Ballyea's preparations for their opening county championshp match in a fortnight's time step up considerably tomorow with the visit of another group of county champions to Ballyea at 5pm.

In a fixture that really puts the word 'challenge' into challenge match, Fergal Hegarty has identified Limerick county champions Patrickswell as ideal opposition ahead of his team's first round county championship clash with Wolfe Tones.

Patrickswell, along with Waterford's Ballygunner, were a set of county champions Ballyea did not get to encounter in last year's gloriously victorious Munster championship campaign. The Limerick champions, coached by former All Star Gary Kirby, were defeated in the Munster semi-final by a point by Glen Rovers who in turn were swept aside by a rampant Ballyea team in Thurles.