’s hopes of beating Limerick tonight (7.30pm, Gaelic Grounds) for the second time in this year’s Electric Ireland Munster minor hurling championship, manager Denis Ring has admitted.

Revenge could well be a dish best served cold to Cork’s minor hurlers by Leo O’Connor’s Limerick on July 1.

They’ve contested the last two Electric Ireland Munster minor hurling finals but Waterford or Limerick will bow out of the championship in Thurles this evening (7pm).

The spelling might be different but the result was the same as Ballymena’s Dermot McElroy joined Rory McIlroy on a prestigious list of winners of the Radisson West of Ireland Championship at Rosses Point yesterday.

UL 1-24 UCC 1-18 (after extra-time)