Gamblers chase Paddy for disputed hurling bet

CORK may have qualified for another All-Ireland final, but one hurling fan on Leeside wasn’t celebrating.

Agnes Higgins, aged 35, thought she’d won 2,380 on Saturday’s big game, but Paddy Power bookmakers has refused to pay out.

The mother-of-two from Knockfree Avenue, Fairhill, backed Cork’s John Gardiner to score first in the semi-final replay against Wexford.

When the Cork midfield player landed an early point, Agnes believed her 33/1 long-shot had come in.

“There were about eight of us, including family and friends, who put down 70, and we went in to collect our winnings at half-time,” she said.

But when Agnes went to cash in at Paddy Power on Paul Street, Cork, she was told she had backed Gardiner to score a goal, not a point.

“I was shocked because it only said ‘first score’ at 33/1 on the docket. All they would give me was my money back, which I refused because it was a ridiculous offer,” she said.

Agnes was later offered the bet at 7/1 by Paddy Power after she told her story on radio. This would have netted Agnes and her friends 560. The bookmakers also offered to give the disputed 2,380 to charity.

“It was a staff error on our part and it’s not a money issue,” the firm said.

“We’re offering Agnes the price that Gardiner would have been to score the first point. We’ll also give the 2,380 to charity to show this is not about the money.”

But Agnes and her friends are still demanding full payment.