May start date for Senior Hurling Championship?

DELEGATES from the GAA clubs of the county will return to the West County Hotel this Thursday at 8pm to accept or reject the master fixtures plan for 2013.

Chairman of the committee that put the plan together, Pádraig Boland from Broadford, outlined the difficulties that faced the committee, which also included Colm Browne (Kilrush), Jack Chaplin (Cratloe), Rosaleen Monaghan (Tubber), Denis Tuohy (Whitegate) and Gerry O’Neill (Kilmihil).

They have again proposed that the Senior Hurling Championship start in May (the proposed dates are May 18 and 19) with a break until August 17 for Round 2.

In the committee’s view, it would not be possible to run off both hurling and football championships in time for the provincial campaigns, if neither started before August.

Asked about possible alternative dates for the start of the hurling championship, Hickey said they hadn’t gone for May 4, 5 and 6 or May 11-12 “because of third-level exams”, while they didn’t recommend the weekend of June 8-9 because a draw between Clare and Waterford in the Munster quarter-final on June 2 would result in a replay on June 8.

In addition, the Leaving Certificate exam starts on June 5 and the county footballers will be playing in the Munster Championship on June 16. Some of their panel are members of hurling clubs.

Chairman Michael McDonagh told the delegates he spoke “to the football panel last week and some of those players indicated that they would not be playing hurling but the clubs can check that out themselves”.

Cratloe’s Jack Chaplin, a member of the committee which proposed the plan, reminded delegates, “The football format means that replays will be required if there are any draws”.

The plan proposes the August Bank Holiday weekend as the start-up time for the Senior Football Championship with Round 2 a week later.

The football final is pencilled in for October 13 with the hurling final set for a week later.

Michael McDonagh asked delegates to take this plan back to their clubs, study it and come back next week to make a final decision.

He suggested Tuesday night of this week for the meeting but Wolfe Tones’ delegate Joe Kelly led the push to have the meeting deferred to this Thursday night, which the majority of delegates voted for.

The fixtures plan provides for the adult football leagues to commence on March 17, while the hurling leagues getting underway on April 1.

The remaining rounds of the football leagues are proposed for April 13/14; May 4/5/6; May 11/12; May 25/26; June 1/2/3 and June 22/23, while the hurling league will continue on April 6/7; April 20/21; April 27/28; May 4/5/6; June 1/2/3/; June 8/9  and July 6/7.