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Sports desk: Stage set for Munster hurlers

February 17, 2011

By Staff Reporter

Cork and Tipp meet in this year’s final next Sunday, but this time it’s the turn of Pairc Ui Chaoimh to host the purists’ choice.
Surprisingly, it will be the first championship game of the summer on Leeside. A few years back Cork seemed to get all the big games in Munster, but now the other counties have wised up and have entered into home and away arrangements and Pairc na nGael in Limerick has also reopened after extensive renovation work.
Home advantage may help and Cork will be clear favorites, despite having played only one championship game compared to Tipp’s three. Cork dethroned reigning champions Waterford in their only Munster championship game to date, while Tipp needed two games to see off Limerick and were then impressive against Clare in the semifinal.
New Cork manager John Allen has made only minimal changes from the All-Ireland winning side of last September, bringing back Neil Ronan in the forward line. Tipp manager Ken Hogan is still rebuilding and new full-forward Micheal Webster was very impressive against Clare when he gave full-back Brian Lohan a roasting.
It should be an interesting clash on Sunday between Webster and Cork’s full-back Diarmuid O’Sullivan, the man known as “The Rock of Cloyne.” I think it’s the back-door route for Tipp from here on.

BEST HARDLY SO
Former Manchester United and Northern Ireland soccer star George Best has rarely been out of the English tabloids in the past few weeks. The 59-year-old’s every move is being followed by the paparazzi as he continues to “drink himself to death” despite being the recipient of a liver transplant a few years back.
It seems that Best just can’t kick the booze. His second wife Alex, fed up with his constant boozing, divorced him a few months back. The Saturday night of the Epsom Derby, Best and his new girlfriend Ros Hollidge were involved in a row, which left George with two black eyes. In addition police began investigating claims that Best indecently assaulted a 13 year-old girl, a claim which he strenuously denies.
Then last weekend the millionaire owner of the health farm where Best has been staying on and off for free over the past two years, said he was throwing George out. Stephen Purdew, owner of the luxury Forest Mere health farm in Hampshire and a good friend of George said: ‘I warned George that if he had one more drop of alcohol he would be out immediately. He has been drinking brandy and white wine and I’m fed up with it. I hate throwing him out, but I’ve had enough. George is physically ill. He is the lowest he has ever been.’

ULSTER SHUFFLE
This year’s Ulster football final will be played at Croke Park on July 10. The final was originally fixed for July 17, but that’s also the date for the Leinster football final, so Croke Park was not available to Ulster.
A Saturday date was explored, but now the Ulster Council has decided to bring the final forward by one week. Last year the Ulster Council netted “gate receipts” of over

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