Grehan and Murray head South line-up

Stuart Grehan and Pat Murray are amongst the big names competing in the South of Ireland, which begins in Lahinch this morning.

The pair impressed in the Senior Interprovincials at Lee Valley this week but, disappointingly, only 21 of the 32 involved will feature in Clare and their absence will arouse renewed debate about the dates for the event.

The championship falls at an extremely busy point of the season but as it was deemed the last opportunity for candidates to push their claims for an Irish team place, the quality of entry was usually up there with the best.