Historic year brings Déise in from cold
Recalling the famous June 30 Munster final victory over defending champions Tipperary in what he described as an "epic'' decider, Mr Walsh said the hurling produced by Waterford that day will long live in the memory, bringing to an end one of the most extended hurling famines in the history of the game.
"Disappointingly, the team didn't go on to garner All-Ireland glory, but the first important breakthrough was achieved, and we face into 2003 much more in confidence than in hope a major reversal of years past," he said.
The chairman went on to praise Mount Sion's "magnificent achievement'' in winning the Munster club championship last Sunday, thus giving Waterford clubs back-to-back provincial titles for the first time.
"Just like Waterford in their surge to Munster glory, we saw a Mount Sion team last Sunday that just would not concede. The hunger for victory was insatiable, and at the end of a stirring battle the victory was deservedly theirs," Mr Walsh said. "It was the icing on the cake, the near-perfect finale to a memorable hurling year for Waterford."
Mr Walsh said that off the field, one of the major developments of the year was the series of recommendations drawn up by the Strategic Review Committee. He said he agreed with many of them, but was totally opposed to others and welcomed their rejection at the special congress.
The chairman said a local review committee had also come up with a recommendation that both divisional boards be scrapped and that the Association in the county be administered by just one overall board. "That is, and must, be a non-starter," he said.
"This West Waterford Board has been in existence for 75 years, during which time it has served the Association well. How any group of people can now be prepared to get rid of it is quite beyond me," Mr Walsh said.
He asked why they should now be asked to set aside their "tried and trusted'' board and replace it with an alternative of which they would have no knowledge or experience.
Mr Walsh expressed disappointment that once more the board's mammoth championship programme had spilled over into the depths of winter with a number of divisional finals still to be played.
"It is an unsatisfactory situation and an issue that must be tackled head-on in the coming year," he said.
With all of the outgoing officials returned unopposed, it was one of the rare uncontested conventions in the 75-year history of the board.
