LESTER RYAN HAS been nominated by county champions Clara to be this year’s Kilkenny senior hurling captain.
Clara crowned a meteoric rise in 2013 when they won the AIB All-Ireland intermediate hurling title in February before lifting the Kilkenny senior crown in October.
26 year-old Ryan, who enjoyed his breakthrough season with the Cats last year, is the club’s choice to captain the county side after their championship success. Kilkenny are one of the few major counties that still operate a policy whereby the club senior champions can select the county captain.
Ryan did not feature in the Walsh Cup this year with Clara teammate David Langton lifting the Walsh Cup after Kilkenny’s recent final win over Dublin. Club colleague Shane Prendergast is another Clara man currently in training with the Kilkenny senior setup as is Liam Ryan, a younger brother of Lester.
Ryan won the GAA/GPA hurling player of the league award last season. He had produced a series of stunning league displays on route to Kilkenny’s triumph with his scoring contributions particularly eye-catching.
He shot 1-10 in six games from midfield including 0-3 apiece in the semi-final win over Galway and the final victory against Tipperary. A teacher in St Kieran’s College in Kilkenny, he had been part of the All-Ireland winning panels in 2011 and 2012 but operated on the periphery of those squads.
