Round 2 of championship reverts to August

IRRESPECTIVE of the result of the Munster Senior Hurling Championship semi-final between Clare and Cork on Sunday week, Round 2 of the county senior and intermediate hurling championships will not be played before the weekend of August 17 and 18, the June meeting of Clare GAA decided on Tuesday night.

This is the date originally recommended by the committee that drew up the masters fixtures plan at the beginning of the year. When a special structures meeting debated that plan in February, delegates voted that in the event of Clare getting to the Munster senior hurling final, Round 2of the domestic competition would go ahead on the weekend of June 29 and 30.

That February meeting was a heated affair and, while no one objected on the night, the claims afterwards that normal voting procedures of one vote per club were not enforced added to the anger.

Re-visiting the issue at this week’s meeting, board chairman Michael McDonagh said he had taken up to 80 calls from clubs in recent days in relation to the date for the second round of the championship. “It’s open to the delegates now to discuss the issue,” he said.

“I made the original proposal and having debated the issue many times since, I would now propose that we go back to the masters fixtures plan and have Round 2 on the date originally proposed in August,” Broadford’s Danny Chaplin stated.

Among those who spoke in favour of reverting to the masters fixtures plan were Pat Keane, on behalf of Sixmilebridge, Denis Tuohy (Whitegate) and Paul Gannon (Inagh-Kilnamona).

Ballyea’s Sean McNamara proposed that the games go ahead on June 29 and 30 “because of the dual players and dual clubs”. This was seconded by Bernard Hanrahan (Clarecastle), who was critical of the board and clubs for raising the issue. “You are listening to clubs that were beaten in the first round. We were beaten in the first round last year and nobody stood up and proposed a change,” he claimed.

Among those who spoke in favour of playing Round 2 in June were St Joseph’s, Éire Óg and Clonlara. Tulla delegate Pat McGrath told the meeting he had no mandate from the club on the issue, while Newmarket’s Mike Clancy said his club was “open to whatever the board decides”. However, he pointed out the Munster champions are scheduled to play the All-Ireland semi-final on the weekend of August 17-18.

On a vote by a show of hands, the proposal to revert back to the August date as per the master fixtures plan was carried, 29 votes to 13.