Kilkenny's bid for a clean sweep of All-Ireland hurling titles begins on Saturday when Pat Hoban's intermediate team face Limerick at Semple Stadium. With the four Kilkenny teams in All-Ireland hurling finals - the senior, minor, under 21 and intermediate - the latter side have the honour of being first into action, and Hoban is hoping they will do the business. "It would be nice if we could be the first to win an All-Ireland, just like we were in Leinster," he said. "The players are determined to go for it. But we know we are up against it. This is an All-Ireland final. There will be nothing going soft." Kilkenny, who lost the 1998 decider to the Shannonsiders, have concerns over the fitness of former senior panellist Peter Cleere, Michael Grace and Shane Prendergast. Centre forward Cleere has a shoulder injury, Grace is recovering from knee ligament damage, while defender Prendergast hasn't been able to train for the past fortnight because of an ankle ligament complaint. The Cats opened their campaign with a win over Wexford before needing extra-time to see off both Dublin and Galway in the Leinster final and All-Ireland semi-final respectively. Tweet

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