WHO WILL REACH 2012 ALLIANZ HURLING LEAGUE FINAL

Clare or Kilkenny? Cork or Tipperary? The answer will emerge next Sunday when Semple Stadium Thurles hosts the Allianz Hurling League Division 1 semi-finals. Clare v Kilkenny throws in at 2.0, followed at 4pm by Cork v Tipperary. The final will be on Sunday, May 6.

CLARE v KILKENNY
Clare reached the semi-finals via 1B where they won all five group games before beating Limerick for a second time to clinch a promotion place, plus a semi-final slot. New manager, Davy Fitzgerald, has Clare playing with a huge sense of ambition as they attempt to reach the Division 1 final for the first time since 2001. They last won the title in 1978.
Kilkenny reached the semi-final after winning four of five games (their only loss was against Cork) and are bidding to reach their 8th League final of the Brian Cody era. They reached last year's final but were beaten by Dublin.

Paths to the semi-final
KILKENNY
Kilkenny 2-17 Tipperary 0-15
Kilkenny 2-21 Waterford 1-15
Kilkenny 5-16 Dublin 6-12
Cork 1-17 Kilkenny 1-15
Kilkenny 3-26 Galway 0-10
Average For: 3-18 Average Against: 1-16
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CLARE
Clare 2-24 Limerick 1-13
Clare 0-20 Antrim 0-12
Clare 2-22 Laois 2-13
Clare 3-16 Wexford 0-18
Clare 2-14 Offaly 0-19
Clare 0-21 Limerick 1-16 (Div 1B final)
Average For: 2-18 Average Against: 1-14

CORK v TIPPERARY
They meet for the second time in three weeks, having drawn (1-23 each) in the final group game in Thurles on April 1. An excellent contest, watched by a crowd of 10,150, produced a number of dramatic twists before Patrick Horgan finally sealed a draw for Cork with a late point. He scored 0-9 (0-6 from open play) while Pa Bourke was Tipperary's top scorer on 1-6 (0-4 from open play).
Both sides lost one game in the group stages, Cork going down to Galway; Tipperary losing to Kilkenny. Tipperary last reached the final in 2009, having last won it in 2008. Cork last reached the final in 2010 and last won it in 1998.
Paths to the semi-final

CORK
Cork 3-17 Waterford 0-18
Cork 2-18 Dublin 2-17
Galway 2-17 Cork 2-13
Cork 1-17 Kilkenny 1-15
Tipperary 1-23 Cork 1-23
Average For: 2-17; Average Against 1-19

TIPPERARY
Kilkenny 2-17 Tipperary 0-15
Tipperary 2-20 Galway 2-18
Tipperary 0-31 Waterford 2-15
Dublin 2-15 Tipperary 0-21
Tipperary 1-23 Cork 1-23
Average For: 1-21 Average Against: 2-17

RELEGATION PLAY OFF: DUBLIN AND GALWAY TO MEET AGAIN

Extra-time failed to separate Dublin and Galway in the 1A relegation play-off in Tullamore on Sunday so now they must do it all over again in O'Moore Park, Portlaoise next Saturday (4.0) to decide who drops to 1B (Clare will replace them in 1A).
Dublin finished with 13 men last Sunday but two late points saved them in a game where fortunes fluctuated hugely throughout 90 pulsating minutes.
Meanwhile, Laois will be relegated to 2A after losing a 1B play-off to Wexford. Carlow won 2A and will replace Laois in 2B.
Down and Wicklow meet in the Div 2A relegation play-off in Navan on Sunday (2.0). Wicklow took three points in the group games while Down only took one. However, Down's only point was earned in a draw with Wicklow (2-11 to 0-17). Remarkably Wicklow drew three of their five games and lost the other two. The losers will drop to 2B and be replaced by Kildare, who took the 2B title, beating Meath last Sunday.
Fermanagh won the 3B title, beating Warwickshire.

ALLIANZ HURLING LEAGUE 2012 - FIXTURES/RESULTS

DIVISION 1A
Round 1: Feb 25: Cork 3-17 Waterford 0-18; Feb 26: Kilkenny 2-17 Tipperary 0-15; Galway 0-20 Dublin 0-13.
Round 2: Mar 11: Cork 2-18 Dublin 2-17; Kilkenny 2-21 Waterford 1-15; Tipperary 2-20 Galway 2-18.
Round 3: Mar 18: Galway 2-17 Cork 2-13; Kilkenny 5-16 Dublin 6-12; Tipperary 0-31 Waterford 2-15.
Round 4: Mar 24: Dublin 2-15 Tipperary 0-21; Mar 25: Cork 1-17 Kilkenny 1-15; Waterford 1-14 Galway 0-15.
Round 5: Apr 1: Waterford 0-17 Dublin 0-13; Kilkenny 3-26 Galway 0-10; Tipperary 1-23 Cork 1-23.
Relegation play-off: April 15: Dublin 2-20 Galway 0-26 (after extra-time)
Replay: April 21: Dublin v Galway, Portlaoise, 4.0.
Semi-finals: Apr 22: Kilkenny v Clare, 2.0; Cork v Tipperary, 4.0 (Both in Thurles)
Final: May 6: Final

DIVISION 1B
Round 1: Feb 25: Clare 2-24 Limerick 1-13; Feb 26: Offaly 1-27 Laois 0-16; Antrim 3-18 Wexford 2-15.
Round 2: Mar 11: Clare 0-20 Antrim 0-12; Wexford 3-18 Offaly 2-20; Limerick 1-24 Laois 2-12.
Round 3: Mar 18: Clare 2-22 Laois 2-13; Offaly 1-22 Antrim 1-17; Limerick 2-20 Wexford 0-18.
Round 4: Mar 24: Limerick 2-16 Offaly 4-10; Mar 25: Clare 3-16 Wexford 0-18; Antrim 2-18 Laois 2-16.
Round 5: Apr 1: Wexford 4-18 Laois 0-15; Clare 2-14 Offaly 0-19; Limerick 3-22 Antrim 0-17.
Final: April 7: Clare 0-21 Limerick 1-16.
Relegation play -off: Apr 15: Wexford 5-12 Laois 0-19.

DIVISION 2A
Round 1: Feb 26: Carlow 3-17 Down 1-6; Westmeath 0-19 Kerry 3-8; Wicklow 0-14 Derry 1-11.
Round 2: Mar 11: Carlow 0-20 Kerry 1-13; Down 2-11Wicklow 0-17; Westmeath 3-19 Derry 2-13.
Round 3: Mar 18: Derry 1-20 Down 1-14; Kerry 2-22 Wicklow 1-12; Carlow 2-17 Westmeath 1-16.
Round 4: Mar 24: Westmeath 3-19 Wicklow 0-10; Mar 25: Kerry 4-27 Down 1-21; Carlow 2-21 Derry 0-12.
Round 5: Wicklow 1-11 Carlow 1-11; Westmeath 3-21 Down 2-20; Derry 0-15 Kerry 1-7.
Final: April 15: Final: Carlow 1-14 Westmeath 0-12.
Relegation play-off: April 22: Down v Wicklow, Navan, 2.0.

DIVISION 2B
Round 1: Feb 26: Kildare 1-12 Meath 0-13; Mayo 0-16 Roscommon 1-8; London 2-20 Armagh 0-11.
Round 2: Mar 11: Kildare 0-24 London 0-15; Mayo 3-12 Meath 1-18; Armagh1-20 Roscommon 1-14.
Round 3: Mar 4: Meath 2-8 London 0-7; Mar 18: Armagh 0-21 Mayo 1-11; Kildare 5-19 Roscommon 1-13.
Round 4: Mar 24: London 3-18 Mayo 1-10; Mar 25: Kildare 7-30 Armagh 0-7; Meath 3-16 Roscommon 1-11.
Round 5: Apr 1: London 3-22 Roscommon 2-14; Meath 1-19 Armagh 0-8; Mayo 1-20 Kildare 0-19.
Final: Apr 15: Kildare 3-13 Meath 1-12.

DIVISION 3A
Round 1: Feb 26: Tyrone 3-18 Sligo 2-9; Monaghan 1-18 Donegal 1-11; Fingal 1-13 Louth 0-12.
Round 2: Mar 11: Sligo 2-13 Louth 1-16; Monaghan 0-16 Fingal 0-11; Tyrone 0-24 Donegal 1-10.
Round 3: Mar 18: Monaghan 1-9 Louth 1-9; Fingal 4-15 Tyrone 0-14; Donegal 1-16 Sligo 2-12.
Round 4: Mar 25: Fingal 2-15 Sligo 0-15; Monaghan 0-17 Tyrone 1-10; Louth 4-24 Donegal 0-12.
Round 5: Apr 1: Fingal 2-19 Donegal 4-12; Monaghan 4-18 Sligo 2-10; Louth 0-24 Tyrone 0-16.
Final: Apr 15: Monaghan v Fingal, Tullamore (Not played after Monaghan withdrew)
Relegation Play-off: April 15: Donegal 2-12 Sligo 0-16.

DIVISION 3B
Round 1: Mar 11: Fermanagh 0-14 Warwickshire 1-10; Mar 18: Leitrim 2-20 Longford 1-9.
Round 2: Mar 25: Warwickshire 8-19 Longford 0-5; Fermanagh 6-27 Leitrim 2-6.
Round 3: Apr 1: Warwickshire 2-20 Leitrim 2-10; Fermanagh v Longford - OFF
Final: Apr 15: Fermanagh 2-15 Warwickshire 2-5. Tweet

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