Gilligan aiming to Bridge nine year wait

WHEN Sixmilebridge overcame Cratloe in the Clare senior hurling semi-final, the focus fell on veteran keeper Davy Fitzgerald who, despite being out of the game for a number of years, answered an emergency call and showed he had lost little of the nerve and catlike reactions that had seen him win two All-Irelands with Clare in the mid-90s.

The new Clare manager will again be togged this week as cover for regular keeper Derek Fahy who has recovered from his broken cheekbone, but there is another veteran on this Sixmilebridge team, another former Clare star grabbing the headlines right through their unbeaten march to tomorrow’s final, Niall Gilligan.

Two years ago the man with the lethal blade retired from inter-county hurling. This year he came back at a lower level and inspired Clare to its first ever All-Ireland intermediate title.