Glenroe and Newcastle West battle for Limerick intermediate hurling title

NEWCASTLE West and Glenroe meet in the Nick Grene Sportsground Maintenance Limerick IHC final this Sunday (3pm) afternoon in Kilmallock.

The tier three club hurling final sees the men from west Limerick and south Limerick battle for promotion into the 2020 Premier IHC, alongside Kildimo-Pallaskenry/Blackrock, Knockainey, Mungret, Bruff, Bruree, Dromin-Athlacca and Cappamore.

There is no Munster progression for the Limerick IHC winners.

Sunday's county final is a first adult county hurling final for a Newcastle West first string since they won the county junior A title in 2001, while Glenroe have never won the intermediate hurling championship despite playing in five county finals (1975, ‘76, ‘77, 2005 and 2017).

The finalists haven’t met this season but last year and throughout this decade the south Limerick men prevailed in county championship meetings in 2018, '15, '14.

When the sides met in the ACHL back in June, Glenroe were 1-22 to 0-16 winners.

So largely the sides don't have a hurling rivalry, although many of Sunday's finalists would be familiar with eachother from Newcastle West and Ballylanders SFC ties.

While Newcastle West are new to the final in this grade, Glenroe have been in the IHC knockout stages each year since 2013.

Newcastle West are managed by Willie Hurley, with Patrickswell's Paul O'Grady as coach with Nelius Sheehy and Michael Dowling as selectors.

Captained by Maurice Murphy, the men in black and white arrive in the final with five wins from seven outings. The two defeats were back in April in the opening rounds and they are undefeated since.

Key to the Newcastle West quest will be free-taker Mike McMahon, Stephen Nix, William Hurley and lively forwards Bryan Nix and Diarmaid Kelly.

Glenroe are managed by Danny Murphy with former Limerick and Dublin hurler Maurice O'Brien as coach. Selectors are Sean Coffey and Mike Sheehy.

Captained by Mark O'Connell, Glenroe have played six games to reach the final with just one defeat.

Central to the men in green and black will be Stephen and Eoin Walsh, Mark and Brian O'Connell and David McCarthy.