Free run for Cork hurlers
Cork County Board has postponed the remaining games in the Cork Senior Hurling Championship in a bid to help John Allen's side retain the Liam McCarthy Cup.
Cork's senior stars were scheduled to return to club action this weekend, but the county board has agreed to a request from Allen to defer the championship until after the All-Ireland SHC final.
The outstanding third-round clash between Imokilly and CIT will now take place on September 10, a week after Cork's All-Ireland decider against either Clare or Kilkenny, with the quarter-finals set for the weekend of September 23 and 24.
Cork PRO Bob Ryan, who admitted that the board had also agreed to a request from Billy Morgan to defer the county football championship, said: "All games involving senior hurlers have been postponed until after the All-Ireland final on September 3.
"In the case of the footballers, it is until after the All-Ireland semi-final with Kerry on August 20.”
Hoping to lead the Rebels to a historic three-in-a-row, Allen told The Irish Examiner: "We now have three and a half weeks of uninterrupted preparation for what we hope will be another monumental occasion for the county.
"It is vital that we have no distractions."
