Clare and Cork facing tough schedule in 2020 Munster Championship

Clare and Cork will be handed the most difficult schedules in next year’s Munster senior hurling championship after the current scheduling was retained by the provincial council.

In the first two seasons of the round-robin structure, Cork avoided playing three games in 14 or 15 days. However, that is what faces them in 2020 as they are set to play Waterford (away), Clare (home) and Tipperary (away) in their final three matches.

For the second year in a row, the Banner are in line to play over three consecutive weekends, facing Munster winners Limerick (home), Cork away and concluding their group campaign at home to Waterford.

This year, a break weekend was introduced between rounds two and three after Tipperary and Waterford suffered as a result of having to play four successive weekends. In turn, Clare this past summer had a three-week break between their first and second matches and in 2020 Cork will have a gap between the visit of Limerick to Leeside in Round 1 and travelling to Waterford in Round 3.

As revealed earlier this summer, the Munster Council have put together the schedules of the next five senior hurling championships in order to provide transparency and last Thursday they agreed to keep the format.

How they plan the scheduling is alternating home venue for each pairing as well as moving each pair of round matches back a round. For example, Cork and Limerick faced off in Round 2 this year but next season they open the competition. All-Ireland champions Tipperary and Cork faced off in Round 1 in May and in 2020 they will clash in the last round.

Provisional 2020 Munster SHC schedule

Round 1: Cork v Limerick, Waterford v Tipperary, Clare bye.

Round 2: Limerick v Waterford, Tipperary v Clare. Cork bye.

Round 3: Clare v Limerick, Waterford v Cork, Tipperary bye.

Round 4: Cork v Clare, Limerick v Tipperary, Waterford bye.

Round 5: Clare v Waterford, Tipperary v Cork, Limerick bye.