Sixmilebridge player Stiofan Fitzpatrick is on the verge of a significant and quite unusual double as he will play in both the Clare and Cork hurling finals in the coming weekends.
As a student in UCC, he is entitled to play for his home club and for his college team. This Sunday he lines out for Sixmilebridge against St Joseph's Doora-Barefield he will then move on to help UCC in the Cork final against Blackrock on Sunday week.
Milltown Malbay will play host to the Clare hurling final this year because major work is being carried out on the Cusack Park pitch in Ennis.
Their ground is capable of accommodating 10,000 spectators and that figure will be under pressure on Sunday as the reigning All-Ireland club champions face Sixmilebridge in the county decider. The Clare County Board PRO Des Crowe said the board has no problems about moving the match to Milltown Malbay. "At the moment it is the best pitch in the county," he declared.
"There is no covered accommodation but we can cater for 10,000 spectators and we are hoping for a dry day. Plans are well advanced for the erection of new stands and terracing." There will be an interesting mixture of Clare's recent hurling past in what promises to be a fascinating clash. Doora-Barefield will feature the recent heroes of the Clare game in players like Ollie Baker, Jamesie O'Connor, Seanie McMahon. and Lorcan Hassett, while Ken Kennedy, Colm Mullen and Dara O'Driscoll all figured on the Clare minor team that won the All-Ireland title in 1997.
Sixmilebridge can call on county players Davy Fitzgerald, Niall Gilligan and the Chaplin brothers, Christy and John, former members of the Clare team. Sixmilebridge have also made a contribution to that successful 1997 All-Ireland minor team and they can call on John Reddan.
The Kilkenny hurling final also takes place on Sunday with the champions Graigue-Ballycallan defending their title against Glenmore. Of considerable interest will be the performance of Adrian Ronan who has been out of favour with the county selectors for two years.
He is, at 27, in his hurling prime and is expected to challenge strongly for inclusion in the county side for the National League campaign and a possible reintroduction to the championship squad.Also in the Graigue-Ballycallan side are Denis Byrne, Damien Cleere and Joe Young, all closely associated with the present county squad. For Glenmore, the O'Connor brothers, Willie and Eddie, are expected to be prominent while others expected to make an impression are P J O'Connor, Seamus Dollard and Paul Fitzgerald. If Glenmore win the likelihood is that Willie O'Connor will almost certainly be Kilkenny's captain next year.
