Cormac, 8, comes to team’s rescue

AN eight-year-old boy from the Ring Gaeltacht created GAA history at the weekend when he played, albeit briefly, in a divisional U21 HC semi-final.

Cormac Murchu, whose father Irial is chairman of the Ring club, was introduced by An Ghaeltacht at the start of the second half of their West Waterford U21 A HC semi-final against champions Tallow in Cappoquin on Saturday.

Because a number of their players were exam tied and others didn’t make themselves available, the Gaeltacht side arrived at the match venue with only 14 players. They played the entire first half with that numerical disadvantage, yet trailed by just three points at the interval.

Under rule, a team cannot start the second half of a championship game without a full compliment of 15 players, so officials played the youngster.

“If we hadn’t 15 players to start the second half, we would have had to concede the game, and all credit to little Cormac for avoiding that calamity,” said clubman and TG4 commentator MacDarra Mac Donncha.

Tallow won 2-13 to 2-8.