Banner weekend off to a winning start

A WEEKEND holding out so much promise for Clare opened on the brightest possible note at Galway yesterday when Woodstock captured their first national pennant with a convincing Pierce Purcell Shield final victory over Moyola Park from Co Derry.

Their team manager Luke Coote was so thrilled that he suggested it might even mean more to the club than a victory for the Banner at Croke Park tomorrow - and that from a man whose brother, Declan, has worn the saffron and blue jersey on many occasions!

“We have never been this far on our holidays”, Coote enthused. “Winning the Clare section was a bonus, winning the Munster section was an added bonus but words cannot describe what winning an All-Ireland means to us. We are a very young club with a small contingent of players in this category. It will mean everything to our spirit and sense of togetherness”.