Almost nine months after it started, the 2020 Allianz Hurling League will decide its Division 1 winners next Sunday when Clare and Waterford meet in Semple Stadium (3.45).
It will be a unique occasion as the game doubles up as the Munster championship quarter-final, with the winners playing Tipperary in the semi-final.
With the Allianz League quarter-finals and semi-finals cancelled last spring, Limerick and Clare were deemed finalists after topping 1A and 1B respectively.
Limerick won all five games in 1A while Clare won four and drew one of their five games.
Limerick are bidding to retain the title for the first time since 1984-85. If successful, it will be their 13th Division 1 title.
Clare last won the Allianz League title in 2016 and are bidding for their fifth title. The last Clare-Limerick League final was in 1985 when Limerick won by 3-12 to 1-7.
PATHS TO THE FINAL
CLARE
Clare 1-27 Carlow 0-14
Clare 0-18 Wexford 0-15
Clare 0-17 Laois 0-9
Kilkenny 1-19 Clare 3-13
Clare 0-27 Dublin 1-15
Played 5, Won 4, Drew 1.
TOP SCORERS
Tony Kelly........... ....0-51 (0-36 frees, 0-1 ‘65’)
Shane O’Donnell.....3-7
Ryan Taylor...............1-3
John Conlon.............0-5 (1 free)
David Reidy...............0-5
David Fitzgerald.........0-5
LIMERICK
Limerick 2-14 Tipperary 0-18
Limerick 1-19 Galway 0-14
Limerick 1-21 Waterford 1-17
Limerick 0-29 Cork 2-21
Limerick 1-24 Westmeath 0-18
Played 5,Won 5.
TOP SCORERS
Aaron Gillane......1-28 (0-23 frees)
David Reidy..........0-16 (0-13 frees)
Gearoid Hegarty..2-8
David Dempsey...2-7
Tom Morrissey...0-12 (0-4 frees)
Seamus Flanagan...0-8
LAST FIVE ALLIANZ LEAGUE CLASHES
2019: Clare 2-11 Limerick 1-14
2018: Limerick 4-21 Clare 0-33 (Limerick won on free-taking shoot-out in the quarter-final)
2016: Clare 1-19 Limerick 0-18
2012: Clare 0-21 Limerick 1-16 (1B Final)
2012: Clare 2-24 Limerick 1-13
ALLIANZ GAA HURLING LEAGUE ROLL OF HONOUR (DIV 1)
19 – Tipperary (1928-49-50-52-54-55-57-59-60-61-64-65-68-79-88-94-99-2001-2008)
18 – Kilkenny (1933-62-66-76-82-83-86-90-95-2002-2003-2005-2006-2009-2012-2013-2014-2018)
14 – Cork (1926-30-40-41-48-53-69-70-72-74-80-81-93-98)
12 – LIMERICK (1934-35-36-37-38-47-71-84-85-92-97-2019)
10 – Galway (1932-51-75-87-89-96-2000-2004-2010-2018)
4 – Wexford (1956-58-67-73)
4 – CLARE (1946-77-78-2016)
3 – Waterford (1963-2007-2015)
2 – Dublin (1929-39-2011)
1 – Offaly (1991)
2020 ALLIANZ HURLING LEAGUE: RESULTS & FIXTURES
DIVISION 1
GROUP A
Round 1: Limerick 2-14 Tipperary 0-18; Galway 1-24 Westmeath 0-10; Waterford 1-24 Cork 3-17.
Round 2: Cork 2-24 Tipperary 1-25; Waterford 3-18 Westmeath 1-15; Limerick 1-19 Galway 0-14.
Round 3: Cork 3-12 Westmeath 1-14; Galway 3-21 Tipperary 3-13; Limerick 1-21 Waterford 1-17
Round 4: Waterford 0-17 Galway 0-16; Limerick 0-29 Cork 2-21; Tipperary 3-27 Westmeath 0-16.
Round 5: Galway 2-18 Cork 1-16; Limerick 1-24 Westmeath 0-18; Tipperary 0-24 Waterford 2-18.
GROUP B
Round 1: Wexford 2-27 Laois 2-16; Kilkenny 3-21 Dublin 0-18; Clare 1-27 Carlow 0-14.
Round 2: Dublin 4-18 Laois 2-17; Kilkenny 3-21 Carlow 0-9; Clare 0-18 Wexford 0-15.
Round 3: Dublin 0-20 Carlow 0-9; Clare 0-17 Laois 0-9; Wexford 1-16 Kilkenny 1-14.
Round 4: Wexford 2-14 Dublin 0-18; Laois 0-15 Carlow 0-14; Kilkenny 1-19 Clare 3-13.
Round 5: Clare 0-27 Dublin 1-15; Kilkenny 3-22 Laois 1-19; Wexford 2-29 Carlow 1-11.
QUARTER-FINALS
Cancelled
SEMI-FINALS
Cancelled
FINAL
October 25: Clare v Limerick, Semple Stadium, 3.45
DIV 1 RELEGATION PLAY-OFF
Westmeath 1-17 Carlow 2-8
DIVISION 2A
Round 1: Kerry 2-24 Mayo 0-13; Offaly 0-26 Meath 1-21; Antrim 0-20 Wicklow 0-11.
Round 2: Meath 2-24 Wicklow 3-18; Antrim 4-19 Mayo 0-7; Kerry 2-11 Offaly 0-14.
Round 3: Kerry 0-13 Meath 0-8; Wicklow 1-16 Mayo 1-13; Offaly 0-20 Antrim 2-14.
Round 4: Kerry 1-20 Wicklow 1-12; Antrim 5-27 Meath1-15; Offaly 5-29 Mayo 1-13.
Round 5: Meath 1-17 Mayo 0-18; Antrim 2-20 Kerry 2-14; Offaly 4-29 Wicklow 2-14.
Final: Antrim 2-23 Kerry 2-20
DIVISION 2B
Round 1: Roscommon 2-19 Warwickshire 1-10; Derry 1-19 Down 0-19; Kildare 2-26 London 0-20.
Round 2: Kildare 5-19 Warwickshire 0-1; Down 3-23 Roscommon 0-11; Derry 4-15 London 2-18.
Round 3: Down 3-22 Warwickshire 2-8; Roscommon 0-13 London 0-10; Derry 2-16 Kildare 3-13
Round 4: Derry 4-22 Warwickshire 2-7; Kildare 5-21 Roscommon 2-12; Down 2-28 London 0-16.
Round 5: Down 0-19 Kildare 1-14; Derry 0-16 Roscommon 0-10; London w/o Warwickshire.
Final: Down 2-16 Derry 0-17
Relegation play-off: London 1-20 Warwickshire 0-5
DIVISION 3A
Round 1: Armagh 2-17 Donegal 0-15; Tyrone 1-21 Louth 1-16; Longford 2-16 Monaghan 0-18;.
Round 2: Longford 1-15 Louth 1-10; Armagh 3-25 Monaghan 1-10; Donegal 2-23 Tyrone 1-15.
Round 3: Longford 0-9 Armagh 0-9; Donegal 2-9 Louth 1-10; Tyrone 2-17 Monaghan 1-7
Round 4: Armagh 1-19 Louth 1-18; Donegal 1-15 Monaghan 1-5; Tyrone 0-23 Longford 1-15.
Round 5: Mar 1: Donegal 0-19 Longford 0-13; Monaghan 3-12 Louth 1-10; Tyrone 0-25 Armagh 3-16.
Final: Donegal 1-18 Armagh 0-19
DIVISION 3B
Round 1: Lancashire 0-15 Cavan 0-8; Fermanagh 2-12 Leitrim 1-13.
Round 2: Sligo 3-18 Lancashire 1-15; Cavan 0-17 Fermanagh 0-12.
Round 3: Feb 16: Sligo 3-21 Fermanagh 0-14; Leitrim 0-13 Cavan 0-5.
Round 4: Feb 22: Lancashire 1-12 Fermanagh 1-6; Sligo 2-17 Leitrim 1-15.
Round 5: Sligo 4-20 Cavan 3-10; Leitrim 2-13 Lancashire 1-11.
Final: Sligo 3-17 Leitrim 2-16
