Thurles to host Offaly v Cork final showdown

Semple Stadium has been chosen as the venue for the All-Ireland U-20 hurling final between Offaly and Cork on Sunday, June 4.

The iconic Thurles venue will host a double header of All-Ireland finals on the day, with the minor decider at 1pm, followed by the Offaly v Cork clash at 3pm.

Offaly defeated Wexford in a thrilling Leinster U-20 final at Netwatch Cullen Park on Wednesday night (1-21 to 0-22) - see here for more details.

For their part, Cork overcame Clare in an equally enthralling Munster final last Monday night (1-23 to 1-21).

In the aftermath of Offaly's win over Wexford, there had been considerable debate over the date and venue for the All-Ireland final. A double header with the Joe McDonagh Cup final (Offaly v Carlow) was one possibility, but this was complicated by the fact that Charlie Mitchell is part of both Offaly squads.

In any case, Semple Stadium has now been confirmed for the U-20 decider (which will be shown live on TG4), and the Joe McDonagh Cup final will take place at Croke Park on Saturday week, May 27 (throw-in 4.45pm).

The McDonagh Cup decider will be televised by RTE, with the winners securing a place in the Liam MacCarthy Cup for next year and both sides will play in this year’s All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals.

The All-Ireland minor final will be between Clare/Kilkenny and Galway/Cork. Galway had an emphatic win over Kilkenny in the Leinster minor final, while Clare had seven points to spare over Cork in the Munster equivalent.

Those results may suggest a Galway v Clare final is likely, but Kilkenny and Cork will be looking to cause upsets in the semi-finals which take place in Thurles tomorrow (Saturday).