Debut victory for new Banner boss

A useful exercise for new Clare manager Ger O’Loughlin in this first round Waterford Crystal senior hurling tournament in magnificent Meelick yesterday afternoon, as his charges chiselled out a gritty three-point win over WIT (Waterford Institute of Technology).

Just across the border from Limerick city, Meelick boasts one of the finest club hurling pitches in the country, the extreme weather conditions of the past few weeks causing little adverse effect.

Clare started with a very strong selection, the bulk of last year’s championship team still in place, but O’Loughlin also used the occasion to have a look at some new talent, so we had the likes of Alan Brigdale and Domhnall O’Donovan in defence, Pat Donnellan getting a run in midfield, with Aonghus O’Brien and Martin Ogie Murphy joining the attack.