County and Divisional Draws take place.

The draws for this years County Senior hurling and football championships have taken place, and some entreating pairings have been thrown up.

No doubt the most attention will once again focus on the county senior hurling championship.

As in previous years the two teams that contested the previous county final have been kept apart and place in opposite groups with the side they beat in the semi finals going into the opposite group.

In Group one, De La Salle are paired with Fourmilewater, Tallow, Lismore, Ballyduff and An Rinn who have come up from the intermediate ranks.

The champions have been paired with Ballyduff in the opening round of fixtures, while last years Intermediate champions An Rinn, going on last years forum have been given what could be described as a nice draw against Tallow. In the other group one game, possibly the biggest game in the group in round one Fourmilewater will play Lismore.

Dungarvan are in group two are paired with Mount Sion, Abbeyside, Ballygunner, Roanmore and Passage.

In the opening round of games Dungarvan will play Roanmore, Abbeyside will play Passage and Mount Sion will play Ballygunner which is possibly the pick of the games in round one.

In the senior football championship, county champions Stradbally are in group one along with Clashmore, Kilrossanty, Ardmore, Gaultier and Saint Saviours.

The Cove men will get their defence of the championship underway with a game against Gaultier. Kilrossanty will play Saint Saviours in the opening round of fixtures while the local derby clash between Clashmore and Ardmore is expected to attract considerable attention, most likely to Fraher Field.

Two of the ‘Big Three’ are in group two of the football championship. The Nire and Ballinacourty are paired together. They will meet in round three of the championship. When the sides clashed last year it was The Nire that came out on top who had a considerable margin to spare on the day so no doubt the 2011 champions will be looking for revenge this time around.

The Nire and Ballinacourty are joined in group two by Rathgormack, An Rinn, Brickeys and Ballinameela who have come back up to senior after a year back in the intermediate ranks.

In the opening round of games The Brickeys will play The Nire, Ballinacourty will play An Rinn in possibly the pick of the games in the opening round of games in this group and Rathgormack take on Ballinameela.

Meanwhile, the two divisional boards also conducted their draws for the Intermediate and Junior Championships for the year ahead recently.

In the Western Intermediate Football Championship there is one group of seven teams. Ballinacourty who were beaten in last years final will surely be the early favourites to win this years title, but they could well be pushed all the way by Dungarvan who have dropped down from playing in the senior ranks after just one year. However they both should be well pushed by Clashmore and The Nire whose second string teams play in this grade as well as The Geraldines, Sliabh gCua and Ballyduff Upper.

In the Eastern end of the county, the championship is split into two groups. Group ‘A’ is made up of Rathgormack’s second string team, Dunhill, Kilmacthomas who have moved up from the Junior ranks, De La Salle, Tramore and Bunmahon. Group ‘B’ is made up of Gaultier’s second string team, Portlaw, Saint Mollerans, Newtown and John Mitchells.

This could well prove to be a very close championship with a number of teams expected to feature.

De La Salle who were beaten in last years County Final are expected to be serious contenders once more in 2013, but they could well be pushed all the way by a number of teams with Tramore and John Mitchells expected to be their main rivals.

In the Junior Football Championship seven teams will fight it out. Old Parish, Modeligo, Affane and Colligan would be expected to be the main contenders but the chances of Kilgobnet, Tallow and Shamrocks cannot be written off lightly.

In the east, Mount Sion have reached the Divisional Final with the past number of years, but have yet to taste success in a county final. The Monastery men should be serious contenders again in 2013, but like in the west, the chances of Ballyduff Lower, Butlerstown, Erins’s Own, Ferrybank, Fenor and Naomh Pol who have attracted a number of players into the club for the year ahead cannot be ruled out of contention.

In the Junior second string competitions, there is two separate competitions in the west of the county and just one in the east.

In the West, five clubs whose first team are playing in the senior grade are playing in one group, meaning Brickeys, An Rinn, Kilrossanty, Stradbally and Ballinameela will play off against each other with three teams advancing to the knockout stages of the competition. In the second Junior attached competition in the west of the county, Dungarvan, Melleray (their first team) and Geraldines play off against each other.

In the East, the second string teams from Saint Saviours, De La Salle, Kilmacthomas, Portlaw, Tramore and Bunmahon do battle against each other.

In the Intermediate hurling championship, the championship is split into two groups at either end of the county.

In the west, Cappoquin, Fourmilewater’s second string team, Ardmore, Stradbally and Tourin will play in group one, while Clashmore, Abbeyside’s second string team, Ballinameela, Shamrocks and Brickeys play in group two.

Group one looks on paper to be the stronger of the two groups, with Cappoquin, Ardmore, Stradbally and Tourin all likely to be the stronger of the sides while ion group two, Clashmore appear to the strongest side in the group.

The eastern championship includes a number of second string teams which means that things once more could well be very interesting again this year.

De La Salle, Ballygunner, Butlerstown who have come up from the junior ranks, Ferrybank, Ballyduff Lower and Saint Mollerans are in group one, while group two contains, Mount Sion, Portlaw, Clonea, Erins Own, Dunhill and Saint Saviours.

Clonea and Portlaw look to be somewhat stronger this year compared to last year having added some quality players to their panel over the past few weeks, while Dunhill’s experience playing in the senior ranks last year has to stand to them and all three are likely to be in the final shake up as to who will contest this years county final.

This year’s Western Junior Hurling Championship should be very interesting with a number of local derby’s been fought out. Saint Mary’s Colligan, Ballysaggart, Modeligo, Geraldines and Kilgobnet all do battle against each other. Very little is expected to separate the sides with Ballysaggart expected to start as the favourites.

In the East of the County, Bunmahon, Fenor, Kill, Ballydurn, Naomh Pol and Tramore all do battle against each other. Ballydurn will be the warmest of favourites this year no just to win the eastern final but to lift the county title after attracting into the club a considerable amount of players in recent weeks. Whether they will or not remains to be seen as questions have been asked in some quarters what damage attracting so many players into the club in one year from other clubs will do if any within their own catchment area here-to-now.

Both divisions have two separate second string competitions. Ion the west, Tallow, Lismore, Ballyduff, An Rinn and Dungarvan who all also contesting senior championship will be play in one group. Winners of this competition will play one from Ballygunner, De La Salle, Mount Sion, Passage, Roanmore or Clonea in the county final.

In the second western competition at junior level, Ballysaggart, Cappoquin, Geraldines, Glen Rovers (first team), Clashmore, Shamrocks, Brickeys and Abbeyside (third string selection) while in the east, the completion includes Dunhill, Erins Own, Saint Mollerans, Portlaw, Tramore, Butlerstown, Ferrybank, Saint Saviours and Ballyduff Lower.