New Cup fit for the kings of Leinster

THE Leinster Council is hoping that the presentation of a new trophy to their provincial SHC champions on Sunday will herald a new era for the game in the province.

The Cup, which commemorates Bob O'Keeffe, a former President of the GAA, was first presented in 1950.

However, wear and tear forced the council to purchase a replacement, chairman Liam O'Neill explained yesterday.

The 'new' trophy is a former horse racing trophy, believed to have been last presented in the 1920s.

According to Mr O'Neill, who put it on show at the captains' media briefing in Carlow yesterday, it's made of Victorian silver, worth €25,000 and its value will "double" after Sunday.

Bob O'Keeffe was a native of Mooncoin, Co Kilkenny, who served as Leinster chairman from 1924 until 1935. The original trophy was purchased by the council in 1949 and cost £700.

"We haven't had time to inscribe it. We only took the decision in May to get a new trophy and we would hope to get at least 50 years out of it,'' he added.

On the broader front, Mr O'Neill admitted there is "a problem" with hurling in Leinster. The province has been divided into six regions and hurling development administrators will be appointed to augment existing people.

"Hurling will be on the agenda of every management meeting from now on. We intend to put a structure together where we'll be reporting back on hurling and monitoring the progress of it,'' he said.

"We would regard the new trophy as hopefully the start of a new era for Leinster hurling. That is our ambition.''

The council is optimistic about the size of the crowd for Sunday's finals. He believes it will be boosted by the involvement of Dublin in the minor game, and Wexford are guaranteed big support.

"They are probably the best supporters in the country," he said.