Wexford will begin their Championship campaign this weekend without team captain Darren Stamp who is nursing an ankle injury.

WEXFORD completed the great escape as they ensured their Division 1 survival with a deserved draw against All-Ireland champions Tipperary at Semple Stadium.

FOR the first time since 1946, the Dublin senior hurlers will grace the Division 1 final day of the hurling league after they clung on to defeat Cork by 1-15 to 1-14 in Páirc Uí Chaoimh yesterday.

Tipperary 0-17 Wexford 1-14

Tipperary manager Declan Ryan and his Wexford counterpart Colm Bonnar have finalised their teams for tomorrow's Allianz Hurling League Division 1 tie at Semple Stadium (throw-in 2.30pm).

THE final round of games in the two top divisions of the Allianz Hurling League this weekend and plenty still to play for.

DUBLIN football defender Kevin Nolan says he and his team-mates train as hard as Premier League footballers.

THIS is not the best of weeks to be an intercounty hurler in Clare and Wexford.

NIALL RIGNEY has stepped down as Laois hurling boss in the wake of last Saturday’s surprise All-Ireland championship exit at the hands of Carlow.

GALWAY hurlers last night cancelled a training session as their mounting injury crisis left them with just 12 fit players a week and a half before the championship opener against Wexford.

WEXFORD boss Colm Bonnar has called for NHL Division One to be expanded, saying the system of using a football model for hurling leagues is not working.

KERRY GAA chiefs have described Colm Cooper’s eye surgery as ‘successful’ and expect the All-Ireland winner to return to training in the near future.

NHL DIVISION 2:

Laois manager Niall Rigney and his Wexford counterpart Colm Bonnar have named their respective starting line-ups ahead of Sunday's important NHL Division 2 encounter in Portlaoise (throw-in 2.30pm).

TOP-GUNS John Gardiner and Jerry O’Connor have been given starting places on the Cork team for next Sunday’s crunch Allianz Division One NHL clash with Tipperary at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

Wexford manager Colm Bonnar has tweaked his starting line-up for Sunday's Allianz NHL Division 2 clash with Down at Wexford Park (throw-in 1.30pm).

Wexford 0-14 Limerick 1-13

Dublin 0-18 Wexford 1-13

FORMER All-Ireland winning defender Mike McCarthy is set end his inter-county retirement and rejoin the Kerry squad.

Another championship over and no trophies for the Wexford hurlers, yet team manager John Meyler remains hopeful that success could be just around the corner if they continue on their current path.

Davy Fitzgerald was a relieved man in the red-hot atmosphere of Semple Stadium yesterday, as his Waterford charges pipped Wexford by a point to set up a shot at Munster champions Tipperary.

Waterford 2-19 Wexford 3-15

After a long injury layoff, Wexford's All-Star goalkeeper Damien Fitzhenry makes his long awaited return to action for the Model county this weekend against Kilkenny.

Wexford 1-12 Kilkenny 2-24, Croke Park

Wexford 1-16 Galway 0-14, Nowlan Park

Declan Ruth is poised to make his first start of the season for Wexford's hurlers when they take on Cork this Sunday in the National League (Pairc Ui Chaoimh, throw-in 3.30pm).

Wexford will be without wing back Diarmuid Lyng for next Sunday's Walsh Cup final against Kilkenny, and a good chunk of the remainder of the National League.

A knee ligament injury will keep Darren Stamp out of contention for Wexford's All-Ireland SHC quarter-final date with Clare on Sunday in Croke Park (throw-in 2.15pm).

Former captain Paul Codd looks set to miss out on a place in the Wexford team for Sunday's Leinster SHC final against defending champions Kilkenny.

The final round of the top tier of the National Hurling League gets underway today, but barring some huge upsets, Kilkenny and Clare are set to advance to the decider next month.

Clare have been given another incentive to qualify for the National Hurling League final: star forward Tony Griffin will return for the clash.

CORK are without a number of key players for the second phase of the Allianz National Hurling League against Kilkenny at Páirc Ui Chaoimh on Sunday.

UNDER 21 ace, Fintan Gould has been handed the full forward slot on the Cork team for Sunday’s crucial National Football League tie with Offaly in Tullamore.

FORMER All-Star, Eoin Kelly, has again been omitted from the Waterford senior hurling panel for Sunday’s crunch Allianz NHL Division 1A tie against Galway at Walsh Park (2pm).

GALWAY under 21 hurling manager John Hardiman makes light of the fact that his side go into this afternoon's All-Ireland semi-final against Wexford in Thurles (3.30 pm) without a championship game played.

GALWAY include three seniors on their under-21 team to play Wexford in the All-Ireland hurling championship semi-final at Semple Stadium tomorrow, at 3.30pm.