Cloud nine for superb Shefflin

HENRY SHEFFLIN broke new ground yesterday – and without swinging a hurley – by becoming the first player in the history of the All Stars to receive an award for a ninth year in a row.

The Kilkenny forward joins DJ Carey and Pat Spillane on nine awards in total but neither of those former greats managed such an unbroken run of recognition like the Ballyhale man who is now odds on to break into double figures before his career comes to a close.

Spillane was named six years in a row between 1976 and 1982 before a two-year hiatus and another hat-trick of appearances. Carey amassed five on the trot between 1991 and 1995 and the other four between 1997 and 2002.