Quick turnaround for PIFC winners as Barrs wait extra week

The winners of tomorrows McCarthy Insurance Group Premier IFC final will have a quick turnaround in terms of Munster championship action - but premier senior champions St Finbarr’s have been afforded an extra week of recovery time.

Aghabullogue take on Uibh Laoire at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Sunday (3.30pm) for a place in the senior A grade - but whoever comes out on top in the mid-Cork derby will be in provincial club championship again a week later. There is at least some consolation, however, in the fact that their opponents will be in the same boat.

This weekend sees the Munster club hurling competitions commence, though all of Cork’s entrants - Sarsfields at senior level, Ballinhassig in intermediate and Kilbrittain at junior - have byes to the semi-finals as a result of the county reaching the All-Ireland semi-final.

Next weekend sees the football equivalents commence and the draws in each of the three grades resulted in quarter-final ties for Cork’s representatives.

For the premier intermediate champions, that means a clash next Sunday, November 9, away to the Tipperary champions - Rockwell Rovers face Thurles Sarsfields in the Premier County’s IFC final at Bansha tomorrow afternoon.

Aghabullogue will be in action next weekend in any case - their Co-op SuperStores IAHC final with Bandon, which had to be postponed on October 18, is currently down for November 9 but will have to be put back again if the Coachford outfit have Munster commitments.

Buttevant, who beat St Nick’s to win the county Premier JFC title last Saturday, will also be making their Munster bow next weekend, with Waterford’s Shamrocks hosting them on Saturday, November 8 at 1.30pm.

The AIB Munster Club SFC gets underway next weekend as Éire Óg of Ennis take on Rathgormack or The Nire of Waterford.

As in the intermediate football, there is also a Tipperary-Cork quarter-final tie - however, St Finbarr’s must wait as only one of the Tipp semi-finals have been played.

Kilsheelan-Kilcash beat Loughmore-Castleiney in the last four on October 18 but they won’t find out their final opponents until tomorrow, when Clonmel Commercials play Upperchurch-Drombane, who have also had hurling commitments - they will be playing Ballinhassig in the Munster Club IHC.

The Tipp county final takes place tomorrow week and the winners will then do battle with the Barrs on Sunday, November 15.