Limerick's perfect warm-up for derby duel with Clare

Limerick 6-29 Laois 1-12: After six years spent in the second tier, you’d imagine the Limerick hurlers are well educated on the downsides to life in Division 1B. But, with the promotion decider away to Clare now just a week in the distance, one final reminder couldn’t hurt.

Playing host to its first double-header of the spring, the Gaelic Grounds wasn’t exactly hopping on Saturday evening. Indeed, by comparison with the 8,000 or so who packed into Páirc Uí Rinn , the atmosphere at the Limerick venue was more sombre than sprightly.

Staged as the curtain-raiser to a Division 3 football clash in front of 1,902 fans, TJ Ryan’s Limerick had their fourth victory of the campaign wrapped up by the time Graeme Mulcahy became the final member of the starting front six to write his name onto the scoresheet 23 minutes in – 1-13 to 0-4 read the scoreboard.