CLARE HURLER BRENDAN Bugler will be available for selection for Cratloe in next Saturday’s Clare county senior football final against Doonbeg in Ennis.
Bugler, who collected his second successive Allstar hurling award last Friday night, is free to play after his native Whitegate exited the Munster intermediate hurling championship at the weekend.
Whitegate lost out to Cork side Youghal after a replay of their semi-final encounter.
And the result means Bugler, who plays football for Cratloe, will be available to link up in a squad that also features seven other members of Davy Fitzgerald’s All-Ireland senior winning squad.
Fellow Allstar winners Podge Collins, Conor Ryan and Conor McGrath all started in September’s triumph against Cork. Cathal McInerney, Liam Markham and Feargal Lynch were all part of the Clare panel that day in Croke Park.
Whilst the final Clare hurler in the Cratloe ranks is Sean Collins who was only prevented from being involved with the Banner squad by injury.
Lynch, like Bugler, does not play hurling for Cratloe and instead plays for his native Clooney-Quin. But with no football in their clubs, both Lynch and Bugler feature for the south-east Clare club Cratloe who will be contesting their first county senior football final in 126 years next Saturday afternoon.
Big Occasion
“It’s a huge day for us”, admits Cratloe manager Colm Collins, who is the father of Podge and Sean, and was recently announced as the new Clare senior football boss.
“We do have a lot of lads involved with Clare while Feargal and Brendan are also with us. Feargal’s wife has family connections with Cratloe which lead to him playing football with us and he started in our semi-final against Éire Óg.
“Brendan has been obviously tied up with Whitegate recently. It was disappointing for him last weekend but he’s back with us in our squad ahead of Saturday.”
The winners of next Sunday’s senior final face a hectic schedule as they will be out in Munster club action on Sunday with a semi-final tie against Waterford side Ballinacourty.
