Inagh-Kilnamona hurlers to remain in Division 1

A number of adjustments were ratified to the groupings in the hurling leagues for 2010 at this week’sspecial meeting of Clare GAA.

Kilmaley’s second adult team have been given permission to remain in the intermediate league. They had won promotion at the end of last year’s campaign but later in the season, the same team was relegated to the junior A championship for the coming year.
Corofin’s second adult team finished last season in the relegation position from the intermediate league but as they are graded at intermediate level in the championship, they cannot drop down, so they will remain in the intermediate league for the coming year.
In order to have 10 teams in the top division of the Clare Champion Cup, one of the two clubs relegated from the division last year had to be allowed to stay up. On a toss of a coin, Inagh-Kilnamona will stay in Division 1, with St Joseph’s in Division 2A. Division 1, Division 2A and Division 2B will each comprise of 10 teams.
There will be nine teams in the intermediate league and nine in the junior A league.
Meanwhile, there will be 23 teams in the junior B league in 2010 and these will be divided into two groups of eight and one of seven.

Regrading issues
Tuesday’s special board meeting had a request from Tubber to be allowed regrade seven players from senior to junior B for 2010. In a written submission, Tubber stated that they now had 30 players of senior status due to the fact that many of their juniors were promoted for short spells last year due to “a major injury crisis. This has restricted our chances of fielding a junior B team”.
Speaking on the application, the Tubber delegate Michael Lee told the meeting that “we know the rules but this is an exceptional situation. As of now, there will be seven or eight players who will get no game this year”.
Stating that he wasn’t objecting to the application, Clarecastle’s Bernard Hanrahan asked “how many more Tubbers are we going to have?”.
Pat Frawley from St Joseph’s also told the meeting that he would support the request and he suggested that the meeting should give the committee that deals with regradings the power to examine the request.
Chairman Michael O’Neill felt that “we would be opening a big can of worms”, while secretary Pat Fitzgerald commented that “seven is nearly half a team.
“Every week, I am getting letter after letter on this subject from clubs. There isn’t a club here that would not have a letter in next week if we go down this road. The number to be regraded used to be three and then it was extended to five”.
A vote wasn’t taken on the matter but it was clear that the mood of the meeting wasn’t for changing from the present system, where five is the number allowed.

Good wishes for Frost
Before the business of this week’s special meeting of Clare GAA concluded, the meeting extended good wishes to Robert Frost in his attempt to be elected vice-chairman of the Munster Council at the upcoming ­convention of the provincial body.
“This is going to be Robert’s third time challenging for this position and we all wish him very well,” ­commented Miltown’s Noel Walsh, who is a former chairman of the council.