Limerick U20 hurlers open campaign in Pairc Ui Rinn tonight

Managed by former Na Piarsaigh boss Paul Beary, the Limerick U20 hurling team begin their championship campaign tonight in Pairc Ui Rinn as they face Cork in the Munster Quarter-Final at 7.30pm.

A win for Limerick would see them face Clare in the LIT Gaelic Grounds next Wednesday in a Munster semi-final.

With a restructuring in age with the competition altered from U21 to U20 for this year, there is a completely new panel from the side last year thar were beaten by Tipperary in the Munster semi-final.

The team is captained by Adare’s Ronan Connolly who was part of John Kiely’s senior squad earlier this year.

Mikey O’Brien of Doon is vice-captain and is the only memeber of the squad currently in Kiely’s senior set-up.

Limerick were crowned Munster U21 champions in 2015 and 2017, going onto win the All-Ireland in each of those years.

No fewer than seventeen of the 2015 panel progressed on to win All-Ireland Senior medals in 2018 with a further four from the 2017 panel winning a Celtic Cross medal last August.

Sean Finn, Tom Morrissey and Cian Lynch all started the 2015 & 2017 All-Ireland U21 final, 2018 All-Ireland senior final and last Sunday’s Munster Final with the Limerick academy providing fruitful to the senior side in recent years.

The current panel is made up of 37-players from twenty different clubs. Mungret St Pauls lead the way in terms of representatives with five members of the panel.

Ahead of the Cork clash Beary has named his side for the quarter-final.

1. Jason Gillane (Patrickswell)
2. Conor Flahive (Mungret)
3. Ciaran Barry (Ahane)
4. Josh Considine (Patrickswell)
5. Rory Duff (Mungret)
6. Mikey O’Brien (Doon) – Vice Captain
7. Michael O’Grady (Knockainey)
8. Ronan Connolly (Adare) – Captain
9. David Woulfe (Kilmallock)
10. Paul O’Riordan (Bruff)
11. Eoin Sheehan (Garryspillane)
12. Jack Ryan (Doon)
13. Mark McCarthy (Templeglantine)
14. Dylan O’Shea (Garryspillane)
15. Paul O’Brien (Mungret)

Subs: Daithi Heffernan (Mallow), Ken Byrnes (Old Christians), Calvin Carroll (Patrickswell), Padraic Heaney (Na Piarsaigh), Conor Helewell (Mungret), Emmet McEvoy (Na Piarsaigh), David Moloney (Monaleen), Conor Nicholas (Monaleen), Sean O’Connor (Granagh-Ballingarry).